South Pacific spider restomod begins

[Kiwispider]

And We're Done!

After tidying up some paperwork to make it road-legal again, the South Pacific Spider was done. Unfortunately it's the middle of winter now so driving days (i.e. not raining) are few and far between, but we did get a really nice day to shoot a few photos.

From humble beginnings....




.... to this little beauty!

[TX82FIAT]

Great work, beautiful car!!

[davebdave]

Wow! That's amazing. So pretty!

[Anbele]

Bravo!!! Beautiful work!!! Long live The Fiat 124 2000!!!

[DRUMMOND]

What a beautiful car!!! well done. Now Go Enjoy!!!

[Kiwispider]

Thanks for all the nice comments.

I noticed after a couple of short runs that oil was leaking past (as in all the way around) the new sump gasket. From what I'd read the jury was undecided on whether gasket sealer was necessary, so I didn't. Also, my handbook says the sump bolts should be torqued to 6 ft-lb. My torque wrench doesn't even go that low! Giving the sump bolts a tweak showed just how lightly tightened they were, don't know if heat expansion might have played a part? Hopefully nipping all the bolts up a bit tighter than spec will stop the leak and not cause any problems.

Update on the ride height with Vicks Hydrasport shocks and progressive springs - the front is now 10mm lower; the rear is 25mm lower; the front is 10mm lower than the rear when measuring to the underside of the sill. Not perfectly level but so close you can't tell. Aesthetically I'd like it a little lower, but that can wait for another day.