Rusted Out 1970 850 Spider Fix-Up

Daniel Gibson said:
Let’s build a throttle linkage!
Piece of threaded rod…
View attachment 70802
I then proceeded to bend it with my MAPP gas torch and some welding gloves. Turned out pretty good!
View attachment 70803
Drilled for cotter pins, some minor tweaking and taa-daa!
View attachment 70804
I made a short video of it in action in case you are curious.

Of course, testing it flooded the engine, so patience is necessary before I can start it.
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Nice work.

I apologize in advance but I predict the all thread will fail at your bends.

The concept is excellent but the material is weak. It always fatigue breaks when you send it like that. Hopefully I am wrong.
 
kmead said:
Nice work.

I apologize in advance but I predict the all thread will fail at your bends.

The concept is excellent but the material is weak. It always fatigue breaks when you send it like that. Hopefully I am wrong.
Click to expand...
I was thinking it would too if I just bent it, but getting it red hot then bending it seems to have avoided over stressing the metal. I guess I will find out. If it does, y’all will know. I don’t hide my mistakes! (Except on spelling errors! :) )
 
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Respectfully. Now that you have a template for what you need make a good one so you wont have it break or a stuck open throttle with that pivot point.
If you have access to a good wrecking yard 70s-80s Mercedes have lots of good throttle linkage parts.
I get these and high quality German hose clamps off these cars and usually only get charged a few dollars. I have a whole drawer full :)
Here is an example of whats available.
3CD7C8B8-E372-41C8-8307-8573DA47F8EF.jpeg
 
NM850 said:
Respectfully. Now that you have a template for what you need make a good one so you wont have it break or a stuck open throttle with that pivot point.
If you have access to a good wrecking yard 70s-80s Mercedes have lots of good throttle linkage parts.
I get these and high quality German hose clamps off these cars and usually only get charged a few dollars. I have a whole drawer full :)
Here is an example of whats available.
View attachment 70833
Click to expand...
I didn’t think of scrounging at the yards. Those rods I am sure would be of much higher quality than what I started with.
 
Pardon my unfamiliarity.
I'm thinking the 850 Spider probably had a manual choke lever, since the earliest X1/9's are built that way. Is that right?
So, did you hook up a switch in the cabin to the actuator for the Electric Choke?
 
NM850 said:
Respectfully. Now that you have a template for what you need make a good one so you wont have it break or a stuck open throttle with that pivot point.
If you have access to a good wrecking yard 70s-80s Mercedes have lots of good throttle linkage parts.
I get these and high quality German hose clamps off these cars and usually only get charged a few dollars. I have a whole drawer full :)
Here is an example of whats available.
View attachment 70833
Click to expand...
Great thought, about a decade or two late. I've spent plenty of time in the Pick N Pulls in Western Wash. and Arizona. No 70's era mercedes. Cars stay in the yards for 6 months max and then are scrapped. Wrecking yard business isn't what is used to be.
 
Russe11 said:
Pardon my unfamiliarity.
I'm thinking the 850 Spider probably had a manual choke lever, since the earliest X1/9's are built that way. Is that right?
So, did you hook up a switch in the cabin to the actuator for the Electric Choke?
Click to expand...
1. yes had manual chokes.
2. Looks like he's running a power wire in the photo going to the electric choke.
 
dnudelman said:
Great thought, about a decade or two late. I've spent plenty of time in the Pick N Pulls in Western Wash. and Arizona. No 70's era mercedes. Cars stay in the yards for 6 months max and then are scrapped. Wrecking yard business isn't what is used to be.
Click to expand...
Around here there are plenty of junk yards that keep old vehicles. One Im quite familiar with has cars and trucks from the 40s. Just have to get away from the metropolitan areas out to where land is cheap. Also since Mercedes were such quality cars many of that era are just getting scrapped now. Those I pictured were purchased about two years ago when I was making new linkage for my race car.
 
Quick update. It was running really rich, so I swapped out the .060 jets for some .042 ones, and adjusted the idle mixture. From the factory it was set to almost 6 turns out. Seems to be happy right now at about one turn out. Took it for a couple of test drives, and it seems MUCH happier!
 
So I have almost got the carb set up right, and the fuel pump decides to start pumping fuel all over the muffler. Grrrrr…..had all of 75 miles on it from brand new. A new one has been purchased and installed, but these look super easy to rebuild. I have not found a source for the rubber piece yet. Has anyone ever just just a piece of neoprene to fit? Any sources recommended?
F81516B2-E071-42DA-92C8-96416D15FB01.jpeg
 
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