The body is in the paint shop, being prepared back to original spec in original colour Polaris (silver). The running gear has been stripped and is also being repainted/restored (by myself). New bushes, brake lines, shocks.
The paint shop is Melvin Lee in Butterworth, the mechanic is yours truly. I am also doing all the refurb & assembly on suspension and electrical system...will take a while...
This is what original turbo rear arches look like without the fibreglass flares...a roughly spot-welded closing panel to allow for much wider rubber. This is original 1974 Munich Welding by Bavarian Craftsmen....
And here's a modern Garrett in place of the original eberspacher/KKK lump...I have the originals, but it's completely shot through running unbalanced.
The first few para of this article refer to this actual car racing at Batu Tiga in 1975 with Eric Ooi & Pocholo Ramirez: https://www.malaymail.com/news/driv...back-the-glory-days-of-the-2002-turbo/1071979
It's back on its wheels, suspension re-bushed, bearings and seals replaced, everything cleaned & painted. Engine and drivetrain ready to go in with exception of the differential...the LSD is still showing symptoms of that 1975 axle failure...it can be saved but needs some specialist parts..
Mentioned earlier, the race at Batu Tiga in 1975 saw this actual car win qualifying, lead the race but retire with a rear axle fire. I have the differential in pieces and the cause of the fire in 75 is apparent. Those ugly teeth marks are caused by the pinion touching the limited slip housing.. that means the pinion bearings must have failed and the power of the engine drove the pinion back into the rotating crown wheel assembly. The LSD itself is quite scored but repairable.. Spare parts on the way from Germany, it will be restored to original performance..
The engine is back in the bay, now converted back to Left Hand Drive (as it originally was produced)...need to make an exhaust...should be ready to start it up in December..
Nice full stainless steel exhaust made in Butterworth...2.5 inch pipe as BMW intended...but deleted the centre resonator...let's see if it's tooooo loud...
Here's an update on progress: All the running gear is installed, engine is rebuilt, diff overhauled, brakes restored with new seals/hoses/pipes. Only the gearbox is untouched as it appeared to work, has only 36Kmiles & wasn't leaking. Hydraulics all bled & brakes/handbrake adjusted. Engine bay is fully complete, per original with exception of battery relo to trunk in order to create space for AC and the bracket for the windscreen washer bottle..that got removed way back when the RHD conversion was done...need to make something. A custom stainless steel exhaust has been made locally, following original route/shape as much as possible. At the rear the fuel tank has been cut open, a band of rust cut-out & replaced and fully cleaned inside. The sender unit has been salvaged (centre rod had rusted thru), fuel pump cleaned with new 'o'rings. Exterior is all complete with exception front/rear screens (waiting for headliner) and the waistline trim...still unsure if i should go for a vietnam-made stainless set or restore what I have. Wiring loom has be cleaned and re-wrapped, fusebox restored, relays tested. Headlamps and front indicators I found new-old-stock in Kuala Lumpur, rear lights i bought good used parts in UK (most original plastic is sun-bleached /cracked), rear bumper cleaned-up quite fine. The big news is: It starts & runs! I didn't drive it as still no steering wheel or dashboard, but I wanted to start it to check the engine/injection functioned. Engine sounded good, no unexpected noises, took a while to pickup onto all four cylinders (priming of injection lines i guess), but now starts cleanly.
I think this is *probably* this same car...photo taken by Johnny Ooi at Penang International Super Saloon Championship in 1975
It's finished! After 4 years work the Lockdown period provided the time to finish all the trim and fine-tuning. It runs well, lots of boost from 2500rpm, pulls strong until I run out of road.