'67 1600 Roadster "Ginger" / "Akage"

[leonhart]

Pretty sure I got the speedo sender modified. I chopped the key end from the generic Datsun truck speedo cable then tried to hollow it out enough to insert the square pin from the Classic Instruments pulse generator ( See here). Well, I got it to go in, but it stuck out too far to be able to tighten onto the 90 degree adapter. So I took the Dremel to the pin on the pulse generator...repeat as necessary until it fit and fastened to the oem adapter. I'll stick some Loctite or JB Weld on it later to make sure it stays attached, but hoping that issue is taken care of and ready to wire up. Well...after I get a speedo pin to go between the gearbox and 90 degree adapter.

But hey, progress at least.

EDIT: adding a picture of my "masterful" job of cleaning up the glovebox. It was pretty nasty. I was originally going to pitch it, but decided to tape it up with lots of black duct tape...and glued some felt inside. It's not great, but better than it was.

[leonhart]

Well, I did work on her a bit last summer/fall. Bought the missing Classic Instruments clock, wired it in, thought I had the wiring pretty much all connected. Installed the dash (not perfectly...but attached). Looked back over things in the engine bay and try to make sure important connections were made. Bought a new battery and put it in. This was about 2 days before the "Old Fashion Days" car show at my church.

Was not going to try to start it - as I hadn't changed the oil/primed/put in fresh fuel/etc. But just wanted to see if my gauges had any power, so I turned the key ... ... no gauge lights, no sounds, no signs of life.

Bummer. The plan was to double check some grounds next...the PO coated the frame with POR-15 (or some other thick paint substance) so I'm hoping maybe a few grounding points just need taken down to metal or something. But I was busy and knew it was too late to do anything in time to roll it out for the show. And I believe that's the last I touched it.

My garage isn't heated...so I tend to ignore it in the winter.

[notoptoy]

Did you replace/bypass the Ammeter? A Fatal flaw in the Roadster electrical is that all power goes through the ammeter. It acts like a big fuse, so if bypassed, you'll need to connect the wires together to bridge the gap and to let the 'lectrickery" through. If you are getting nothing, that would be a great place to start if you have the battery charged and grounded. These are the large white wires on the right side of the dash - you will have the same effect (no power) if the ammeter is connected but fried - big fuse blown.

[leonhart]

Thanks for the input!

The Ammeter was replaced with a Classic Instruments Voltmeter (all the gauges were replaced/rewired). Most of that wiring was already done when I bought the car -- all gauges (except the clock) were installed to the dash panel and wired up to one another and while I don't remember the specifics, I believe when I looked over the wiring compared to the schematic, things looked right. But electrical stuff is not my forte. If I still get no power after making sure my grounds are good, I'll pop the dash back off to check over that wiring.

Also, because the PO removed the original wiring and was installing an "EZ Wiring" harness, I'm not sure the wires you reference are still around. Almost nothing original (wiring-wise anyway) is left.

I did go out and look at the battery ground points today. Disclaimer - this is how it was grounded when I bought it, and to this point, I left it as I received it...

The battery ground cable went to the frame (near the alternator). Then there was another cable from that attachment going to the side of the chassis. Another cable (with frayed connections) went from the frame to the alternator. Which for informational purposes is a GM alternator, not the OEM.

When I went to check the connection of the frame to alternator cable, I found the ring ends on the alternator side to be broken (and so more of a spade than a ring!). The frame connection point did have the paint scratched off, but the connection on the side of the chassis was basically up against the thickly painted surface. I took a wire brush on a Dremel to both points to get to the bare metal. I'll be replacing the crappy ground cable between the frame & alternator.

That said, from searching around, it seems the battery ground cable is also supposed to go to the block, is that correct? To one of the bolts of the alternator mount? So I need to add another cable going from the battery to the block, as mine currently does not have that connection?

On the other side of the engine bay, I can't currently see the starter ground point. It may be fine, but I can't seem to view it from the top, and the garage floor is cold, so I'll have to check that one another time. Haha.

[leonhart]

Another little update.

