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New 142 Owner Introduction

14K views 111 replies 16 participants last post by  thispunter 
#1 ·
Hi,
I thought I'd do an introduction with some pictures. I had a wanted thread over in the classifieds and ended up getting what I was looking for.

It's a 1970 142s 4spd with a seriously baked interior and touched up or repainted exterior. The car came to me with these ARE (American Racing?) 15x7 wheels; what I think is an IPD header attached to 2.25 exhaust (measured at the end) and one muffler (kind of loud); and a Weber 32/36 carb.
It would start but bogged under throttle. I messed with the Weber a little and ended up buying some SU HIF6's attached to an aluminum intake manifold (he's got a 142 for sale with Weber DCOE's). With the SU's the car starts and runs fine.

That's where I am now. I've taken the ARE wheels off (tires are dangerously cracked) and put the stock ones on but the tires on these are three 195/60-15's and one 205/something-15. Why the odd size on the one rim I have no idea. I put it on the front right. I'm thinking about getting the curb rash cleaned up on the ARE's and using them after getting new tires (probably 195/60-15). It also came with four 15" Virgos (I think that's what they are).

Aside from a lot of little things like cracked lenses I'm going to start with getting all new door seals and window scrapers then maybe take a look at the exhaust. It exits on the right and I really don't like the sound. I think the best thing to do might be to get a stock 122 manifold along with a new stock system back with the two mufflers (VP Autoparts has a performance 2" system- maybe that'll work?).

Anyway,
Cheers and thanks for all the info I've already been able to research from your past posts.

Ted.

Oh yeah- original spare!







 
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#4 ·
Looks good, and not all hacked up like some many.

If you want to go with original sized tires, check out Vredstein's Classic Sport line (I think that's the right name). They are one of the only tires available in the original 165R15 size. I also use them on a couple of benzes that take 185R14. Good tires if you want to stay original, though I know many people don't.
 
#6 ·
thispunter - I LOVE your car. LOVE it. I am subscribing. Keep your thread here or let me know if you create another for progress.
 
#8 ·
Welcome to 140 world. I85/70 and 195/60 were the common go-to replacement tire sizes for 140s. 195/60 is probably more commonly available. The 185/70 are still available; but, you will probably pay a premium price since they seem to be priced for the niche vintage car market. 185/65 is also a very readily available size, the down side being a slightly smaller rolling radius with respect to the 165. You will end up with a drive ratio change. That may be nice if you are primarily an around town driver. Since it looks like you have an M40 rather than M41, that change might not be so nice for highway cruising.

If you plan to travel with a spare tire using the existing wheel well, keep that original spare. 185 or larger profiles will not fit in the spare tire well and have to be carried on the trunk floor. A few years ago BFGoodrich was still making radial TAs in 155 - 15 sizes (they were popular with drag racers for front wheels or some such application). I picked up one of those for a replacement spare. There is / was a Chinese tire company making 165-15 tires which would probably be acceptable for spares and there is Vredstein who make a good tire.
 
#9 ·
I'll post some under hood pictures as soon as I have an hour to spend on photobucket. There are some things not connected or missing so any comments will be appreciated.
The car looks great in the pictures but up close you can tell the new paint was applied without much prep work. This is slightly worrying but at the same time I don't see any bubbling. The car was parked on the street in all weather (mostly sun- So Cal) without the window scrapers so the door panels are all wiggly. Still, no rust found (yet).
The driver's seat back was completely torn and the bottom was sacked so I've since replaced the back (with one with typical tear on shoulder) and was able to buy an OEM seat spring update kit from a fellow 142 owner in Antelope Valley.

But from the right side and 10' away this thing looks great!
136,000 miles, btw.

Thanks for the info, 142 Guy. With that front air dam I think the ARE wheels fit aesthetically so I'll probably just replace the tires with 195/60-15's.
 
#11 ·
The piece of hose for the PVC system that is connected to the oil filler cap looks very non stock. In fact it looks like a previous owner just used an unformed piece of hose to make the connection with the result that the bend on the oil filler cap looks like it is seriously kinked with the result that I expect that there is little to no crankcase airflow through the engine. Its not the end of the world; but, something you may want to add to your list of things to address if your planning to keep the car.
 
#12 ·
142 Guy- I was updating a coworker on my project progress and seeing the engine bay pictures that was the first thing he pointed out. Coincidentally, while buying bulbs and a relay at an auto parts store Sunday I was also checking for breather hoses with 90° bends- nothing in stock. I've since ordered the right part online.
I also connected the crankcase breather to the oil filler cap breather via a T fitting. I'm not sure this is right, though, because I think I've seen pictures of the brake booster vacuum line connected to the crankcase breather with a T. On mine, the brake booster vacuum hose is 3/8" and the crankcase breather is 1/2" so finding the right T is a little more difficult.
 
#13 ·
Here is the PVC layout from the parts manual.



According to the parts manual, all the B20s have a similar arrangement. The hose from the filler cap (#47) goes over to a nipple (#48) screwed into the intake manifold. The hose from the oil trap (18) goes over to a fitting on the air filter box. The drawing is a little bit confusing because it seems to show 18 going to the nipple on the manifold; but, I think you are to refer to 18,18B which goes to someplace on the air box. On the earlier B18 engines, the air flow direction is reversed and the oil filler cap connects to the filter box (hose 46). The T fitting (#13) above the oil trap belongs to the B18 engines. Your connection to the brake booster should have a port directly on the intake someplace, I think towards the front of the manifold.

On my B20E I completely eliminated hose #18 and just stuck a small K&N filter on the top of the oil trap.
 
