zonker
Just Another FIAT Freak
Hello, my name is Rob and I am an addict.
Two weeks ago, a fellow Fiat Spider friend Ilya informed me of a '74 X1/9 that went up for sale in Bend Or.
Asking price $1500.
Here's the pics from the ad:
I asked if he was buying it - he currently has a clean 124 Spider but I know he secretly wants an X1/9. I told him if he doesn't want it, then I do!
I messaged the seller and I was the first to bite. He tells me he's too busy to complete the project and just wants it gone so he can work on other things. It needs a battery. Then the oft dreaded statement "It ran the last time I started it".
I ask if he can send me more pics.
Looks like rust is mostly cosmetic, and it's got a dealer installed AC! I message him I want it. He says it's mine. I ask if it's drivable after a new battery and alternator. He say's it should be, the last time he drove it for 5 days and then he parked it because the battery went dead. I ask him to see if he can start it and report back what it might need to make it drivable because I am not going to tow it home. He agrees to check - he tells me he thinks the fuel pump is out because it will only run if he puts gas down the carb. And a front tire loses air after 2 days. OK sounds somewhat simple right?
Time to make plans! I assemble the auto parts first aid kit and start gathering tools for the trip.
First Aid parts consist of: Battery, alternator, regulator, wire, crimp connectors, fuses, bulbs, fuel pump, fuel filter, air filter, new fuel and vacuum hose, wiper blades, oil and filter, thermostat and housing, fan belts, timing belt and tensioner, brake fluid, distilled water, and loose gaskets. Most all of it from my garage - the water, oil, battery, and belts were the only things I needed to buy.
Tools consist of: Floor jack, jack stands, creeper mat, drop cloths, vacuum pump, battery charger, ratchet socket set, screwdrivers, allen wrenches, pry bar, breaker bar, various scrapers, test instruments and pliers. I should be set.
So who will be my co-driver? I ask a couple Fiat guys and they all work of course. My significant other was not impressed with the idea of watching me wrench while she sits around. I ask my neighbor Victor and he says sure, why not? I have a co-driver!
Plans are set to leave Weds, Feb 2. We pack his minivan with the goods and set out from Southern California to Central Oregon at 5am. I choose the most scenic route so we can enjoy the drive instead of some mind numbing ride up Interstate 5. We drive north on US395, which takes you through the California Eastern Sierras.
DAY 1: Here's some basic pics of the drive up:
DAY 2: After sleeping off the 16 hours or so of driving and sightseeing, at 830am we finally reach the X. The seller told us he would be at work but it was ok for us to start wrenching on the car since he knew I wanted to drive it home. Cars always look a little better in pics than in real life, but at first glance this car didn't disappoint. The interior was much nicer and more original than anticipated. Overall the car did not look like it had been driven recently. Like years recently.
First Dilemma: The tires were old. VERY old. We're talking HW Bush old. Victor connected up the 12V compressor and inflated all the tires including the "two day" flat that turned out more like 15 minutes. Shoot. I already made my first mistake - not bringing up a decent set of wheels/tires. Where am I going to find a good 13" tire in Bend, OR??
When the seller arrived he apologized and said he had another set of wheels and tires that weren't great but maybe they would work. Thanks man! He brought out a set of 13x6 appliance mesh mags with some dodgy A78-13 tires on them (remember letter series tires????) For you millennials, that's a 165/80-13.
Now there's another issue. Lug nuts. Mag wheels from that era used a washer style lug nut on a wheel stud, and I have neither the studs nor the nuts to mount these up. We wind up taking the best tire of the set and the flat then having a local tire shop mount the A78-13 to the steel wheel. It was so dodgy, the tire shop refused to charge us for the service of mounting, and wished us luck. At least we now have 4 inflated tires.
Second Dilemma: Victor got the jack stands out and I raised the back of the car for full access to the alternator and AC compressor. First observation was loose alternator and compressor belts. I could turn the alternator with my finger with the belts installed. I also noticed the alternator assembly would wobble in it's mount when you pulled up on the belt. OK so surely a lack of belt tension would keep the alternator from working. So... the plan is fix the loose belt situation and swap out the alternator with a working one. This meant removing the compressor, smog pump, and alternator to sort it out. No problem I can handle that. Took out the offending bracketry and compressor, went to hang the new alternator, and uh-oh.
The alternator I brought along has a different span between the two ears on the pivot side, which in this wacky application used one of those ears as the adjustment side WTF?!?
Now here's where it gets real fun... I surmise the only way I can get ANY alternator to work is to ditch the compressor and smog pump, and use some of the bracketry to mount the alternator back where it would be if it didn't have AC.
I figured re-mount the alternator pivot side using the bracket that's hanging off the water pump, and devise a slide adjustment below so the alternator can swing like a pendulum for belt adjustment.
