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

[ARQ164 Shane]

how many tooth bush have you budgetted for mate .lol

[Mick A]

Amazing work and attention to detail!

[shiny_car]

Thanks Choderboy - much appreciated!

A relatively small update for the past month. Though, mostly because some of the jobs were time consuming rather than lack of time spent on the car!

This marks the start of working underneath. First task was dropping the exhaust; the manifolds had long been removed, leaving the front pipes, centre section and rear muffler in place. Two decades of heat and grime, the front section was seized to the centre pipe. Removing the flanged front pipes, out from the gap between the engine and chassis, normally requires some manoeuvring; this was impossible when still connected to the centre pipe. I determined the quickest route was cutting one of the front pipes, bending slightly, then dropping it directly down; this section will be discarded and of no use to me again, so no loss. I will tackle the join to the centre pipe another time.





Now there was access to the rear engine mount and heatshield above the catalytic converter. Removing the heatshield gives access to the propeller shaft, and I found a split rubber boot over the gearshift linkage that will need replacing.





Next was removing the rear engine mount. I discovered lowering this down sufficiently to 'slide' the mount sideways required some trial and error: with the two 'side' engine mount bolts loosened, jacking the front of the engine (from front edge of oil sump) pivoted the engine and dipped the rear mount. I was initially puzzled when jacking the front as far as possible dipped the rear inadequately, only to see that it was lifting the entire engine! A little strange, but jacking the front partway dipped the rear the most, beyond which everything was lifted. Also jacking from one side (front corner of the oil sump) rotated the engine on a small sideways angle which was helpful. Perhaps not all 3.0 engines behave like this.



Advice from these forums confirmed I needed a new 'tool' to remove the engine mount! Any excuse, but I bought a cheap air compressor from Supercheap Auto; this is their high flow (180L/min) model, which was on special for $169. Cheap enough to 'try', and if I find having a compressor very useful, I will invest in a good quality version in the future. Quality, flexible hoses were purchased off ebay; Stanley air tools (air hammer + impact wrench) also from SCA (Stanley air tools have been dropped from their website, so the instore stock may be all that remains); plus additional Nitto style quick release couplings, and a water vapour remover plus oil supply.



Straight-up, the air hammer was insufficient to budge the mount. What worked was a combination of Inox penetrating oil soaked overnight plus heating the bell housing with a heat gun (I don't have a blow torch which would have been more effective). That was enough to get things started, and from there, the air hammer gradually 'whacked' it out. Whilst it was kinda fun, in my untrained hands (plus lying on my stomach on the ground under the car!), I managed to scratch and dent the soft alloy bell housing; nothing terrible, but obviously not ideal.

Refitting a new engine mount is for another day.









Time to clean the underside of the engine and chassis. I had previously removed the oil sump bottom cover, and degreased and high pressure hosed, so that was already clean. But plenty of oil stains, grease, and grime everywhere else.



One oily area of potential concern is just infront of the flywheel, best seen with the lower guard (first photo) removed. My understanding is that this (better scenario) could be oil from above, say a spray of oil from a failed oil pressure sensor; but (worse scenario) could be oil from the 'rear main' seal where the crankshaft passes out from the engine block to the flywheel. The latter is an 'engine out' procedure to replace. At this stage, I will simply keep an eye on whether the oil reaccumulates; if it's the rear main seal, hopefully not a bad leak, and I can wait a few years of driving.





Most of the area degreased and cleaned. Much of the factory 'chassis paint' has been scraped away, leaving only the grey primer. This will all be repainted with deadener. I found five (arrows) plastic screw plugs that appear to be fitted in factory holes; these are forward of the cat converter heatshield screw plugs. I've not seen photos or reference in the parts catalogue to an additional shield/undertray being fitted here (though it would seem quite reasonable to have one), so I am confused why these plugs exist; perhaps someone can shed light on this? I have removed the plugs, and the holes will be covered and painted.



Here is a sump guard, made by fellow Alfista 'alphie75'. A nice piece of work; pre-drilled holes in the front arms attach to factory bolts holding the front antiroll bar. I needed to test fit and align, then drill rear holes to bolt to the chassis. 'Rivnuts' are again the perfect solution to adding securing points; 10mm holes were drilled in the chassis, and enlarged slightly with the Dremel to accommodate M8 rivnuts (to be fitted later).

Once the car is lowered, ground clearance could be a big issue. The guard will lose an extra 2-3cm of clearance, and may leave only 5cm (!) but hopefully more. I will re-evaluate when all is completed, but the guard may need to be deleted and risk sump damage.











