Quote:
OGREInc wrote:
"Replaced the engine?!" WTF? What happened - enquiring minds want to know. (and are hoping "Replaced the engine" is a typo!)
Not even ONE mention at all of the hero effort DD? Where is the love??....Here's what happened.
The 1200 blew the Head gasket in Pasadena. I had given my phone# to DD in case he came down early for the show, I thought it would be cool if someone from the club saw my car since I fell just short of finishing it for the show (heartbreaking!). Anyway, he called and asked if I knew anywhere nearby he could tow it to change the head gasket. I didn't know anywhere in Pasadena, but my house was only about 17 miles away so I had him tow it to my place. I knew it would take over an hour to get it towed and since it was already 5pm I offered to pick up a head gasket. It turns out that in L.A., it's not that easy to find an A-series head gasket in stock anymore! The best anyone could do was order one for Sat morning. After 4 places I remembered this little hole in the wall parts store across town that I always had good luck with old Datsun parts. He had one and I headed home. DD and the tow truck had got there just before me, so I arrived and we pushed the pickup into the driveway. It was just before 6 when we started, the head came off easy and it was soon clear that the head was warped way past spec and there was no way to machine it in time. I had my old A14 that came out of my car sitting on the ground (for a year)pretty much intact. It had a very intermittent head gasket leak at the back of the head when I pulled it from the car. (On long highway trips it would occasionally spit a small amount of water out the back of the head) We decided to try the transplant. We cleaned up the A14 a little and pulled the A12. Unfortunately, it wasn't a straight swap as all the mounts, alternator, fuel pump, distributor, clutch, PCV, and throttle linkage(Pickup is right and drive) where all different! Somehow, I had just enough odd bits and pieces to get it all working together. I modified the A12 mounts (grinder and drill!), found a 15 year old electric fuel pump from my MINI, Longer throwout bearing collar plus my old flywheel and clutch, A14 distributor collar, and my modified Weber intake and 32/36 carb and AN style PCV plus a masterpiece of ghetto-enginnered zip tie throttle cable retention! All that plus my old radiator, and at 6AM (12 hours and no sleep later)it started up and backed down the driveway, unfortunately scraping the muffler and plate on the road at the bottom. DD drove off, as registration was at 7. I put away all the tools and cleaned up just in time as my friend showed to pick me up to go to the show around 8:30.(wheeeew!)
I gotta say that after all that effort, I'm more than a little hurt that there was no mention at all. I don't know David that well but I think i went pretty far out of my way to help a fellow club member and 1200 fan, but after this experience I don't think I would do it again... LOWTECH
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