Got alternator mounted up, the belt I brought did fit, and all I needed was a visit to a hardware store to find an L-bracket that would allow me to mount one of the slides from the AC compressor. Things are going well. After a long journey trying to find something someplace that would work, I came back just as it was getting dark (and cold!). I trial fitted the parts and called it a day.
That evening I made a decision not to replace the fuel pump with the used mechanical one I brought and just go buy an electric pump, one like I had on my last '74. It made startup so much easier and will save me some time since I almost spent the whole day on the alternator belt issue.
DAY 3: 9am and we're back at the alternator. I cinch up the belt, tighten all the bolts, and the alternator feels fine. Except one problem. the alternator alignment. The bracket I used fit the alternator, but it aligned the pulley where it would be if it was running off the second pulley of the AC compressor. UGH.
I'm gonna need to modify the bracket. I text the seller at work to see if he has an angle grinder. He said his Dad does and he will get it. Another trip to ACE hardware for some 10mm steel spacers and washers to make the final adjustments. When the grinder gets there, I cut the width down on the bracket to align the pulley with the crank. Success at last, the alternator will spin tight. One small problem....
Third Dilemma: Coolant leaks. When I removed the brackets for AC and alternator, I had to remove their bolts, which is what holds the water pump and housing to the block. I have a constant drip coming from between the block and water pump housing. Not wanting to pull the water pump, I buy a can of Bars Leak to add once I get the motor running.
On to the next issue.
Fourth Dilemma: No fuel to carburetor. This one turned out easier than I expected. Typical seller advice on no fuel to the carb is "needs a filter or fuel pump" This one turned out to be the fuel pump for sure. I installed the battery and tried to turn it over. It cranked thank goodness. Then I got my vacuum bleeder and connected it to the fuel line at the carb inlet. I sucked fuel all the way to the carb. Good, no blockage. The fuel I pulled looked clean. I poured it into a clear water bottle and did this a few times. Clean fuel with no water or sediment present
But, after pulling fuel thru the pump, the pump started leaking fuel onto the ground. It appeared to come from the diaphragm. So, hoses were removed, carburetor fan was removed, and the new pump, hoses, and see thru filter was installed. Power was taken from the positive coil terminal and all worked great. Fuel soon filled the carb and the carb would squirt fuel when the throttle linkage was moved.
Now that there's fuel, a working fan belt setup, and all four tires are holding air, it's time to try giving it a start. This means I need to push the car away from the side wall so I can open the door and climb in for the first time. Remove the jack stands, drop the car, release the brake, put it in neutral and push it back, right? Of course not. The car will not budge. It took 3 of us pushing and grunting to get the car to roll 10 feet to clear the wall. We grunt the car forward and I jump in. Push the brake pedal and it goes to the floor. Great. Stuck calipers and either bad master cylinder or serious air in the line. I'm tired, I'll deal with that tomorrow. Right now I want to hear the motor run.
Battery is in, key is on and we crank it over. No fire, it just cranks. And here lies the...
Fifth Dilemma: No spark. I also don't hear the electric fuel pump. Crap. Electrical issues too? I pull the coil wire and put it near ground. Nothing. OK I have no voltage going to the fuel pump and coil. Why?? Oops, I found the problem. I connected the fuel pump positive lead to the coil negative lead. Probably fried the points or condenser. Check the points, they are ok. Check the condenser and the terminal was out of it's wire. Check the primary wire coming from the coil negative side. The wire end at the dizzy has one strand holding it together. I put new terminals on the condenser and primary lead and fix the fuel pump connection to the positive side of the coil DOH!
I crank again, this time it fires up! And it's running pretty smooth! I add the bars leak and the drip stops!
Phew, the motor now works. I set the ignition timing, idle fuel mixture and speed by ear and she's running great. Except she is not charging the battery like the seller originally stated. Which brings us to the:
Sixth Dilemma: Battery is discharging while running. Remember this? The original problem?? Turns out the alternator main brown wire is somehow not reading any voltage from the battery. This wire is supposed to be live whenever the battery is connected. I look on the starter, and there's no brown wire connected going to the alternator. Found my problem. I run a 10 gauge wire from the 12V starter post to the B+ terminal on the Marelli alternator and VOILA! I am getting 14.6 volts when she runs!
FANTASTIC. OK that's it, I'm done for the day. I'll come back tomorrow.
Day 4: We wake, have breakfast, and set out to the car., knowing today is brakes and fluids day.
Seventh Dilemma: No Brakes. We raise up and remove all 4 wheels. Everything looks OK, no obvious issues. The rotors take a huge amount of effort to make them turn. No bueno. I pull the sliders from all 4 wheels and attempt to compress the calipers while I do it. Fronts fully retract in their bores, and the rears do not thanks to the emergency brake cable setup attached to them. The sliders all get cleaned and lubed with WD40 prior to install. The pads all look good, no leakage at any of the calipers, and the brake hoses seem to be ok. I can easily reassemble the fronts but the rears are a bear getting them back on the rotor. Also they are way too tight so I can't even get the passenger side caliper back on the bracket. I need more room for the pads. I decide to remove the fiber anti squeal backing on the rear pads and it's just enough to slip them on with minimum rotor drag! Hooray, all 4 wheels turn!
