'72 Targa hotrod, 2nd update

[mgrant]

I joined this forum a few months back haven't posted an update for awhile. My car is a 72 Targa with a hot rodded 3.2 and 915 transaxle. It's also got the suspension and brakes from a mid 80s Carrera. The PO had reassembled the car from a full tear down, got it running, lost interest in it and just let it sit for a few years. When I bought it, the car hadn't been sorted out, and that's what I've been doing for the last few months.

Since my last posting, I've been been driving the car a lot to break in the engine and transaxle (both have been fully rebuilt) and doing a lot of little things like eliminating squeaks and rattles, getting a space saver spare, air compressor, tool kit, jack, cleaning up the trunk and installing carpet in the trunk.

When got the car, the DME had "custom" chip from Autothority and it didn't run right. The engine has been twin plugged and when I sent the chip to Steve Wong, I found that it was for a single plug engine. I installed the first custom chip from SW, which made a huge difference in the overall driveability, and then did some dyno runs. Turns out that SW's first tune was pretty good and the engine put out 217 hp and 190 tq at the wheels (this is corrected for the 104 degree ambient temp on that day). The A/F ratio was 12.6 - 12.8 throughout the rev range, maybe a little rich, but not too far off. I've got the second rev SW chip installed now and will do another dyno run soon now that the days are cooler here in Austin.

Right now, the car is up on jack stands and the wheels are in transit to Harvey Weidman for refinishing. They are 16" (6's and 7's) from a mid 80's Carrera and I'm going to have them refinished with the 73 RS look. While I'm waiting for the wheels to be returned, I'm going to pull the instruments and send them to North Hollywood Speedo for some repairs and cosmetic restoration. I'll get the NH LED upgrade also. And, since the back wheels are off, I'm going to pull the Targa bar cover and return it to it's original brushed stainless look. The silver paint, RS finish wheels, and stainless Targa bar cover will make this car look good. Also, next weekend I will install Nurburgring seats from GTS Classics, with perforated leather upholstery.

My goal for this car is to have a really nice, original-looking 72, but one that's more fun to drive because it's got a lot more power than original.

Anyway, when I get the above work completed and do another dyno run, I'll post again.

[Eminence Gris]

Nice. I had a '72 with a 3.2 and it's a great combination.

That's the best way to buy a project car -- with the "heavy lifting" already done.

Your wheels could be gone for a long time, so you may want to plan on dealing with any smaller fixes over the next several weeks.

[mgrant]

I'd heard that it can take Harvey some time to turn the wheels around. I contacted him a few times throughout the summer to decide on what finish I wanted and he said that when I sent the wheels in to let him know that we had spoken previously and he'd try to turn them quickly. I'm sure looking forward to getting them back.

And you're right about getting a project car that already has the heavy lifting (and expense) done. The PO spent more on just the engine than I paid for the entire car.