scorpion #1147 resurrection thread

thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I have been given these warnings by others as well which is why I redirected to companies that provide insurance to inquire about where to go. I agree that $3k might be a little steep, but I'd rather pay for a premium carrier knowing that a) my car will be well cared for and b) if there's a problem, I can work with the insurance company that recommended the carrier in the first place. The car is insured with a stated value of $10k currently with Hagerty, and I will probably ratchet that up to $20k before the car leaves for Ohio.

Jon must be busy, he's not replied to my latest email, but I'm confident I'll hear back as he seemed really excited to be receiving my car.
 
Browsed the thread. So you are going with the original Scorpion 1800? Why is the water pump shaft different length if its a Scorpion/Montecarlo pump? This may cause you to also use different crank pulley for matching offset. Would have used the Fiat water pump without the crusty outlet tree and gone to internal thermostat setup with all Fiat pulleys. If still going to have the heater then perhaps using the Beta coolant tubes.

Could be a good time to have them also do the auxiliary shaft modification to remove mechanical fuel pump lobe.

Judging from crusty old water pump and before filling up with new coolant it may be a good time to have them replace radiator (probably worse condition inside than water pump was) with a new aluminum one.
 
Definitely a good idea to inspect the cooling system after years of not being driven. I wasn't expecting to replace any of it on my car, turns out I needed ALL of it from the radiator on back. Everything was internally corroded and replaced with new.
 
Definitely a good idea to inspect the cooling system after years of not being driven. I wasn't expecting to replace any of it on my car, turns out I needed ALL of it from the radiator on back. Everything was internally corroded and replaced with new.
This would not surprise me on my car. This is why I decided to ship out to an expert. I'd rather pay a pro then deal with the headaches in my small garage that has no lift.

Hoping to hear from Jon soon...
 
Midwest is a great choice because they’ll have all the bits already there to test fit and choose from. Put on the wishlist bling bling pulleys, auxiliary shaft modification, high torque starter, aluminum radiator and 65A internal voltage regulator alternator. Whoa! brakes, wheel stud conversion, aluminum wheel spacers if you are running any steel spacers, coilovers, electronic ignition,....
 
Last edited:
I'm already studded :cool: but yeah I'm imagining once he gets into the car he'll have lots of suggestions. Given the fact that the market for these cars is going up up up I don't mind putting a few bucks into it to make it nice and OEM+
 
interesting development, a local tech who used to work for my girlfriend's shop who was a Fiat / Lancia tech when these cars were new made me a pretty sweet offer. saving $2500 in shipping is awfully attractive.
 
So does he have a shop, or tools, and the time to spend on your car to finish it in a short amount of time?
 
Tough call. You may have a little bit more accountability from an established shop. If the local guy gets sloppy or loses interest, you could be in a worse place than you started from without much recourse.

Could you put him on a specific job or two and see how that goes before hiring him for the whole project?
 
You went to a lot of trouble to set this up with Midwest, if it were me I would stick with them, even with the shipping.
If you want to do any mods especially, they wrote the book on these upgrades and have all the parts. Just my $0.02
 
Because of the relatively low value of these cars, $2500 is a significant amount. I'd give the local guy a trial run first.

This, from someone who has sunk WAY more into his car than what it's worth. Don't be me! 😁
 
Because of the relatively low value of these cars, $2500 is a significant amount. I'd give the local guy a trial run first.

This, from someone who has sunk WAY more into his car than what it's worth. Don't be me! 😁
Sorry too late, I am you times 10. Oh well there are only like 50 of these things left?
 
That is a tough call, but I would go meet the guy and get a idea of his capabilities before I would ship the car for $2500. Since the car is original and a survivor, should be able to get it running and driving so you can evaluate what else it might need.
 
yep I'm hearing you all loud and clear. I have an open trailer that can easily be used to move the car the 100 miles to his home shop. the praise he received from my lady's shop owner carries a lot of weight for me, and the fact that he worked on these cars when they were new is very promising. he specializes in unique european cars and only does one at a time. the price is certainly right, and he's a standup guy so I think I'm going to avoid the super expensive shipping and go local. I'm not in a hurry!
 
W
how to get those frozen hard lines off without farking them up

-------------

update: the soft lines are frozen solid onto the hard lines. damaging the hard line fittings is absolutely out of the question, so it's time to get patient and firm with the problem.

step 1 was to soak the fittings with penetrating oil and let it soak in for a few days. this is done.
step 2 was to get on each fitting with a torch, and more penetrating oil. heat things up from the outside of the soft line fitting and wick more penetrating oil in. this is done.

on order is this tool

IRW-8-2.jpg


which will be used to clamp the hard line fitting to prevent damage to the hex

also on order is this product

q1305002.jpg


the fittings will be torched again from the outside, while the hard line fitting will be clamped in the grip and frozen with the spray. the combination of the pen oil plus the thermal difference between the two sides of the fitting should permit them to be separated -- by turning the large nut (unclipped from the body bracket) and using the clamp to hold the hard line from moving and all the while applying a small harmonic. wish me luck!
Wish I would've had this earlier
 
wow, it's been a long time since an update!

well, I'm in discussion with my final decision on who's going to help me take this to the endzone. I'm not going to mention any names, but they're located near Las Vegas. Long time scorpion owners might know who I'm talking about.

so, I'm doing some prework. checked the torque values on the head yesterday, and gathering up all the parts into the frunk. I was given a list of stuff to buy and pack into the car, and it should be heading out next month. I'm super excited!
 
Back
Top