Now for the hydraulics. Brake reservoir was filled with what looked like new fluid (Seller topping off fluids before I get there perhaps?). I pull all the bleeder valves and let it gravity feed while I clean the bleeders and wrap with teflon tape for the vacuum bleed. The front calipers are dripping out fluid like they should. The rears... not so much.
All the bleeders go back in and I snug them down except for the right rear wheel. I connect up the bleeder and start pulling out ugly colored fluid. Then top off the master cyl and do it again. After 4 bleed cycles, the fluid started coming out clean. Same thing for passenger side, and the fronts started out looking cleaner but now they are clear like the backs. And I have pedal!! WooHoo - brakes are working!!!
So now I change the engine oil with filter, and add gear oil to the trans. The inner CV boots start leaking a slow steady drip so I know this trans was probably driven dry. Let's hope that doesn't bite me in the bum.
Could it be time for it's first drive? Could I really be done? I take it around the block up to around 15mph. I think we're done! We pack up the tools, say goodbye to the seller, and drive the X to our hotel a couple miles away. From there, I take a longer 10 mile drive to stop and visit with my niece and nephew, who also lives here in Bend, OR.
While driving there's something I start to notice with the shifter action. It's very vague trying to locate 3rd and 4th gear. I keep grinding trying to get 3rd. I can get 4th. Crap. Maybe the shifter lollipop is the issue, or the shift rod needs adjustment. I'll save that inspection for when it's warmer and light out (28 degrees and dark at this moment).
Day 5: Road trip to home. We wake at 5 am and set our sights on the drive. Gas tank is full and ready to go. No leaks are apparent from parking overnight, and oil, coolant, and brake fluid levels are still good. The X instantly starts and after a minute of letting her warm up, we set out on our 923 mile journey home.
As I drive the first mile, I notice the brakes are sticking again. UGH. I pull off the main road and do a little slalom driving down a side street to loosen up the calipers again. It works, and we're on our way. Shifts are 1-2-4 because 3 is near impossible. I can get it if I locate 4th, then push forward to catch third, but even them it still grinds.
After about 2 hours of freezing cold mountain driving (did I mention the heater is inoperable??), we get to a town where I pull into the local park's parking lot and try to adjust the shifter linkage. Once under the car, I notice the bushing and bolt connecting to the lollipop is sloppy, so I locate a washer from my newfold hardware stash, and add it to tighten up the slack. I also adjust the two bolts and shims on the shifter to lollipop connection. It now feels a little better but 3rd is still a problem. Oh well, we're still 800 miles from home. We need to get moving.
The rest of the drive is pleasantly uneventful, the X is just plugging away at 60-70mph in 4th eating up the miles. Two more stops for gas will get us to our evening basecamp located 300 miles from home. We pull into Mt. Williamson Motel in Independence, CA at 830pm. Great little Motel with lots of charm. I can recommend this place wholeheartedly if you're ever doing a road trip along US-395.
Day 6: The drive home (cough cough). After a nice country breakfast by the Motel owners, we set out to do a little sightseeing around Owens Valley before we take the final drive. Wecruise thru Alabama Hills (where many classic movies and tv shows were filmed like Star Wars, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza). The views are amazing, with Mt. Whitney as the backdrop for most of them.
OK, time to roll. I check the fluids. 1/2 qt. low on engine oil. I also notice the motor is a little oily. I trace it to the Eighth Dilemma: the oil pressure switch above the oil filter is leaking.
Screw it, it's something I can deal with when I get home. I top off the oil and we drive away.
About 30 miles into the drive, I decide to stop for a photo op at the Olancha Art Installation. I pose the car for pics and snap away. I get back in the car and try to engage first. No can do. I engage 2nd. That works. I start out in second and enter the highway, I rev it up and shift to 4th. Nothing. Keep getting 2nd. I drive a couple miles trying to get it to engage 4th. Nope. I pull over onto a ranch road and jack up the car to inspect the shift linkage. I start it up and with the wheels in the air, attempt all the gears. 1 - grind and nothing. 2 - yep. 3 - nothing. 4 - it engages and locks up the wheels and stalls the motor. Re-start in neutral. Try reverse. Yep but very noisy.
Ninth Dilemma: My trans is toast. I weigh my options... $600 for a flatbed tow 300 miles to my house, or find a local trans shop willing to work on the car. I locate the only trans shop in Owens Valley and he is receptive to fixing it. He's 70 miles away in the opposite direction. I decide to drive the 70 miles in 2nd to his doorstep before he closes shop. 2.5 hours later, I reach his shop. He gives me a quote of $3k for the repair and he can start in 1 week. I ask him if I can supply him the trans and he does the install would that be ok. He says sure, he will bill me 6 hours for the R&R of the trans.
