OK now I know I'm Spider bitten

[RoyBatty]

I'm looking at a blue '69 that I found on Craiglist.
I am currently driving the crap outta my '75 and having fun doing so. I have almost 25K miles on it in less than a year.
So what should I know about the '69? Besides the different bumpers and light configuration on the front of the car.
I also understand the battery is in the engine compartment.
I plan to park this car in my side yard and work on it as time and money allows.

[baltobernie]

Sometime in the sixties, European cars were required in many countries to display parking lights on the traffic side when parked on the street after dusk. They were activated by moving the turn signal lever up or down as required with the ignition key removed. I don't know if the '69 Spider was subject to this, but this circuitry makes an already convoluted wiring system worse.

But you'll like the footwell vents!

[Spiddy]

Baltobernie, you are sooo right! My parking light switch (which is on top of the steering column on Spider Europas) causes real problems. When I turn the wheel, the switch position moves and the rear lights go out

[azruss]

the 69 should have a 1438cc in it. If so, then it will have a smaller clutch and bellhousing than your current car. will also have a mechanical fuel pump, a hand knob for the gas pedal, a manual choke. The 1438 is a fee revver, but a gutless wonder that requires a lot of shifting to keep in the power band. it will be lighter and lower than your 75. will have a single point dizzy, may not have a vaccuum advance. deep dish gages ( all 6). No reinforcement in the door. Hood is kept open with the sliding rod. the truck is kept open with the pivot rod. push button door handles. cowl vents as mentioned. flat hood, of course. will have a smaller radiator with with solid bodywork below the radiator. in head thermostadt. the master cylinder will feed a manifold just below it. mc may also have a single reservior. straight panhard rod. seems like there is something underneath i'm missing. They are a very clean and uncluttered car. you'll like that.

[RoyBatty]

Thanks guys. This is the kind of info I need.

[WarbirdAL]

my first Spider was a 69, paid 600 bucks for it. No rust, ran very well. Loved the look and simplicity of the car. Miss it greatly.

[Sunracer]

the 69 should have a 1438cc in it. If so, then it will have a smaller clutch and bellhousing than your current car. will also have a mechanical fuel pump, a hand knob for the gas pedal, a manual choke. The 1438 is a fee revver, but a gutless wonder that requires a lot of shifting to keep in the power band. it will be lighter and lower than your 75. will have a single point dizzy, may not have a vaccuum advance. deep dish gages ( all 6). No reinforcement in the door. Hood is kept open with the sliding rod. the truck is kept open with the pivot rod. push button door handles. cowl vents as mentioned. flat hood, of course. will have a smaller radiator with with solid bodywork below the radiator. in head thermostadt. the master cylinder will feed a manifold just below it. mc may also have a single reservior. straight panhard rod. seems like there is something underneath i'm missing. They are a very clean and uncluttered car. you'll like that.

Very good summary russ, I will add that it would originally come with a fan attached to the water pump with an electric clutch, some early cars, can't remember when it stopped, have a torque tube rear end, though by now many have been converted to the drive shaft seen on later cars. Agree about the 1438 being a gutless wonder, fun to drive unless there is a hill, lots of revs, no torque but check the engine number as odds are good it could have a later, larger motor and oh yeah, they use a different tensioner bearing on the timing belt. PB

[RoyBatty]

Ok here it is.
I will be trailering it home in a couple weeks.
The data plate in the drivers door sill reads 10/69. The hood is flat.
Side marker lights are the larger tapered style that are dovided into two sections. The distributor is on the lower front left side of the engine and the exhaust manifold is the cast header style.

[Sunracer]

Looks clean and original have fun with it : )

[RoyBatty]

On the same trip to look at the Blue '69, I found this one sitting on the side of the highway.
It's a '77 that looks to be a complete car. The interior is all there and I am thinking if I can get this one for a couple hundred (if that. I could then transfer the interior into the '69. The '69s interior is a little rough.

[azruss]

looks like a 70s model (the big side markers), eventhough the mfg plate says 10/69. also sounds like it has the 1438.

[Sunracer]

10/69 mfg. date and the side markers say 1970 model. It would have shipped with a 1438. PB

[RoyBatty]

Hi, my name is Tom.......and I'm a Spider addict.

The engine had not run for seven years and I was able to troubleshoot it and find that with the crank pulley at TDC #1 and the dots on the cam sprockets aligned with the casting indicators, the engine was actually at TDC EXHAUST!
So I pulled the cam covers and did a run thru of the engine with a ratchet on the alternator pulley nut to verify that all was 180 degrees out. I then rearranged the wires as needed, and she lit off just fine so I could drive it onto the car trailer.
The block is stamped 124AC 040 and the VIN starts with a 124BS.
It has an electric fan and the distributor on the lower left in the front of the block.

[Sunracer]

Nice work!

[mdrburchette]

Nice looking car, but it is definitely a 70 model. They came with an electric fan, 1438cc engine, crank driven distributor, honeycomb grille, two piece parking lamps and flat hood with no hood emblem. The 69 had a steel grille with horizontal slats, small round parking lamps and the emblem on the hood.