1973 Series III SWB (Austin, Tx) project update

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sand blasted and powder coated wheels

Just a quick update: I put a separate thread out there for advice on whether to stay with my 15" wheels or go to 16". Thanks to the many replies including TriedStone, Yorker, and J!m for advice. In the end I decided to clean up the original set of 6" x 15" wheels. I had them sand blasted and powder coated by Abilene Powder Coating. Kim was great and had them done in a week and for $40/wheel. I ordered a set of tires from Tread Wright, 235/75R15 ATG (C), with the build and ship date a couple of weeks out. Figured to go ahead and give them a try and will update once the rubber meets the road, er, ah, trail, that is...

[txffjim]

great looking wheels, is that original limestone color or close?

[Les Parker]

Great to see an engine bay that has retained the charcoal canister and all the associated early emision equipment, a rare sight !

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txffjim: learned a lesson here: the LR body colors don't translate exactly code-wise to the powder coat colors. The inside of the wheels was still rust-free enough that we could make a close match between the original limestone and the color Oyster White, from the company Spraylat. It was creamier/more off-white than their pure white. It might be just a tad whiter than limestone but it is pretty close and I don't think any difference will be apparent once it starts to get dirty. There are lots of powder coat color suppliers out there and there does not seem to be much standardization (at least as far as I could tell) with their codes. I'm sure someone else has better info on this than I could find and it would be a useful post.

Thanks, Les, and since you are guru, here is comment I posted earlier but didn't get any takers on: "There is a metal line that goes from near the intake manifold to the exhaust but it is sealed off near the dipstick. For the life of me, I have not been able to figure out what that used to do and have not found any reference to it anywhere." Even the canister system is referenced but not this!

[artpeck]

Quick question on your wheels. Being in the middle of a restoration as well (actually maybe less than the middle) I am curious why you chose to powder coat them versus a good durable paint. I ask because I powder coated some parts on my defender a year or so ago and haven't found it to be very durable. And I live in the benign climate of northern California. Just curious if you care to share. Thanks.

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Sure, two reasons I went for PC: 1) PC is supposed to be more durable (testable idea), so we'll see on that one (your experience may prove to be telling here); and 2) these wheels were in pretty rough shape and needed a serious sand blasting (I don't have this equipment). I could have rattle-canned them after, but adding the PC of $20/wheel in the same shop was a good deal, and Kim's operation is v professional. He reported excellent results from his customers. I can imagine that all powder coaters are not created equal and will bet that there is a wide range of variation in the final results. Will keep the forum posted as to how well this PC job lasts, and will be interested to learn if other folks have had experiences similar to yours.

[Terrys]

Great to see an engine bay that has retained the charcoal canister and all the associated early emision equipment, a rare sight !

Actually Les, It looks like there has been quite of the '73 emmissions stuff removed, unless it's a late '72, titled and sold as a '73 (What does the door plate say?)
Look at the attached picture of the '73 I picked up this summer. The door plate says 3-73. I know '72s did not have all the gobledogook on the carb that this has, but, surprisingly, all this stuff is still working. It has 2 air operated diaphragms, and when started cold, will run at high idle for about 20-30 seconds and automatically drop down. The plumbing is a nightmare, and most of the time, when one part acts up, the whole kit gets yanked. I've only seen a few post '72s that still had all the original stuff.

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You're right Terrys: your engine has the other stuff that was missing on mine (these were not even in the extra parts box from the PO). Mine is marked "13.04.73." Does anyone have a schematic for the full emissions set up? Would be interesting to see how this was engineered.

[Terrys]

You're right Terrys: your engine has the other stuff that was missing on mine (these were not even in the extra parts box from the PO). Mine is marked "13.04.73." Does anyone have a schematic for the full emissions set up? Would be interesting to see how this was engineered.

Engineered? Me thinks you're giving them too much credit. I have never seen a schematic of that, or any later "improvements". CA had yet to become known for it's tighter-than-the-rest of the country, so who knows why it was added in '73, other than to improve cold weather warmup.
I bought my first series in late '72, and they had just gotten the first of the '73s in. I distinctly recall noticing all this 'extra' stuff, when I looked at a leftover '72 on their lot. I couldn't swing a new one, or even the deal they offered on a '72, so opted for a used '71. I still like the late S2A ,but actually think I'll keep this S3.
Incidently, I looked all over mine for the tube you describe and can't find it, but might be mistaking your description for the large, vertical, warm air tube located at the front of the carb. Having it all on mine may only be a short lived novelty, because the first time it starts acting up, it's going in the tip.

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Emissions equipment

My rig's PO was a packrat like me, and in digging back through the piles of stuff he gave me I found the 1972 supplement on the emissions equipment that is on Terrys' rig but missing on mine. Since no one seems to have ever seen this info, I made a pdf of the supplement (only the cover is shown here) that shows the schematics. The Supp comes in at 940Kb, too big for posting here, so if anyone would like it, just PM me with your email and I'll send it to you as an attachment. This info is probably more a historical footnote now than anything else... The info on the charcoal canister is shown in the regular owner's manual.

[Terrys]

Well the picture I posted of the original carb/emmissions crap is now history. It ran like crap, so off it all came, and replaced with a 34ICH.
The original was a special version of the Zenith, and if anyone wants it, with the removed emmissions stuff (they're nuts) they can have it. The bowl joint of the Zenith is likely warped.

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rubber meets the road

Quick update: finally got some rubber, BFGs All-Terrain T/A 235/75/15. Wanted to try Tread Wrights but they are way backed up with orders and in the end could not give me a ship date so I punted to the BFGs. Our maiden drive was up and down the alley and my son insisted that we both wear our Land Rover hats! Also repaired the right rear quarter panel that was banged up some years ago. (PO says his wife backed it into a tree.) Managed to get the panel rebent and hammered fairly flat and riveted to the back panel, and then got the vertical galvanized trim piece riveted into place. Also had to reset the brace that runs inside the fender from the panel to the underside of the tub. All of the lights work but I had to reset the grounds because those were loose. Got the title and registration completed last week but the honorable State of Texas fined me a $6.25 late fee ha ha. Just received the parts for the brake job but that will have to wait a bit. After that, time for the inspection and we should be road legal!

Wanted to post some snaps but I am at my limit and will probably have to delete some images or link to an external URL to post additional images.

Oh, also had the opportunity to try some of Terrys tasty maple syrup – just great on waffles!

[73series88]

really sounds like its coming along.
more pictures
aaron

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some new pics

Sorry, had to remove some older pics to stay within my attachment quota. Here is one snap of the maiden voyage up (and down) the back alley, and a second of the repair to the right rear quarter panel. The earlier damage is visible in the first photo. The newly sand blasted and powder coated wheels and new tires are visible in both photos.

[txffjim]

sweet ride!