Rolling rustoration on a '77 Spider.

[injunjoe535]

I’ve already made an initial post in the New Member / Introduction section but I wanted to do a running journal of getting this car back on the road. If/when I ever do a real restoration on it I may start another thread. In the meantime let’s just call this a rolling rusteration. (Spelling intended)

I bought my car, a 77 model, on June 16. I found it on Craig’s List locally and it came to me as a non-runner. I’ve been tinkering on cars for roughly 25 years and I really cut my teeth on British stuff; MGs mostly but I’ve also had the odd Triumph and once I had two Rover 3500s (SD1 in the UK), one of which was a daily driver. In fact I’m restoring a 70 MGB GT at the moment. I’ve rebuilt engines and suspensions, replaced clutches and things like that so I don’t see any real problems with working on the spider. I should also mention that between all the British stuff I also had an 850 Spider (never got it on the road) and an '85 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce that I used as a summer hack. A very cool car that I had to let go.

In this post I’m just introducing myself and the car. I’ve been messing with it when time (and money) allows, which means I’ve been looking at the car a lot but haven’t bought anything for it yet. Well, that’s not entirely true: I've bought oil, oil filter and a carburetor gasket kit for it.

Anyway, here are a few pictures. I’ll post more as things progress and I’ll catch everyone up on what I’ve discovered in the next few days. I’ve already found out a lot but I want to give everyone time to digest this post before I start asking the multitude of questions I’ve compiled due to some very confusing things this car has presented to me during my discovery phase with it. And thanks in advance for everyone’s patience with those inevitable questions that are forthcoming.



As delivered. Somehow I get a sneaky suspicion this wont be its last trip on a flatbed.






Interior isn't bad, but it's in desperate need of a good cleaning. The rear seat bottom is torn and I'm considering deleting the back seat altogether.

[124JOE]

Looks like mine
Dose it have spark?
Is/was it getting gas?
Is there a gas smell in the oil?
Check your timing belt to see if has sliped
These motors have an aux shaft for oil and fuel
When setting the timing it shoul be set"with the hole"at one oclock
Crank at dtc exh cam at 2oclock and intake at 11oclock

Put the belt on all but the exh
Push the tentioner and slip the belt on the exh cam
Turn the. Motor over by hand
Good luck
Btw these cars are known for bad grounds

[injunjoe535]

Its got spark alright! About two weeks ago I cleaned the points and checked the distributor cap, rotor and plugs. Naturally after 12 years these will be replaced but they looked OK to run some tests. I have a battery that fits but its weak, fuel pump runs and you can smell the old gas at the carb. I sprayed some starting fluid in the carb and hit the starter. Took a few attempts and had to use jumper cables hooked to my wife's car but it eventually hit. For the very brief time it ran it was very smooth and I'm already in love with that twin cam sound! I've since removed the gas tank to clean it out and was pleased to find it had very little gas in it, less than 1/2 a gallon maybe so cleaning it shouldn't pose a problem.
So my plan of attack is:
Finish cleaning the tank.
Disassemble and clean the carb.
Replace the timing belt and tensioner, water pump and front seals. (Both cam seals and the crank seal)
Rebuild the brakes. (Rebuild calipers and replace the M/C as well as rubber hoses)
New tires.

Once all that's done and its drivable I'll assess what it needs after a few shake down runs. I know a suspension rebuild is imminent but we'll see what else the test runs reveal.

[injunjoe535]

And hard at work again today. OK, maybe not working hard, but working non the less. Started removing some of the emissions gear today. I removed the air pump and related hoses but didn't take the air rail with the one way valve off yet, I'm going to wait till I get the plugs to put in when I take the rail out. Really cleaned up that side of the engine though.





As you can see, the EGR valve has been "disconnected", actually it looks like its been broken off at the valve's base so I'll be removing it too along with the electrovalve and assorted hoses. I've seen some really nice engine bay pictures here and though this car may never be that nice I do like the clean look that many have achieved.

[124JOE]

remember that when we time these
tdc the dis points at #4

when i had problems with it not running it was the neg cable at the batt

also i read people have trouble with the ing switch

[injunjoe535]

Thanks Joe, I would've wondered why the timing marks didnt line up when cylinder #1 was at TDC. Whoda thunk it would be timed on Cylinder #4. Crazy Italian engineers........

[chico]

Glad your mechanically inclined you'll need it. These little cars suck you in and then before you know it you won't have any choice but to keep fixing this and that, not saying that they are mechanically inferior just that they are 30 years old and usually the PO never took care of them or wired something a little funky. I've owned my car since 2009 and have such a love hate relationship she runs purrs and then farts and coughs and then I'm fixing..lol. Anyways I wouldn't get rid of her she is way to much mine now, so good luck and really enjoy your car. Before long you'll be on the road. Rob

[ga.spyder]

Hey Joe..first we have a history with B/GT's.Now I see a garage full of motorcycles.I know we live in the same state,but are you sure we aint kin? I am riding the Cherohala and Tail of the Dragon in the morning!!