Back into the engine bay for some minor work. This is a heavily corroded coolant pipe joiner; the T-piece fits between the main hose(s) that passes from the radiator outlet (bottom of radiator) to the thermostat housing (inlet to thermostat housing and water pump). The small-diameter side pipe is a feeder from the coolant expansion tank.

After wire-brushing the corrosion, the joiner was clearly in poor condition. I have replaced this with a new aluminium T-piece off ebay; it is a generic part, but matches the original (38mm outer diameter for main hoses; 19mm OD for side hose). Determining any electrolysis issues will definitely be performed once the engine is up and running to ensure the joiner (and radiator) is not at risk of being 'eaten'.







The new T-piece was a little roughly constructed, but easily 'cleaned up' with some filing. And it already came pre-polished.



New silicone hose fitted to the radiator outlet, then T-piece clamped in position. The hose between the T-piece and thermostat housing to be added later. Smaller-diameter silicone hose fitted, which passes from the coolant expansion tank (not directly; it is connected to a small plastic T-piece and receives coolant from the expansion tank and return-coolant from the cabin heater core).





And finally, some teaser-pics! A Christmas present to myself: 'carbon fibre' bonnet and bootlid, from the US. These were produced as a small batch (26 pieces total (not sets)), specially commissioned by an Alfista (John, aka 'junglejustice') on the alfabb.com forums, and this set purchased by another Alfista but never used. They are part fibreglass, part-CF; fit and finish is excellent, and made to accept the original hardware (ie: integrated nuts to bolt to the factory hinges, etc). Not flawless, but a careful machine-polish should remove minor swirls. Clearcoat is UV-stable. I personally think 'full' CF looks a little silly, so I plan to have both pieces partially sprayed in body colour (red), and leave 'patches' of CF on show; I will put some thought into the design, but nothing intricate, just neat. I haven't weighed them yet.

No plans to fit them until the car is virtually completed, so into storage they go! Yes, they cost a pretty penny, especially once shipping was accounted for. I believe this is not the only set in Australia.















See you next month!

[ARQ164 Shane]

wow that's a very    exciting     installment  ;)look'n very cool

[john m]

"leave patches of CF on show"

like this perhaps, an article from Auto Italia issue 157 May '09.  That would create a stunning effect, a standard to match what lies under the hood. Andrew keep up the good work and thanks for posting.

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/michaelwardphotos/3403189843/

[Evan Bottcher]

Strewth!  Tough call - I think the CF would look great, definitely over the top though so up to your taste.

Can you tell us the weight difference between the steel and GRP/CF bonnet/boots?

[shiny_car]

Thanks guys. And it's Richard, not Andrew. 

From that same article, I really like the paint job on the black 75. Its bonnet appears to be CF, but without the 'finishing layer', and with a raw look instead. Its pattern of painting looks good too and probably more like what I have in mind.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8236/8474811809_3cc926cf98_z.jpg

But yes, both those cars have been an inspiration to me all along. 

Can you tell us the weight difference between the steel and GRP/CF bonnet/boots?

I haven't done a weigh-in of my own parts yet. But from the discussions on alfabb.com, the approx weights are:

bonnet: original ~18kg, CF ~8kg
boot: original ?9kg, CF ~4kg

[shiny_car]

For this month's update, I started with repositioning the aircon's receiver-dryer. With the new, thicker radiator, the trinary switch - screwed into the top of the receiver-dryer, was obstructed. So the receiver-dryer, and its bracket, were relocated about 20mm further back.

The receiver-dryer is plumbed inline on the high pressure side of the AC system, and its primary function is to remove moisture/water from the refrigerant pumped through the system. I have a new receiver-dryer, but an AC specialist is required to degas the system before uncoupling the hoses, so it's a job for the future. Screwed into the head of the receiver-dryer is the trinary switch, which monitors the pressure in the system.

This is the trinary switch that was fitted to the car. I figure it was a replacement switch, and there were two minor issues:
1. the wires were simply 'twist and tape' connections; poor reliability
2. the coloured plugs were on the wrong wires (second photo); even though it was a cosmetic issue, it was quick and easy to release the terminals from the plastic plugs to swap around





New trinary switch. I soldered the original wires/plugs to the new switch, plus heatshrink insulation. Then swapped the wires to the correct plugs (ie: black wires in red plug; blue wires in white plug).





