My new project: 68 850 Spider

[Mark]

There’s a supplement


[QUOTE="Austin, post: 291481, member: 3601]
Was there an edition for the 67-early 68 or did they just use the same photos as first series?
[/QUOTE]

 

[Austin]

I can't see the images. It looks like the links are private to your Google account.

Sorry, hopefully you can see them now. Not sure why they didn't show, as the owner's manual shots did, and I thought I loaded them the same way.

 

[Austin]

View attachment 9945 There’s a supplement


[QUOTE="Austin, post: 291481, member: 3601]
Was there an edition for the 67-early 68 or did they just use the same photos as first series?

[/QUOTE]
Thank you! Exactly what I was missing.

 

[ng_randolph]

Sorry, hopefully you can see them now. Not sure why they didn't show, as the owner's manual shots did, and I thought I loaded them the same way.

That did it. Thanks!

 

[Jim McKenzie]

Fabulous car, well worth the project effort. Please keep us posted

 

[Austin]

I also run a stock mechanical pump in my 850. They are quite reliable but it may need to prime a bit. Mine needs me to prime the engine after a long period and when the engine is turning normal idle revs it will draw properly.

You were right - pump needed to be primed. I replaced a plastic fuel filter and line from pump to carb and used my vacuum brake bleeding tool to pull fuel through the pump, and VOILA - SHE IS RUNNING.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Austin]

 

[Austin]

She's home.

 

[kmead]

Congrats on getting it home.

Was it a tow or did it make it on its own?

 

[Austin]

Congrats on getting it home.

Was it a tow or did it make it on its own?

Towed.
She started right up and happily drove onto the UHaul auto transport but it's a 60+ mile drive, mostly at 70 mph so wasn't going to risk it.
I will say that she was barely able to fit, as the wheels were on the very inside edge of the ramps. Nerve wracking to load.

 

[kmead]

Towed.
She started right up and happily drove onto the UHaul auto transport but it's a 60+ mile drive, mostly at 70 mph so wasn't going to risk it.
I will say that she was barely able to fit, as the wheels were on the very inside edge of the ramps. Nerve wracking to load.

I had the same experience with a tow dolly for my 850 when I loaded it up to go from Los Angeles to Vermont (the state not the street )

I towed it backwards from coast to nearly coast as I didn’t want to screw up the gear box going 3300 miles on a tow dolly with the steering wheel lashed to hold it straight.

 

[Austin]

Taking stock of current state: brake lights, interior lights, turn signals and reverse light all work, as do wipers. Brakes aren't great.

Incredible list of spares: doors, engine lid, cowl, bumpers, lots of wiper blades, starter, generator, radiator, condensers, windshield, hubcaps, headlight buckets, console, dash.

Very pleased to find a fitted tonneau cover!

So really all I seem to be missing is a correct gas cap, headlight glass and tool kit.

 

[RJ80]

Austin, I may have a tool kit for you -- I'll check my spares. Congrats on getting the car running, it's going to be a nice little project.

 

[kmead]

Headlight glass could take some time and money to find unless they made another run of them.

I lucked into a set several years ago, the buckets are pretty rusty but the glass is in good condition. At the moment I hold out hope that I will find my early Spider someday. Someday.

Luckily, (well maybe) the Lamborghini Muira used the same headlights so I believe you may still be able to get some, but expect to pay....

http://www.miuraworkshop.com/tavheadlights.html

http://reoriginals.com/browseproduc...--NOS--Carello--Euro-version...---L0282X.html

http://www.fiatparts.de/07640700 A good bit cheaper for just the lens.

 

[Austin]

Headlight glass could take some time and money to find unless they made another run of them.

I lucked into a set several years ago, the buckets are pretty rusty but the glass is in good condition. At the moment I hold out hope that I will find my early Spider someday. Someday.

Luckily, (well maybe) the Lamborghini Muira used the same headlights so I believe you may still be able to get some, but expect to pay....

http://www.miuraworkshop.com/tavheadlights.html

http://reoriginals.com/browseproduc...--NOS--Carello--Euro-version...---L0282X.html

http://www.fiatparts.de/07640700 A good bit cheaper for just the lens.

Yes, thanks for the links. I found the same and since I have the buckets (extras, in fact) I do only need the lenses and trim rings.

From what i can tell on the Miuraworkshop.com page, the 850 lenses are not the same as the Miura. Yes, they will fit but the US 850 were clear glass (which I have remnants of in my passenger side bucket) while euro 850 were one prismatic pattern and Miura another.

So yes, you could use one in the other's headlight assembly but only the clear ones are correct for the US spec.

I went through something similar with my VW Type 34 in that left hand drive countries had a different pattern for the prismatic lens than right hand drive and wound up with a mismatched set that threw terrible lighting patterns. But at least they looked good!

