78 shed find....

[deacon]

I just brought a black 1978 124 spider with red interior home last week. It was last licensed in 93' and it appears that it is all there and really in good condition. No rust and no dents! I just had an ignition key made and after changing fluids, plugs and battery this weekend, I will find out if it runs or? I have had and restored a 69 and a couple of years ago found a 61' 1500S that ended up being sold to a collector in California before I even restored it.

I am in the process of going over the car to check it all out and I have a question regarding the engine type number. The numbers on the car do match, but the type number is 132 A1 040.6 All of the refernce info I have shows a .5 or .3, but no .6 Is this significant or really meaningless? Just curious. I will let you know how the attempted start up goes.

[htchevyii]

Congrats sounds like a great find. I'd change the timing belt before starting if I were you and if it has the t belt driven smog pump make sure it's good or better yet remove it. If it seizes it will ruin your day and maybe hour engine. Post some pics when you can!

[mbouse]

hey, sounds like an awesome find...something we all dream about.

before you turn the key and put some juice to the starter:
pull the spark plugs and pour a couple of ounces of power steering fluid or auto tranny fluid into the cylinders, wait ... repeat
put a socket on the crank pulley and turn the engine by hand several revolutions.

[So Cal Mark]

is the engine number you're asking about the casting number or stamped number near the oil filter?

[deacon]

Interesting beginning to the resurection process. Changed the fluids, battery, plugs and wires. New gas and fuel filter. Put a little mixture of ATF and oil in each hole the day before and cranked it over manually. Saturday morning, went for a start using the new ignition key and the good news is that there is plenty of fuel being supplied, but the bad news is there is no spark......now the fun process of checking out and eliminating all of the potential issues. Any suggestions form experience on the most common issues would be appreciated. Oh, and it has an MSD 5 ignition box installed by the previous owner as well. Is this a common upgrade?

Sorry, no photos yet. I can't seem to figure out how to post them on this forum.

[cbrewer13]

i would check your points. i think the msd's use them for timing. my 1592 has sat for a few years and the points were corroded to the point that they didn't make a circuit cny more. i couple of seconds with a file to clean off the points and you may be fixed.

[majicwrench]

First things first, is distributor turning??
Keith

[deacon]

First things first, is distributor turning??
Keith

Yes, it is turning and the points are opening. I did use a small bit of emory cloth to gently clean a little bit of oxidation form the points although I have not yet tried to clean them with anything. Thanks for the feedback so far.

[mdrburchette]

If all else checks good, you may want to troubleshoot the MSD box. Here's a link to their troubleshooting guide:
http://www.msdignition.com/page.aspx?id=3206

I have also found their tech line to be quite helpful.

[deacon]

Excellent info, thanks. I will check it out tomorrow.

[deacon]

It's Alive!!!!!! I ended up testing the MSD box and found it to be bad. Restored the wiring to the coil, new plugs and wires. Tested the points and found they had failed as well. replaced points, condensors and rotor. Turned the key and off it went. Running a little rough due to the old fuel and who knows the condition of the carb after sitting since 93. The cool thing is, that the car was parked in 93 as the PO could not get it to run. Now I can get excited about the rest of the minor things it needs. Not bad for a $500 car. I will post some photos when I figure out how to do it.

[rlux4]

Fantastic! Congratulations, and good work.
Ron

[mbouse]

always a good feeling to share!!

[deacon]

It's been awhile since I first posted after finding this car. It has progressed well and is now a kick to drive. I ended up replaceing the brakes, cooling system and the top. The engine and the trans are great. I have updated the alternator and bits and pieces. I just wanted to throw a couple of photos up while I was thinking about it. All that really remains is to lower it a bit and paint (someday). For now it is a great driver. It will be at the All Italian car show in Isssaquah WA. on the 24th just for grins. More later.,,,

[Kingme2]

$500 plus some bits?!?!?

Sheesh!!! Ashamed to tell you what I spent to buy mine (then engine, then tranny, then leather interior, then...)