It lives!

Hooorah! Just started my 328 for the first time in one year and after spending the last eight months working on it Drinking some champagne now…..

It started after about 40 seconds of cranking, ran rough for half a minute and then smoothed out.

I did a major service on it along with other things:

New:
Fuel injectors and o-rings
Thermostat and gaskets
Shift shaft oil seals
Engine and gearbox sump gaskets
All new coolant hoses and clamps
All new fuel hoses, and clamps
Custom made plug wires
Intake and exhaust manifold gaskets
Exhaust “doughnuts”

Removed (probably permanently):
Air conditioning compressor, hoses, condenser, condenser fan, dryer
Thermo time switch
Auxiliary air valve and associated hoses
Cold start valve and associated hoses and fuel line
Deceleration valve and associated hoses
Throttle micro switch
Original E.C.U.
Distributors, rotors and coils (replaced with Electromotive XDI 2)
Air injection system
Catalytic converter (done earlier)
Thermocouple and associated circuitry
Passenger side fuel tank and cross-over pipe, hoses and clamps

Installed:
Electromotive XDI 2 E.C.U. and associated parts

Probably forgot a few things.... oh well.......

 

I'll try to behave Unfortunately it looks like I just got it done it time to get it inspected and park it for the winter. Well, maybe I'll get a few good drives before they throw salt on the roads.

 

Thanks guys. I still have to do some fine tuning and make the XDI wiring permanent but I'll get there.

 

Yes, but "probably permanently" as I put it

It eliminates a number of possible sources of leaks (and creates one new one). Removal provides a lot more space on that side when you want to get to other things. Removing the cross-over pipe also allows a bit more access from underneath. Accuracy of the fuel sender and guage is not affected.

On the other hand..... I have to fill up twice as often (not really an issue for me), the weight of the tank (minimal) and the fuel in the tank would have been better removed from the passenger side. In other words it would have been better to get rid of the driver's side tank but it's not possible (easily anyway) because of the fuel filler and sender unit.

AND..... it only costs half as much to fill up as before! ;-)

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This is the view with no A/C and no fuel tank. Lots of space now. Granted the air intake hose is also removed for the moment, in this photo. Black hose returns excess fuel directly to the driver's side tank instead of going into the passenger side tank like before. Required a custom made hose reducer (increaser?).

Front bank cam belt cover studs replaced with bolts.

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photo of custom reducer/increaser.

Photo of plug for fuel tank outlet. Twist handle to tighten.

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Good to hear Pete! (that if started, not the oil leak!). I was curious if you were going to hook up the instrument panel before you started it. Did you? I would be worried about starting/running it with no "feedback."

 

I don't have a method to weigh the car and I did not weigh the individual pieces but I would guess 40 or 50 lbs. Not a huge amount. The big benefit is less wiring, greater access for maintenance, more airflow around some parts, fewer points of failure for fuel leaks, fewer hoses and fewer chances of vacuum leaks, gained adjustable ignition timing, rpm cutoff along with readily available, less expensive ignition parts, reduced chance of arcing with no distributor caps/rotors, one less belt to break and bearing to turn (A/C compressor clutch). The muffler replacement and catastrophic converter replacement I did some years ago (Tubi and Ansa test pipe) probably saved another 25~30 lbs.

I also removed the antenna.

Next project (one day!) will be to remove the CIS (replace with TEC3) and replace the intake plenum with throttle bodies. That could save 15 or 20 lbs.

 

Damn Pete... you're "worse" than me! Often I weigh things I take off (even if they're going back on) and write the weight down next to the picture in the parts manual. Didn't do it with all the parts this time.

Maybe I was a little conservative with my weight guess. Could be more like 60~75 lbs.

 

Yes, of course I realized that. Just giving you a hard time When I saw some of your carbon bits and talk about going carbon with the dash etc. I knew you were serious about putting the car on a diet. I like to know weights more out of curiousity although wheels interest me especially. I would never want to go to heavier wheels if I changed them.