Post: #1

the objective with this project is to wind up with something that bravely turns tail and flees.

CHAPTER ONE: THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH (the Third World)

it all started out with a rescue of this 780, the owner was about to send it off to the crusher fairy (flying around under the guise of "California Vehicle Retirement Program"). here is what it looked like under the hood when i first brought it home.



having been just slapped together with a junkyard head it ran like ass, but it didn't take me long to get it dialed in, even with no marks.


CHAPTER TWO: FIGHTING EACH OTHER

the usual. the little ticking sound when the car is cold. and the set of exhaust gaskets purchased, figuring a quick afternoon visit with the wrenches since it was just apart... wronnnng! so after shuffling it about on the street avoiding the streetsweeper while i got one of my other cars running to clear a spot for it in the driveway. in this city, cars in the driveway can't have parts visibly missing from them or be up on stands or anything, they have to look like they run or they come after it with tickets, so i had to keep this low key. so i was figuring a quick head swap.


as i got further into the disassembly, i found some other things that needed attention along the way so it was really a good thing i took it the rest of the way apart, e.g.


"the uncooler"


the level and scope of filth on this car were amazing. i discovered a leak at one of the trans cooler unions, it appears they'd been feeding it for quite some time! let me preface this with: i used a couple cans of engine brite and just a regular garden hose on it before disassembly having no idea i was in for any of this...



CHAPTER THREE: GROWTH AND LEARNING
so a head was sourced from one of the people on TeeBeezy. some strange imperfections were observed on the mating surface, and it turns out after a little checking the guy had been running 12's with it so i decided to get it resurfaced and rebuilt by my "local machine shop". when they finally finished it two weeks later, i picked it up and immediately questioned them to the presence of paint and the odd nature of these so called machining marks:



the closeup reveals a large gouge they put in it, likely due to mishandling the completed head and trying to hide it like a cat burying shit. those "machining" marks look like a belt sander was used, no mill leaves marks like that. i also believe that the head i got back is not the same head that left my house, this one arrived with sensors installed (i had removed the sensors before taking it in). i don't even think they did the valve work themselves either, i suspect they sent it out. further inspection reveals a different thickness dimension at all 4 corners, carbon and grit still present (no tank/wash) and a complete lack of assembly lube.

lessons learned:
make a unique identifiable mark on your property before sending out to a vendor.
machine shops don't paint things unless they are trying to hide something.
expensive head gasket kits are expensive.

so some months lapsed while i filed the toothless BAR complaint against the shop and saved up some more money for my project and sourced another cylinder head.


CHAPTER FOUR: LIVE ORGAN TRANSPLANTS
so as those months passed it gave me a great deal of time to start gathering and fitting some other items that would be needed. lots of dealer parts, especially hoses. i ordered some items from Crouton that if orders were followed would have been suitable... more about that one later. the folks at SwedishEngineering have the goods, and much of it ships from the local Volvo warehouse without the markup malfunction of my local squealerships. Other items were bought from preferred TeeBeezers first as available. new hardware was used whenever and wherever practical, but in many instances the old hardware is of higher quality and in place.

NPR intercooler is a very nice fit for these cars. though not as easy as 'plopping' one in a 240, only minor modifications are required to use it. note the clearance cuts made in the surrounding pieces, on the passenger side and the top.


'the uncooler' was removed and cleaned out, the bracket cut, and bolted back together in this fashion. note that the deflector has been moved to the forward edge of the cooler and bent further to catch more air. below, it only sits on one of the two posts so that it may swing to the position shown- still it doesn't move about nor vibrate.



THE MIDDLE OF THE FILM!

during the lapse in action i decided to mock up some of shiny things that i had been stocking up on.

coming soon, to a dragstrip near you!


WE'RE HERE FOR YOUR LIVER

one of my buddies from teebeezy cut me a decent deal on some fresh meat, a motor that he'd pulled from his 780.


he stored it outside apparently, the bottom might need just a little work before going back into service...


but it yielded this:

so with that i trotted off into the sunset (beach, on my way to Costa Mesa) and to another REPUTABLE machine shop. this is what they are supposed to look like when you get them back:


note the presence of assembly lube, and the valve clearances have all been set up to exactly .016 to ensure consistent valve timing on all 4 cylinders. it is only one extra step while setting them to dial it in like that. hushers then installed, cam reinstalled.


direct comparison of the work:

take note of the clean threads and minor polishing of the combustion chamber, like someone actually cleaned it!

MOAR TO APPEAR LATER

Post: #2

I would like to own a 780 despite them looking like overgrown 80s Nissan sentra.

Post: #3

bueno.

Post: #4

Post: #5

Lookin nice Coupe, like it was meant to look that way from the start.

Post: #6

How hard was it to change all the dash bulbs to LED's?

Post: #7

Post: #8

So it's easy then?

Post: #9

so easy even coupe' can do it.

Post: #10

Does this thing run 9s yet?

Post: #11

/thread

Post: #12

troll ate it

Post: #13

dang it left me stranded across town and had to have it brought in on the flatbed. it coughed out and was rich with the smell of fuel, was cranking but went no-crank after i started hunting around further. i have to retrace my steps and figure out where i went wrong

Post: #14

what will we do now, batman

Post: #15

grinding away

Post: #16

1/4 of the way, do you have a air powered die grinder ?

Post: #17

i am using a makita 1/4" electric die grinder, it's pretty stout. the bit is just dull... i should go get a couple new ones.

Post: #18

(08-21-2010 11:17 AM)Coupe' de Tat Wrote:  i am using a makita 1/4" electric die grinder, it's pretty stout. the bit is just dull... i should go get a couple new ones.

When you get a new bit, remember to cool it ever so often using plenty of oil, that will prolong its life significant.

Post: #19

i should get a little mist system but i was fearful of using such with the barefoot process and the electrical tools outside on the front porch concrete slab, yeah gee lets add some water. but indeed, coolant/cutting oil should be part of the recipe except that it may chase off the sharpie. how do you feel about the wax based?

as it turns out the new burr cuts just as fast as the old, so both are good.

Post: #20

vrooom

Post: #21

What voltage do you measure at the fuelpumps while cranking ?

Post: #22

yeah it's not cranking yet and i'm still trying to locate the relays proper

Post: #23

The RSR should either be on the drivers side strut tower or on the coolant expansion tank on the passenger side.

If it's on the driver's side strut tower, there should be another, identical looking relay next to it, swap the connectors around and see if it starts.

Can you get a pic of the odd looking relay?

Post: #24

there is no identical relay next to it, the fan relay is somewhere else...

Post: #25

Weird, typically cars that didn't have an aux fan will have the RSR on the coolant tank and not on the strut tower.