I built and own the first V-6 conversion using V6 Jose's kit. Jose worked extensively with me in Seattle on this project, advising me on just about everything. The car always ran super until around 5 years ago or so. I doubt if I put more than a few thousand miles a year on it since conversion for a total of maybe 15,000. My memory is failing me when it comes to exact dates (and a lot of other things) so the above facts are rough.
I've had the car in a carport for the last 5 years or so since it began to backfire and stopped running; a totally unusual thing. I had other things come up in life so I just didn't get around to fixing it. I wasn't able to diagnose it easily so a year or two later when I got back to it, I got frustrated and turned my back on it again. Then I bought a Porsche and neglected the little beauty completely. Until recently. A friend who is quite astute mechanically came by a few hours here and there and we went over a bunch of things and finally lifted the distributor cap and the rotor. Hmm. The roll pin holding the sprocket on the shaft had slipped out of the keyway and was lying next to the pickup. Duh. So after replacing it, I fired it up and , lo, it was running sweetly again.
Now, I have a problem. The car needs front caliper work and what once was a pristine body and paint now needs sanding, a little body work, and paint. And all the rubber (some I have) and interior (everything cosmetic) has aged and needs cleaning, replacement, help. There is no bad rust but now there are a few small areas where some surface rust has begun. So...I can't decide whether to put elbow grease and money into it or sell it. Does anyone have advice on how to deal with the caliper issue without spending a ton of money? The engine is the 2.8 with a T5 and 3.55 rearend. Holly 390, cam, metal timing gears, heavy duty springs, oil pump. No tach or speedo. Mini Mags and rubber like new. If someone would like to make an offer and take over from here, let me know. I've had this for 30 years.
I've had the car in a carport for the last 5 years or so since it began to backfire and stopped running; a totally unusual thing. I had other things come up in life so I just didn't get around to fixing it. I wasn't able to diagnose it easily so a year or two later when I got back to it, I got frustrated and turned my back on it again. Then I bought a Porsche and neglected the little beauty completely. Until recently. A friend who is quite astute mechanically came by a few hours here and there and we went over a bunch of things and finally lifted the distributor cap and the rotor. Hmm. The roll pin holding the sprocket on the shaft had slipped out of the keyway and was lying next to the pickup. Duh. So after replacing it, I fired it up and , lo, it was running sweetly again.
Now, I have a problem. The car needs front caliper work and what once was a pristine body and paint now needs sanding, a little body work, and paint. And all the rubber (some I have) and interior (everything cosmetic) has aged and needs cleaning, replacement, help. There is no bad rust but now there are a few small areas where some surface rust has begun. So...I can't decide whether to put elbow grease and money into it or sell it. Does anyone have advice on how to deal with the caliper issue without spending a ton of money? The engine is the 2.8 with a T5 and 3.55 rearend. Holly 390, cam, metal timing gears, heavy duty springs, oil pump. No tach or speedo. Mini Mags and rubber like new. If someone would like to make an offer and take over from here, let me know. I've had this for 30 years.
