Restoration of a 1987 Bertone

Made a little more progress.

Headlights are adjusted and now mounted properly. I didn't have all the tiny screws that held the retaining rings in place. They are M3x0.5 and can be found at Lowe's (in case anybody was wondering.) Took it for a little spin this evening and the headlights no longer bounce and they are aimed pretty good, although I still need to do some tweaking.

Now I am waiting on new parts to arrive -- new front hub assemblies, tie rods, and a new rear view mirror (mine was in very bad shape.) New reproduction side view mirrors from Henk arrived today. After all those parts are installed, I will take it to the alignment shop and get the state inspection.

Then it's time to start on the targa top restoration.
 
Doors make good white boards. Just a few "little" things left to tick off and I'll be rockin and rollin.
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@Huey have you done the Brown Wire modification as part of your restoration? You will want to do that... You officially have a shorter to-do list than I do....
 
ecohen2 said:
@Huey have you done the Brown Wire modification as part of your restoration? You will want to do that... You officially have a shorter to-do list than I do....
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Yes I did. Although I think I need to do something with the wipers because they operate very slowly. But if I run them in fast mode, they work OK.
 
Huey said:
Yes I did. Although I think I need to do something with the wipers because they operate very slowly. But if I run them in fast mode, they work OK.
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Do the wiper pivots (with wiper arms removed or lifted off windscreen) turn freely if the mechanism is disconnected from the motor arm? The shafts can bind in the housings, in addition to electrical resistance issues.
 
Huey said:
Yes I did. Although I think I need to do something with the wipers because they operate very slowly. But if I run them in fast mode, they work OK.
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Oh there is a relay kit that DC Fiats has that takes a whopping 5 minutes to install and fixes that... @toddr124 either has them or knows where they come from... I also installed LED headlights to reduce the overall drain on the car. It made a huge difference, I can see at night and my volt meter stays stable...
 
Huey said:
OK now to start on the targa top. Mine is smooth, not textured and in pretty good shape. For durability purposes, I'm considering using Rust-Oleum marine-grade black: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001001LUC/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

The reviews are positive. It is durable and will fill in hairline cracks and scratches. I'm considering using a roller, which will allow it to go on thick and will give it a little texture.

View attachment 15187
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Perfect. I ordered some too. I was trying to figure out how to treat my top, it has a few minor scratches & is dulled. I want to keep the texture also.
 
A few updates...
  1. Painted the top with the Rustoleum product mentioned above. It came out OK. Just OK. I was disappointed because it claims to have "excellent leveling" but it didn't seem to level at all. I'm going to attempt to wet sand it down some to smooth it out. Also, I think I should have gone with a semi-gloss because it is just too shiny. However, it is a very durable paint that goes on nicely and it really does fill in hairline cracks. Excellent for these tops that are shoved in the trunks and whatnot.

  2. Having a very hard time finding shops that can align and do the state inspection. Most of the alignment shops won't touch it because it's not in their fancy computer systems. I finally found one who will align it old-school.

    Inspection is another story. My county requires a full emissions inspection and I can't find a single shop within a 50 mile radius who can do it on pre-OBD cars. I could register it as an antique but then, per state law, I can only drive it on weekends and holidays. I don't like being told when and how I can use my vehicles so I registered it as a normal car. If Bucks County, Pennsylvania is going to require all cars to be fully emissions checked then they should ensure that all certified emissions inspection stations have the necessary equipment. That's my opinion, anyway.
Hopefully I can find someone to do these things soon because I want to get some good driving time in before the snow starts flying.
 
When I go thru the PA emissions web site and then click the "What Emission Test Will Your Vehicle Require?" link (right side bar) I get to a page that asks for county, year and vehicle type. If I select "Bucks county", "1987" and "car" it says only a gas cap and visual inspection are required. You would know more being local, but that sounds like they just make sure the gear is still there and the gas cap hold pressure. Are the local shops telling you they have do do actual sniff testing? Point them to the "official" web page.
 
JimD said:
When I go thru the PA emissions web site and then click the "What Emission Test Will Your Vehicle Require?" link (right side bar) I get to a page that asks for county, year and vehicle type. If I select "Bucks county", "1987" and "car" it says only a gas cap and visual inspection are required. You would know more being local, but that sounds like they just make sure the gear is still there and the gas cap hold pressure. Are the local shops telling you they have do do actual sniff testing? Point them to the "official" web page.
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I know, I found that as well. But the information is conflicting since parts of Bucks County are considered "Philadelphia Region" and, according to the actual law, the Philadelphia Region requires a full emissions test. Inspection centers around here are playing it safe, apparently. I'm trying to get an official answer from the state but they just keep referring me to the website.
 
