Just In Time For Summer - 1971 Bmw 1600

[M3M3]

Ryan,

Funny how your "Big Crank" battery says it is from Winchester, VA 

 

 

jim

battery mart main location is in winchester.  big crank is the house brand.

Edited January 27, 2015 by mlytle

[danco_]

And, what seats are those, pray tell!

 

I believe they are a discontinued iteration of the Corbeau Classic seats. Fixed back, fairly cheaply built (but really comfortable at my 32" waist). The center fabric is very cheap, as is the surrounding vinyl. But I don't care, because hotrod canyon carving surfcar with a case of indecisive identity. 

 

battery mart main location is in winchester.  big crank is the house brand.

 

Ding ding ding. I think I paid $100ish from Amazon. Big Crank is made in the same factory, under the same specs as the more expensive Deka brand. IIRC, you have both a Big Crank and the more-expensive Braille battery, both of which spin your s14 just fine. 

 

That's good enough for me. 

[Beach_Bum]

What a great question! 

 

I think I set it up using a nut/bolt combo. But if I used sheet metal screws, then that is a viable option as well. Make sure to coat the newly drilled hole with some POR-15 or some other chemical that neutralizes and protects from rust. The Lord knows how these cars like to rust.

 

As for the bracket, I made it maybe 1/8" bigger on each side (than the battery itself) to allow me to actually slide the battery up and out if servicing is needed. It stays in snugly with the bracket, but removing the battery cables allows the battery to be removed as well without removing the bracket as well. I know I just said the same thing twice, but it has worked out really well. I think I used the seatbelt buckle bracket as a grounding point for the battery as well. 

 

Good luck! I have more updates soon, but I have been busy with a few other projects. 

 

Thanks for the info! Heard the west coast got some good swell last weekend too :jealous: It's ankle high here with 55* water temps. Forecast is calling for a little bump later this week though.

[danco_]

Thanks for the info! Heard the west coast got some good swell last weekend too :jealous: It's ankle high here with 55* water temps. Forecast is calling for a little bump later this week though.

 

You weren't kidding. Offshore winds all of Saturday, and 6-8' waves pumping from the northwest. Rights for days! Lasted into Sunday. Water wasn't too cold either. I was fine in my 3/2 full suit. 

[danco_]

Picked up the Powdercoated parts today. 

 

They look nice. 

 

I didn't notice the blurriness of the first picture until I uploaded it. I'm not retaking it.

 

 

 

 

 

Now I need to do some plating.

[dkal]

Those look awesome

[danco_]

Found my spare bumper and cleaned it up a bit. It's a really clean, straight piece. Debating on having them welded and making it a one-piece bumper for the lols. 

 

 

 

 

Any distortions or weird bends aren't bends, it's just your eyes playing tricks on you. This is a good bumper.

 

 

 

 

 

Don't really have a plan for it, but good bumpers are hard to find.

 

Maybe I'll buy a car missing the rear bumper. That's usually how it works. 

[danco_]

More stuff is trickling in.

 

Waiting on some stuff from Blunt, the radiator, and other things that I forgot about. I'll probably rebuild the heater core at some point too. So much to do. I don't have to do any of it, but I want to. What a concept.

 

7" 275lb springs made by Hyperco. I think these will be slightly more compliant than the 300lb Eibach springs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is what I have going on now. Notice what is at the bottom of the strut housings.

 

 

 

 

 

I'll continue to update this thread until I'm dead, the car is dead, or I sell the car. Whichever comes first.

[ray_]

I'd like to complement you on your progress.

 

[danco_]

I'd like to complement you on your progress.

 

Are you trying to get a Christmas card from me this year? Because that's how you get a Christmas card from me this year.

[danco_]

Suspension is ready to go in.

 

 

Also grabbed that radiator today.

 

 

 

High efficiency triple core unit right next to the stock 1600 dual core unit.

 

The triple core unit is about 1/8" thicker sticking out on the side closest to the engine. But in its current configuration, the core has more fins per inch (14 instead of 12) and more tubes per tank (i forgot the number). According to Don at Hoffman Radiator, it should flow about 40% more than stock, and more efficiently too.

 

I ordered a new Tropical fan from Blunt today because I didn't want to get in there and throw a used fan in. Kind of dumb, but I tend to not think about it. 

 

When Don pressure tested the three-core unit, he found that someone had already worked on the top tank and he had to seal a pinhole or two. Scary, but I trust him. The second radiator in the photo is the actual radiator from the 1600. I came across it by accident today, so I brought it to Don and told him to go ahead and triple core that one as well. I actually thought the first radiator I brought to him was the 1600 radiator, but I was wrong. Overall, the 1600 radiator is a much better unit overall. I might save that for the Polaris project, or simply save it as a spare. I rather have a spare than nothing at all.

 

The IE radiator will be coming out in the next week and will likely be up for sale. I want the mechanical fan back in there, and the IE rad won't allow that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been enjoying the car all weekend. Been surfing a lot and hooning, and I used the surf racks a few times this weekend too. Very solid weekend.

 

About an hour ago, I got the itch that I want to wetsand the whole car, and then cut/polish followed by wax. I figured I would test one spot tonight, so I chose the whole driver's side quarter panel.

