72red Begins

It looks a lot better that what I had envisioned from your earlier description. Have fun restoring it, contrary to popular belief half the fun is getting there. It will be worth it in the end. The best part is you'll meet a lot of great guys willing to help you along the way! Welcome!

Good luck, and have fun with it!

Michael

Looks like a great place to start! Good luck and don't forget to have fun!

I would strongly venture that you need no new panels, just a good old-school body man. That chrome bumper bar is Hall Pantera aftermarket and would be nice to toss in the garbage.

I have thought, but since mine is still in great shape not yet done so - that coating the rear tub with a truck bedliner spray would be a very workable solution. Just something to consider.

Lots of advice here, and lots of info at the two sites listed in my signature below.

Larry

Thanks guys, the chrome bumper bar is already tossed. I guess I will have to get some opinions from old school body guys regarding replacing the panels, I am planning on a complete repaint (still red but less orange and with a clearcoat) and I want it to look great when it is finished - I don't want to say "I wish I'd just bought new panels". I have some good people available to take a look at it over the next few weeks - hope to have the body finished by spring.

Great car Red...From Dennis "The best part is you'll meet a lot of great guys willing to help you along the way! Welcome!"
These cars are alot like Michael Jordon said about golf. " Its a addiction that the support groups are only going to get you deeper into it!"
Jeff

Just to update, the engine would not turn with the starter. I have removed the plugs (except one sticky one) and sprayed penetrating oil in the cylinders. I am going to remove the valve covers and coat the parts with oil tomorrow. In a few days I will try the starter again. We'll see, if I have to pull the motor then who knows where this will go.

Engine now turns over just fine with starter. I have no fuel at the venturis. I get oil pressure on the gauge in the cockpit. I removed the left-hand valve cover about a week ago to find everything nicely coated in oil and not dirty or rusted - I since replaced the cover with a new gasket and decided the right one didn't need to be removed. I filled the coolant tank with water bleeding air through the bleed screw on the upper left corner of the radiator with the rear of the car elevated on jackstands. I added a v-belt to the alternator/waterpump/crank. Next move I guess is to try to figure out whether I have clogged fuel lines or a bad pump/carb/filter etc. Also, ominous smoke from the vents just foreward of the windshield while I was cranking the engine - no fire though - I blame the mice. Note to self - buy fire extinguisher. I did replace all the plugs but one. The left rear is rounded off and stuck pretty good, so I left it for now - 7/8 will have to do.

A bare steel '72 right front bumper arrived from Panteras by Wilkinson - almost $300 and I still have to have it chromed. I'm going to have the left one smoothed and re-chromed at the same time.

After fuel supply debacle solved - I replaced the fuel pump with help from people on this forum - the car started tonight! I'm amazed because it has gone so slowly to this point. To hear the car roaring in the garage was like sweet music. My lovely bride told me to turn the car off lest I disturb the neighbors, as if that wasn't the whole point in the first place. The mouse nest count is up to five - the engine blew one out of the exhaust tips. Jobs to do - body work is the big one, replace transmission fluid, adjust radiator fans (they scrape against the radiator although the part that rubs is getting filed down by the radiator metal), figure out why the windows don't go up and down (switches probably), bleed brake lines, rebuild brakes maybe although I'm not sure if this is really necessary, replace ignition/key cylinder, get seats repaired/recovered. I think I'm going to leave the air conditioning drive belt off for now. We have feet of snow and inches of salt on the road, so I have time to work.

I got a billet aluminum steering wheel hub from graham pantera - they have been very helpful- however, it doesn't fit on the steering shaft, I think the splines and opening are correct but there is a collar at the base of the hub that keeps it from sliding down far enough on the shaft to be mounted. I had a machinist friend of mine cut the collar off at his shop but I don't have the part back yet. Incidentally, the hub from Momo per their books was totally wrong and I still had to pay a restocking fee. The old wheel looks terrible so hopefully I will have some luck mounting the hub after machining.

New photos just added to gallery - thanks for looking (the good, bad, and ugly).

72 Red,
Congrats on getting the "Beast" to roar !

I noticed in your pic of the new fuel pump that it still has the original fuel lines/clamps. Replacing these needs to be a priority. The wire mesh is just a cover and the rubber hose is 35 years old !

Good Luck and enjoy winter project .

Jeff #1434

One more thought. It looks like the OEM carb still has the screw in fuel filter. If you plan to also use this filter it is best to replace it and keep a few spares.

They give no warning when they are about to clog up and leave you stranded. I speak from experience. The filters are available at NAPA for about 5 bucks.

Thanks Jeff, I'm going to order the fuel lines, you are the second person to recommend it so I'd be stupid not to. BTW car didn't start today, puzzling after it running so well and restarting easily yesterday, I'm not going to worry about it yet though.

You might have pulled a lot of trash from the bottom of the tank. Take off the screw in filter on the carb.Blow on the hose inlet side of the filter. If it is at all restrictive replace it.

If possible you want to drain and flush the tank. Be very very careful on the drain plug. Use BB Blaster , and if the bottom of the tank starts to flex,stop. There have been cases of ripping out the bottom of the tank. Then you will be pulling the motor and spending large $$$ to replace it.
Good luck.

