Two steps forward, three steps back. It was one of those days......
I started out early as I needed to button up a few things and wanted to do a couple of road tests to make suspension adjustments, re-torque some bolts and generally take time to sort out some small electrical issues (the fuel gauge needs to be connected and the turn signals don't work and the horn goes on when you turn the steering wheel).
First came the tie down rods for the battery. The PO had large lead cell battery sitting on the floor behind the passenger seat and the carpet was eaten away from battery acid due to not being tied down. I ran thru bolts and installed a bracket to bolt down the battery. I needed to make sure the tie down still allowed the fiberglass battery cover to be used.
- Battery installation
Next came the installation of the QED airbox for the weber carbs. I drilled a hole for the cover to be bolted on, trimmed the long bolt to size and bolted the backing plate to the carbs. Ran the large airflow tube to the sponge air filter and secured everything. Was a tight fit but it looked great!
- QED airbox backing plate
- TC with QED Airbox and hose
Fitting the bonnet. It was clear that the bonnet was not going to go down over the airbox. The side of the bonnet was in the way and would need a significant trimming to clear. Too much fiberglass material would be removed for my liking so I canned that idea and un-installed the airbox, hose and filter.
- Bonnet wont close the QED airbox installed
I pulled the K&N air filters from my old engine and bolted them on the webers. They will work fine until I figure out what I will probably do.
- K&N filters for weber carbs
The car was sitting too low so I adjusted all four corners to allow for better road clearance. Very simple now as I have fully adjustable springs.
Started the engine, let it warm up while I washed the windshield and off I went for a test drive!
- Back on the road after several months of work.
It didn't last long. About 1 1/2 miles down the road the front brakes locked up (both sides) and started smoking. I pulled off to the side of the road and let everything cool down. Once the brakes released I drove back home and put the car back on the lift.
- Put on lift, remove wheels
After much discussion with Drew we determined the master cylinder was defective. It was brand new so I was a bit perplexed but after removing the master brake cylinder it became clear there were problems. The piston tube was scored and the plunger wasn't returning very quickly. We dismantled the entire master cylinder, cleaned it and honed the piston tube. Re-greased the parts using red grease for brake parts and reassembled.
- Master brake cylinder
We reinstalled the master cylinder and re-bled the entire brake system. Time for a beer!
Drew and I packed a flashlight, paper towels and some wrenches for the midnight test drive. We made it back safely and no more brake lockup.
- Road tested at midnight and back in the garage.
Looks like I will be driving to the New Hope Autoshow!