Huey said:
…..Hopefully I can find someone to do these things soon because I want to get some good driving time in before the snow starts flying.
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My buddy has the old dyno emissions machine at his shop. A bit of a drive coming from Quakertown, it is located at 9989 Global Road in Philadelphia:
https://goo.gl/maps/R7UGWjNysA22

The old emissions test puts the car on a one-axle dyno, inserts a tail pipe sniffer, and the mechanic "drives" the car at varying speeds as directly by the test program. The current test is much simpler, they just plug the car into the emissions test machine using the OBD 2 port.

What is causing the issue with the emissions test is that you went with a regular daily driver registration. Since the car is coming from out of state, you have to get a full safety inspection and whatever emissions inspection applies to your residence, and apparently Quakertown is close enough to Phila to fall under the standard Phila requirements for a yearly emissions test. The good news is that you will only have to do the dyno-based emissions test this first time, as subsequent years you should qualify for the under 5,000 miles per year exemption. On a regular daily driver registration, the yearly safety inspection is not waived for low mileage.
 
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I just spoke with the shop that is doing the alignment and they called PennDOT to confirm it only requires the visual and gas cap inspection. The state regulations conflict between "Philadelphia Region" and Bucks County (which includes part of Philadelphia region.) Since I live in the northern part of the county, visual is all the is required. Confusing.

The guy is aligning it now and I should have it back, fully road legal, by the end of the day. Apparently, it hit a big pot hole or something in its prior life because he said the right front control arm required a lot of shims to get it correct. I always noticed the right front wheel looked "off" so I guess that explains it. He's got it all trued up now, though.
 
Huey said:
I just spoke with the shop that is doing the alignment and they called PennDOT to confirm it only requires the visual and gas cap inspection. The state regulations conflict between "Philadelphia Region" and Bucks County (which includes part of Philadelphia region.) Since I live in the northern part of the county, visual is all the is required. Confusing.
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:D That is very good news. Now get out and drive.
 
Happy to report the car runs and drives great. Maiden voyage from Quakertown to Montgomeryville and back (about 40 miles round trip.) Runs smoothly, accelerates nicely, and is just as fun as I remember from the '75 I had as a teenager. Tires are terrible (Federals) but so few choices out there.
 
Go to the Demon Tweeks website for good 13" tires at a great price including shipping from the UK. Not DOT tires but how many inspection places look for that or put the square Federals on a second set of wheels for inspection use.
 
Maiden Voyage 2.0 did not go as well :(

Drove it to work this morning but only got about half way. Cruising along nicely at 60-70 MPH, keeping with traffic, when traffic slowed. I slowed and downshifted to 4h. Let out the clutch and heard an awful noise that I though was the transmission giving way. Engine had stalled so I pulled over to the shoulder. Sitting on the shoulder, engine not running, the temp gauge rose considerably and the engine would not crank. I thought, oh crap, I just blew the engine.

Had it towed home.

Now that the dust is settled, it appears as though the timing belt gave way. Engine cranks but is obviously not turning the cam. I think maybe the tensioner (which is brand new) gave out, which was maybe the awful noise I heard.

Everything seems OK. Oil OK. Coolant OK. No leaks or weird odors. Fortunately, I'm told the 1500 is non-interference so I may be OK. I'll have to take a deeper look at it after work tonight.

:(
 
Huey said:
Maiden Voyage 2.0 did not go as well :(

Drove it to work this morning but only got about half way. Cruising along nicely at 60-70 MPH, keeping with traffic, when traffic slowed. I slowed and downshifted to 4h. Let out the clutch and heard an awful noise that I though was the transmission giving way. Engine had stalled so I pulled over to the shoulder. Sitting on the shoulder, engine not running, the temp gauge rose considerably and the engine would not crank. I thought, oh crap, I just blew the engine.

Had it towed home.

Now that the dust is settled, it appears as though the timing belt gave way. Engine cranks but is obviously not turning the cam. I think maybe the tensioner (which is brand new) gave out, which was maybe the awful noise I heard.

Everything seems OK. Oil OK. Coolant OK. No leaks or weird odors. Fortunately, I'm told the 1500 is non-interference so I may be OK. I'll have to take a deeper look at it after work tonight.

:(
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Well that sucks.

+1 on the 1500 being non interference. Very good odds for no major damage, maybe just collateral damage from the timing belt and/or tensioner. Probably had only a few seconds of engine RPM without oil pressure since the oil pump runs off the timing belt, so it should have been able to handle that.

One disappointing thing about owning an X is that this will NOT be the last time that you will be bitten in the ass by substandard replacement parts.
 
My concern is how the engine temp rose drastically after it was shut down. But the oil on the dipstick looks and smells OK. If it is just a timing belt and tensioner, I will certainly be ordering two of each and keeping a set in the trunk along with tools.
 
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