[injunjoe535]

Chico, you see the MGB GT behind the Fiat? I got sucked in looooong ago! One of the things that surprised me the most for both cars was the parts support for them. The MG has almost everything available for a complete restoration down to some nuts and bolts. I was really impressed when I researched parts availabilty for the Fiat and found that supplies are just as healthy for these cars. Of course some may look at it as that they break down so often theres still a huge demand for parts. Your right, a 30 year old car, even maintained very well, is going to have things due for some replacement. Take one thats been ignored and it quickly becomes a labor of love. I'm finding some funky wiring already and some other "farkles" if you will. But I also understand some people do some home repairs to the best of their abilities. It may seem odd but I'm ok with that because this car lived to see another day, not hauled off for scrap metal. Believe me, I'm not looking through rose colored glasses. I havent welded anything before, but between these two cars I have 1 1/2 floorboards. Welding WILL be going on at my house when I buy a decent welder. Italian steel is no better than British steel apparently.

[injunjoe535]

Craig, I have an 03 Harley Davidson Road King with 135,000 miles on it. It's my daily driver. My wife rides a Honda Shadow (the perverbial house divided??? ). Also in the garage is a Suzuki I'm fixing for a friend, and unseen in the back I have an '81 Yamaha 550 Maxim I'm restoring. I know, I'm a gluton for punishment.
We have been on the Cherohala and Dragon's Tail every year for the past four years and looking forward to a trip hopefully before the end of summer. Whatcha riding? And enjoy your trip.

[ga.spyder]

I have an 07 Harley Dyna Wideglide.Great bike.Once you get into the Fiat a bit more,you will see that they are a much better engineered car than the MG.Twin cam motor,4 wheel disc,etc... Once you get to drive it,you'll see what I mean.Once they are sorted out ,they are very reliable little cars.
135k on the Road King! Damn...you are a iron butt!! Good luck on the restos.
Craig

[injunjoe535]

So more work today removing some dead weight. Last weekend I removed the air pump and most of the related plumbing. Today it was the EGR valve with the tube going to the intake manifold and the electrovalve too. This dirty little engine is looking a little better with this stuff gone. I'm lucky because the county I live in doesn't have emissions testing, and even if we did the state doesn't require cars this old to be tested. I'm still waiting to remove the air injector rail and plug the holes left, but here's what it looks like with it all removed.


I'll have to go to the hardware store or local auto parts store to see if I can find a suitable plug for this:


And here's what I've removed so far:


So far, so good. Four weeks ago my wife lost her job so the car was placed on the back burner for now. However I ran into a sweet deal that I couldn't pass up. I was able to score a new welder from Harbor Freight. I understand the differing views and opinions of this company, but I've had nothing but good luck with them. Between a coupon I had that was about to expire and some items I needed to return for credit, I got it for a song. With the 2 year warranty with no hassle return / replace policy it was less than $90.

All the reviews I found were mainly positive except for people who thought they were getting a $500 machine for $150. I figure this will be a great welder to learn with and maybe later I'll get something better.

The gas tank is slowly creeping along. I stripped the old paint from the bottom of the tank and used Rustoleum primer. I then shot some black enamel paint on it. I'll hit the top of the tank soon, then put it back in the car. Hopefully when I hook up the lines and pump it'll push the gas to the carb with no fuss. Time will tell.

[ga.spyder]

The B/GT does make a handy work bench for Fiat parts! That sounds like a awesome deal on the welder.I know all the negative feelings on Harbor Freight but everything I have gotten from there has been fine.Maybe not the top quality but fine for my needs.Smart money says that she will fire right up once the tank is back in.

[124JOE]

the plug for the intake has a hole
i filled mine with orange silicone and put it back on
i left room for the alen wrench

[injunjoe535]

@ Craig: I too feel confident that once I get the tank finished and installed that the engine will start. I know the pump is good and I took the top of the carb off the other day. Everything looked clear and open, I removed the main jets and the air correction jets with their emmulsion tubes and they werent blocked or nasty looking. I plan to take it apart and give it a good cleaning before replacing all the gaskets. I'll blow out the fuel lines to make sure everything is clear. And as far as HF stuff goes, yeah your right. Dont go in there thinking your buying snap-on or Matco quality and you wont be dissapointed. I have some very good, high quality tools I've accumulated over the years. And I was a Harley Technician for two years so I'm pretty decently stocked. Every now and then you run into an oddball sized item. If your only using it once or twice I cant see a need to drop big bucks.

@ Joe: Thats a good idea. So far I've struck out finding a replacement bolt for it, but I havent exhausted all the auto parts stores in my area just yet. There are two parts houses that have been in town forever, and one of them had m6 studs and nuts used to hold the air cleaner onto the carb. Thats my next stop.