We park the car in his lot and say goodbye, and drive home in the van without the little yellow X. On the drive down I start using the resources of the X community to see what I can do. I also remember I have a 4 speed trans in my garage at home removed from a parts car that was donated to me almost a decade ago. I reach out to the usual suspects and find that Dan Snow of Snow's Automotive in Orange has spare trans parts, and if I can get him the trans, he can tear it down and replace anything that might be worn with the cores he has there. OK, I've got a plan.
Day 7: I locate the 4 speed trans in my garage and I drive it 60 miles to Snows Automotive. Dan offers to open it up at his shop while I am there. The trans I brought him has issues. Welded clutch arm. Worn input shaft. Worn sliders. Chipped 3rd gear. Worn 4th gear. Worn reverse idler. Crap, it needs everything. Dan says leave it with him and he will see what he has to fix it.
Day 8: Dan messages me and says he has what he needs to make a good trans. Except the clutch arm, I'll need to pull that from the trans currently in the car. Dan just messaged me at 9pm. Trans is finished and ready to go! I'll be picking it up tomorrow.
Day 9: Took a drive to Snow's Automotive and picked up the refurbed tranny. The tranny case is one from a 76-78 model. Turns out the clutch cover needs to match that style of trans because of a casting change inside the bellhousing. Just to cover the bases, since we do not know for sure what year transmission is in the car, I am also bringing a clutch cover that is low profile enough to work. I mean, wouldn't it suck if I get the trans all the way there and I cannot get it to bolt flush? I also ordered the oil pressure switch from Rock Auto and a pair of inner CV boots from Midwest Bayless. They all have shipped with an ETA of Tuesday. Fingers crossed.
Day 10: Oil pressure switch arrives, and spent some time detailing the trans and running thread dies on all the exposed studs. Painted the slave cylinder bracket and lower bellhousing inspection plate. Also filed the TDC Mark into the case for easier identification.
I also started my 78 X for the first time in years, in order to remove the wheels and tires for use on the '74. They are in much better condition than the ones on the yellow X so I'm going to take those with me. Turns out one of them had a nail in the tread, so I plugged that to make 4 newish tires for the trip. I also repainted the wheels to make them look new.
Day 11: Took a break from the adventure and went on a canyon drive with a few Fiat friends I've made in the 124 Spider Facebook community. My plan was to take the yellow X and show him off but alas you all know why that hasn't happened. So, I took my SO's 2017 124 Spider and used that as my canyon carving tool. About 7 cars total ranging from a '69 1438cc Spider to a 84 Pinifarina Azurra, an Abarth ND Spider, and and a 81 Lancia Zagato. From Temecula to Palomar mountain, to Warner Springs and back to Temecula. 150 solid miles of driving fun.
Day 12: Happy Valentines Day So if I want to keep my valentine, I dare not indulge myself on things Fiat today.
Days 13-29: Spent this time assembling the parts needed for the trip back to Bishop. As one would expect, instead of making this a simple R&R to get the X home, the list grew and now cosists of replacing just about everything from the crankshaft to the road. Rebuilt trans, CV axles, lightened flywheel and new clutch assy, shifter dogbone, an oil pressure switch, and a set of wheels with newish 175/70-13 tires. My '78 donated the wheels for the trip. Parts came from eBay, Vicks, Midwest Bayless, Snow's Automotive, and Rock Auto.
Day 30: The adventure resumes. Victor and I hit the road. I cannot get over the natural beauty that expanses US395 as it passes thru the Owens Valley. Mt. Whitney on the left and the eastern Sierras on the right. The towns along this stretch are largely trapped in time, as they have been for decades due to most of the land either owned by BLM or the City of Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power.
We arrive in Bishop, CA at 730am, time enough to have some breakfast goodies at Schat's Bakery then wait for 'Mater to arrive to start the trans repair. The little yellow booger is getting everything replaced from the crankshaft to the wheel hubs. Took 7 hours from start to finish, and I was chomping at the bit to drive her home.
The drive went down without a hitch, the car motored along at 65 mph just fine, and after a stop at Portillo's for an Italian Beef Dip, we made the 280 mile drive home without fault. Dilemmas abated!
In summary, this $1500 car cost a lot more, more like $3800, and the time spent getting it home is now well over a hundred hours.
Would I do it again? Oh heaack yeah. Nothing like turning a used car purchase a life-long memory.
This is totally in my wheelhouse, and there's no better way to help you bond with the Fiat community as well as your car.
Special thanks go out to Victor Alonso, for being my co-pilot and support crew for the trip, to Ilya Albert who prodded me with the purchase by sending me the link 30 minutes after it posted on FB marketplace, to Dan Snow for getting me a rebuilt trans in record time, and to vendors like Midwest-Bayless, who have shown they can deliver almost every nut and bolt available for this little car.