Note the pressure specs:
LP (low pressure): 2.0 kg/cm^2; if the system loses refrigerant pressure, the switch opens and the compressor (clutch) cuts out
HP (high pressure): 26.5 kg/cm^2; if system overheats and pressure goes too high, the switch opens and the compressor cuts out
MP (medium pressure): 17 kg/cm^2; over this pressure, a second switch closes and turns on the radiator fan to increase air flow over the condensor and help cool the system and keep pressure in check



The bracket securing the receiver-dryer was riveted to the chassis. A fairly simple matter of drilling out the rivets and drilling new holes to reposition. The bracket was repositioned about 20mm back, but also higher, and this time bolted to the chassis. I don't know how tall the original receiver-dryer was, but both the current and replacement are a standard 2.5" x 6" unit. As such, the bracket was fitted down too low, leaving the receiver-dryer clamped around the bottom.

The new position seats the receiver-dryer properly within the bracket. Once fitted, the old holes were patched with JB Weld, and the area repainted, and fuel vapour canister refitted.







Inside the engine bay, the receiver-dryer was clamped in place. The trinary switch screwed into the head, with adequate clearance from the radiator.





Moving onto the front suspension...

Front antiroll bar removed.



Starting with the front right (caster rod and shock absorber previously removed). Cap and split-pin removed from hub, and castle nut being removed.





Brake caliper unbolted and suspended out of the way, with no tension through brake hose. Hub and brake disc slid off the axle with bearings. Brake disc guard unbolted and removed.





At 'full drop', further movement is stopped by the upper arm contacting the steering knuckle.





To adjust suspension height (ie: for me to lower the front), distance was measured from an arbitrary position above (underside of box section) to a point on the lower control arm (LCA). In these photos, the suspension remains bolted together, preloaded (ie: 'spring loaded'). I forgot to take a photo with the LCA released (ie: unloaded), and in its resting position. Marking an arbitrary point on the LCA, in the preloaded position the distance was 627mm.





To separate the suspension arms from the steering knuckle, it is dangerous without taking away the preloaded tension. Thus, a hydraulic jack lifted and supported the steering knuckle from underneath, taking tension off the upper balljoint. A balljoint separator was positioned, ready to push the balljoint shank up from the knuckle. A plastic bag covered the grease on the axle.



Upper balljoint safely separated from the steering knuckle. The jack was put aside, and the LCA dropped further down, unloaded. I measured the distance from the body above to the same point on the LCA as before, 668mm (again, no photo). This is an important reference; to lower the car, I will refit the LCA at a lesser distance.



Outer tie rod end (steering arm) separated from the steering knuckle.



Working on the lower balljoint. Notice the small gap between the rim of the balljoint (rusty brown) and LCA. Whilst it makes no difference, this gap shouldn't exist and suggests the balljoint (presumably a replacement) was not seated properly. They are apparently very tight and tough to fit...without the right tools.



Steering knuckle removed from lower balljoint. And penetrating oil sprayed into the gap to prepare for removal of balljoint from LCA.



But the gap has its advantage! As tough as it is to press the balljoint into the LCA, it's difficult to remove. One technique I read about was jamming some form of wedge into the gap, whilst forcing the balljoint out from above with a 3-prong puller. Here, a large flat screwdriver was jammed into the gap, using a hammer. Note that only 2 of the puller's prongs were having a beneficial effect; the outer prong was actually applying force on the balljoint to push it back into the LCA! That was the only practical method, and it worked fine!

As the gap widened, my 'wedge' was changed from a screwdriver to a chisel, then to a cheap and nasty balljoint separator fork (I gave up on these when I bought the proper balljoint separator). The fork has proved useful for something.  :lol:





Old lower balljoint removed, alongside new replacement. The old one was still in reasonable condition, but all the moving parts will be replaced.



Upper control arm (UCA) removed from chassis. The upper balljoint was riveted to the UCA from the factory. The shock absorber passes through the large central hole. UCA appears to be contructed from two pressed metal pieces, spot welded together.





An angle grinder was used to shave away the rivet heads, before hammering out with a punch. Old balljoint removed, alongside new replacement.





Original rubber bush pressed out from UCA using vice and socket piece. The bush showed signs of perishing, and had distorted.







Stripping wheel on angle grinder used to remove surface corrosion and paint on UCA. Then resprayed, first with etch primer, filler, then gloss black enamal.





Next task: removing the torsion bar.

