Colour of timing belt covers

[Foster48x]

Hi Rick,
does that cover vibrate now that's it's cut in two. I would think it would rub itself making a vibration noise.

Hey Brady,
I thought I might have the same problem but it doesn't rattle or flex at all. The width of the saw blade was enough of a gap to keep them apart. Just make sure you have all of the screws in the cover. Two on the top half and two on the bottom half. The one on the very bottom of the cover is easy to overlook.

Rick

[wachuko]

Hi Rick,
does that cover vibrate now that's it's cut in two. I would think it would rub itself making a vibration noise.

Hey Brady,
I thought I might have the same problem but it doesn't rattle or flex at all. The width of the saw blade was enough of a gap to keep them apart. Just make sure you have all of the screws in the cover. Two on the top half and two on the bottom half. The one on the very bottom of the cover is easy to overlook.

Rick

Rick,

I am doing this mod!

[Foster48x]

Hi Rick,
does that cover vibrate now that's it's cut in two. I would think it would rub itself making a vibration noise.

Hey Brady,
I thought I might have the same problem but it doesn't rattle or flex at all. The width of the saw blade was enough of a gap to keep them apart. Just make sure you have all of the screws in the cover. Two on the top half and two on the bottom half. The one on the very bottom of the cover is easy to overlook.

Rick

Rick,

I am doing this mod!

I think you'll be glad you did. Taking off the "T" and draining the coolant is just a PITA, especially if your like me and can't always get the timing right on the first go around . Like one of the guys mentioned in the other thread... "it should have been done from the factory".

Throw up some pics of how yours comes out.

Rick

[Tersta]

My '81 timing belt cover is pretty grubby looking. So is the rest of the engine, but you have to start somewhere. While it is off, in addition to painting the cooling fan before I remount it, I want to paint the timing cover as well. It is plastic, the top half is silver-ish, the bottom half is grey.

Is there "right" colour for these? I read a lot about the plastic ones being yellow...

Thanks,
Tim

I have two. My 77 came with the ugly yellow one. My 74 engine came with the metal cover. It was really dirty but I have cleaned it up and now it looks great! I will have Sherman post some pictures of it.

Tersta

[CShroom]

As promised here is a pic of the timing cover Tersta just polished up.

Unfortunately it appears that this is an aluminum cast that was done on the cold side. So there are ripples and porosity in the cast itself. While it is very shiny, there a lot of imperfections in the casting itself.

I have been threatening to start doing some home casting, this may be a worthy project for it...

[cbrewer13]

my 73 is yellow and says '124 spyder (with a 'y')' on it.

[BEEK]

To the best of my knowledge, and memory, 1438 engines came with an aluminum cover, only fits 1438, because of deck height, 1608 used a yellowish-orangeish fiberglass type cover, 1592 and early 1800 used an aluminum cover with smog pump provision (driven off the exhaust cam), all of the afore mentioned covers use steel bushings and rubber isolators. late 1800 used a yellow plastic cover, the smog pump was moved to lower block mount, vee belt driven. 1979-1980 carburated 2000 used a yellow plastic cover, different from the 1800 cover due to block height differences. some of the early efi motors did have yellow covers, but most used the grey plastic cover. all 2000 covers are interchangable. again this is the best i remember.

[cbrewer13]

1592cc cars did not have smog equipment, and had yellow plastic cam covers. The 1800 is a stroker version of the 1592, but the 1800 had all the smog stuff on it and a water choke. The 1592 had a manual choke.

[BEEK]

1592cc cars did not have smog equipment, and had yellow plastic cam covers. The 1800 is a stroker version of the 1592, but the 1800 had all the smog stuff on it and a water choke. The 1592 had a manual choke.

1756 is the same stroke as the 1592, they increased the bore to 84mm, from 80mm, 1974 1800's had a manual choke on the 34dmsa, 1975 up had the water chokes, the 1974 versions of the 1592 in the 124 tc sedans did have smog equipment.

[cbrewer13]

if the bore was increased, how do they use the same headgasket?
i don't know all that much about the early 1800s, I also don't know jack about the non spider 124s, so i bow to your expertise. i really only know about the 1592 for sure.

[BEEK]

they dont, the 1592 does not use the same headgasket as the 1756, fiat under pressure form the racing community did not have a under 1.6l motor, so fiat took the crankshaft from the upcoming 1756, which had a slightly shorter stroke than the 1608, mated it with the same bore pistons as the 1608 and acheaved the 1592 cc's. the crankshaft and rods from a 1592 will directly interchange with a 1756.the 1592 was a short production motor. i have one in my garrage, a 1438, 1756, a 1608 and 3 efi lancia motors. i hope im not comming off as a know it all, because i surely dont! just trying to help with way too much technical information floating around in my head. i would rather see it be put to good use than the information wandering around in my head....

[DoctorPDR]

Mine is yellow as well. I actually bought it off of ebay to replace the dirty cracked and silver one.

[ventura ace]

To the best of my knowledge, and memory, 1438 engines came with an aluminum cover, only fits 1438, because of deck height, 1608 used a yellowish-orangeish fiberglass type cover, 1592 and early 1800 used an aluminum cover with smog pump provision (driven off the exhaust cam) . . .

There was also an aluminum cover for the 1608 (also fits 1592 and 1800 engines since the block is the same height). I have the aluminum covers for both the 1438 (my original engine) and the 1608 (which was later installed in my '70 spider). I don't remember what color the 1438 aluminum cover was -- probably natural aluminum color, but I painted it black because it was pretty grungy anyway. The 1608 aluminum cover is natural aluminum color,

Alvon

[wachuko]

Show off!

Just joking of course. That is one nice looking engine bay

Mine is yellow as well. I actually bought it off of ebay to replace the dirty cracked and silver one.

[wachuko]

I think you'll be glad you did. Taking off the "T" and draining the coolant is just a PITA, especially if your like me and can't always get the timing right on the first go around . Like one of the guys mentioned in the other thread... "it should have been done from the factory".

Throw up some pics of how yours comes out.

Rick

Rick,

Will do. I was thinking, after cutting, drilling a hole and gluing a flat bolt... then making a groove on the other piece to use a wing nut or something, to avoid any vibration from the two pieces... (See how I complicate a simple task! )