A Tale of Two Fiats

[jimmycakes401]

I'm interested in hearing response in regards to the stat.

Did you rechrome the heater controls yourself?

[Zulu]

Did you rechrome the heater controls yourself?

No, they weren't re-chromed. I was just lucky enough to find a really good one.

I got some parts from IAP today. The new oil filter feels enormous next to the old UFI one. They say bigger is better, right?



I also put a couple paints on my timing cover. Rustoleum "Sun Yellow" is just the right hue.

[124JOE]

looks good
bigger is better

[Zulu]

Changed the oil today. The new filter took almost a quart of oil!

[Zulu]

We finally got around to putting suspension parts on today. I started with my driver front:



I got stuck, however, with the bottom ball joint. No matter how I jack the assembly, the bolt spins and I can't tighten the nut down. Any advise?

[azruss]

remove the nylock nut and use a regular nut to suck the taper into place. once there, you should be able to go back to the nylock to finish the job.

[jimmycakes401]

Wow. Look how nice that looks. Mine are still stock. I need to at least replace the rubber some time soon .

[Zulu]

remove the nylock nut and use a regular nut to suck the taper into place. once there, you should be able to go back to the nylock to finish the job.

I tried this to no avail. The bolt still started to spin. Are there any other ideas out there?

Wow. Look how nice that looks. Mine are still stock. I need to at least replace the rubber some time soon .

Thank you! It's difficult not to make it all look nice once you have it all apart. Hence why it's taken so long.

I'd also like to show you guys the heater box I cleaned up:





This was a conglomeration of four heater boxes to create one nice looking one without any broken parts. I cleaned every single part several times and painted the rusted up bits where I could. Finally, I removed the old weather stripping and replaced it with new stuff. It wasn't easy getting it in with uncompressed foam but now it should seal better than ever.

The heater core and valve were purchased from another local Fiat owner and look almost brand new despite their forty years of age. In the future, I plan to replace it with a new core, new valve, and Mark's stainless heater pipes.

[4uall]

We finally got around to putting suspension parts on today. I started with my driver front:



I got stuck, however, with the bottom ball joint. No matter how I jack the assembly, the bolt spins and I can't tighten the nut down. Any advise?

I am in this exact same process http://forum.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtop ... 14&t=21050

Where did you get the upper coil spring perch?

[4uall]

found it! http://www.autoricambi.us/product/SU8-4 ... ont-Upper/

[Zulu]

found it! http://www.autoricambi.us/product/SU8-4 ... ont-Upper/

I took steel wool to my old ones and the zinc-plating polished right up.

[BEEK]

did you ever get the lower ball joint to seat? if not let me know ill tell you an easy way

[Zulu]

did you ever get the lower ball joint to seat? if not let me know ill tell you an easy way

I did not, please do tell.

[BEEK]

ok, remove the upper control arm pivot bolt. i see you have the upper balljoint already installed. put a jack under the lower control arm so the spring doesnt become unloaded, or install the shock first. the pull the hub outward while installed on the lower ball joint, it will eventually put enough pressure on the lower ball joint and cause enough drag to install the nut.

or pry down on the upper control arm between the arm and the upper spring perch, this will force the lower ball joint and the spindle assembly together, this will also give enough friction to tighten the lock nut.

i hope this has given you the ideas i am talking about. if you still dont get it, let me know and ill try to be more descriptive and include pictures

[Zulu]

ok, remove the upper control arm pivot bolt. i see you have the upper balljoint already installed. put a jack under the lower control arm so the spring doesnt become unloaded, or install the shock first. the pull the hub outward while installed on the lower ball joint, it will eventually put enough pressure on the lower ball joint and cause enough drag to install the nut.

This worked perfectly, thank you Beek. We should really get together at some point. Were you at the Alfa show in Celebration last weekend?