Here's a list of open items at this point that need to be addressed by either a pro or me. This is mainly for my benefit, to help keep me on track.
Professional:
-Aim headlights
-Refinish wood dash
Amateur (me)
-Electric windows
-Interior lights
-Rearend (boots and cv joints)
-Glovebox door and shelf below
-Sun visors
-Soft top
-Hardtop
-Heater
-Radio/antenna
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Let There Be Lights!
Two front grill sets |
Let there be light |
Today I got all external lights working, with the exception of the backup lights (who cares) and the brake lights, which will require further circuit-chasing. Amazingly, the turn signals all work. I had to replace almost all of the small bulbs (picture left) which were oversprayed blue and burnt out. Again I wonder what the heck happened to this poor car? In an aviation accident investigation, if all bulbs were burnt out after a crash, it would be evidence that they were illuminated at impact. Hmmm. Most of the replacements came from the hulk. Then I turned my attention to the temperature gauge, which has never worked and is absolutely required in a Stag. After consulting the ROM about the location of the sending unit (88.25.20), I finally located it on the aft driver's side of the engine. At last I found (by feel) the little tang hidden on the bottom of the "water transfer housing" and plugged in the green wire. Now let's start the engine and check it....nothing. The starter would not turn. More troubleshooting and I finally put the car up on the lift again and re-checked the wire bundle that feeds the starter. That must've been the problem, b/c it started right up, and I got good temp indications! Yeah! I suspect that the overdrive harness will need some attention, and that may solve the reverse light problem as well, but that's for another day.
Hah! Working temp gauge!! |
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Headlights
Armed with my trusty wiring diagram and multimeter, I spent the afternoon trying to get all the lights hooked up. Why do previous owners insist on painting wire bundles thus disguising the color coded wires? The hulk was very helpful, giving up various bits of hardware. The headlights themselves are quite different between the two cars, and I suspect it was b/c the hulk spent some time in Europe. Its high beams are halogen, and the low beams are deepset Bosch affairs that had to be spliced into the wiring harness since they took different connectors. After quite a bit of frustration (normal for this car) I finally decided that there was one wire that was simply missing from the harness. I finally checked the hulk, and the same wire was missing, with a jumper installed just as I had decided to do. I wonder if it was some sort of congenital factory defect that was remedied after the fact? Anyway, I'm almost there with the front end of the car.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Crash-test Dummies
Blinded by the wind |
Bob and Ken were working on their Lemons race car. Ken commented that he hadn't seen a running Stag in years. Bob's reply: "There's a good reason for that!" |
Sharon's racing Mini on the right |
Sharon presented us with a crash-test dummy. I don't get the joke?!? |
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Short Fixed and Leaky Carb
Leaky culprit is the brass plug just left of center in the picture |
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Troubleshooting Success (for a change)
Burnt spot in situ against the manifold |
A better view of the damage after removing from starter |
Once again, the hulk saves the day |
Swapped this rusty terminal for a new one |
Sunday, April 1, 2012
New Kill Switch
New tie rod ends |
300 amp kill switch |
Today I installed my recently acquired racing car kill switch on one of the engine hoist eyes, which happened to be very conveniently placed and the right sized hole. Tried turning it on momentarily and observed smoke coming from the positive side battery cable. Man, have I got a short! Did some research and some thinking and decided the culprit must be the alternator. Now, I had the thing checked out way back when and it was one of the few components that were supposedly good. It's a bear to get to, so I'll save that for later in the week. If I isolate its wiring from the battery and the short to ground goes away, it's a pretty good bet the alternator is at fault. I did get the new tie rod ends installed (loosely...need to align the wheels before tightening the nuts).
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