Two weeks ago, a fellow Fiat Spider friend Ilya informed me of a '74 X1/9 that went up for sale in Bend Or.
Asking price $1500.
Here's the pics from the ad:
I asked if he was buying it - he currently has a clean 124 Spider but I know he secretly wants an X1/9. I told him if he doesn't want it, then I do!
I messaged the seller and I was the first to bite. He tells me he's too busy to complete the project and just wants it gone so he can work on other things. It needs a battery. Then the oft dreaded statement "It ran the last time I started it".
I ask if he can send me more pics.
Looks like rust is mostly cosmetic, and it's got a dealer installed AC! I message him I want it. He says it's mine. I ask if it's drivable after a new battery and alternator. He say's it should be, the last time he drove it for 5 days and then he parked it because the battery went dead. I ask him to see if he can start it and report back what it might need to make it drivable because I am not going to tow it home. He agrees to check - he tells me he thinks the fuel pump is out because it will only run if he puts gas down the carb. And a front tire loses air after 2 days. OK sounds somewhat simple right?
Time to make plans! I assemble the auto parts first aid kit and start gathering tools for the trip.
First Aid parts consist of: Battery, alternator, regulator, wire, crimp connectors, fuses, bulbs, fuel pump, fuel filter, air filter, new fuel and vacuum hose, wiper blades, oil and filter, thermostat and housing, fan belts, timing belt and tensioner, brake fluid, distilled water, and loose gaskets. Most all of it from my garage - the water, oil, battery, and belts were the only things I needed to buy.
Tools consist of: Floor jack, jack stands, creeper mat, drop cloths, vacuum pump, battery charger, ratchet socket set, screwdrivers, allen wrenches, pry bar, breaker bar, various scrapers, test instruments and pliers. I should be set.
So who will be my co-driver? I ask a couple Fiat guys and they all work of course. My significant other was not impressed with the idea of watching me wrench while she sits around. I ask my neighbor Victor and he says sure, why not? I have a co-driver!
Plans are set to leave Weds, Feb 2. We pack his minivan with the goods and set out from Southern California to Central Oregon at 5am. I choose the most scenic route so we can enjoy the drive instead of some mind numbing ride up Interstate 5. We drive north on US395, which takes you through the California Eastern Sierras.
DAY 1: Here's some basic pics of the drive up:
DAY 2: After sleeping off the 16 hours or so of driving and sightseeing, at 830am we finally reach the X. The seller told us he would be at work but it was ok for us to start wrenching on the car since he knew I wanted to drive it home. Cars always look a little better in pics than in real life, but at first glance this car didn't disappoint. The interior was much nicer and more original than anticipated. Overall the car did not look like it had been driven recently. Like years recently.
First Dilemma: The tires were old. VERY old. We're talking HW Bush old. Victor connected up the 12V compressor and inflated all the tires including the "two day" flat that turned out more like 15 minutes. Shoot. I already made my first mistake - not bringing up a decent set of wheels/tires. Where am I going to find a good 13" tire in Bend, OR??
When the seller arrived he apologized and said he had another set of wheels and tires that weren't great but maybe they would work. Thanks man! He brought out a set of 13x6 appliance mesh mags with some dodgy A78-13 tires on them (remember letter series tires????) For you millennials, that's a 165/80-13.
Now there's another issue. Lug nuts. Mag wheels from that era used a washer style lug nut on a wheel stud, and I have neither the studs nor the nuts to mount these up. We wind up taking the best tire of the set and the flat then having a local tire shop mount the A78-13 to the steel wheel. It was so dodgy, the tire shop refused to charge us for the service of mounting, and wished us luck. At least we now have 4 inflated tires.
Second Dilemma: Victor got the jack stands out and I raised the back of the car for full access to the alternator and AC compressor. First observation was loose alternator and compressor belts. I could turn the alternator with my finger with the belts installed. I also noticed the alternator assembly would wobble in it's mount when you pulled up on the belt. OK so surely a lack of belt tension would keep the alternator from working. So... the plan is fix the loose belt situation and swap out the alternator with a working one. This meant removing the compressor, smog pump, and alternator to sort it out. No problem I can handle that. Took out the offending bracketry and compressor, went to hang the new alternator, and uh-oh.
The alternator I brought along has a different span between the two ears on the pivot side, which in this wacky application used one of those ears as the adjustment side WTF?!?
Now here's where it gets real fun... I surmise the only way I can get ANY alternator to work is to ditch the compressor and smog pump, and use some of the bracketry to mount the alternator back where it would be if it didn't have AC.
I figured re-mount the alternator pivot side using the bracket that's hanging off the water pump, and devise a slide adjustment below so the alternator can swing like a pendulum for belt adjustment.
Got alternator mounted up, the belt I brought did fit, and all I needed was a visit to a hardware store to find an L-bracket that would allow me to mount one of the slides from the AC compressor. Things are going well. After a long journey trying to find something someplace that would work, I came back just as it was getting dark (and cold!). I trial fitted the parts and called it a day.
