Have finally commenced work on my TP GT project!
Did 2 oil changes.. drained the 'nearly 3 years old' oil, black and runny, and refilled, ran car for half hour, dropped that lot and refilled with Pennzoil 15w60 with new filter. Sounding nice.
Engine seems strong with no funny noises, with exception of timing rattle at 2500+ rpm.

Work to be done:
Engine: Replace water pump, timing chain, plugs/leads, hoses, thermostat, sump gasket, replace gearbox oil, replace air filter with something with more flow, detail engine bay.

Electrics: Replace relays and fuses, wiper motor. Replace instrument cluster bulbs.

Suspension: Replace shocks - these are stuffed

Exterior: Replace RHR panel. Passenger door small rust, maybe sand back and repaint or find a new door if theres more rust thru it. Full buff, cut & polish to all paintwork makin her look nice again.

Interior: Fix hood lining, shampoo seats and carpets.

Should be a good start.

Pic:
http://www.geocities.com/shamoustanglestv/Tp1a.JPG

Good luck with it all, should be a nice GT when it's finished.
BTW i love the colour.:D

your only problem is you cant just replace the RHR of the car, they are part of the body and cant be replaced.

might be time to put your panel beating skills to the test to get those dents out.

got a spare wiper motor you can have for the cost of postage. i'm gonna throw it out anyways, along with some other bits.

looks like some fun to be had there. glad to see your gonna clean it up instead of banishing it to the crusher:D if u can when u doing the mechcanicals and electric post up some progress picys:)

Good luck with it all, should be a nice GT when it's finished.
BTW i love the colour.:D
Thanks :P


looks like some fun to be had there. glad to see your gonna clean it up instead of banishing it to the crusher:D if u can when u doing the mechcanicals and electric post up some progress picys

Definitely.. I'm not sure if i'll get around to doing the timing chain, bit too technical for me but the rest I'll do and take pics along the way!


your only problem is you cant just replace the RHR of the car, they are part of the body and cant be replaced.

might be time to put your panel beating skills to the test to get those dents out.

got a spare wiper motor you can have for the cost of postage. i'm gonna throw it out anyways, along with some other bits.

So the RHR damaged panel as shown in the pic in my first post can't be taken off and replaced? Hmmm.. that'd be an obstacle. lol.
Cheers for offer for the wiper motor! I might take ya up on that, I'll see if it's the motor thats buggered or wiring/fuses and let ya know! Cheers mate

your only problem is you cant just replace the RHR of the car, they are part of the body and cant be replaced.

might be time to put your panel beating skills to the test to get those dents out.

got a spare wiper motor you can have for the cost of postage. i'm gonna throw it out anyways, along with some other bits.

Really, so then the 20 or so I have done over the years must have been my imagination :) They can be replaced, if it is economical to do is the question. You can remove either part or whole and then weld the new one on. Is not that big a deal

Love that tip :D

I hope you can match the colour ok and get the exact striping for that section


best take a few pics before the repair / just to be sure / will need some bog

you dont want to devalue the GT

Madmagna: I was hoping to hear that.. :P altho i dont know how easy parts are going to be to find.



I hope you can match the colour ok and get the exact striping for that section
best take a few pics before the repair / just to be sure / will need some bog
you dont want to devalue the GT

Yes, that's a concern.. colour matching would be hard unless the whole car was re-done with new striping over the whole car.. im not sure whether that panel can be put back into shape or not, it's pretty bad, but no paint is missing so could be a plus.

Gemini: Yeah i love the tip 2... suits the car well i reckon! And the guys that installed it positioned it neatly.
Oh, and the lukey straight thru muffler sounds awesome, very nice note to it.

http://www.geocities.com/shamoustanglestv/tp2a.JPG

Looking at the pic, which is not that much to go by, you could repair the panel, you would need to panel beat it, shrink it and then paint and stripe.

Depending on the condition of the stripe, you may find it hard to match, paint should not be an issue to someone who has some paint matching skill (unlike me)

Looking at the pic, which is not that much to go by, you could repair the panel, you would need to panel beat it, shrink it and then paint and stripe.

Depending on the condition of the stripe, you may find it hard to match, paint should not be an issue to someone who has some paint matching skill (unlike me)

Sounds a bit expensive lol.. I've never painted or panel beated b4 so i might check out the local wreckers for a 2nd hand panel, if im lucky there could be one out there in my colour.. no hopes tho!

