A black '69 124 Spider AS

[RCSquadraCorse]

What am I doing wrong...? Driveshaft bolts are still there and won't move by a millimeter. Pissed off is an understatement.


As for the reverse switch I got told that the AS model in Italy/Europe, such as many other cars of that period, doesn't have a reverse light. My Mini Clubman doesn't have the reverse light as well. So I guess that is normal not to see anything on the right side of the gearbox. In fact the US version of the AS should have a reverse light attached to the rear left bumper, meaning that it was added for other markets.

[engineerted]

You need to put the box-end wrench on the bolt you are trying to loosen, not the bolt next to the ratchet wrench. I put the wrench on such a way that when you rotate the drive shaft, the wrench will hit the driveshaft tunnel, that way i do not need to hold both wrenches. They are very tight, might need a piece of pipe to extend the handle of the ratchet wrench.


Ted

[RCSquadraCorse]

Thank you Ted. I'm already using an extension pipe, just removed it to take the pic. Will try with your technique using the gearbox tunnel to stop the driveshaft from rotating. And I'm sure those bolts are very tight, but it's becoming just ridiculous.
Thanks again for the tip.

Riccardo

[aj81spider]

Relative to your question:

A part from the questions asked before (post above), can someone please enlighten me if I have to remove the steering cross member to remove engine and trasmission together?

When I pulled mine I didn't have to remove it. However the transmission did get stuck on it and I was minutes away from stopping and removing it before it came free. You can do it without removing, but it will be a lot easier if you do.

[RCSquadraCorse]

Thanks for the advice A.J.
I've pulled the engine a couple of days ago and I removed the steering cross member (not the proper name but you get it) to have more space.
I'll post some pictures tomorrow so you will have a laugh by looking at what I've used to pull the engine. Engine cranes are too much expensive for my pockets, so I used what I have available here. Wait and see... lol

[RCSquadraCorse]

So, here we go with some images.
Firstly, that's what I've used to pull the engine. A tractor and a fork lift... it may not be very elegant but at least it's practical!


Unfortunately the guy that helped me with it is a sort of redneck (no offence inteded) and at some point while I was under the car to move the gearbox he let the crank pulley to smash on the panel above the radiator... not a big damage afterall... but WTF!


Here you can see engine and tranny finally out


And I also cleaned the gearbox before moving it on the bench. Kinda filthy uh?


I will also post some images (forgot to snap them) of the home made engine stand. Not beautiful but functional!

[divace73]

Such a pretty car Riccardo, really love the AS spiders and it looks great in black
I recently changed the doughnut and used two spanners and like mentioned previously use the body to hold one and use as much leverage as possible for the other. I had the car on ramps to give me more leverage.

[RCSquadraCorse]

Thanks David, you car is super cool as well, I just love the look and stance of it! Aggressive but really classic! And those CD68s... hmmmmm... <3
As for the doughnut, I have been able to undo the bolts from the drive shaft thanks to Ted's tip and now I "just" have to remove it from the gearbox. It's going to take a while to fix everything but I'm not in a hurry, I just hate to waste my time waiting for the penetrating oil to do its job on all the silly bolts! lol!
Oh well, now I will use that time to clean everything, will also give a quick respray to the engine bay later on.

[RCSquadraCorse]

Just a quick question to be sure that I'm not going to do any damage. When removing the head, do I have to mark/stop from rotating anything? Like cam pulleys, crank/aux pulleys? I've read about timing belt replacrment but not sure about how to sync everything back together once the head is off and after pulleys replacement (crank and aux will probably be replaced).
Thanks for any suggestion.

[RCSquadraCorse]

Seems like I can't get the fan off. The nut is just turning with the wrench and the service belt slips over the pulleys without providing any grip. Same as for the alternator pulley. They just want to rotate with the wrench. Any idea on how to stop them? Spark plugs are in but the flywheel is still without a locking tool (I will have to find a way to stop the flywheel because I don't have that tool and the spare parts shop doesn't have it too).
Yes, I'm a bit confused, probably the manuals written in English without some good images explaining on how to proceed make me a bit nervous on doing something wrong. When you read the manuals they make everything simple: "Unbolt and remove the alternator and extract the Vee-belt coupling, the fan, generator and water pump. Unbolt the fan and pulley from the water pump and then remove the pump." It sounds easy... yeah... sure... unfortunately it won't work... Am I missing something?

[djape1977]

just use more force, be creative.

to block a flywheel
remove clutch plate and pressure plate
put back in at least two bolts that held pressure plate, bolt them half way in
bolt into the block one of the screws that held the gearbox to the block
now get a BIG crowbar and go figure it out, that will be your blocking tool

to undo alternator and fan bolts, use impact force.
take a box-end wrench (ring spanner), hold it with one finger at the bolt, hit the other end of the wrench with a kilo hammer. use as much strenght as you can, and watch your fingers

[djape1977]

Just a quick question to be sure that I'm not going to do any damage. When removing the head, do I have to mark/stop from rotating anything? Like cam pulleys, crank/aux pulleys? I've read about timing belt replacrment but not sure about how to sync everything back together once the head is off and after pulleys replacement (crank and aux will probably be replaced).
Thanks for any suggestion.

don't bother, it's simple once you get there

[RCSquadraCorse]

Man, thanks a bunch for your reply.
As for the flywheel locking tool I was already looking for some creative solutions over the internet, yours sounds good enough.
And to undo the bolts I will try to use "impact force", lol. I think I will still have the problem of keeping the pulleys from rotating while hitting the wrench with the hammer, because my problem is that they rotate when I try to undo the bolts... but I will try to figure out something.
Will report back on how it will ends.

[giuliot60]

Couldn't you tighten the belt? Or use a chain wrench to hold them from rotating?

I'm sure you put penetrating oil on it. How about some heat?

[RCSquadraCorse]

Ok, so, I've removed all the pulleys using an air gun and without locking the flywheel since the engine won't rotate even with a huge wrench.
Took the engine apart and I need the opinion of the experts.
This is what I've found:

This is how the head looks. I'm not very familiar with rust/oxide on valves, but it doesn't look very nice to me:




As you can see cylinder #4 is the worst and I've also found an oil leak in the exhaust gasket:


Still issues on #4 by looking at this head gasket:


Pistons and block. They're completely DRY (as the gears inside the engine below the distributor) and stuck, even using a wrench they won't move. Cylinders surface looks good tho:



Water pump hole:


Distributor, not much left of the plastic ring:


Still have to remove the oil pan and the intake manifold, but judging by these images what do you think of the engine?
Is it shot? Is it worth reparing? If so, any suggestion on how to proceed is gladly appreciated!