That evening I made a decision not to replace the fuel pump with the used mechanical one I brought and just go buy an electric pump, one like I had on my last '74. It made startup so much easier and will save me some time since I almost spent the whole day on the alternator belt issue.
DAY 3: 9am and we're back at the alternator. I cinch up the belt, tighten all the bolts, and the alternator feels fine. Except one problem. the alternator alignment. The bracket I used fit the alternator, but it aligned the pulley where it would be if it was running off the second pulley of the AC compressor. UGH.
I'm gonna need to modify the bracket. I text the seller at work to see if he has an angle grinder. He said his Dad does and he will get it. Another trip to ACE hardware for some 10mm steel spacers and washers to make the final adjustments. When the grinder gets there, I cut the width down on the bracket to align the pulley with the crank. Success at last, the alternator will spin tight. One small problem....
Third Dilemma: Coolant leaks. When I removed the brackets for AC and alternator, I had to remove their bolts, which is what holds the water pump and housing to the block. I have a constant drip coming from between the block and water pump housing. Not wanting to pull the water pump, I buy a can of Bars Leak to add once I get the motor running.
On to the next issue.
Fourth Dilemma: No fuel to carburetor. This one turned out easier than I expected. Typical seller advice on no fuel to the carb is "needs a filter or fuel pump" This one turned out to be the fuel pump for sure. I installed the battery and tried to turn it over. It cranked thank goodness. Then I got my vacuum bleeder and connected it to the fuel line at the carb inlet. I sucked fuel all the way to the carb. Good, no blockage. The fuel I pulled looked clean. I poured it into a clear water bottle and did this a few times. Clean fuel with no water or sediment present
But, after pulling fuel thru the pump, the pump started leaking fuel onto the ground. It appeared to come from the diaphragm. So, hoses were removed, carburetor fan was removed, and the new pump, hoses, and see thru filter was installed. Power was taken from the positive coil terminal and all worked great. Fuel soon filled the carb and the carb would squirt fuel when the throttle linkage was moved.
Now that there's fuel, a working fan belt setup, and all four tires are holding air, it's time to try giving it a start. This means I need to push the car away from the side wall so I can open the door and climb in for the first time. Remove the jack stands, drop the car, release the brake, put it in neutral and push it back, right? Of course not. The car will not budge. It took 3 of us pushing and grunting to get the car to roll 10 feet to clear the wall. We grunt the car forward and I jump in. Push the brake pedal and it goes to the floor. Great. Stuck calipers and either bad master cylinder or serious air in the line. I'm tired, I'll deal with that tomorrow. Right now I want to hear the motor run.
Battery is in, key is on and we crank it over. No fire, it just cranks. And here lies the...
Fifth Dilemma: No spark. I also don't hear the electric fuel pump. Crap. Electrical issues too? I pull the coil wire and put it near ground. Nothing. OK I have no voltage going to the fuel pump and coil. Why?? Oops, I found the problem. I connected the fuel pump positive lead to the coil negative lead. Probably fried the points or condenser. Check the points, they are ok. Check the condenser and the terminal was out of it's wire. Check the primary wire coming from the coil negative side. The wire end at the dizzy has one strand holding it together. I put new terminals on the condenser and primary lead and fix the fuel pump connection to the positive side of the coil DOH!
I crank again, this time it fires up! And it's running pretty smooth! I add the bars leak and the drip stops!
Phew, the motor now works. I set the ignition timing, idle fuel mixture and speed by ear and she's running great. Except she is not charging the battery like the seller originally stated. Which brings us to the:
Sixth Dilemma: Battery is discharging while running. Remember this? The original problem?? Turns out the alternator main brown wire is somehow not reading any voltage from the battery. This wire is supposed to be live whenever the battery is connected. I look on the starter, and there's no brown wire connected going to the alternator. Found my problem. I run a 10 gauge wire from the 12V starter post to the B+ terminal on the Marelli alternator and VOILA! I am getting 14.6 volts when she runs!
FANTASTIC. OK that's it, I'm done for the day. I'll come back tomorrow.
Day 4: We wake, have breakfast, and set out to the car., knowing today is brakes and fluids day.
Seventh Dilemma: No Brakes. We raise up and remove all 4 wheels. Everything looks OK, no obvious issues. The rotors take a huge amount of effort to make them turn. No bueno. I pull the sliders from all 4 wheels and attempt to compress the calipers while I do it. Fronts fully retract in their bores, and the rears do not thanks to the emergency brake cable setup attached to them. The sliders all get cleaned and lubed with WD40 prior to install. The pads all look good, no leakage at any of the calipers, and the brake hoses seem to be ok. I can easily reassemble the fronts but the rears are a bear getting them back on the rotor. Also they are way too tight so I can't even get the passenger side caliper back on the bracket. I need more room for the pads. I decide to remove the fiber anti squeal backing on the rear pads and it's just enough to slip them on with minimum rotor drag! Hooray, all 4 wheels turn!