This tool was made/sold by UK Alfista AlfaHaze, who occasionally offers them on ebay. The tool screws into the end of the torsion bar via the black stud; then rotating the big nut forces the big bolt and torsion bar out (same principle as fixing rivnuts).





The rear ends of the torsion bars are locked into this chassis brace midway under the car. Protective cap removed, to expose the end of the torsion bar. The tool screws into the threaded end of the bar, and you can see the splined hole that the splined end of the bar locks into.





Extraction tool connected to torsion bar, then nut gradually turned.





The splined front of the torsion bar extracted from the LCA. After the LCA was unbolted from the chassis, the torsion bar could be punched torwards the front of the car again, and out of the rear hole.





LCA unbolted from the chassis. M10x125mm bolts secure the support bar to the chassis, and the LCA rotates on the bar. LCA 'cleaned' with wire brush on drill.





I finally reached the stage I could not do without a hydraulic press! Until now, I had used a vice to press out bushes and various pieces, which worked nicely. Various attempts to remove the support bar and bushes from the LCA failed (vice, puller, heat, penetrating oil, etc); I probably could have succeeded with perseverence and lots of swearing, but I knew a press was the proper tool required, and will prove invaluable for many future applications.

This is a 20 ton hydraulic press. Relatively cheap, and basic build quality, but ideal for an enthuasiast like myself for occasional use. Fairly small footprint too, so doesn't take up much space; I'm mindful of working in a temporary garage, so all this gear will need moving in a couple years.





With the LCA carefully supported, a deep socket piece was 'pressed' against the end of the support bar. A moderate amount of force popped the bushes from their seated positions, but it was a very easy process! The press was worth its cost for this alone! 

From the second photo, the large retaining nut and lock ring were unscrewed from the front end of the LCA to allow the support bar and bushes to pass out; these help secure the bar in position from that end.





New versus old bushes. After removing nuts from each end of the support bar, the bushes simply slide off by hand. The old bushes still felt solid, and the LCA was rotating smoothly around the the bar. But you can see that one end of a bush was 'mashed', probably during fitment; and the outer collar of the other heavily gouged.

I was curious about the construction of the bushes, and found the second photo on the internet. The inner spherical collar rotates inside the outer metal collar, supported by a nylon bush. They seem very solid, and should last a long time.





That's it for the past month! I will now continue to refurbish the suspension parts, replace every bush and balljoint, clean and paint the wheel arch, then reassemble! Then the joys of the left side! But I'm genuinely enjoying this part of the restoration.

Thanks for reading.

[david sammartino]

So does this mean seeing as youll be refitting the torsion bars, youll be fitting the new rims so as to get the height set and save extra work later. I ask because i just cant wait to see the wheels on

[shiny_car]

Hey Dave

To me, fitting the wheels is like adding the cherry on the top; it's one of the very last details to do!  But really, they are just bare wheels, no tyres on them at the moment, and will first be refurbed/repainted. However, yes, I will to a mock-up fitment by bolting them on, supported on blocks, and try to gauge the stance. I'll do that once the suspension on the L is completed. 

[aggie57]

You need a job writing work instructions or the like.  Your efforts at capturing and documenting your work are to be commended.

[Brad M]

You need a job writing work instructions or the like.  Your efforts at capturing and documenting your work is to be commended.....!

Agreed, very impressive.

[Duk]

Just a note on the LCA ball joint.
I've never seen them fully seated on the parallel surfaces, before. Not the original ones and not after I've fitted new ones.

And I hope you cleaned the splines for the torsion bars and gave them some anti seize before putting them back together.

[shiny_car]

You need a job writing work instructions or the like.  Your efforts at capturing and documenting your work is to be commended.....!

Agreed, very impressive.

Thanks guys. Yeah, I like to make it an 'informative journey', which hopefully anyone can follow with some interest.

I've never seen them fully seated on the parallel surfaces, before. Not the original ones and not after I've fitted new ones.

And I hope you cleaned the splines for the torsion bars and gave them some anti seize before putting them back together.

Ah, cheers Duk. I had wondered if the balljoints seat completely into the LCA, and had presumed they should. I won't fret when the new ones don't!

Yeah, need to clean up the torsion bars; wire-brush the splines to clean any gunk from the grooves, and copper grease at the ready! 

[GTVeloce]

As Duk said, I have never had one completely mate up. I can feel it bottoming out and yet there is still always a gap. That said, the gap for me is usually only 1-2mm. Just enough for my cold chisel when I want to remove them!