alternativez

Bad bulb, wrong bulb, corroded contacts, aging thermal, frayed or corroded wires or ground that are only nominally working, anywhere that is a mild short or overheating of a weakness will cause the incorrect pulse.

Isn't the check valve there, as we used to call it, the "anti-backfire" valve, for the purpose of preventing gases and fumes from going to the booster? It should apply negative pressure, or vacuum, to pull from the booster to the intake manifold, thus you will only have the assist if the engine is running or if the booster has some residual vacuum just after the engine is turned off, (but you don't need the boost for bleeding). You don't want the fumes to reverse and go to the booster by installing it backwards or by eliminating it. In such case, the booster will not maintain its assisting function, and it will deteriorate from the oil and gas fumes from the intake manifold from whence the vacuum is drawing. Also, I suggest for the present to keep the stock prop valve, as it should work properly as the system was engineered. Then, when you upgrade to a stronger rear setup, you might insider changing it. I suggest first getting your system functioning 100% before modifying it. Back to the bleeding, I've worked on all sorts of vehicles in my life, and still, I get frustrated once in a while with bleeding a system after I've opened the lines. Also, the fluid itself, when agitated slightly, will contain small air bubbles which have to consolidate and be expelled. That's why it may take the slow, repeated process and a very firm pressure at the pedal and good timing when opening and closing the bleeder. I just went through that same frustration with my work van after it was rear-ended by a texter, and I had to replace some hard and soft lines and calipers. I, too, was at "my wit's end" after several tries and running out of time. A friend's advice was, "you prolly just need to bleed it again." It helped that it had sat a few days, and then it finally bled and is working fine. That last time, even though I again bled all twice around, the only one where I found air was the right rear, and it wasn't much, but it only takes a small amount of air anywhere in the cylinders or lines to cause a spongey pedal and uneven braking. Again, sorry for the long post. This is the sort of thing that works best if we could get together in the garage. Writing about it takes as long as doing it! Ha! Be sure to post your outcome. Good luck!

Try this, not second-guessing, just being thorough. think zen and the art of brake bleeding; patience is key: all tubing blown clear from both ends with dry air, no moisture in lines, system all assembled, engine off, fluid in reservoir (don't let it run empty while bleeding), cap loose but covering to keep contamination out, all adjustments to rear shoes, attach clear plastic tubing to each caliper and wheel cylinder bleeder, place tubes into clear, clean glass jars to collect fluid. Open all bleeders and allow fluid to passively move through system and drip out of the tubes. This can take several minutes. If the fluid doesn't eventually drip out without pressing the pedal, there is a blockage. A blockage, such as caused by dirt, air, crushed or corroded tubing, fittings misaligned or so tight they crush the tubing at the fitting, minute crud inside the caliper or cylinder, etc. sometimes the blockage is small enough to be forced out with pedal pressure, but usually must be removed by immaculate disassembly and cleaning. Then, if fluid has passed through all corners, it will bleed. Now, with enough clean fluid in each jar that the brakes can't suck air, close all bleeders only snugly, have your helper pump the pedal slowly, firmly, all the way down about 5 or 6 or some divine number of times, then hold and continue pressing the pedal firmly while you open one bleeder only enough to release fluid, not loosely. You should start getting a strong flow of fluid without even the tiniest air bubbles or spurting. It sometimes takes several times of pumping and purging and refilling the res, and then even a couple of times around the system to get all air out. If the pedal is released before the bleeder is quickly closed it would suck air, but if the tubing now has no air in it, it would only draw fluid, but make sure it can draw no contamination. The first couple of times I open the bleeder, I usually try to close it quickly just before the pedal has gone all the way to the floor, then repeat with that wheel until it is clear and the pedal feels firm. The job of the helper is significant. Over the years my wife has found that she needs to use both feet because it requires more strength, persistence, and endurance than one might expect, and communication...follow the rule of farthest first. Any time a brake system has been disassembled, it takes more effort to clear and to bleed than it does after only changing pads and shoes. When you get this done, you will have a great, pretty much all new, brake system! It's going to feel great! Good luck! Patience and persistence; this is one "simple" job that itself demands perfection. And, yes, new and reconditioned parts aren't always 100% functional as we should be able to expect. Sorry for such a long post.