I finally bought a few new ground cables yesterday. I now have the battery negative cable running to the frame. Then a cable from that point to the block (at alternator mount bracket). The alternator ground is replaced with a new cable going to the chassis/frame near the fender (where my fuel pump is also grounded).

Did I miss anything? (I still haven't double checked the starter ground since I'm not ready to start it anyway).

Between this and sanding down the grounding points, I now have lights on the dash! Also driver's side tail light and passenger parking light are lighting. Passenger tail light is missing the bulb, or I'm guessing it will light up as well. The driver's parking light bulb seems very stuck in the corroded socket/housing. I'm guessing I'll have to break the bulb and use some needle nose pliers to remove the stuck bulb and then try to clean up the housing. I may just order a new set. We'll see. Clock works.

Headlights did not light up. Not sure if they are both bad (I believe the car has been disassembled for over 15 years)...or if there's a wiring/relay issue. I'll probably pick up a lamp today just to make sure whether it's the lamps or wiring.

Driver's side tail light seemed pretty hot...not sure if that's normal or not. The wiring itself wasn't hot, but the bulb and socket were too hot to handle comfortably. Going to double check the grounds in the trunk, and make sure they have bare metal.

Brake lights didn't come on with the pedal depressed. I don't even know where the brake switch is...so I'll have to look into that.

While there are obviously still some issues to work out...I'm a bit encouraged to at least have all gauges lighting up and at least some lights on both ends of the car coming on. Any sign of life is encouraging at this point.

[leonhart]

Sigh - I think I'm going to post up a classified ad on this. I think it may be time for someone else to take this over.

[notoptoy]

Wow, I see it has been a year since your last post. Anything in particular that is causing you to be discouraged and consider selling?

[leonhart]

Not really, just haven't had a lot of motivation towards it lately, not a lot of spare time (at least I haven't made time), etc. The length between posts is evidence of this. I haven't really done much since that last post.

There hasn't really been a nagging issue that has come up. Last fall I had planned on having it trailered to a mechanic that a guy at church recommended, and have it looked over and address anything he thought it needed to get it running (not necessarily roadworthy, but running). But winter crept up before I could have it taken (I was depending on others for a trailer since I don't have a truck or anything else to tow with). The whole quarantine thing hasn't helped with that plan.

Honestly, I just don't have much enthusiasm toward it anymore. I'm sure if I had ever driven one or had a personal connection to one, I would feel much differently. As it is, it was just an interesting car I came across while looking for a Celica. I think I need something I have more connection & familiarity with. I've held out this long just based on the idea in my head that the Roadster would be a very fun car to drive around if I ever get it on the road...but that vague notion doesn't seem to be real enough to get me working harder on it. I'm sure there are others who would love the opportunity to own/finish it up. So keeping it sitting collecting dust is kind of selfish, especially seeing how fast many others get their projects moving along.

I think I also just partly want the space in the garage back ... probably to eventually put a RWD Celica or even a Land Cruiser in.

EDIT: I've tried to go back and edit in some of the old pictures that lost links. I still don't have any decent "current condition" pictures. But it's not all that much different.

[notoptoy]

I am not surprised at the lack of enthusiasm considering you never had the opportunity to "bond" with it. The roadster love is an addiction that starts with that first drive and thrill of the rawness of it all. There are a lot of other people who jump into a Roadster project with visions of what it will be before they have had the chance to bond. My advice for anyone thinking that they want to take on a Roadster project is to do anything possible to make it driveable - even just barely - so they can see if they bond, and then get a feel for what they want to do next, based on experience and enjoyment of what is there.
I commend your reasoning for moving on, and given those choices (Space, motivation and desire) I would consider the same course - move on and concentrate on something you are more passionate about. My only other suggestion would be to see if you can get someone local or on any travels to let you drive their Roadster and to see if it sparks any passion - you might be able to get motivated to proceed on yours, or cement your lack of commitment and move on with a clean conscience.
Good luck whatever way you choose to go.

[Linda]

Too bad you can’t wait til the LGGPR meet in Kansas then take a dirt cheap Southwest flight to the closest city and rent a car. Then you could ride in one. Maybe more than an adventure than you thought of, but that’s what a Bucket List is for

Linda

[leonhart]

Pretty sure I've settled back down a bit, and hoping to get to where I can at least drive it before I make a final decision on it. At which point, I'd imagine I'll keep it.

