Karman Sutra

[Fiatdude]

So was finishing up the oil cooler install and using SS tubing -- Things were going pretty good, then started flaring the tubing ends -- you know, always feeling it needs to have the last quarter turn to finish that perfect flare -- NOT



It's amazing just how much can leak thru those little cracks at pressure LOL -- -- Then started looking for that last piece of tubing to finish the install -- -- damnit -- it was 5/8" aluminum, needed 1/2" SS -- Oh Well, 20" short of tubing finished the day for me -- might stop by G and J in Ontario and the way home tomorrow and get a piece of SS tubing

[andy198712]

Just like torquing a bolt, till it snaps then a quarter back lol

[Fiatdude]

I met a buddy for lunch today -- look at what the damn bastard drove up in -- --



It was his dad's who bought in '79 for $19K -- his dad took a greyhound to Texas with the money in a tool box -- -- Only the second time in four years he had driven it -- should of seen the commotion it caused -- even a Firetruck going up the street with its siren on had guys hanging out the window starring ....... It's 100% original total unrestored ... Oh it's a '70 Plymouth Super Bird

[BeetleBug]

I met a buddy for lunch today -- look at what the damn bastard drove up in -- --

It was his dad's who bought in '79 for $19K -- his dad took a greyhound to Texas with the money in a tool box -- -- Only the second time in four years he had driven it -- should of seen the commotion it caused -- even a Firetruck going up the street with its siren on had guys hanging out the window starring ....... It's 100% original total unrestored ... Oh it's a '70 Plymouth Super Bird

Now that is what I call a good investment. We have a old guy here in Norway dragracing the only Super Bird in the world that was factory made for a customer in a wheel chair. And he drives the feathers out of it!

-BB-

[Jeff68]

Damn..... 100% original and unrestored too! His Dad was so smart in 1979! This car is a 401K in itself....Always loved these cars. I remember as a kid riding my bike around town seeing a lime green one parked downtown and stopping and looking at it for a long time as I had never seen one or even a picture of one at that point in my life. Very cool. Of all the muscle cars Mopars are my favorite...

[mg]

Oh it's a '70 Plymouth Super Bird

he needs to take it out more often. 
mines a 70 Z28 RS, multi tasking back then was smoking while driving. 

[Taylor]

So was finishing up the oil cooler install and using SS tubing -- Things were going pretty good, then started flaring the tubing ends -- you know, always feeling it needs to have the last quarter turn to finish that perfect flare -- NOT



It's amazing just how much can leak thru those little cracks at pressure LOL -- -- Then started looking for that last piece of tubing to finish the install -- -- damnit -- it was 5/8" aluminum, needed 1/2" SS -- Oh Well, 20" short of tubing finished the day for me -- might stop by G and J in Ontario and the way home tomorrow and get a piece of SS tubing

You need to use annealed stainless tubing.  It won't crack or split like that.

[Fiatdude]

That's what this is -- BUT when you cut it with a tubing cutter, flexing it in, and then flex it back out with the flare, it will do that -- someone pointed out the error in my ways, so now I use a hack saw to cut it and not a tubing cutter.............. solved that problem LOL

[Fiatdude]

This is freaking embarrassing -- -- Just figured out that this is the first time this year the car has been out of the garage --

Oh Well, -- It's at least back together, just waiting on the tuner -- --

[Fiatdude]

It was looking soooo good in the driveway this morning -- I just figured that daddy needed a new chair for the office

A Kirkey Seat is for sale !!!!

[andy198712]

looks amazing!

[Fiatdude]

Thanks --

[Fiatdude]

I'd love to have huge(r) tires under the Ghia -- -- But I can't bring myself to do any cutting to the body, I just think the stock lines are beautiful -- I could do a 3" Torsion narrowing and go that route, but it would require a lot of "redo" to my cage as it is mounted to the outside of the torsion tubes..........