So, one thing I might have missed: without the inner spindle cap, ie. dust cover, which covers the spindle nut and bearing, will your rota center cap fit? If so, the wheel center cap should suffice to keep the spindle nut and the outer bearing clean. We always kept some grease in the dust cap, so it might still be a good idea, even though you probably don't want grease in it. Any chance you could post a photo of the front wheel mounted, showing the spindle bolt sticking out? Sorry to bother; it's an interesting problem. It sounds like the mounting plate of the wheel is thinner on the 8" wheel than on the 7", if that makes sense. In that case, a wheel spacer should make up the difference, but that essentially changes the offset of the front wheels. Yet, you said you had tried a spacer. It sounds like they've made one wheel for the front and a different wheel for the back, the mounting surfaces being of different thicknesses. If that's true, I wonder why rota doesn't describe this difference. Specs of each wheel would be nice. Good luck!

Be sure to check the torque on the banjo fitting. It should have a soft, probably brass, sealing washer on each side. Naturally, we tighten things to stop leaks, but banjo fitting faces can distort if too tight. Good luck.

Sounded great, ran great, beat a pretty cool car, that's special! Nice work!

Agree with chamfering the wheel slightly rather than trimming the hub as installing and removing the wheel will be slightly easier, especially if you get any corrosion between them over time, assuming the wheel's mounting material is thick enough to sacrifice the material. Just do it judiciously and touch up the paint if necessary, and it will look like it was designed that way, as many wheels are. Good luck!

I'm going to guess that the 16x8 wheel and perhaps the 17x8.5 may have a thinner mounting face than the 7 and 7.5. I've tried to get information from rota and from 18 racing to confirm that, but no responses. Maybe someone here can tell me. I suppose that makes sense. Just wondering if the 7.5 and 8.5 look reasonable as a set. Galban, as long as you can keep the bearings from drying out, you should be ok with only the wheel center caps. Did you try "smashing" the bearing caps a little; would that help?

Would be nice to see xsection specs of each wheel size...

18Racing.com shows rb and rbr, the wider "royal lip," and they sell stagger (7.5 rb & 8.5 rbr x 17 and 6 rb & 8 rb x 16) sets, and site shows inventory. Galban, are all four of your rims same? What measure? Site may be helpful, as you can zoom on photos and see rim depth difference, rb vs rbr. Is there a difference in thickness of the wheel mounting face, perhaps? Will the rim fit the front with bearing dust cap removed or flattened? Interesting problem. Like to know how this works out for you. I had settled on a 17" stagger set of these, but haven't ordered yet. Thanks for posting.

Any debris or oil or even any type of moisture or dust in or seeping out of the bottom of the bell housing which could indicate a cause? Such as a leaking or damaged rear crank seal or rear oil pan gasket? If you did notice it more on an incline, it could be pressure plate slippage due either to throw-out pressure or to a soiled pressure plate. Good luck!

Pretty good example of stupidity and bullying by Gordon and Pepsi. Either the salesman was acting, or he was really pissed and scared, which was convincing. I hope he gets a big payoff for being treated like a sap. Just goes to show why kids think they can do incredibly stupid and cruel things and then cry that they were just having fun. I tried to " read more," hoping for some explanation, but there was none. Better disclose the nature of those first "break-in" miles on that Camaro, too. Maybe Gordon will fix everything by buying the car, so the guy gets his commission. Doubt it.

Try a small diameter hose adapted to fit on your vacuum cleaner. Use the injector port or the spark plug port. Worked like a charm to retrieve a plastic injector cap for me once. Good luck!