Especially when you factor in weathering/fade. I was damn lucky with my front quarter driver's panel... completely straight AND the paint was the exact same condition as mine! Nice bolt-up job, fastest straight-swap panel fix ever!

Especially when you factor in weathering/fade. I was damn lucky with my front quarter driver's panel... completely straight AND the paint was the exact same condition as mine! Nice bolt-up job, fastest straight-swap panel fix ever!

Nice.. here's hoping i can do the same lol.

Another problem found.. after leaving battery in for a few days, it's dead flat.. no lights left on or anything. Anyone got any ideas?

Either a dodgy battery, short circuit or the boot light may be staying on after u close the boot. Really there can't be all that much outside of that. I'd grab an ammeter and check the current consumption from the battery when the car is off. If it's a few amps or so then you've most likely got a short circuit somewhere. If it's very low (like under an amp or so) it will be a faulty battery.

alternator / starter motor / fuseable links

look for sparks or feel for shocks :bowrofl:

go to post below helpful hint 648

try another battery to see if that is the problem, if its the battery Good. if not try what buff said. hope all goes well. if u need a starter i have 1.:D

Thanks every1.. I know the battery is fine, as its the one out of my KS, which has never had a problem and is charged again. So i'll check out the alternator (can't remember seeing the alternator light glowing on the dash, maybe bulb is blown) and fuseable links etc, and yes, I could look for shocks! :bowrofl:
The cluster looks a bit more complicated to remove out of the 1st gens than the 2nd or 3rd.. could be an interesting task!

Deanimus: I'll keep that in mind if it's my starter that needs replacing! Cheers

It used to start with a dying batter lol, though have you been running it with no water in it? Maby you siezed it, no water the temp sensor will not go off cold....

:
The cluster looks a bit more complicated to remove out of the 1st gens than the 2nd or 3rd.. could be an interesting task!

nah simple as. on either end of the warning lights (at the bottom of cluster) you'll see a vent now you can gently pry it off with a small flat head screw driver and then under those vents there will be some screws. undo them and slowly pull towards you, now just before the cluster is almost out of the dash reach behind and take out the speedo cable and prestto .

wet fingers on both hands touch the two battery terminals
if you feel something thats good -----if not that bad

next extend one hands fingers to next exposed wire leave other on earth or negative terminal
if you feel something thats good -----if not that bad


continue steps one and two till you feel bad :bowrofl:

It used to start with a dying batter lol, though have you been running it with no water in it? Maby you siezed it, no water the temp sensor will not go off cold....
? Nah the radiator is full with coolant. And it just got a oil change and runs sweet as.\


wet fingers on both hands touch the two battery terminals
if you feel something thats good -----if not that bad

next extend one hands fingers to next exposed wire leave other on earth or negative terminal
if you feel something thats good -----if not that bad


continue steps one and two till you feel bad :bowrofl:

:bowrofl: :bowrofl:

I had to recently replace the regulator in mine, which wasn't giving any indication of failure beforehand. I just noticed that the battery light was going on and off, and the voltage meter was jumping between 8v and 16v (very dangerous as it can damage the ECU!). I went to Bursons and got a new one there, and they said they get on average about 3 people per week buying them for a first or second gen owner! 0_0

When the car is idling just use a multimeter and check the voltage over the battery. If it's about 14v, it's running normally. If it's above or below that or fluctuating lots, it is the regulator or brushes (which are part of the same unit). They will take only about 10 mins to swap over if that's the fault, and cost about $60 new... just make sure you disconnect the battery before you change them or you get some nice sparks (I forgot at first lol)... which are really obvious when you are changing the thing over at night haha.

If you are still having issues, I would also check you don't have a shorted winding in the alternator. The alternator is always connected to the battery, and if there is a short there it will be flattening the battery. This is the reason I recommended testing the current draw using an ammeter with the car off, and then trace it back along the wiring until you find the source. Also, if you have an amp installed, make sure the "remote on" lead is connected to the head unit properly, otherwise the amp may always be powered up.

