Rusted Out 1970 850 Spider Fix-Up

Well, my home made brake reservoir efforts failed to launch, as there is not enough room to put my home made units there. So, I guess I order new ones. On the positive side, I did patch up some holes around where the reservoirs sit, and I did get the rear drums shoed and sealed up. It is always an interesting experience bringing a car back from the dead. One step at a time!
 
Hmm never thought about making them out of Tupper wear. I do like the ideas of Motorcycle. Though for as simple of a job that they do. I would think there would be many things you can pull them from.

I am thinking Gm (maybe Ford) can't remember, some of their Clutch Masters used a remote fluid holder that mounted to the firewall, that might be a good match.

time to walk the junkyard opening hood just to look around.

on the making them your self, for the nipple you might consider a bolt-on valve stem from a semi-truck tire, they used a rubber O ring, and a nut/bolt system to hold them together, with the right O ring and the valve stem removed I would think that would work well, and you have threads to push the hose onto and then clamp.
 
I did not have much time today, so I decided to do a little exploratory surgery. Axles come out pretty easy. I think new boots, a good greasing and some new transaxle mounts ought to get me back in business on the transaxle. I am getting ready to spend some $$ on parts, and I want to get everything I need at once.
IMG_1059.JPG
 
I did not have much time today, so I decided to do a little exploratory surgery. Axles come out pretty easy. I think new boots, a good greasing and some new transaxle mounts ought to get me back in business on the transaxle. I am getting ready to spend some $$ on parts, and I want to get everything I need at once.
View attachment 23886

Pull the flanges and check the inner and outer splines for wear.
 
I can do that. At 49k miles, is that type of wear to be expected?

Depends on if someone like me was driving it. In that case the wear will be considerable... Actually, it depends on how it was driven and how much rust is on the splines. New ones are tight with very little play.
 
Well, a little clamping action and some air pressure got the front calipers moving, so I put them on. We will see what happens in the real world. Just need to put on some reservoirs, and bleed these bad boys! Progress!
 
Well, since I am waiting for parts to arrive, I thought I would do some more...BODYWORK!
Here is the back panel I bought. It is really rough, but my other one is rougher.

It is really strange how it has this rust and cracks on the backside, and the bottom is kinda wavy. Easy fix with a welder and a body hammer.

IMG_1071.JPG


Another view of the cracks.
IMG_1072.JPG


Here is the other side. Kinda wavy gravy, and look how the bottom is bent up.
IMG_1073.JPG


Bent back into shape. Weld it back into place, and hammer time!
IMG_1074.JPG
 
Dang, Texas summers are hot. Here are the results of working under the umbrella today.

I welded up all the cracks on the backside, and tackled the big rust spot on the bottom.
IMG_1082.JPG


Here is the end result. Not my best work, which is not saying much, but it is solid. The little rust area off to the side is minimal, and I will just fiberglass it. Next step after fiberglassing will be to take a wooden block and hammer out some dents!
IMG_1083.JPG
 
Well, 100 degrees and sunny kinda takes the fun out of mowing the yard and then working on the car. However, I did get the other axle off. I also took a look in the gas tank for the first time...oh dear. It was brown and fuzzy and damp all the way up the filler tube. Tank has to come out and be boiled. Good news is that I am halfway to pulling the engine and tranny with the axles off! Still waiting to get my brake parts. I want brakes and the wheels back on first so I can roll it around.

Oh, and my new ignition switch is on the way!
 
Well, 100 degrees and sunny kinda takes the fun out of mowing the yard and then working on the car. However, I did get the other axle off. I also took a look in the gas tank for the first time...oh dear. It was brown and fuzzy and damp all the way up the filler tube. Tank has to come out and be boiled. Good news is that I am halfway to pulling the engine and tranny with the axles off! Still waiting to get my brake parts. I want brakes and the wheels back on first so I can roll it around.

Oh, and my new ignition switch is on the way!
I had great success cleaning my tank that had been sitting 24 years using OxiClean. Apparently, it was discovered by people cleaning motorcycle tanks but not wanting to ruin the paint job. I filled my tank up with a concentrated solution and let it sit overnight. That got about 95% of it. Did the same thing again and it got pretty much all of it.
 
I had great success cleaning my tank that had been sitting 24 years using OxiClean. Apparently, it was discovered by people cleaning motorcycle tanks but not wanting to ruin the paint job. I filled my tank up with a concentrated solution and let it sit overnight. That got about 95% of it. Did the same thing again and it got pretty much all of it.
Interesting! Was your tank full of nasty? And did you do this with it in the car?
 
Back
Top