No crank

More issues. The alternator pulley was out of alignment with the other pulleys so I installed new bushings. Why the alternator is out I replaced the coolant hose that lives below the alternator. In the picture is also the new OEM negative battery cable.

With fresh oil added I'm ready to crank the motor. (Turned by hand previously.) No go. The ignition switch would not make the starter turn. Could it be the starter, or all of that funky wiring? Not wanting to dig into the wiring at that point, I use my remote start switch to determine the starter was shot. With a quick call to my buddy, Chris Willet, at Sin City BMW in Las Vegas, I sourced some spare starters.

Radiator woes

The radiator is not looking so good. Obvious contact with fan. (Lose radiator, bad motor mounts, or both?) I removed it from the car. The coolant system was full of coolant so I know the radiator is water-tight at zero PSI... I spent a LONG time cleaning and straightening all those fins. (The radiator has a transmission cooler built-in so it's obviously not the original.)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Remy moves indoors

The shop is finally free and Remy is moved in.

 

My first goal was to see if I could the engine running. Much to be done. Why is it that every project car comes with a electrical nightmare pre-installed?

My wife went to town cleaning the engine and engine compartment with hot water and Oil-Eater. If you're not familiar with this product it is the BEST for cleaning and degreasing ANYTHING! I buy it from Costco. It comes in a white gallon jug and includes a spray bottle. It is a concentrate you mix with water.  It is skin/environment friendly. I HIGHLY recommend it. I have a solvent tank in the shop and often find myself using this stuff with hot water in the slop sink instead.

What's inside?

Time to take the manifold off and see what, if anything, had made its way into the intake. Using a Snap-on video borescope I was able to determine nothing was on top of the valves. Looking through the spark plug holes I was also pleasantly surprised to discover no foreign objects in the cylinders either. I added a generous quantity of Marvel Mystery oil to each cylinder in preparation for turning the engine over soon.

Although I was pleasantly surprised on not finding any junk in the engine I was not prepared for what I would discover under the intake manifold... Rube Goldberg gone wild.

We pick up Remy

We picked up Remy today. The condition of the car left a lot to be desired, but the body appeared to be rust-free and had no signs of any major damage or repair.

Once the car was safely in our back yard, I began to assess the situation in the engine compartment. The hood was not closed but rather 'placed' on the car for all those years. The engine sat with no carb installed... I could only imagine what had gotten into the engine.