76 SPIDER IN ARCADIA

[PENNEYTOM]

Hello,

Picked up a fairly nice 76 a fw months ago. It is an older restoration and now needs some sprucing up...or perhaps more. I had to replace the clutch cable, and want to do the guibo soon as it looks to be the original- how difficult to do? I've worked an old TR3 several years ago, but that was a tinker toy to work on - but mechanically inclined, at least with English cars. The engine runs strong, but I'll need to pass the draconain CA smog test - and any help / advice here would be appreciated as well. I'll send some pics soon. thanks

Tom

[whathelll]

take it to Mark. that's what i did last week

[rlux4]

Welcome to the forum. The guibo job shouldn't be too difficult to do. Drop the center hanger, and with the flex you get between the driveline sections it won't be a tight squeeze. That will also allow you to check the condition of the hanger bearing and pillow block rubber. I think you're going to like a Spider.
Ron

[mbouse]

the two best days in a LBC owner's life...
1. the day he buys his car
2. the day he sells his car

welcome to the forum. your mechanical skills will transfer just nicely. we even use real words like hood and ground, instead of those fluffy foo-foo words like bonnet and earth.

check the condition of the u-joints and the center support bearing if the guibo looks that old. look at the condition of the support bearing's bracket as well; a crack here demands a replacement.

also, do you know when the Timing Belt was last replaced? 30,000 miles or five years.

[fiasco]

I'm just down the road in Glendora, and also have a '76. We have a great SoCal group, who have been amazing when it comes to helping solve problems both here on the forum and in person (i.e. coming over to your house to work on your car all day for nothing but a warm steak and a cold beer)!

My advice on the CA smog is to take it to Mark Allison out in Upland. Assuming you have all the equipment you're supposed to have, you can leave it with him for a day and he'll get it tuned up to pass, and then tune it back to driving condition and you can go back and pick it up with the certificate. Plus he'll give you an expert opinion on what issues you have ahead of you.

Then take it back home and start tinkering. I can tell you a couple of things not to do.

1. Don't put a radiator flush "T" on your air injector hose and pump water into the block
2. Don't leave the oil fill cap off.
3. Never overestimate the value of other Fiaters
4. Don't let Ron operate the engine hoist ( )
5. Never, EVER, be afraid to ask a dumb question - you're almost guaranteed that someone else already asked a dumber one.

Let me know if you ever want to drop by and look at the Fiasco to compare equipment, etc. Or if you need anything, just give me a buzz, and I'll be glad to pass you on to Alvon or Reyy or Ron or Ryan or Gary... for expert advice.

-- se

[rlux4]

Steve, I wish you were as old as me: your memory would be shorter!
Ron

[narfire]

Steve, we've missed you. Glad your back.

[PENNEYTOM]

Hey everyone thanks for the tips. I have a new timing belt- just haven''t put it on yet and I'll need some advice on that. Should I be concerned that this car has absolutly no oil leaks...anywhere?, even thought the crankcase is full, trannie and dif full- I ask only because my previous experience with the TR3 and the other english oil spill (MG), leaked from every known seal even though they ran beautifully. I am finding that the Fiat rivals the LUCAS electrical of the Brits- several circuits were not working, but finding that cleaning the grounds is helping - at least my headlights, brakelights and signals work.

[rlux4]

Changing a timing belt is a very easy 2 step process.
Step 1: Drive over to Ventura Ace's house.
Step 2: Watch Ace while he changes out the belt.



That's me in the lawnchair watching Ace do the work.
I forgot, it's a 3 step process.
Step 3: Eat dinner that Ace's wife, Maureen, has cooked while Ace is changing the timing belt.
Ron

[whathelll]

who is this ace, ventura? who fixes your car and feeds you around here?
i'm totally down.

[rlux4]

I hope this doesn't embarrass Ace, but he's the one who recently flew to Europe to help Tappy in Belgium with an overheating problem! He'd say he was in Europe visiting his daughter, but knowing how helpful Ace is I'd say it was a toss up.
I'll quit kidding you Ace. (He knows where I live.)
Ron

[ventura ace]

Hello Tom, and welcome to FS.com,
If you have a non-leaking 124 spider, then you have a rare car indeed! In regards to maintaining your spider, look for a manual first, or several manuals, since each manual, on its own, is lacking, but an accumulation of manuals helps to fill in the blanks. Since you are tinker-inclined, you should be able to maintain your spider pretty well, and when you have more complicated procedures that need special tools or knowledge, you have Mark Allison right next door, and his capable assistant Eladio.

I do enjoy time spent with other spider owners, so feel free to head up to Ventura for some wrenching if you'd like. Also, just going to one of the Fiat gatherings or car shows is a great way to compare notes with other similar cars and get your questions answered.

About the dreaded CA Smog check ---- you may be exempt, even if your car is a '76. Check the manufacture date in the driver's door jamb. I've been told, though I haven't confirmed this, that if the manufacture date shows 1975, then it is exempt in CA, even if it is a '76 spider.

BTW guys, Phil (Tappy) is an excellent cook. Phil and Desiree cooked us a meal that was couldn't be beat (after picking us up at the train station, giving us a personal tour of Antwerp, and driving us through the countryside of Belgium!). Phil is actually a qualified chef, and would prefer doing so for a living if the opportunity was there. When I get more time, I want to tell you more about our fantastic visit to the Tappy place!

A