Maybe I'll luck out and be able to trade some of these spares for a lens or two someday.

 

[kmead]

I think mine are prismatic, it has been a long while since I have looked at them though. Hmmm

Thanks!

 

[NM850]

Kmead. Thanks for the light links, I've been looking for years. I'm trying to convince myself that the €350 is doable.

 

[Austin]

Slowly unpacking and sorting the spare parts. Need to consolidate or thin the herd so I can get the Spider into the garage!

Is a head for 845 motor worth much? Handwritten note attached says "valves are thin"

 

[Austin]

Spare headlight buckets in place. Lights even work!

 

[Jeff Stich]

Slowly unpacking and sorting the spare parts. Need to consolidate or thin the herd so I can get the Spider into the garage!

Looks like a good assortment of panels there. You could likely sell off most of what you don't want & use that money towards some replacement headlight glass.

Battery lids $10-$20 each, the dashboard radio-mount insert panel $20-$30, decklids/doors $50-$100 each. The long narrow taillight trim panel with the early "850" emblem is a 1.5-year-only item & getting harder to find in decent shape nowadays, with no rust on the panel & good chrome on an unbroken emblem $75-$100. The fuel tank area cover panel can be found all over eBay & it seems they rarely sell, might just want to hang onto it (the outer ends tend to cave in a bit if some oaf sits on that area of the car). Same goes for the convertible top cover panel - it can (often will) warp if someone sits on it. The center console is a matter of taste & convenience (the front tray is handy), could bring $50-$100+ depending on condition.

If the large rear body panel you have is the 1967-69 type, is in good shape & you want to sell it, I'd be interested in buying it for my early Spider (previous owner backed the car into a parking lot steel post).

I'd also recommend you swap that spare front bumper onto your car - it looks to be in much better condition than what's currently on the car, & good-condition early bumpers are getting harder to find without the seller thinking they can buy a house with the proceeds. You can sell off the worse-condition (rusty) one, with the value of it mostly coming from the under-bumper Carello front turn-signal lamp assemblies (also used on other/higher-end Italian cars of the era). It may be easier to sell the turn lamps separately from the bumper, but those 2 little Phillips-head mounting screws can often be a real b#%ch to remove without the head stripping out & making a REAL mess of things!

Definitely keep the tonneau for your car! They're very handy when parking the car on the street (or garage) & keeping the interior tidy (& safer), also adds a bit of curbside "period" eye-candy. I had one on my old '69 850 Spider for years & years & loved it.

Hubcaps...assuming you're keeping the steel wheels & they're currently bare, keep the best 4 (or 5) caps & get rid of the rest. In your photo, left column caps #1 & #3 look like keepers (#4 is for a Fiat 128, not 850), right column #1 & #2. Don't expect to get much money from them - lotsa people already have damaged caps. But for the owner who has none at all & doesn't mind dents & scratches, yours would be ideal at a cheap price.

Is a head for 845 motor worth much? Handwritten note attached says "valves are thin":

The value of any 850 head, whether the 843/817 or 903 type, really depends on CONDITION; combustion chamber damage, stripped spark plug hole threads, stripped/damaged/missing studs or stud holes (especially the rocker arm studs), & remaining overall head thickness are all factors.

The valves look normal size & to be seated normally in your photo. The "valves are thin" note might not talking about the valves themselves, but rather how much "meat" is left on the head; the thickness of metal visible between the bottom of the spark plug hole & the surface (face) of the head can basically tell you the overall thickness of the head, ie: how much has been skimmed off in previous repairs/rebuilds, & how much is left on it to skim off should you need to resurface it again. A severely-skimmed head also affects compression ratios, & raises the possibility of valve-to-piston contact (since the valve heads are now closer to the pistons).

For most folks seriously considering rebuilding an 850 engine that will perform well & last, the more "meat" left on the head (the closer to stock/new condition), the more valuable the head. Due to the angle of your photo, it's very hard for any interested buyer to see this critical area.

Unfortunately, your head looks to have combustion chamber damage in cylinder #1 (on chamber edge at the 9:30 position), cylinder #2 (foreign object multiple contacts on face opposite the spark plug) & cylinder #3 (foreign object multiple contacts on intake valve head & chamber roof between valves, with possible crack between valve seats). Some of this damage could be remedied by surfacing the head, but that would depend on how much "meat" is available. The perceived damage between the valve seats in #3 might just be carbon deposits & photo angle/lighting, but that damaged intake valve should be replaced (IMHO).

The casting code on the exhaust side of the head, in the center between ports #2 & #3, will tell you what 850 engine type this head came from. You should find something like 100G000, 100GB000, 100GC000 or 100GBC000, along with a 7-digit Fiat casting part number.