 

I started with 1000 grit sandpaper, followed by 1200, and then finished with 1500. I don't own a porter cable polisher, so I applied a quick hand polish and this was the result:

 

 

Still no wax, but the paint can still "pop". I like the shine much better than the matte blue I've been running for the last year. Wow. I've owned this car for a year now. Who would have thought. 

 

I'll end up doing the whole car. I'll remove all trim (most of it, anyways) and bumpers and go to wet sanding town. Then a polish, followed by wax. This car is turning a new page.

[ibewebbman]

Hey Ryan,

Been following your thread for awhile now... Great progress and I am learning a lot from your project

I also have a 1600 that is slowly going back together after paint. I was planning to use the ie radiator and electric fan ...I am re considering that idea as I see you are removing them...would you mind elaborating a bit about why? I was thinking the 1600 could really benefit from removal of the mech fan.

Tia,

Alex

[danco_]

Hey Ryan,

Been following your thread for awhile now... Great progress and I am learning a lot from your project

I also have a 1600 that is slowly going back together after paint. I was planning to use the ie radiator and electric fan ...I am re considering that idea as I see you are removing them...would you mind elaborating a bit about why? I was thinking the 1600 could really benefit from removal of the mech fan.

Tia,

Alex

Hi Alex, 

 

I'm glad you're learning a lot from my posts, but i'm learning as I go. I'm not the greatest teacher, and I often make mistakes. But with the help of the more experienced FAQers, I think I'll survive. 

 

 

IE's radiator have worked for many people here. They seem happy and it's keeping their cars cool. I respect that. My motor is hopped up with a big cam, big pistons, high compression ratio, skimmed head, nice and built for a street hot rod. The engine needs more cooling in it's current state. I also removed the mechanical fan and added an electric fan in front of the IE rad. I'm pretty sure I set the fan blades incorrectly so even though it's "pushing" air through the radiator, it's not doing so in it's optimal configuration. 

 

In my current set up, my car will heat up in stop and go traffic. It will creep past 3/4 and if traffic is really bad, it will dance with the red line on the temp gauge. 

 

Now I can't attribute my cooling issue directly with the IE radiator. There are a number of variables. Things like the radiator, fan, thermostat, water pump, heater valve. These are all potential areas of issue. As of now, I have a new mechanical fan, new three-core radiator, good working thermostat, new thermostat, valve rebuild kit (though for a late valve and I just realized I have an early valve), and I'll check the water pump. I'll likely replace anything and everything and see what happens. 

 

I also like the idea of a stock-looking radiator, and engine bay in general. This is also a motivator for me. No ill sentiment towards the IE radiator, but it will come out.

 

I hope this helps you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight was part 1 of major productivity. 

 

I left work early (because I wasn't really working) to head to my buddy's shop and swap out suspensions. I ended up doing most of what I wanted, and I ate a whole pizza while I was at it. I'm sort of proud of that one. 

 

 

Anyways, by order of operations, I'll start with photos and brief, almost pointless explanations for each one. As the photos progress, so will my laziness. I will likely be unable to form coherent sentences by the end of this post. 

 

 

I started by removing the front struts and anything connected to them. This empty space is similar to the empty space in my chest where my heart used to be. 

 

 

 

 

Then I figured it was time to clean up and redress the new coilovers. Things went well. No real hiccups in this part of the process.

 

 

And here they are, basically done and ready to go back in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I did some stuff, ate pizzas, drank beers, did some handstands or whatever and then bolted the front setups in.

 

 

 

 

 

But then I looked at the rear suspension and decided that it looked ugly.

 

 

 

 

 

So my buddy Mike removed the rear drum brake cover things, threw them in the sand blasting cabinet, blasted the exteriors, and repainted them black using some kind of high-temp paint. They look nice. 

 

 

 

 

And then I threw the IE Stage 2 rear springs in. Currently running 3 Dot rear pads. Will probably throw the 1 Dot pads back in and see how far these springs will settle. I'm not against cutting up to a coil in the rear. You'll see why soon.

 

So pretty:

 

 

 

 

All buttoned back up:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And how the car sits now: The fronts are plenty low, but I might look into an 8" springs instead of the current 7" spring. I'm adjusted almost all the way up and the front sits that low. It would be great if I was trying to get on the front page of Stanceworks, but not great for adjustability, as was the main motivator for this suspension. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I drove home, and the car doesn't feel much stiffer than the previous set up. I can definitely feel that the front feels more compliant. It's almost like I can feel the Bilstein Sport shocks working. I like that. I didn't drive it hard, as the trunk was full of old suspension stuff, but i'll probably give it a good hooning tomorrow at some point. I think I'm just going to replace all other gaskets and rubber seals on the car. I feel like this is 80% of the noise in the cabin. 

 

 

So far so good. Too tired. Must sleep. If I accidentally a word, I apologize.

Edited February 20, 2015 by danco_

[M3M3]

Interesting that the front is that low. What is the distance from bottom of strut housing to the top of the strut tube?

Another factor is that you are using stock strut bearings on top vice camber plates.

Edited February 20, 2015 by mlytle

[danco_]

Interesting that the front is that low. What is the distance from bottom of strut housing to the top of the strut tube?

Another factor is that you are using stock strut bearings on top vice camber plates.

I'll definitely measure, but if I recall, the housing was sectioned 2.5" this time.

I think for my next set, I don't need that much cut out of the strut tubes.