It Drew Blood

[opus10583]

...And I don't even remember when. Just this totally cool gash on my right ring finger!

Got my Spider back from 'the shop' yesterday, about 1pm. They've had it for six weeks: They repaired and re-enforced both lower rear trailing arm mounting points, repaired the driver's 'shock tower'. Cut, grind, form, fit, weld... I also had all the front a-arms, complete, and all five rear links replaced along with fitting Vick's sport springs and KYB GR-2 shocks all around. Double the initial estimate, about $600 over my guess. Previous "owner" had done calipers, Pertronix, timing belt, car sits on new looking 175/70-13 P3000s, which look like motocross tires.

SO... There's lot of things still to be done to this car, which I've owned since Cinco de Mayo 2011 but had put less than 200miles on. Some little, some large, some personal preference. Yesterday I mostly just filled it with Shell and drove it till I couldn't take the heat anymore. Then I drove it to dinner!

Today, I set to putting a few things right. Swapped the original steering wheel for a Sportline "Daytona", from IAP. Functional, and a styling preference. While I was at it I pulled the gauge plate and fished out the trip odo, which turned out to be more important than I'd initially thought*.

Took the car for a 10mile blast just to check things out.

Turned my attention next to an oil leak which smokes off the exhaust manifold. Because I hadn't seen any visible leakage and 'the guy before me' had just monkeyed together some parts store scraps into a half-hung exhaust system I assumed it was a weeping stud, after putting fifty miles on the car I saw the leak at the base of the distributor, need a distributor gasket on Sunday in Eastchester, NY, now what?**

Car idles high when hot, didn't realized how high because the dash tach reads low. Plugged on a Dwell/tach reader and it was turning over 1200 with the radiator fan on. Fiddled with the idle speed and mixture screws until it read 850, sounds real slow but it's solid, barely reads on the dash tach. Wired up an eBay-find advance timing light and... either it's eBay rip-off # 4*** or - I wasn't finding a positive source: Can anyone tell me where the positive hookups are under the hood of a 1978 FIAT 124 Spider? So, I set the ignition timing 'by ear', then re-dialed the idle. I am now worried the timing's too advanced at speed, hard to hear a lot over the wind in a Spider on the highway, and I don't know that I'd recognize knock if I heard it.

Fiddling with the distributor appears to have temporarily staunched the leak, the gasket is shot and there is evidence of gobbed-on sealant.

Took the car for a 10mile blast just to check things out.

Replaced the side and rear engine compartment weather strips, just to give the old ones a proper burial.

By now it was near five and I'd been out in the heat since noon, so rather than pull the kick panels to assay the speaker mounting situation, I decided to replace the radio antenna: EBay rip=off #3. ...When your life comes down to larceny as the best option, is selling bogus Spider antennas on eBay really the best choice?

Putting things away into the trunk I picked up the KC light mounts that Razooli recommended, http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... 21#p111682, and so center-mounted front license plate was the end of the day.

Then I took the car for a 10mile blast just to check things out.

...I think I need PROVA plates.

Cleaned-up, cooled off, and drove into the Bronx for the best Sicilian Pizza in the US, Sorrento Brothers, Williamsbridge Road; rock solid all the way.

And now, here's the Asterisks:

* On my way to the Bronx I noticed the gas gauge pegged to the right of "4/4", it should have been bouncing around 1/2. Did I pull something loose removing the gauge panel, or fry it trying to find a positive source for the timing light?

** How is a circular gasket "be-spoke"?

*** 1: The Car, 2: Headlight grills, 3: Antenna, 4: Timing light(?).

Ciao,
Mark

[124JOE]

the positive leed under the hood is on the alt it has a rubber boot cover

the sending unit in the tank is bad just like mine
under half it will bounce or read over full
just keep an eye out for the red light/low fuel
sending unit $37.00

gasket -set your motor to TDC pull the cap remember where the rotor points
remove the dizzy so you can copy the hole it comes from
"use some thick cardboard"dont permatex it because you'll be geting a new one

.joe

[jsab]

Your oil leak at the distributor is the seal, not the gasket. You need to replace the shaft seal that is in the base. Also, you can pick up 12 volts at the + side of the coil for your timing light.

[opus10583]

the positive leed under the hood is on the alt it has a rubber boot cover

the sending unit in the tank is bad just like mine
under half it will bounce or read over full
just keep an eye out for the red light/low fuel
sending unit $37.00

gasket -set your motor to TDC pull the cap remember where the rotor points
remove the dizzy so you can copy the hole it comes from
"use some thick cardboard"dont permatex it because you'll be geting a new one

.joe

Hi Joe,

It was FINE, before it sat for six weeks 'in the shop'!

(A touch of water pump seepage too!)

Thanks for the tip, and that for the gasket, I figured sealant on a rotating joint wasn't a good idea.

Ciao,
Mark

[opus10583]

Your oil leak at the distributor is the seal, not the gasket. You need to replace the shaft seal that is in the base. Also, you can pick up 12 volts at the + side of the coil for your timing light.

Hi,

Wouldn't that be oil up into the distributor body, rather? This is seepage at the distributor-cam tower joint, with clear evidence of sealant and a failed gasket.

Thanks for the coil lead tip, I'm not very experienced with car electrics and wasn't sure what I'd be tapping into there.

Ciao,
Mark

[opus10583]

the sending unit in the tank is bad just like mine
under half it will bounce or read over full
just keep an eye out for the red light/low fuel
sending unit $37.00

.joe

Hi Joe,

Apparently, it's fixed itself. I'll have to fill it again and run it down again, damn!, to be sure.

Is that common?

Thanks,
Mark

PS The timing light is FIAT-related eBay rip-off number four.