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What I got up to today.

Finally off the engine stand.



flywheel and clutch on.



All assembled.



The wagon lies in wait.



1 man engine installs... lol









Finally in.

Lookin good mate!
Kicked it over yet?

Awesome!

What's the go with the rocker covers on these? Some had the Saturn on the top. Some don't. Why?

looks awesome Dave

75wagon wrote: 1 man engine installs... lol

With your phone/camera in hand too

Are you not able to get the carbs and manifold onto the head when the motor is sitting in the car? I would have thought they'd make it more fiddly by getting in the way.

gaPhil wrote:Kicked it over yet?

Yes, it's running.

75glnt wrote:What's the go with the rocker covers on these? Some had the Saturn on the top. Some don't. Why?

I don't know, i have both but prefer the smooth cleaner look.

Tj. wrote:ith your phone/camera in hand too

I didn't take enough photos of it while I was building it, I'm certainly making up for that now.

Tj. wrote:Are you not able to get the carbs and manifold onto the head when the motor is sitting in the car? I would have thought they'd make it more fiddly by getting in the way.

There's a mile of room in there. I don't like leaning over the car too much. It's so much easier on a stand then leaning into a engine bay at that awkward height. I'm to old for that crap now. And plus, how would I have got all those cool fully assmbled motor pics if I waited till it was in before I fitted them?

Well, it is running. I did have a few small issues. I had oil pressure issues, it didn't seem to matter what I did I couldn't prime the pump well enough, but I finally got that sorted. The next problem I had was spark, I replaced the distributor to coil wire but didn't solder 1 connection (a noob fail but all the same missed it lol).

Dave...

Saturday night at Liverpool is on.
I have sorted the issue I was having with the new motor (I just needed a bit of time to think about what I had done to it).

I have to finish putting it back together, and then give it a good wash (it's covered in saw dust after building built in wardrobes for my house in the garage the other weekend).

But all in all, it's good news. I'm happy as. The motor is running smoother and quieter then the old one ever has, it still has that lump to it from the No.5 cam though

Dave...

youll be in livo this sunday? damn im off the road atm snapped a clutch cable again. gonna get it remade but wont have the time this week. ah wells always next time. great job dave i love your attention to detail (Y).

I took it out for it's first drive tonite.
So much smoother then before, more pull, and that gearbox I put in it feels so tight it feels like new, and oh course now I have a clutch pedal that isn't soft under foot as well.

Feels like a new car

Now I'm disappointed I put this off for so many years.

Dave...

Always better late than never mate....i'm still waiting to get married (which is next year) so i can save up and buy a house, so i can buy a sig wag, so I can build it....long way to go yet

Well I drove it to work today.
It was wet so I took it easy, but all good, no spike in temps or anything, no problems at all really. It does need some time spent on tuning however, it isn't 100% yet. I've spent more time getting things back together and working rather than fine tuning. All things sound promising at this stage though. It has good pull through the lower part of the rev range compared to before, and was braking traction on normal acceleration in places it normally wouldn't have.

I have to work tomorrow, so I won't be able to spend more then 20mins on it before I leave for Harry's at Liverpool (I think I should spend that time on fitting new wiper blades before I drive over 400kms in the wet). I should be there by 5pmish if anyone's interested in coming out on potentially a wet night.

Dave...

I spent the day tidying up the interior.
Got to it with a nail brush, some cream cleanser, and some water.

Door trims off. I adjusted and lubed all the door mechs while apart, and adjusted the central locking.


See the brown along the top of the door trim, it just had to go.


Left is cleaned, right isn't. Just to show how much difference a couple of minutes


Clean as, all the way to the alloy strip.


Back on the car.


This trim was the worst of them all (being the drivers side). There is still some minor discoloration to the top of the trim, but it's 100 times better then what it was.


As far as other things are going, the new motor is running well, and returning 7 litres to do 100kms while its at it. It's quieter, and has more torque. All in all, I'm really happy with the outcome of the motor change, and now wondering why I didn't do it years ago (I've had the motor since 2009). It came in a car I stripped with all receipts proving was fully reconditioned (the car with $3000 worth of receipts for work in the previous 3 years to when I bought it). I Just decided to put a seal kit and new oil pump in it to be sure everything would be perfect after sitting for 4 years in the corner of my shed.

Dave...

looks like very good results........what product are you using......can it do different colours like black/brown/blue for eg?

Product is in the pics - Gumption. Probably mixed in with a whole heap of Elbow Grease.

Scorpma82 wrote:looks like very good results........what product are you using......can it do different colours like black/brown/blue for eg?

C_Fernance wrote:Product is in the pics - Gumption. Probably mixed in with a whole heap of Elbow Grease.

Gumption is good but IMO I think it's a bit too abrasive. Liquid Jif bathroom cleaner works just as well and I find it easier to apply. It is only good for removing the nasty stuff embedded in trims and vinyl seats - not for recolouring them. Dave's door cards have come up a treat (for some reason the cream Galant interiors respond really well to this stuff) but if you're gonna do this you'll need warm water and a kitchen sponge to remove all the residue after scrubbing, then hit it with a silicon spray and rub it in with your fingers to rejuvenate the trim. Looking good Dave!

Scorpma82 wrote:can it do different colours like black/brown/blue for eg?

I can't see why not, all I was doing was cleaning all the body oils/fats and dirt off?

geezer101 wrote:Gumption is good but IMO I think it's a bit too abrasive.

Nope, it's perfect. Just add water, the more water, the less abrasive it is.
The nail brush did most of the work anyway.

geezer101 wrote:Liquid Jif bathroom cleaner works just as well and I find it easier to apply.

Yeah it would work, but this is what I had in the cupboard.

C_Fernance wrote:Gumption. Probably mixed in with a whole heap of Elbow Grease.

It took like 1 or 2 mins each door card, it was one of the easiest things I have done to the whole car.
So easy, it was beyond a joke.
It was easier then removing and replacing the door cards. I also took the time to adjust all the clips that hold the door cards on so they are nice and tight on the backing board.
77galantv6 popped in here while I was doing it, he witnessed how easy it was.

Dave...