While any craft has it's skills and talents which come from learning and practice, I'm one who believes I can usually accomplish almost anything to a reasonably high level of skill because I likely have the highest motivation to make it perfect. Perhaps if you find the carpet and cut out your pieces, there isn't so much sewing, which I'm sure you could figure out, but you could also drop them off at an upholsterer to be bound. We did that with a large room carpet once, and it worked out great. We got the fabric and the dimensions we wanted, and it saved us money. Be sure to take into account any padding or sound proofing materials when measuring. You can also buy the binding and put that sewing machine (and some hand stitching) to good use, and imagine your satisfaction when you have done the job yourself. Good luck

Harrington Group makes very nice stainless bumpers for many cars. The pair for my '70 Z cost under a grand with shipping. They are thin, so the aren't much protection, but they are very light. They made mine without holes, and they made the rear one piece for me, not three sections. May not be what you want, but it's worth a look at their site. It's a British company, but the bumpers are made in Vietnam. I do have the original rear to get rid of, but it probably doesn't fit your '73, and the chrome is not in the best condition. Good luck!

Excellent! I did a 327 way back in '73. You do a great job, I can tell. Good luck!

I've owned several older BMW's and still have an '87 E30 and the daily driver '76 2002 with the '91 m42 I built a few years back (one of my practice cars for building my 240Z pretty soon). We've had 735's and a 635, and we have a 2004 MCS also. I started picking up older bimmers because they were really easy to work on myself, very solid and reliable if cared for, and I simply prefer RWD. We've put mega miles on them all. The 635 with its long nose always made me wish for my Z to be more solid like the bimmer, but not so heavy, so I cut it up, and the 3.5 straight 6 and all the guts are going into the Z (a slight tribute to Albrecht Goertz, if that doesn't offend any Datsun purists, bestofbothworldsyouknow) as soon as I get a few more projects (building house myself) done. I will literally build it from the ground up, wheels first, this time. Actually, the E30 325e with 5 speed is decent mileage and just a generally decent car, which we used for our kids to drive. My son still drives it, but the 2002 was his high school car with the carbs and distributor until it blew and I rebuilt it with electronics, FI, 5 speed, LSD, rack and pinion, etc., and I drive it all the time without a problem. It might be a little better competition for a 510 now! I've kind of moved away from BMW now mostly because it takes a long time for the newer designs to appeal; newer ones are laden with too many systems to deal with as they age, and fuel economy is an issue, but I do see a really pretty one once in a while. My next and last car will likely be the 1970 Z I've been holding onto for about 20+ years, waiting for my opportunity. My first personal car was a 1970 240z when I was 19 and dating the cute girl who has been my wife of 30 years, now, so fond memories, and the Z has always been the best car I have ever driven for sheer enjoyment, and I've had many sports cars in my life, so updated sort of "bimmer" style, I expect it to be the very personal car Z's have always been. Sorry for the long note, but it's a favorite topic of mine. Enjoy! Oh, Arne, love the e21 323! ;)Just saw a lovely 320i this past weekend, now I would grab one if I could!

Chevy Nova "doesn't go" well in Spanish, and it wasn't the "new star" they thought it would be. I love "iron"y. Sorry, but what linguist can resist a thread like "worst names"? Maybe that's why numbers work better. Wasn't a problem until I was getting a title and plating my '76 BMW 2002 in 2002. The BMV kept trying to tax me for a new 2002 BMW. I doubt BMW thought about that problem back in the 70's. Good day everyone!

My '70, unfinished, sitting under a tarp in the driveway, gets comments just because of its shape. I occasinally have to uncover it for some personal satisfaction. I have always loved the beauty of its lines. I drive my '76 BMW 2002 daily and it gets lots of positive comments, especially from kids; young ones just love it's clunky style for some reason. My son had it as his first car through high school with the orig engine, carbs, etc., and it made him super cool except when it wouldn't start. Now when I get someone interested, I show the cute little twin cam m42 with Fi, coils on plugs, header, etc., and it lights up faces. Can't wait to get my beloved '70 Z together. The other day I ran across my brother out in his georgeous '67 Austin Healey 3000 mkIV. There aren't many interesting cars here in central Indiana corn belt, but the 2002 does get noticed. My vet complains there won't be any more stone in his parking lot because he thinks I go around the corner into his lot too fast. I tell him it's just because the car is so small, I wasn't doing over 30. Being a teacher in a small, conservative, mostly rural community doesn't allow much anomynity. There might be some Z's in Indy, but I never see them.