And then I find this build ------

http://www.pro-touring.com/threads/117289-Porsche-918-Wide-Body-RSR-LS3-1970-Build-Sema-Project

I just think all the 'hacking' done to this body is just crazy -- -- It will be badass when done but .. .. .. ... ..

[Fiatdude]

For Sale -- -- $200 OBO -- hasn't be damaged by my weak-ass

[Fiatdude]

My Son bought me a new key ring for the Ghia -- Does he know something I don't?

[Fiatdude]

Got to talk and hang out with Finnegan and Freiburger for about a hour today at the Optima Challenge --

They were working on a yellow Mazda rotary pickup with a 455 front engine Olds mounted in the bed -- they bought it from a guy who claimed it was a 10 sec car -- must of been timed in the 100 foot, cause it was a dog LOL

I didn't have much to offer them as far as help or suggestions, BUT they had some very nice eye candy hanging around them and it made walking away very VERY difficult LMAO

Did get a cool sticker -- Had volunteered to help doing the Tech-in early this am (before it got into the 100's) and the guy making the stickers messed up as it was suppose to be intermediate, so I took the damn thing LOL -- don't know if it should go on the Ghia or the tool box -- probably be the tool box

[Fiatdude]

SO -- -- About December 15th I had the engine out and got the trans back from Benco -- I reinstalled the engine did some upgrades, and started putting everything back together

Immediately, I started having EFI problems -- turn on master power -- Electromotive EFI would come on run all the prestart stuff, hit start, engine would run for 20-30 seconds and shut off -- -- -- I would turn off the 'key', turn on the 'key' -- nothing -- kill the master power everything would repeat, engine would run, shut off, again everything dead

Holy crap I was vexed,,,,, so I sent the box back to Electromotive,, came back,, still the same thing,,, sent the box back and they sent me a new one as a replacement...... By this time I was pissed and I had the AEM setting on the shelf, so I started the AEM install -- -- So flash forward until this month and I had finally finished the install (OK, OK , I know I'm slow, but I was just frustrated with everything) I took the Ghia over the WesTech in Mira Loma to double check everything I had done on the install of the AEM and for them to tune the damn thing......

So I get a call from Eric @ WesTech last Friday, the Damn AEM is doing the same freaking thing, turn on main power, turn the 'key' on -- it would cycle thru everything perfectly, turn the 'key' off, turn 'key' back on -- -- box is all pissed off -- turn main power off/on -- start over, it work once then fail.....

WTF is going on??

I am Stumped -- I had gone through the wiring twice during the install checking everything -- -- I really dwelling on this thinking, thinking............ I'm thinking that the ARC switches is letting a small of current to flow through when the 'key' is off, not letting the memory clear for a clean restart...... Nah!! how can that happen through the relays......

SOOOO, I'm in bed Saturday night at about 11:30, almost asleep, when it hits me, The freaking alternator has a bad diode in it and letting current bleed through -- -- Hmmmm just might be it...

Monday night after work, I swing by WesTech, walk over to the Ghia, pull the exciter wire off the alternator.... SHAZAMMMM, freaking problem disappears -- -- 10 DAM months working on this thing and it was just a bad freaking Alternator from the very beginning...... who would of thunk it.......................................

[mg]

10 cent part creates 10 month delay, not enough car years left for bs like that!
12 months in a body shop is frustratingly normal.

[Fiatdude]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzv40VWL5ho

[Fiatdude]

Wellll, The guys at WesTech are really MAD at me - --- -- - One of the front oil coolers decided to split open while the car was on the dyno Monday -- what a mess -- Freaking car was still dripping oil out of the spare tire drain Tuesday when I went over to help by-pass that cooler -- should of just put another oil cooler in its place, but their description of what happen had me confused -- -- but I've been working nights lately so I'm in a constant state of confusion LOL (still had to have the blue towels and rags there to continue to mop up the oil in this picture LOL)

Don't know when they will have some open dyno time so they can get the Ghia back on there



They did have a cool open class desert car on the dyno Tuesday -- -- about a half million dollar toy there

[spoolin70]

What was their description of what happened then ?