Thanks dude I'll have to buy a multimeter soon. When i drive the car the volt gauge sits close to 14. And yeah im not sure if the alternator light works in the cluster so i will have to check that out sometime. I know what u mean about the regulators, they are a frequent problem in the 1st and 2nd gen magnas, I've had that happen on both my 2nd gens i have owned.
Thanks for the advice

Ok, I've had the car towed into my place in town, so I can do more with the car. Project *should* be completed to roadworthy standards at minimum by 12th June.
So far I've only cleaned it up, and given it a good polish, and assessed more work that it needs.

More work to be done:
* Timing chain to be adjusted and/or repaired, possibly replaced if i can come up with the $$
* Front shocks to be replaced
* CJ joints inspected and replaced if necessary
* Roof hood lining to be fixed
* Still cant determine windscreen wiper motor status, but rectify this problem so it works
* Install stereo system
* Tune up, get timing checked to eliminate any "pinging"
* Sand back roof, repaint, and repair small rust spots in doors

And, if i have any money left over after all of the above, get some head work done, but it's running very well at this stage, this is one strong motor, just need to eliminate the timing chain rattle!

Pic After Detail:
http://www.geocities.com/magnamedialinks/IMAGE_042a.JPG

Took this baby for a run out at the farm. Goes well, was slightly uphill road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGYgCpVIJes

she seems to purr nicely. but did notice the volt meter starting to read a bit high (almost 14v). I've noticed in an old thread some where about this causing other problems (blowing things from too much current). just a thought. i have a yellow top optima which is only 6 months old and my volts never reach over 12v. maybe it's just nothing but thought i'd point it out anyways:D

:P i wish my magna sounded like that, even though its got so many problems and it's auto.

Yeah it usually sits just under 14 when i have no accessories going.. if I have lights and stuff going, sits between 12.5 and 13 sorta

Nah... ~14v at the instrument cluster is perfect. At a couppla thousand RPM, the reading at the battery terminals should be between about 14.2 and 14.8 volts. Given some voltage drop through the loom to the cluster, it should equate to about nearly 14v.

Mine reads about the same, and has zero issues with it's charging system ;-)

Cheers,
Mattt.

Its looking good, volt meter looks ok, good to see fuel & temp working, did fix the dent on other side? :)

Yeah it usually sits just under 14 when i have no accessories going.. if I have lights and stuff going, sits between 12.5 and 13 sorta

That's about right for a magna... they tend to idle too slow to keep the voltage at 14v with things like lights etc. running. Mine sits at about 14.2v at idle without load, and drops down to about 12.5v - 13v with everything running. If it runs at 12v all the time, most likely there is an issue with the alternator, regulator or battery. When my regulator was failing it was sitting around 8v - 10v... really not a good thing if it gets that low, so I think your one is fine. :D

Yeah i think its good too! My battery problem could be sourced to stereo wiring, or alternator wiring.. when i put the battery in and put terminals on, a high pitch noise can be heard from the alternator. Weird.

Anyway, I have to replace a globe in the cluster for the clock, does anybody know if theres any detailed instructions or pics of the cluster being taken out? I dont know if the indicator section just pulls out, so im not game to touch it yet. lol\


Its looking good, volt meter looks ok, good to see fuel & temp working, did fix the dent on other side? :)

Yes, I can't believe the fuel and temp gauges work perfectly.. altho, I havent filled the tank yet, and the car hasn't had a full tank in at least 5 years, it'll be interesting lol.
I havent gotten around to fixing the dented panel, just bogged where there was rust and repainted the lower half of the panel for now.

Havent got pics yet, but all the rust spots have been removed, rust-treated afterwards then bogged up any holes and sanded it all back smoothe. A few spots were primer painted, and colour matched and painted and clear coated, you'd never tell it's been done, and I cant believe the colour matched so well. I'll get pics up soon. The entire roof has to be sanded back and repainted.. it's in poor condition, but not for long!

Fixed everything for roadworthy! Now complete are:

* Hood lining corrected (cheap fix lol)
* Battery drain fixed, faulty and leaking rectifier and faulty regulator in the alternator.
* Wipers now work, repaired broken pivot
* Reverse light switch replaced and stop light bulbs
* All fuses replaced with newies
* Replaced water pump. Coolant flush & refill & pressure test and all hoses and clamps checked and adjusted
* Rear brake pads replaced
* 5 Speed gearbox oil changed
* R/H CV joint slightly worn but will do for now, driveshaft slightly worn but ok for now also
* RHR seat belt n/g. Replaced

Now undergoing RWC & safety cert check. On the road tomorrow! :)