A cabin filter is a great idea! I recall my '70, way back when I was young, and it was new, would refresh the cabin with snowflakes. Running the blower would actually pull *fresh* outside air into the cabin, and cool it fairly well. The ducting through the unibody seemed a practical and rudimentary way to use the hollow structure, but as I have experienced in other cars, such as my 635, that is an area which will capture and hold moisture and dirt, which makes it prone to rusting at a very critical place. As I'm restoring a '70 Z now, I've thought of eliminating that feature and filling the hollow with structural foam. The air flow was nice back then when A/C was considered a luxury, but today with so much traffic and pollution, I'm thinking there might be a better way to bring fresh air in. I do plan to install A/C, but I don't like to run it all the time generally. I do like the idea of a filter at the intake at least, and a flap that could be closed in winter would help. Or, pulling air from the cowl might compare better with newer cars' ventilation systems. Interesting topic. Good luck.

Some manual rack and pinion steering systems have a damper. It just absorbs the bumps before they jiggle your steering wheel, and it slows the steering reaction slightly to sort of "refine" the feel of the car. You can push/pull the shaft and see if it has any damping action in it, but it has likely become somewhat ineffective due to age and wear, so you probably wouldn't feel any difference now that it has fallen off. If you are happy without it, don't worry about it. If you want the full effect of it, replace it. If you haven't lately, I would suggest a thorough inspection of all steering components and bushings, etc. for wear, and for safety. I suppose those things could pose a danger themselves if they would somehow "freeze up." I have one on the 320i rack that I put into my 76 2002 BMW. I kept it on the rack, and I think it hardly has any effect, but it's still there. Can you imagine the conditions in which a steering damper works? Probably a piece with a fairly short life span. Great looking car, BTW, and your wife must be a pretty good sport and car savvy as well, lucky guy, as am I. Enjoy!

How about an early BMW 2002? Fun, cheap four seater. I put the m42 twin cam, header, from a '91 318is, all electronics, etc., R&P, lsd, over 2 years ago and have really enjoyed it for a daily driver with good mpg and quickness. Working on interior at present. '76, last year. Thinking of SC, next, maybe. Sturdy, takes everything I do to it. Anyway, I admire your determination to do something totally different. Good feature in a grown-up, I was going to say, an old guy, but I graduated from hs in '71, so maybe we don't like the reference. Other than the '70 Z I had when I was 19, the '71 Pantera that blew that Z off the interstate once has always been an infatuation. Good luck with your next project.

Side note: Hockey stick tape is also great for wrapping wiring because it is cloth, black, wide, strong, cheap, flexible, easy to find, and matches most auto wiring tape really closely.

Try Group Harrington, located in U.K. Fun site to visit at the least. They make all sorts of stuff including retro bumpers in SS, actually manufacturing and shipping them in Viet Nam. I have a set without any holes at all. No rubber. No overriders. They made the rear one piece for me. The pass side wing angle is a little wide, but will come in. I reported this and Thy Le Bho Quoc promised to improve the one-piece rear bumper in future. Thy was honest and prompt with putting my special request through the subsequent run, and I had them in less than two weeks from my deposit. The SS is nice. Won't peel or rust. I hope. They weigh 15# together, and as you might imagine, would not be much "crash" protection, but sleek they are. I love the starkness of the SS with a black body. SS looks like actual metal as compared perhaps to a more lush "buttery" look of chrome, if that helps one to picture the surface. Mine are not mounted yet, but I can see the usual rule that aftermarket body parts require some pursuasion. I anticipate their being just exactly right for my purposes when they've developed the proper relationship with the car. Good luck.