Now for the hydraulics. Brake reservoir was filled with what looked like new fluid (Seller topping off fluids before I get there perhaps?). I pull all the bleeder valves and let it gravity feed while I clean the bleeders and wrap with teflon tape for the vacuum bleed. The front calipers are dripping out fluid like they should. The rears... not so much.
All the bleeders go back in and I snug them down except for the right rear wheel. I connect up the bleeder and start pulling out ugly colored fluid. Then top off the master cyl and do it again. After 4 bleed cycles, the fluid started coming out clean. Same thing for passenger side, and the fronts started out looking cleaner but now they are clear like the backs. And I have pedal!! WooHoo - brakes are working!!!
So now I change the engine oil with filter, and add gear oil to the trans. The inner CV boots start leaking a slow steady drip so I know this trans was probably driven dry. Let's hope that doesn't bite me in the bum.
Could it be time for it's first drive? Could I really be done? I take it around the block up to around 15mph. I think we're done! We pack up the tools, say goodbye to the seller, and drive the X to our hotel a couple miles away. From there, I take a longer 10 mile drive to stop and visit with my niece and nephew, who also lives here in Bend, OR.
While driving there's something I start to notice with the shifter action. It's very vague trying to locate 3rd and 4th gear. I keep grinding trying to get 3rd. I can get 4th. Crap. Maybe the shifter lollipop is the issue, or the shift rod needs adjustment. I'll save that inspection for when it's warmer and light out (28 degrees and dark at this moment).
Day 5: Road trip to home. We wake at 5 am and set our sights on the drive. Gas tank is full and ready to go. No leaks are apparent from parking overnight, and oil, coolant, and brake fluid levels are still good. The X instantly starts and after a minute of letting her warm up, we set out on our 923 mile journey home.
As I drive the first mile, I notice the brakes are sticking again. UGH. I pull off the main road and do a little slalom driving down a side street to loosen up the calipers again. It works, and we're on our way. Shifts are 1-2-4 because 3 is near impossible. I can get it if I locate 4th, then push forward to catch third, but even them it still grinds.
After about 2 hours of freezing cold mountain driving (did I mention the heater is inoperable??), we get to a town where I pull into the local park's parking lot and try to adjust the shifter linkage. Once under the car, I notice the bushing and bolt connecting to the lollipop is sloppy, so I locate a washer from my newfold hardware stash, and add it to tighten up the slack. I also adjust the two bolts and shims on the shifter to lollipop connection. It now feels a little better but 3rd is still a problem. Oh well, we're still 800 miles from home. We need to get moving.
The rest of the drive is pleasantly uneventful, the X is just plugging away at 60-70mph in 4th eating up the miles. Two more stops for gas will get us to our evening basecamp located 300 miles from home. We pull into Mt. Williamson Motel in Independence, CA at 830pm. Great little Motel with lots of charm. I can recommend this place wholeheartedly if you're ever doing a road trip along US-395.
Day 6: The drive home (cough cough). After a nice country breakfast by the Motel owners, we set out to do a little sightseeing around Owens Valley before we take the final drive. Wecruise thru Alabama Hills (where many classic movies and tv shows were filmed like Star Wars, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza). The views are amazing, with Mt. Whitney as the backdrop for most of them.
OK, time to roll. I check the fluids. 1/2 qt. low on engine oil. I also notice the motor is a little oily. I trace it to the Eighth Dilemma: the oil pressure switch above the oil filter is leaking.
Screw it, it's something I can deal with when I get home. I top off the oil and we drive away.
About 30 miles into the drive, I decide to stop for a photo op at the Olancha Art Installation. I pose the car for pics and snap away. I get back in the car and try to engage first. No can do. I engage 2nd. That works. I start out in second and enter the highway, I rev it up and shift to 4th. Nothing. Keep getting 2nd. I drive a couple miles trying to get it to engage 4th. Nope. I pull over onto a ranch road and jack up the car to inspect the shift linkage. I start it up and with the wheels in the air, attempt all the gears. 1 - grind and nothing. 2 - yep. 3 - nothing. 4 - it engages and locks up the wheels and stalls the motor. Re-start in neutral. Try reverse. Yep but very noisy.
Ninth Dilemma: My trans is toast. I weigh my options... $600 for a flatbed tow 300 miles to my house, or find a local trans shop willing to work on the car. I locate the only trans shop in Owens Valley and he is receptive to fixing it. He's 70 miles away in the opposite direction. I decide to drive the 70 miles in 2nd to his doorstep before he closes shop. 2.5 hours later, I reach his shop. He gives me a quote of $3k for the repair and he can start in 1 week. I ask him if I can supply him the trans and he does the install would that be ok. He says sure, he will bill me 6 hours for the R&R of the trans.
