dinghyguy's restoration of "Mark"

[davidbruce]

The only early stock "wood" wheels i've seen are actually plastic "faux" wood. I believe they will fit if you remove the splined adapter from your '79. The one on my '73 is "faux" wood. I find it a touch too large in diameter and a touch too small through section as I have fairly large hands and it's skinny. There was one on Craigs list in Vancouver and i believe it is the same wheel. I was also looking at the wheels from the vendors. I haven't actually measured but i'm thinking that somewhere between the diameter of my '80 wheel and my '73 wheel will be the sweet spot. just my 2c.

[davidbruce]

Almost forgot. Do your visors have a small triangular sheetmetal piece bolted in the corners where they slide on the pins? The ones on my '73 have these . I believe this is to adjust the tension on the pins. Hard to tell from their pictures but I don't see them on Vicks but it looks like Auto Ricambis do. They(AR) also claim theirs don't droop.

[dinghyguy]

thanks dave, you read my mind i have been watching the one on craigslist for about 8 months as the price drops......getting to where i might try it, but only if it is a painless swap with horn working etc.

I find the 79 wheel a bit small, and hides the gauges a bit ( i sit with the seat all the way back) so a bigger diameter might well be fine.

Hmm, now i will go look at the visors, they are new last year from Vicks.

cheers
dan

[nelsonj]

The wheel KWL82 posted from Mark looks really nice - if I didn't already have a nice wood wheel that would be something to seriously consider.

My sun visors (from 72) have a screw near the center pivot pin. You just tighten the (flat head) screw and it works magic. No problem staying up.

Glad to hear the weather's been cooperating. I had rain this weekend, but I've had the car out the last few weeks before that.

[davidbruce]

Looking at the visors from my '80 that are down in my crawlspace. They don't have the corner pieces but do have a screw that tightens the lamp around the mounting stem. They are so tired the screw had disappeared inside the vinyl cover without the metal pieces for support.

[dinghyguy]

Well, the blue door panel rebuild was going along perfectly fine. Carefully took the pair i got from a forum member apart, took mine apart. Used the best hardboard ones to make patterns, made new wood piece, waterproofed them!

Decided to make the panels a bit cushier, so put a thin layer of foam on the panel, checked the panel fit the door properly. Mounted the vinyl to the panel. Everything looked so much better than the crappy old warped ones i had with the speaker holes and a multitude of screws holes.

Figured i might as well recover the metal top part, so got some vinyl and did that too.

Before riveting the top and bottom panels together decided i would take the new panels into the dungeon for one last test fit.......ARGHH

The nice panels i got were from a car with power windows, i have manual windows and the two holes are in different places.

Sigh, now what?

So looked at my old vinyl, thinking i could make a plug....nah color is too far off.
Considered briefly upgrading to power windows, but then came to my senses on that idea.
Thought of putting in a chrome plug in the interim, until i get some blue paint to repaint the console....
Thought of putting a light there, so when the door opens the light comes on.....
Wonder if a shallow tweeter would fit?

Anybody got any other great ideas?

Oh well, thought you might like to know all is good but it isn't......

cheers

dinghyguy, depressed in the dungeon

[spiderdan]

That must suck after all that work.
Maybe glue in a couple of Fiat badges (like wheel centers) if they fit?
Or maybe someone has one of those "printers" can make you some the right size and color.
Good luck.

[rodo]

Dingyguy, can you give a few more details about cutting your new panels? You used the old, or donor, vinyl, right? So for the panel, some thin plywood? And then traced the shape from a stock board (or did your best if it was warped/cut). How did you cut the new board? Jigsaw? Bandsaw? I'm trying to imagine how one can get a good shape, close to original, with a large hunk of plywood like it would need to be. And when you were done I'm assuming you just stapled the vinyl back on. Presto?

[dinghyguy]

Hi All,
Latest DIY on door card restoration.


tested by Rodo, thanks for the feedback

Dinghyguy, still in the dungeon.

[dinghyguy]

Hi All,

Been sailing dinghies, so not much fiating lately, but thinking of putting car on a rotisserie to deal with rear runsty inner fenders.

Being lazy, thinking, take out engine and tranny,, take out gas tank, remove bumpers and bolt rotisserie to bumper mounting points. The real question is, do i have to put a stiffener across the doors or just leave them closed? I wonder if the additional span from the bumper locations instead of the wheel mounting points will cause the body to sag and permanently distort?

thoughts and comments please.

dinghyguy
looking towards getting out of the dungeon

[Odoyle]

Very grateful for your detailed write-up on door car refurbishment. I am also impressed by how nice it came out. Have you removed engine/trans yet? IF not, I recommend pulling as one unit, easy with a engine crane from HF and an extra hand. Why do want to rotisserie the car?

[dinghyguy]

Thanks for the kind words.
No i haven't pulled the engine yet, I am going to do the clutch as soon as i get out of the dungeon into my own garage, not sure if i will do engine and tranny or just tranny from under, we shall see. If both then yes a crane from HF will be used. have done that on other vehicles, otherwise drop tranny out the bottom with a tranny jack

rust is bubbling up through the bondo on the rear fender lips and inner fenders. Don't like overhead welding, figure might as well just tip the car on its side and make it easy. Plus need a winter project right?

cheers
dinghyguy

[Odoyle]

You will find it may be more trouble than its worth if the car isn't braced well to prevent torsion. When you replace the clutch, and machining of the flywheel is undertaken, "ensure the same amount of material is removed from both friction and mounting surfaces, and machining or grinding of the surfaces must be made with respect to finish between 2,4 and 2,8 Ra WITH concavity from the center to the outside included between 0.0 and 0.8 ±2° incline." Very good data to keep for the employment of the friction material. Leaking oil seals are a major cause of clutch failures, grease or oil is not allowed to contaminate the contact surfaces of facing.

[dinghyguy]

Moving out of the dungeon is complete so to celebrate i took the tranny out
time to get rid of those whining noises from the input shaft bearing and also change the clutch.

jacked it up and followed the manual mostly (found another bracket ont he starter motor not mentioned) and tranny is out. But need some advice and some parts.....
the transmssion tunnel cover plate is held on by 5 screws that fit into clips in the body. well the clips are gone or rusted loose such that i had to Dremel cut two of the screws to get them out. anyone have any clips and screws surplus?
also is there supposed to be a gasket under the tunnel cover on top of the body that is clamped by the 5 screws?
and does anyone have a surplus grommet that the backup light wire fits through?

lots of oil and grease on the tranny and tunnel, will clean up before i go further.
that top sarter motor bolt was a real pain, my hands are too big, took me about three hours to get he right combo of extensions, universals and contortions to get that sucker out. had to jack the car up higher to get my hand it semi comfortably, but success was achieved.
tomorrow is cleaning everything up, plus maybe some roofing tar touchups to any spots of damaged undercoating, then this week will be tranny input bearing replacement clutch etc. hopefully it will all go back in next weekend.
cheers to all
dungeonfree dinghyguy

[DRUMMOND]

Hi Dinghyguy

I pulled the engine and transmission then I put the car on a rotisserie did all the welding and painting on the rotisserie then placed the body on support blocks installed engine & transmission after that.
no problems with body torsion at all


You should be able to pickup grommets and the screw clip from any decent hardware shop or Amazon. I used all Stainless Steel replacement screws. No gasket on tunnel cover except the jute at least on mine.