TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:01 pm

I was looking for a dependable car to get back and fort to work while I get my 67 Ghia to daily driver condition. I was about to purchase a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutless Ciera yesterday, when divine intervention happened. I had the cash to get the Olds ($1900) but the seller wanted to meet at the DMV today to complete the transaction and turn the car over to me. I told him that we could do that and I would pay him then. On the way home, I found out that a friend was selling a Baja project. I went to his house with low expectations. The car was his and his son's project. It's a 73 standard, somehow registered as a 63 beetle. Anyway, it's got IRS in the rear and Ball Joint in the front. The car had not been ran for 9 months. We've had a lot of rain around here and the stinger took it all in. We got a battery charger and turned the car over a few times. Eventually, it turned on and ran very rough.Also, turns out they installed new brakes all the way around, but could not get the pedal to hold pressure. I was told they had to be pumped to get the car to stop. It also has no blinkers/horn/headliner or carpet. I paid $400 for the car and drove it a couple miles to my house with the wife following. There was fire (flames) coming out of the stinger and the car ran very rough almost all the way home. Getting to 1st gear is almost impossible. You have to find 2nd and then shove the shifter forward into 1st. It has an Empi shifter with the reverse lock-out deal. I got it home and drained the oil. There was water in the oil. I changed the oil/plugs/wires/fuel filter/rotor and cap. Car has electronic ignition and a remote oil cooler and filter. Stock 1600 cc with a single 30/31 pic Solex carb. 009 distributor. I adjusted the valves and the motor is good to go. I had to beat the brake adjusters out of the casing and re-install them with some anti-cease. Found one leaking wheel cylinder and bled the brakes. Brakes are good to go. I need to adjust/change the shifter so the car can be more user friendly. I got the new plates/insurance and title for the car today. It's officially my daily driver.Oh yeah. I filled the oil up to the top line on the dip stick and the oil light on the speedometer still comes on dimly. What gives? I added almost 5 quarts of oil. Also, the car has a freeway flyer tranny, so 1st and 2nd are easy and accept the lower RPM's, but 3rd and 4th you have to really wind out 2nd so the car does not hesitate and almost shake to death. I'll post pics of it in a little while. I am going to paint the car white so that it does not look like a calico cat anymore. Any info is gladly accepted. Thanks

Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:03 pm

Here are some pictures of the car as it is right now. I'll post pictures of any changes I make to it. Any opinions are welcomed and appreciated.

Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:20 pm

how many colors are there? maybe just get some different rattle can colors and make it even more colorful. j/k. nice car, especially for 400 bucks.

Mon Feb 08, 2010 10:22 pm

rusty57 wrote: .Oh yeah. I filled the oil up to the top line on the dip stick and the oil light on the speedometer still comes on dimly. What gives? I added almost 5 quarts of oil.

because you are running that external cooler and fitler is why you needed the extra oil. run it for a bit and see if the oil level goes down after the filter and pump fill.

ask the guys you bought it from if they put on a different heavy duty oil pump or if it is still the stock one. the stock ones seem to work better and/or it might be time for a new one. replacing the oil pressure sensor and dash bulb is cheap insurance also.

from looking at the first picture, do a tape measure front end alignment check. they seem towed out but that could be the picture.

before you get yelled at, lose the fuel filter between the pump and the carb or at least tell everybody that you are going to move it.

looks like a great find.

Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:11 pm

I am glad you got the Baja, but that poor guy must still be at the DMV waiting for you.

Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:39 pm

You dont happen to have the dash light's wire on the oil pressure sender do you? i see aftermarket guages, but i dont see a dash light switch on the motor.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 12:11 am

He has either the dash light or the gage wired into the sensor.
That is a dual post sender.
It may be wired to the wrong side.
The oil light should either be on or off, not glow dimly.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:03 am

When i turn the ignition off, the light gets brighter....if that means anything. As a matter of fact, the oil pressure gauge does not work on the dash. The other gauge is a small tachometer. I did run the engine for a while, as a matter of fact, i drove it to work and to the DMV (no one was waiting for me :D ). I will re-locate the fuel filter to the bottom of the engine compartment(near the hard line through the tunnel) when i get some new line. The front end is a little off alignment, but the tires are not wearing weird or anything. The rear tires are wearing out on the inside a bit, but i guess it's the way it has to be...or can i fix that? Thanks fellas.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:33 am

Looks like a great deal, first thing i would do is remove the remote oilcooler and install the doghouse cooler back on the motor.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:15 am

Sounds like you have some wires crossed. With the ignition off, the light sh(ohh my god my dog just threw up and then ate it :-& ) ok, the light should not even be getting power. Do you know how to check this? I feel like i might be preaching to the quire since i noticed you have 1800+ posts. So stop me if im telling you what you already know. Also check the wire at the oil pressure sender for power with the ignition on.

And do you have a oil light switch on the motor? I dont see one.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:21 am

thesatelliteguy wrote: (ohh my god my dog just threw up and then ate it :-& )

Did you give him a treat for cleaning up his own mess?

Nice score on the Baja, $400 is better than I did, and it drives, better than mine.

Try taking the wire from your light and hooking it up to your guage and see if the reading makes any seanse.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:24 pm

thesatelliteguy wrote: (ohh my god my dog just threw up and then ate it :-& )

My dog can beat that: she once ate a turd, and then threw up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't convince her to eat it again... :-&

Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:22 pm

The light comes on brighter when i turn the engine off, not completely remove the ignition key. When i just turn it one notch. I'll take a look at it this weekend. Today was the second day as a daily driver and it got a bit better. I even ventured off the paved road a few times since i live out in the sticks. And, why would i want to get rid of the oil cooler set up? Is it because of the #3 cylinder not getting the full air flow due to the stock oil cooler in the fan shroud? I'm not quite understanding. Please advice. Oh, yeah, the light did not come on for 3/4 of the drive home. Any thoughts? Thanks

Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:16 am

Hey we used to have that same exhaust tip cover back in the day..
but it turned up missing some night after dark. :-k

Wed Feb 10, 2010 5:05 pm

danfromsyr wrote: Hey we used to have that same exhaust tip cover back in the day..
but it turned up missing some night after dark. :-k

I forget i have that can back there sometimes!!! I have to look for it after someone points it out or i remember. Plastic coffee cans can fly pretty far!!!

Wed Feb 10, 2010 6:58 pm

I would also plug up the vents in the doghouse with plumbing plugs so the fan can cool better. Most of the air is going out the two holes right now.
Does not effect oil pressure directly, but will eventually cause problems
For the record PVC pipe caps fly pretty far too :)

Wed Feb 10, 2010 7:57 pm

just weld the exhaust shut, then no water will get in.

Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:41 am

Will the shifter from my 67 ghia fit the 73 baja? If so, i can swap them out today and hopefully make it easier to shift.

Fri Feb 12, 2010 1:46 pm

The moved the location of the shifter closer to the driver in about 1971.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:29 pm

So, a stock 67 ghia shifter will not fit? I also dropped a primer bomb on the car, so it's one color for the most part.