Our latest '70 145 Project - Need a few things. Any Ideas?

Gas overflowing the carbs is probably either a *tiny* bit of grit holding a float valve open, or an overzealous aftermarket fuel pump. Or possibly a proper pump without the spacer (that seems to reduce the pressure).

Kind of surprised that the mechanic/friend couldn't figure out where the oil or fuel was coming from. These aren't that complicated and I wouldn't be concerned yet.
Though for now, I'd disconnect the neg. battery cable when not in use until you can find the leaks.

I've got a box of used Stromberg parts if you want them.

alschnertz said:

Kind of surprised that the mechanic/friend couldn't figure out where the oil or fuel was coming from. These aren't that complicated and I wouldn't be concerned yet.
Though for now, I'd disconnect the neg. battery cable when not in use until you can find the leaks.

I've got a box of used Stromberg parts if you want them.

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The oil leak was sort of a comedy of errors. The seller who replaced the camshaft installed a temporary oil pressure gauge in the engine compartment. It was not attached to anything. I knew about it and the shop manager knew about it but he was sick the day of the maiden voyage. So the mechanic drove it without looking under the hood. Why should he, I guess. When the engine heated up, the flex tube for the oil pressure gauge melted and oil started to shoot out. Thankfully, it was just a big mess. The carb issue is no big deal and they are looking into that today. We are hooking up the factory oil pressure light and ditching the other one.

145 Project Suspension

The suspension on the 145 looks pretty good. The seller installed new KYB gas shocks although they wouldn't be my first choice. I have heard that some 145 builders lower the front springs a bit and leave the rears alone. That gives it a little bit of a rack. Is that something you more knowing folks think is a good idea? If yes, how much of a drop for the front?

I bought a new set of Panasports and ordered Yokohama Avid Ascend GT 195/65s. Should look sharp.

It's going to be twitchy enough with the wrong offset wheels, I wouldn't make it any worse with a rake.

The openings in the fender for the wheel are 'lower' in the rear, if the car is sitting level then that will make it sort of look like it has sagged in the rear.

So a little higher ride height in the rear looks 'right' IMO.

JohnMc said:

The openings in the fender for the wheel are 'lower' in the rear, if the car is sitting level then that will make it sort of look like it has sagged in the rear.

So a little higher ride height in the rear looks 'right' IMO.

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If you were really one of the Kool kids you'd get some old school IPD lowering springs with 500 # front springs and get it riding like an unloaded F350 pick up turk.

Redwood Chair said:

If you were really one of the Kool kids you'd get some old school IPD lowering springs with 500 # front springs and get it riding like an unloaded F350 pick up turk.

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Don't talk about me and Nance like that.

'70 145 Update - A rude awakening

Not the sleeping beauty prince kind of awakening. I get that the 145 sat for 30 years so I expected lots of nurturing to get it roadworthy. But I am a little disappointed since the guy I bought it from appeared to be a pretty decent guy technically. He restores Porsche 928s and they are complicated plus he has owned and maintained 142s since he was in college.

My mechanic, Dan, who is familiar with this drivetrain rebuilt the carbs, adjusted the loose valves, torqued the head and fixed the oil pressure gauge light and in doing so, stopped the oil leak. In his initial observation, the suspension didn't seem to be much of a concern. Things looked clean and in decent shape. The guy I bought it from (who told me all of the work he did in the suspension) rebuilt the brakes, new brake master, brake lines and KYB gas shocks on all 4 corners.

Fast forward to today...on the maiden voyage, mechanic Dan said he was really nervous. The 145 refused to track in a straight line and he was constantly trying to keep it in the lane. The brakes were squirrelly too, jumping all over the place under braking. He also felt like it was down on power so he has lots of places to look before I take it home. Ugh!

Check the easy stuff.
Suspension bushing integrity. Alignment.
Steering box play.
Tires.

Down on power? These cars are pretty simple.
Don't get discouraged.

alschnertz said:

Down on power? These cars are pretty simple.
Don't get discouraged.

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Check the timing and dwell angle. Make sure the points are in excellent shape.
The timing may be good but the points may be worn, and even with good dwell will not give the needed spark. Also, check your float level, dashpot piston free movement, fuel needles moving freely, and make sure you're getting WOT when the pedal is on the floor.

Today's Update

Looking better. The idler arm bushing was basically gone causing the excessive play in the steering. Should have caught that earlier. The rest of the suspension looks solid.

The brakes, oh the brakes. Take a look at one of the discs! Don't understand why the seller replaced the brake lines, brake master and fluid without doing the whole job. You can understand why it jumped around under braking. All new discs installed and a good cleanup plus another brake bleed.

It's in good company in that shop!

The rotor was sketchy. Sounds like your seller did the basics to get it on the road but stopped well short of checking everything out. I had an Amazon that jumped around a ton, the rear end didn't have a single good bushing left. Scariest 7 mile drive to my house.

This is probably the nicest looking 145 I've ever seen. That color really flatters the car. Good luck getting it roadworthy - keep posting here and don't get discouraged!

Duder said:

This is probably the nicest looking 145 I've ever seen. That color really flatters the car. Good luck getting it roadworthy - keep posting here and don't get discouraged!

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IMO, the best 2 or 3 colors on a 145 are the sea green (like my old car, sort of a bluer version of your 245), the dark forest green (94 IIRC), and that "royal" blue as seen above.

This car rocks.

There's also 110 cypress green, which is a little lighter than the dark forest green used on the 1971 and older 140s. Had a '73 145E in 110...

That?s a nice 145! The wheels look great

Update

Well, it is up and running but still not so good. The suspension and brakes are sorted, major leaks stopped but it has a nasty miss that we think is ignition related. Sean, pictured below took interest and left the 12-cylinder Ferrari Daytona engine he is rebuilding to help sort it out. We think the distributor is the cause and we will try a Petronix setup and see if that helps.

Sounds like you may have sticky advance weights, do you have a spare distributor you can swap in there?

Running Driving!

It is always the things you should have looked at first that is the root cause of your problem. The points looked good upon visual inspection but they were long gone. So a fresh set of Bosch points went in and off we went. Pulled strong, shifted great and stopped on a dime, maybe a dollar.

A compression test revealed 155s and 160s across all four so I am happy. The 145 is at the body shop repairing the fender and taking care of some minor corrosion. I can't wait until I get it home to start addressing the electrical upgrades and interior refurbishment.

Not bad for resurrecting a car that sat for 39 years (indoors).