#14 ·
142 Guy- I think I'll do what you did. My SU's (luckily) came with an aluminum intake manifold that works with my existing headers. This manifold only has one vacuum port which I've connected my brake booster hose to. So that leaves one spot on the back of the airbox to which I'll connect my new valve cover breather hose and then put a K&N (1/2" ID?) on the oil trap.
 
#15 ·
I don't think that is going to work very well, or at all. At idle speeds, the airbox is not going to have enough vacuum to get any significant airflow through the engine. Even at highway speeds, the vacuum in the airbox will be miniscule unless your air filters are seriously plugged. I have another on which I installed MAP sensors at various points to get an idea of the pressure drop through the intake system. With an ambient air pressure of 100 kPa, the air pressure downstream of the air filter in 4th gear wide open throttle was over 95 kPa, so you would typically have less than 0.5 psi of vacuum trying to pull air through the engine.

Since you only have one port on the intake manifold, I think you would be better off to go to some place that sells npt fittings and get a T that would allow you to connect the PVC system and the booster to the same intake manifold port. The T should be sized to fit the nipple (#48) for the ventilation system. On the other arm of the T you would install a barbed fitting to couple to the brake booster. Don't try to connect the crankcase vent system to the manifold without #48. You will have way too much air flow and the engine will run lean.

Your other option is that you could switch to the arrangement used on the B18 engines where the line to the booster is connected to the T (item #13). This requires that you buy a bunch of new stuff (or pay a visit to a junk yard too scrounge the parts off of some B18)
 
#17 ·
At idle speeds, the airbox is not going to have enough vacuum to get any significant airflow through the engine. Even at highway speeds, the vacuum in the airbox will be miniscule unless your air filters are seriously plugged.
You'll never have vacuum in the airbox. Ever. And even if you did the last place you want engine vapors being sucked into is the front of the carbs. That spot is at ambient pressure, and is a intake for the breather. The air is filtered and flows freely. The suction side comes off the manifold, and any vapors go straight into the cylinders.

If you do have vapors *leaving" that airbox tube, it means the engine has much too much blowby to be overcome by the PCV vacuum (or the PCV valve is stuck). The only fix at that point is to tear into the head and/or block.
 
#16 ·
Okay, I think I understand- I need vacuum at the oil filler. I do still have #48 (with the restrictor) because the old Weber manifold had two ports.
Actually, a T or a Y with one male end to screw in the manifold and two female ends to accept the existing threaded fittings I have (restricted to oil filler, non-restricted to booster) might work(?)
I wonder if these are 1/4" npt?

Thanks for clarifying, by the way. I've been looking at pictures of both B18's and B20's not realizing the crankcase flow was reversed.
 
#18 ·
Yeah fresh filtered air goes in the oil cap, and crankcase gases are sucked in to the manifold.

Nice 140! Can you tell if the air dam is some original accessory or an aftermarket/homemade item? It looks really decent and period correct.
 
#19 ·
Here's the latest. I put a Y on the manifold and a K&N on the crankcase. It's funny, when you google B20 you get results having to do with engine swaps into previously housed B18's and these all route engine breathing like B18's (reverse of B20).
Sorry for poor quality. The light hasn't been great here in SoCal.
 
#21 ·
Your arrangement may or may not work depending on where you installed the nipple with the orifice that restricts air flow for the crankcase ventilation system (#48). If that restricting nipple is between the Tee and the oil filler cap, then that may be OK since it is restricting the air flow through the crankcase which is what you want. If the restricting nipple is between the manifold and the Tee, the nipple will reduce the vacuum available for the brake booster which will impair the effectiveness of the booster (the all disc multi piston brake set up on the 140 definitely benefits from brake booster assist). If there is no restricting nipple, your brakes may work fine; but, you are likely going to have way too much air flow through the crankcase which is going to muck up the operation of the carbs.
 
#25 · (Edited)
First off- LloydDobler: I think the air dam is made by IPD. I saw what looked like the exact same one on the Skandix site (discontinued, of course).

Here's the latest:
Replaced left rear window and seal with ebay items. My right rear has the screw in latch but the left rear was glue on. The left latch came undone at some point and let the weather in destroying the seal. Luckily there was a left rear window with screw on latch on ebay along with a used seal (no longer available) from another seller. So that's done.

Replaced the front brake rotors and pads (girling type calipers) with items from VP. There's still a pedal modulation though. I'm hoping it's the rears. I had to spend some time seating the fronts so they spun true so maybe there's still some run out.

Replaced the front shocks with Bilstein Touring and then decided I really wanted HD so put Bilstein HD's on the rear. Maybe I'll put HD's on the front at a later date (when I put sport springs on).

I've needed tires this whole time but I've been waiting to make a decision on wheels first. Three sets came with the car as shown in previous posts- The ARE's (major curb rash, one is dented but hammered back), the Virgos (major rash and one is dented- still), and the black painted 4.5" stock wheels (with the most usable tires).
I decided on 780 multi-x sourced locally here with newish Michelin Defenders (205/60-15).
The first picture is a mock-up with the Virgos and the others are with the multi-x's mounted. I'm thinking the multi-x's with the 205's look like too much wheel.





I might try to sell the AREs and the Virgos just to free up some room around here, although, I'm not sure anyone would want them.
 
#28 ·
The window scrapers, trunk, hood, and door weatherstripping, and rear mudflaps all came in yesterday from VP Autoparts. I really have no clue how this all goes together... well, except for the mudflaps. It looks like the weatherstripping all goes in a channel. Do you slide it through or push it in with a screwdriver? Also, I've read the window scrapers require clips for '70 models but VP lists two types. Anyone have any idea which ones?

Thanks.
 
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