Sure looks like a V12 to me. What's the displacement?

 

Yep- it a V12. BMW M73 -from the mid 90's 750/850. All aluminum block and heads SOHC and just at 328 CI

Here's a "before" pic-

DSCN0661 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

 

I just replaced my 39 year old rear spring bushings with a new bushing kit from Corvette Central. The job was not too difficult and was accomplished in about an hour after getting the car on jack stands and the rear wheels removed. The next job I think will be replacing all four shocks with Bilstein HDs.

 

I started out today with the vague plan to weld a small cut some bozo added to my ps/alt bracket
Keep in mind we moved about a year ago and we are packrats who still havent fully unpacked,
Found welder...cant find hood cant even find cheesy hand held mask thing that came with welder then ADD hits and i start hunting the power steering pump and lines...lol 2000sq ft basement and its hiding really well..ooh found stock tail lights and bubble lenses that i didnt know i even had...so took break gragged a tea and dropped by here....

 

The cold garage kept me from doing much this weekend I did install pushrods and set the valvelash to zero and wonder how much you pretension the lifters. I read some preset the tension with a quarter turn others half turn...... Dont really know how much is OK.

 

Took a further detour into fixing interior pieces when I pulled them out from behind the seats (if the seats were in there). I could kick the brainiac that decided to make all those pieces urethane-molded. I can only fix the few fiberglass pieces. Gonna cost me a frickin fortune when it comes time to reassemble the interior!

 

Yesterday the weather was in the 60's, the sun was shining and we decided to take the Corvette out for a spin. We drove through the Napa Valley, stopped in Yountville for lunch at the Bouchon Bakery and then back home. Beautiful drive. Today I did the fit check on the new Wilwood calipers and rotors, then re-packed all the goodies and placed them up on the shelf with the growing collection of new parts.

 

Yountville is beautiful. Visited a couple years ago. Pretty fancy. Made better with the visit of that beautiful c3.

 

Started the replacement of my broken shroud. I found out just how much fun you can have changing it. I did not realize that you had to remove the radiator to get the shroud out.
When the radiator was out I figured that it was 45 years old an while it was out I would send it out and get it checked out and serviced before I put it back. I also thought it would be the time to replace all of the hoses. Then I also found out how much fun you can have changing the heater hose that goes up behind the evaporator for the air conditioning. One of the clamps was facing toward the plastic housing of the evaporator and not possible to get a socket on.

 

I stripped, primed, and painted a set of headers today. I was tired of buying new headers with Ceramic coatings that don't last. So I bought a painted set and spent some time on them. I hope this process lasts better than my old coatings have.


I have had three different coatings on two different sets of headers. Rust bleeds through the coatings eventually.

Here are the some pics of the primed and painted stages using VHT products.

 

Some time before I bought my car, a creative shop changed the appearance of the front end. I never did like it, so I found a replacement front end and began the cut-out and graft-in.

I plan on installing the FIA-L88 lights, to go with my L88 flares.

 

Have been trying figure out what to do with covering my custom set up for the speedo and tach gauges-making them look professional and not costing a fortune-

After numerous ideas and Google searches- I found some stainless steel trim- with glass for about $17- used by people who restore/build clocks !!! Apparently in the UK it's a big hobby.



Just had to cut the hinges off- remove the dial- and the worked perfectly!!!

 

Beautiful work as always Richard!

 

Thank God for the second picture. I thought maybe you were going real old-school with the roman numerals!

 

lmao!

 

I took a picture of it,

 

Seeing that motor in there never gets old Richard.

 

THANKS!!!



Now Jim- That's FUNNY!!!

Thank you Shannon- the only thing that gets old- is it's still in the garage- been there so long the tires look like old potatoes and have started spouting roots!!!

OK- more gauge work-

Just got the Oil temp gauge made by Roger at Corvette Instruments- He did a great job. I really needed a gauge to see what the temps are going to be running in the Dry sump tank.

Sort of tough to tell- but I went w/ a brushed look on the faceplate. The old clock button will be an over ride for the electric fans to turn on.

The symbols (Battery/Radiator) were what I had laying around and temporarily taped in place. But I like the look so I'm gonna go to the junkyard and find something for the door ajar and the headlight (probably off a Miata). The battery for ignition/alt and the radiator is when the electric fans are running.








On the engine- went with new AN lines and fittings- as I was able to minimize the number of fittings and by going w/ 90º pan fittings and have some extra clearance from the exhaust. I also when with Earls' "Flameguard" to help with heat.

Pressure checked the hoses first w/ my homemade tester-
125PSI and no leaks-




Polished the pan while I was at it...




more clearance Clarence.... now I can drop my tacked up exhaust and get it looking good-



I like the black hose and polished ends...I even got another 10ft and will re-purpose the old fittings. As I'll use it to 'hide' the electrical wires. Hope it'll look a lot better than split loom!!!

 

80 degrees F today in Denver. I drove it! T-tops off and enjoyed the sun.

I even had some knucklehead in an Oldsmobuick decide he wanted to give her a try. Smoked him off the light but had to let up as I ran up on the car in front of me. I'm sure he thinks he pulled out on me, but my 350 horse girl and I know the truth!

Sadly, the weather is supposed to get poopy tomorrow so she's back in the garage until the next spring-like day.

 

Just curious why not use stainless headers???