We park the car in his lot and say goodbye, and drive home in the van without the little yellow X. On the drive down I start using the resources of the X community to see what I can do. I also remember I have a 4 speed trans in my garage at home removed from a parts car that was donated to me almost a decade ago. I reach out to the usual suspects and find that Dan Snow of Snow's Automotive in Orange has spare trans parts, and if I can get him the trans, he can tear it down and replace anything that might be worn with the cores he has there. OK, I've got a plan.
Day 7: I locate the 4 speed trans in my garage and I drive it 60 miles to Snows Automotive. Dan offers to open it up at his shop while I am there. The trans I brought him has issues. Welded clutch arm. Worn input shaft. Worn sliders. Chipped 3rd gear. Worn 4th gear. Worn reverse idler. Crap, it needs everything. Dan says leave it with him and he will see what he has to fix it.
Day 8: Dan messages me and says he has what he needs to make a good trans. Except the clutch arm, I'll need to pull that from the trans currently in the car. Dan just messaged me at 9pm. Trans is finished and ready to go! I'll be picking it up tomorrow.
Day 9: Took a drive to Snow's Automotive and picked up the refurbed tranny. The tranny case is one from a 76-78 model. Turns out the clutch cover needs to match that style of trans because of a casting change inside the bellhousing. Just to cover the bases, since we do not know for sure what year transmission is in the car, I am also bringing a clutch cover that is low profile enough to work. I mean, wouldn't it suck if I get the trans all the way there and I cannot get it to bolt flush? I also ordered the oil pressure switch from Rock Auto and a pair of inner CV boots from Midwest Bayless. They all have shipped with an ETA of Tuesday. Fingers crossed.
Day 10: Oil pressure switch arrives, and spent some time detailing the trans and running thread dies on all the exposed studs. Painted the slave cylinder bracket and lower bellhousing inspection plate. Also filed the TDC Mark into the case for easier identification.
I also started my 78 X for the first time in years, in order to remove the wheels and tires for use on the '74. They are in much better condition than the ones on the yellow X so I'm going to take those with me. Turns out one of them had a nail in the tread, so I plugged that to make 4 newish tires for the trip. I also repainted the wheels to make them look new.
Day 11: Took a break from the adventure and went on a canyon drive with a few Fiat friends I've made in the 124 Spider Facebook community. My plan was to take the yellow X and show him off but alas you all know why that hasn't happened. So, I took my SO's 2017 124 Spider and used that as my canyon carving tool. About 7 cars total ranging from a '69 1438cc Spider to a 84 Pinifarina Azurra, an Abarth ND Spider, and and a 81 Lancia Zagato. From Temecula to Palomar mountain, to Warner Springs and back to Temecula. 150 solid miles of driving fun.
Day 12: Happy Valentines Day So if I want to keep my valentine, I dare not indulge myself on things Fiat today.
Days 13-29: Spent this time assembling the parts needed for the trip back to Bishop. As one would expect, instead of making this a simple R&R to get the X home, the list grew and now cosists of replacing just about everything from the crankshaft to the road. Rebuilt trans, CV axles, lightened flywheel and new clutch assy, shifter dogbone, an oil pressure switch, and a set of wheels with newish 175/70-13 tires. My '78 donated the wheels for the trip. Parts came from eBay, Vicks, Midwest Bayless, Snow's Automotive, and Rock Auto.
Day 30: The adventure resumes. Victor and I hit the road. I cannot get over the natural beauty that expanses US395 as it passes thru the Owens Valley. Mt. Whitney on the left and the eastern Sierras on the right. The towns along this stretch are largely trapped in time, as they have been for decades due to most of the land either owned by BLM or the City of Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power.
We arrive in Bishop, CA at 730am, time enough to have some breakfast goodies at Schat's Bakery then wait for 'Mater to arrive to start the trans repair. The little yellow booger is getting everything replaced from the crankshaft to the wheel hubs. Took 7 hours from start to finish, and I was chomping at the bit to drive her home.
The drive went down without a hitch, the car motored along at 65 mph just fine, and after a stop at Portillo's for an Italian Beef Dip, we made the 280 mile drive home without fault. Dilemmas abated!
In summary, this $1500 car cost a lot more, more like $3800, and the time spent getting it home is now well over a hundred hours.
Would I do it again? Oh heaack yeah. Nothing like turning a used car purchase a life-long memory.
This is totally in my wheelhouse, and there's no better way to help you bond with the Fiat community as well as your car.
Special thanks go out to Victor Alonso, for being my co-pilot and support crew for the trip, to Ilya Albert who prodded me with the purchase by sending me the link 30 minutes after it posted on FB marketplace, to Dan Snow for getting me a rebuilt trans in record time, and to vendors like Midwest-Bayless, who have shown they can deliver almost every nut and bolt available for this little car.
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Looking forward to the next installment.
