1971 1600 124 Sport Spider

[Minneapolis]

Hello,

I'm a new owner of a 1971 1600 124 Sport Spider. I just got the car last week. I've got a DHSA carburetor and am planning to tune it tonight with the help of a Haynes manual. The car has 68,000 miles on it and runs well. The only problem so far is that the idle speed is too low so the engine dies when I come to stops (unless I use an extra foot to keep giving it gas). Hopefully, the carburetor tuning will fix this problem.

Aside from that, my next task is to address some rusty floor pans (planning on first treating with Naval Jelly and steel wool and seeing what kind of shape they're in after that).

Oh, and there's some small rust spots on the body panels also that need to be treated. After I treat it, it'd be nice to match the paint color on the car. Does anyone have a list of colors the 1971 spiders came in? Mine is a cream color with a hint of green.

Thanks!

[travish86]

Hey man I'm a new-bee here as well.

[baltobernie]

Hello and Welcome! Have any pictures of the car?

Before tearing in to the carburetor, ensure you have no vacuum leaks, which can affect the idle as you describe.

Also Search for tips on what needs replacing before you begin serious driving.

You may have Code 234, Ivory. Paint code should be on the metal tag on the firewall underneath the hood latch. Maybe pop the rear seat bottom (comes out like all other cars) to see if the entire car is the same and original color.
http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/default ... nQodPTie2g
This was a popular color in the day. The Brits called it "Primrose", after the plant of the same name.,

[Minneapolis]

I'll take some photos of the car tonight and try to get them posted tomorrow. Thanks for the link to the auto paint website - that's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for! I'll check the code on the car too, but I think you're right - the primrose looks pretty close to my paint.

As far as the carburetor goes, I was just planning on adjusting the idle speed and mixture screws tonight to see if they fix the problem. However, you're right - there could be a leak in the vacuum seals. Any tricks to locating leaks in the carburetor? Or does it come down to just checking seals visually and replacing as needed?

Thanks!

[ROOK1]

Welcome! I also have a '71 that was also light yellow with a hint of green (currently bright yellow). Mine is the code 241 which is the Colorado Yellow. Here is a pic from in the trunk area that has not been painted.

[mdrburchette]

Great! Another early bumper Spider! Once you've been around a while, you'll know I love the early models best.

[baltobernie]

I was just planning on adjusting the idle speed and mixture screws tonight to see if they fix the problem. However, you're right - there could be a leak in the vacuum seals. Any tricks to locating leaks in the carburetor? Or does it come down to just checking seals visually and replacing as needed?!

If a screw adjustment cures the problem, then you need go no further. Some guys check for leaks by spraying carb cleaner thru the tiny tube nozzle supplied with the can at suspected leak points. If there's a leak, the RPM increases. This is good for things like gasket leaks, where there are little or no other visual clues. Hoses can be temporarily pinched off to detect any change in RPM or idle quality.

Careful with the carb cleaner near hot locations, which may ignite. Wear safety glasses.