I'm intrigued to know their reasoning, surely pressure split it open ??

Thanks
Darren

[Fiatdude]

I think more metal fatigue -- the location where it split has been a weak spot as far as I always thought especially when you tighten and loosen the fittings a lot thru the years -- I'll post a picture of the location when I get it out --

Spent the day getting parts and seeing what I need to do -- The guys at WesTech also gave me a "Oh, by the way" that all my SS braided fuel lines are all dried out and starting to leak from the E85 -- so I bought a bunch more fittings and I'm just going to go Hard line everywhere LOL  

When I walked in, Chad from Bangshift was there showing off my car as they were filming a dyno session for a web thing, we've met him several times thru the years and he's still wanting to get a bug for his wife .....

[mg]

We popped the front cooler on the 911 one time, then added a thermostat and problem fixed.
In fact blown oil coolers on road race cars during warm up was common in the 60s.
Now with oil tank warmers and inline thermostats oil coolers are lasting longer.
Do you have a thermostat on your oil line to the oil cooler?

My SS braid fuel lines lasted about 6 years when they started to weep.

[Fiatdude]

It was the 'tube' type cooler shown here on the bottom -- -- The oil does go through the other cooler first and I do have an inline thermostat -- -- The tube cracked just where it goes into the fins -- I bought another cooler like the top one and will be going out to install it today, so I'll be able to get a good picture of where it cracked

[Fiatdude]

Was over working on the oil cooler at WesTech -- Chad from BangShift was there -- He had a junkyard SBC on the Dyno and all the guys there were running around the dyno and giggling and laughing and just cracking up -- --- --

They had setup two targets behind the headers and were pouring BB's down the carb and watching them hit the targets.... It was the craziest thing I'd ever watched-- I don't know which was funnier watching the BB's come shooting out of the headers or the guys running around laughing their azzes off -- -- Then they pulled the plugs out after their "run" OMG .. .. well, look at the pictures.....

Soon to be a video to be posted somewhere :::::::::::::::::::::::



If you look closely you can see all the BB's on the floor....

[Fiatdude]

A little update -- -- Nothing is happening LMAO

The last 2 weeks the guys from WesTech have been jammed with the high dollar cars going to SEMA (or Chad destroying a SBC) or Eric being sicker than a dog -- Hope he's feeling better !!! -- Went over to work on the Ghia this morning, but they've all left to go to SEMA too..... Oh well, it's not like I've anywhere to go LOL -- and remember I'm the one who made the deal that the Ghia is not their first priority, just something for them work on when they can -- so really no problem as far as I'm concerned, because they are treating the ghia very well !!!

SO, Screw it,,,, I'm going on Vacation -- see you all in a couple of weeks

[Fiatdude]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4WAUmyKDq0

[Fiatdude]

It's Story telling day and it's Baseball season (here in the states) and the final year of Vin Skully's 67 year career announcing Baseball -- -- Here are a few of the stories he interweaves into his broadcasts that makes him so great.......

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2016/04/27/174849170/vin-scullys-best-stories-on-national-tell-a-story-day

[Fiatdude]

Well, The Ghia is back home -- -- It has been gone so much the past year that there almost wasn't a space for it in the garage..... you know how a empty spot in the garage fills up quick LOL



I brought the damn thing home Sunday, with more problems than it left with, oil leaks up the arse and just a ton of electrical issues. It runs OK. It drives on and off the trailer and goes down the road, then it just shuts off -- -- guess I'm just gonna reach in there and grab a handful of wiring and just rip it out and start over.... Ordered some new electrical things and they will be here tomorrow night, so tomorrow I'll get started straightening out my rats nest and decide how I want to proceed.....

On the way home, I was cruising a car show at the Riverside Auto Center with the Ghia on the trailer, and there was Ester (E-girl)((Powder puff VW racer par excellence)). I didn't know she was Ms. Route 66.... Damn she looked good in that tiara... LOL

[Fiatdude]