Project car - 1989 75 3.0 V6 [Updated 12 November 2021]

[gergory]

shiny...............fantastic job, are you going to the island over the weekend for the historics?

[shiny_car]

Cheers mate. I can't make it to Phillip Island unfortunately!

[ARQ164 Shane]

love the car looks  so new .
went you get your recaro's recover if you need to sell the old covers please let me know, how a price 
sorry if that a bite cheey.

cheers ,Awesome car 

[ARQ164 Shane]

hi shiny,
so how low are are new bumpers ? Or do i have the wrong end of the stike .
hope that you are going well .
cheers

[shiny_car]

Low? You mean, to the ground?

At the moment, I have Twin Spark bumpers to fit. These of course are not particularly low, though with an aftermarket front splitter fitted, they'll be at least as low as your Veloce bumper. But I'm still deciding whether TS vs Veloce vs EVO.

I'm due to post an update this week when I have a chance!

[ARQ164 Shane]

howdy m8,
was that you selling the long wheel flares ?
i have found a photo of what i mean with the height with the EVO and Veloce bumpers
the gray one is the veloce bumper

how do you find the recaros for fit .

[shiny_car]

was that you selling the long wheel flares ?

Wasn't me. 

i have found a photo of what i mean with the height with the EVO and Veloce bumpers
the gray one is the veloce bumper

Fair bit of difference. I do prefer the Veloce, for both reasons of clearance and being less 'in ya face'. Yours is a Veloce style, yeah? Did you source locally or from OS?

how do you find the recaros for fit .

Not having spent any real time in them, I love them. My 'frame' is what you'd probably call 'medium build' towards 'slight', so I find them really comfortable and hugging. For those of 'big/broad' build could find them a little tight.

[ARQ164 Shane]

This is why i ask
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/milano-75-1987-1989/193809-evo-side-skirts-fender-moulds-sale.html


I prefer the Velcoe because of the reasons you stead and it was all i could get it took a lot of work to get it back to f/glass some one in his wisdom glued them  together (the spliter and the bumper) i've removed about 3kg of paint from it before it was painted in 2pak ar130 red

I have found my seat awesome fit for me too .

[shiny_car]

Good work. I can fibreglass/bog/prep too if required. Will probably come in handy when I work on the bumpers.

This is why i ask
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/milano-75-1987-1989/193809-evo-side-skirts-fender-moulds-sale.html

Ah yes, I enquired about them. I was not the seller.

[VeeSix]

Great work, love to watch progress of another 75 that is going to be around for a long time, look forward to the next update!!!!! 

[Duk]

How the f%@k do you add so many photo's to 1 post?

[shiny_car]

@ VeeSix: cheers mate.
@ Duk: my photos are not 'attached' to these forums; instead, I upload them elsewhere (picturetrail.com) and add the links to my posts using the 'img' tags.

For the past month's update, I've been plugging away at lots of small details in the engine bay. Relatively small things that need doing, but take up more time than you anticipate! And plenty more of those little jobs to do.

I tidied up the wiring to the thermostat housing. In original format, the wires were overly long and 'hung' in a messy fashion. So the main aim was pulling them back for a neater appearance. First, I removed the Bosch plugs from the thermotime switch plug and the ECU temp sender plug; then I could fit new Bosch rubber boots. The black pvc tubing covering the wires for the dash engine temp gauge and groundwire was cut off cos it was perishing, so new tubing could be fitted.



Here's a previous photo of the original wiring:



New Bosch rubber boots fitted. New black pvc tubing fitted over the wiring to the dash temp gauge sender, with new terminals crimped onto the wires, which I cut shorter by about 5cm. Heatshrink insulation fitted over the new terminals. New titanium bolt secures the groundwire to the housing.





It's now much neater. When I refit the upper radiator hose, I will decide whether the wiring travels over the top (original route) or is neater under the hose.



For the fuel return hose, I sprayed the small bracket black, and fitted a new grommet.



Under the engine now, I removed the oil sump cover. Cleaned away the old sludge and cleaned the external surface; plenty of degreaser and high pressure hosing. Refitted with a new gasket. A PO had fitted a magnetic sump plug; I added a new copper washer. Gasket and washer were both part of the full gasket kit I'd bought.









Some extra new titanium bolts replaced 4 'visible' bolts, securing the crank seal cover and oil sump.



Started to fit caster rod ball joints for the front suspension. Bolt holes need drilling, so doing it now whilst I can access the area inside the engine bay easily with the radiator out, AC condenser pushed aside, and piping moved. A PO had already fitted PU bushes in place of the factory rubber ones, but ball joints are more 'solid', though unforgiving; meant to be a good upgrade.



I've only done the driver-side so far. Wheel off, on axle stands, caster rod removed; cleaned the area.







Mock assembly, you can envisage the pieces being bolted in position with the spacers either side of the chassis pocket. The chassis surfaces are not perfectly flat, so an angle grinder was used to slightly contour. Note, this kit is from EB Spares (UK) , chosen because one end of the outside-spacer is pre-fashioned to fit snuggly into the corner of the chassis pocket. Other kits require similar to be done.





Using the outside-spacer as a template, one hole was drilled through the chassis pocket. Bolting both spacers in position, the second hole was drilled from inside the engine bay.







Caster ball joint then test fitted. Needed to grind off the edge of the ball joint flange for perfect fitment.







All raw metal surfaces coated with rust proofing paint. I'll then coat the area with black sound deadener that I used at the front of the radiator area. And I'll need to do the passenger-side next.



Another modification I thought I'd try is applying self-adhesive heat shield matting opposite the manifolds. I'm sure the heat was contributing to the deteriorated paint in these areas. Cheap, from ebay, it is meant to be heat proof, water proof, and stick forever! Well, we shall see. 



This is the driver-side area. With the engine supported underneath and engine mount removed, area cleaned, I applied patches of heat shielding.





To cover the base around the engine mount a piece was stuck entirely across. Then the mount refitted and used as a template to cut around the edge with a utility knife, and the patch removed.







A new engine mount fitted, complete with heat shielding wrapped around the rubber - hopefully it will last! These are from IAP (US); the small locating pins are spaced about 1.5mm too far from the main bolt so it didn't seat properly. Another angle grinder job to shave the bottom edge of the pin. The old mount was starting to perish.



All fitted, ready to be bolted up.





Thanks for looking. See you next month!

[Anthony Miller]

Hey Richard, nice work. just a thought about the heat shielding, wouldn't it be directing more heat to the fuel lines the way you've installed it with the fuel lines running between the headers and the shielding?

[shiny_car]

Yes, agreed. I had thought about that too, so I need to review exactly what lines are passing-by. I'd like to protect them too, so I'll be looking into heat shield wrapping/tubing. Or I may simply apply some of the self-adhesive stuff over the top of them. It's on the list to address.  

[gergory]

richard
its all looking good!
just one thing, I read on greg gordons site (highperformance store) that the thermotime switch is problematic and can be disconnected.
apparently it is an early form of emissions device that has a history of making the engine run rough.

Thought I might mention this and let me know your thoughts

regards greg