Brakes were totally frozen so I had them completely cleaned, bead blasted and rebuilt by my friend Aaron at Flat Six in Bloomington, MN - a great porsche mechanic who has worked on my other cars. He found rust at the outer edge of the pistons - between the piston and caliper housing. I bought the rebuild kit from PIM. I reinstalled the brakes and bled the lines with a firm pedal now. I am afraid to try to start the engine again in fear that I will be frustrated by a no-start condition.

The hub I got from Graham Pantera does not, in fact, fit over my stock shaft (it had the stock wheel on it, it must be stock, plus everything on the car is stock). They said use a bigger hammer, not too helpful. If anyone knows a reputable vendor for a momo wheel hub for a stock shaft I'd be interested.

The wheel and seats are really the next stage, after a good rain to wash off the winter salt I should have the car on the road for the first time.

That is an exceptional find. Good look in the restore project.

Thanks Charles. It is snowing outside right now - a lot. I am bummed because I was going to try to drive the car this weekend for the first time.

I couldn't get the car to start after replacing the brakes so I went through my checklist, removed a spark plug - looks clean, no fuel there though, good spark (right through my body - ouch), no fuel going to carb. I just replaced the fuel pump with new and it was working so what gives? I (mistakenly) decided to order a new fuel pump. I ordered a new Mr. Gasket pump from Jegs.com - it was harder to install than the Carters pump because the housing was bigger and it was harder to attach the lower nut. In the process of installing this pump I realized that the fuel line down to the pump has to be full of fuel. The pump will not pull fuel down to the gas tank and prime itself. I used my shop vac over the end of the fuel line down from the tank to the pump - then attached it to the pump as soon as fuel began to flow - after cranking I was able to get fuel to the carb again. The car again starts and runs.

I don't believe there was anything wrong with the new Carters pump I removed, there was a slight leak in the fuel line coming out of the pump going up to the filter - this leak was where the fitting attached to the bottom of the pump - I think that as it sat enough fuel leaked out to result in a pump and fuel lines full of air - the pump could not then pull fuel from the tank and my car would not start. Lines are now all sealed up and leak free.

Drove the car yesterday and today. Got my seats back on Friday - had new panels put in to replace the torn side bolster on the driver's side and some new foam for the seat in the passenger side that had been eaten by mice. Installed the driver's seat. Car drives ok. Lots of smoke from the engine bay, figured out it was a leaking water hose and antifreeze was dripping on the right exhaust header, now fixed.

Brake pedal seems soft but I can build up and hold pressure by pumping, gets firm at the very end of pedal travel - I tried to adjust the linkage a little but I am not sure it has made any difference..

Have not replaced ignition key cylinder - WD40 has helped a lot so I am keeping my replacement as a spare.

The radiator fans were rubbing against the radiator with ignition so I adjusted the fans and the shrouds and they now hum as they should - they made an awful racket before.

The front hood now latches closed after I removed the mechanism, cleaned/lubricated and re-installed it.

Last time out the car started to squeal, I am not sure where it is coming from, could be the clutch (bad problem I would think) or the water pump/alternator belt needs to be tightened. I will try to figure it out tomorrow.

Steering wheel needed to be loosened and re-aligned so it would be pointing straight when the car is going straight.

Car seems to shift well which is a relief.

Replaced trans fluid - made a terrible mess of my garage floor in the process - the fluid was so viscous is plugged the drain hole on my oil change pan and ran all over the floor - use a wide open pan for this task. Cleaned a small amount of metal shavings from the drain plug - probably isn't from anywhere important? I had leaking from water hoses in multiple places so I set about resealing these - removed the hoses and drained coolant, used my rotozip with a fine grit sandpaper lap wheel to remove buildup on water pipes and lightly on the inside of hoses - cranked the new clamps down pretty hard and think I am now leak free after another shakedown run.

Car is now at body shop. Body damage repaired, all trim removed. Car to be media blasted tonight. Have new wheels and tires also which I haven't photographed. Carb rebuilt, new plug wires, points, distributor cap. I am keeping original windshield due to cost, also keeping original mufflers for now. Will have headliner replaced, front trunk blasted and painted with rest of car. Front grille has been repaired. All black items have been repainted (black). I am keeping black finish along rockers and front lower valance, because it looks cool that way. I didn't ask for it to be done but while they were at it the shop refinished the air cleaner - so I guess my engine will remain stock for awhile.

quote:

Brake pedal seems soft but I can build up and hold pressure by pumping, gets firm at the very end of pedal travel - I tried to adjust the linkage a little but I am not sure it has made any difference.

Flush your brake lines with new fluid. ATE Super Blue (or the Amber equivalent) is the best bang for the buck high performance fluid.

After much waiting my car came back from the restoration shop on Friday. Since the body work and mechanical fixes have been professionally redone the car is now in a restored stock condition - only upgrades are wheels and tires. Mild collision damage is now undetectable. Chrome is all replated. Exhaust has been stripped and coated. Headliner replaced with original-like material. Chrome was all replated. Body was taken to bare metal and painted glass out with Rosso Corsa from the Ferrari palette of the PPG catalog (I don't care for the original red so it was changed very slightly). Front and rear trunk completely redone. I still need center caps, a radio repair, window switches, and a front badge (shop lost it in the resto). Otherwise it is complete - for now. Thanks for everyone's help to this point.