so this is how a backdate project starts...

[lsf911]

Looks really nice Mike!

[SpyderMike]

Thank you Will and Lou! I feel like I am getting close to having a driver....

I got the rear bumpers aligned and attached at the front end. That is done.

I installed a new (to me) charcoal canister which needs hoses to it.



I also installed new transmission mounts - probably the easiest thing I have done so far.



While under there I noticed this that needs to be taken care of very soon:



The tires are due in any day.

[Jonny042]

That's looking great! That car is going to be really sharp. I'm a big fan of the "S" Trim.

[SpyderMike]

Thank you Jonny.

I got my tires in yesterday - Continental Extreme Contact Sports in 205/55 and 255/50. I hope to get them mounted next week. I will need to think about changing out the spring plate bushings and lowering the car. I also want to replace teh front wheel bearings as the front right is original and starting to moan in certain situations.

I also received the replacement oil tube. I need to change that out without wasting the brand new oil I have in there.

Then there are the LED lights for the license pate to install...then the car can be driven routinely while I plan the next phase.

The list is getting shorter, I think.

[dwelle]

funny. i'm almost finished putting mine back together. i'm amazed how much higher the car sits post-backdate. i'm definitely going to have to dial in the ride height all over again...

[Uwon]

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

Thank you Jonny.

I got my tires in yesterday - Continental Extreme Contact Sports in 205/55 and 255/50. .

Are those 15” or 16”. Didn’t know Contis came in 255/50.
Johan

[will hung]

Originally Posted by Uwon

Are those 15” or 16”. Didn’t know Contis came in 255/50.
Johan

I think he meant 225/50.

[SpyderMike]

Yes, my bad - typo....I am really good at typos. One of my strong suits. Oh, and they are going on 16x7 and 16x8s.

[SpyderMike]

Today was take the rear suspension apart day. Woohoo. Pretty straight forward. I need new spring plate bushings bad. These were toast. There were rubber shavings outside the torsion tube cap, the bushings are oblong and the contact surface on the spring plate cover was may 60 percent around:





I am thinking this was an original torsion bar with the Porsche stamp. I have 250,000+ miles on this car. Maybe time to replace these?



Tomorrow the other side. Bushings are on order and coming in. I need to think about the torsion bars.

[SpyderMike]

What a difference a day makes...24 little hours. Okay, one of the less "fun" tasks. I got my new rear spring plate bushings, and I set off to clean up the old ones. I have made the decision to go with an all new suspension sometime soon, just not right now. I need to drive the car for a bit.

I spent about 1 hour per bushing location with a heat gun, exacto knives, chisels and wire wheels in an electric drill to get the surfaces "fairly" clean. This should provide a good enough bonding surface:

Before:


During:








After:


Nothing stellar; just functional.

[SpyderMike]

Then, for something completely different, I decided to install my license plate and LED lights. First I had to modify the pigtails of the lights by cutting, soldering on contacts, and heat shrinking. It was a paint to install them with little room behind the plate, but they are in and they actually work.

Time for an Advil.

[SpyderMike]

I went to the local Target today in search of superglue to bond my rear bushings. What I found was a gel version. I chose that because I was concerned with the liquid stuff running all over and dripping. I used it in a zig zag pattern on four sides. I had a rubber mallet and a tape roll of which the ID of the center hole was slightly bigger than the ID of the bushing. I applied the gel, tapped the bushing in with tape roll and mallet,and then gave the bushing a 90 degree twist to further smear the adhesive. It set up pretty fast - in about 6 seconds or so. Once it set, the bushings felt solidly attached. I will let them cure overnight before installing them.





I created a thread on the math I calculated to set this height:

1985 rear height adjustment math

Hopefully I will get some feedback on my methodology, and then I will see how this process works.

[Brian911T]

Great build. Keep the photos coming. I like the license plate LEDs. Have put power to them and are you happy with the color?

[SpyderMike]

Thanks Brian,

Here are some photos - one with flash and one without. They are slim and do the job. They were a gift from a fellow Pelican-ite. I like them.





The are a bright white - hard to capture. If you are looking for a vintage look it is probably not the ones for you. The light coverage looks fine.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

Thanks Brian,

The are a bright white - hard to capture. If you are looking for a vintage look it is probably not the ones for you. The light coverage looks fine.

Try some clear tape over the lights to subdue the brightness?

[SpyderMike]

Sorry Mad Max, what I meant was that the light is bright as in high color temp vs a vintage more yellow look.

They are a great value:

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-license-plate-lights/miniature-led-license-plate-bolt/1685/#/attributes/10820

[SpyderMike]

Well, I finally got the rear spring plate bushings on and lowered the car a bit. I detailed that on the thread mentioned above in post #232. It is sitting around 25" on the rear and 25.5 in the front. Time for an alignment!

I still want to tackle a few things before I really start driving it:

1. Ground the fuel filler tube. This is a result of using an older fender with newer tank fill tube. There is no ground to the tube anymore.
2. Replace the main oil tube from the tank to the engine. I have a replacement and I am thinking of ways to salvage the new oil in the tank.
3. Hook up the charcoal canister system - the front large fender tank is now missing out of the system.
4. Get a proper alignment.
5. Take it off "Non-Op" status and smog it.

Still left to do:
1. All the seals around the doors.
2. Clean up the original wheel caps that I have.
3. Put touch up paint in all the chips and have the car buffed.

[SpyderMike]

Before:



After:



I might drop it down a tad more at the shop doing the alignment. I have to see it with the new wheels and tires first.

I took it down 1/2" in back and 1-1/4" in front...to essentially euro ride height. I expect it to settle some more once I drive it.

[Brian911T]

The ride height looks great. Maybe a bit lower in the front but it will probably settle a bit as is and look perfect. Question about your license plate lights. I found the same ones online but wanted to see if you ran a power source to reduce voltage or just wired them to the factory wiring. Thanks

[SpyderMike]

Yes, I intend to drive it a while and let it settle in before any further adjustment.

My LED license plate lights had a label saying 12vdc, so I hooked them straight to the wiring from the original lights and they worked fine. No need to reduce voltage.