Some random bits of info:

I need to get another battery for it. I took the 51R that I purchased for the Roadster and put it in my Scion FR-S after its original battery didn't survive winter.

I changed the oil last night...probably a bit premature, but I think with a new battery I'm going to try cranking it without spark/fuel just to see if the wiring to the starter is good. It'd be nice to hear the engine turn over, even without intention of starting. The old oil smelled a little of gasoline. Guessing it was running a bit rich last time it was running. Or maybe cranked a good bit without firing.

I need to weld in new bolts to the air cleaner assembly. The old ones were stripped and also moving around in the housing. Made it pretty hard to remove. I'll need to stop procrastinating and finally get some shielding gas for my welder. The tank has been empty since I got it along with the Roadster from the PO.

The fenders have never been attached since I bought it. Basically they hang in place with a few bolts going through the holes to them from falling. I did put a bolt through the bottom of the fenders last week, just to make sure if I had bolts that fit. All that to say, the fenders and doors stick out a bit from my rocker panels. Not great alignment. The passenger door/fender seem to line up well to each other, but not the rocker. But I'd imagine the rocker was installed properly, as it seems to be in line with the rear quarter panel. I'm hoping the door alignment can be adjusted a bit. Not sure there's much to do about the fenders, at least, not by me. Maybe a body shop. I'm not going to worry too much about it without making more effort to align things and fully attach, but as it is, it seems pretty off. Driver side is similar. Maybe not as bad.

[Linda]

Better to have it driveable if selling otherwise you don’t get much for it. Maybe there is someone in Indiana to help
Linda

[Mattk]

I just caught this thread. I to am having frustration with my roadster. While mine is a bit more involved it’s just with Covid I have zero time to spare, I’m a stay at home dad and with Covid, now I really am staying at home...all day...with two little girls and my wife, so my frustration comes from that. But I have driven one. It was a f’ing blast! I have driven a lot of cars in my day, and it’s definitely one of the most fun cars I have ever driven. Not stupid fast or powerful but just raw air in the hair fun!!!

I would hope that you get to drive your little Ginger, because I think you would enjoy it!!!

JMTC
Matthew

[ppeters914]

I am not surprised at the lack of enthusiasm considering you never had the opportunity to "bond" with it. The roadster love is an addiction that starts with that first drive and thrill of the rawness of it all.

I bought a '66 1600 in 2004 for my wife (she'd had one many, many years ago). After getting it off the shipper's trailer, I went for a drive with the guy who was going to store it temporarily for me. We hadn't gone two blocks before I was trying to think of a way to get another roadster for me.

I made serious points for buying the car for my wife. However, she had neglected to tell me she never wanted another one. Oops! The plus side? It became my roadster.

There's other stories I could tell, but the key thing is to at least get a ride in one (better to also drive) before finalizing your decision to keep or sell. Either way, get it running to motivate you or its next owner.

Good luck.

[leonhart]

Well, I got home today and made a little more progress. Thanks to MattC and others, I got my headlight relays squared away, and after pulling the battery from my FR-S, I have working headlamps!

I also added a little brake fluid yesterday, it was a little low. Tested my brakes again, and it looks like at least the driver's side worked. If the passenger came on it was too dim for me to tell from inside the car (no one else home to get a proper look!). But, when I accidentally slid the turn signal stalk getting out of the car, BOTH signals came on (like a hazard). It's the same whichever way I flip the stalk. Not my main concern at the moment, but I'll need to address it at some point.

While I still had the car on jack stands from changing oil yesterday, I noticed the starter ground looked like it was on POR-15 coated frame, not metal. So I sanded that down.

I decided to go ahead and turn the key and see what happened. CLICK. No turning. Took a couple tries, but then it did turn over No gas line hooked up, and no ignition. Just wanted to hear if it would turn over. It was nice to hear. I tried one more time after that initial turn and it turned over again. So I'm calling today a victory, even if it wasn't all perfect. I have headlights, parking lights, some brake lights...and well, signs of turn signals. LOL.