Le Beams

Finally got around to replacing the vac hoses between my boosters, including a new check valve. Massive difference, the old check valve was defective causing imbalance between the boosters which caused the car to pull under brakes - not fun!

The exhaust has been re-welded to site higher and the centre resonator has been removed. Turns out it was collapsed in any case. Result = wound down another couple of inches, with more to go should i ever want to remove the exhaust completely :P

I've got the stock wheels (cleaned and primed ready for paint) back on the car until I have time to raise the exhaust. Once it's raised I can drop the height back down another 2". Current height at the front is about as high as I can go with the coilovers.

Oops. I bought another one. 1976 525, 5 speed. I will be pulling the drivetrain, wheels (6.5"), exhaust, cylinder head, hi comp pistons, front subframe (time permitting). All for $600, not too bad. Body's not in fantastic condition, but i may keep the hood and front/rear bumpers. It also has factory foglight brackets, yay!

Wound down another inch, with one more inch left which would be almost = frame rails on ground :|

Here are some pics of my front coilover setup - details on the build to come...

Had an awesome day out at the Sutton road driver training centre giving the new coilovers a test run - fronts are still getting built, but I got the chance to test the spring rates using the factory front struts. The rear is higher than before which gives me a bit more travel and much better ride quality. There is enough adjustment to drop another 2" if I feel so inclined. Spring rates (7kg/mm) seems pretty spot on. I'll wait til the koni's are in the front to comment further - this will drop the front exactly 2" from what's pictured. 

Front coilover progress! more details to follow

New redline sports filters for the DGAV 32/36's. For now i'm running a breather off the valve cover, and connecting the two air filters to each other.  Eventually, I will run a tee off this hose back to the cover, or run it to an oil catch can.

Finally got round to replacing my tie rods. One of the easier jobs if you have the right tools. Both sides (inner & outer) were only $100 brand new.  No more sideways movement under brakes, which is a huge relief.

Using my STE SK Synchronizer to setup my carbs, great tool!

The metallic sound I was hearing = loose alternator. Embarrassment.

My weber 32/26's arrived & in they go! Removal of the Zenith's was fiddly, but nothing extreme. Cleaned up the manifolds and bolted up the new webers. Checked the jets & float level before installation, followed the manual & she fired up first go, idled beautifully. Adjusted the idle mixture slightly and away we went. First test drive was great, very smooth power delivery & sounds amazing. Have a sticky linkage, but I can trace this back to the foam on the firewall. Unfortunately the stock filter housing needs some modifications to fit, and I can't find my dremel :| ah well a couple of days off the road.

Replacement weber's on their way! Time to replace those leaky Zenith's and get some better mileage out of le beams. These were ~ $700 delivered, which is about the cost to rebuild the zenith's.

Something that's only recently reared it's ugly head is the condition of my valve stem seals. Almost 40 years old, they are likely hard & barely functional. I am experiencing a bit of smoke when the engine is cold which is a common side effect of valve stem seal leaks. The plan is to get my spare head checked for cracks etc. (visually it looks good) fortunately it's a later head with the smaller water jackets, which is where the older heads almost always cracked.

My spare M30 head

My number 6 plug, not sure where that oil is coming from... not good!