Here we go - 1974 restoration

[johnsje6]

After a break for bad weather and other chores, got back to work. Took the front brake calipers to my dad's, got the passenger side apart without much trouble and put in new seals. but the driver side was a whole other story. The piston on the driver side caliper would come out about 1 1/2", then get REALLY hard to move, you could get it to turn, but not come out any more. You could kind of feel the rubber seal when you were turning it, so there must me some corrosion on the back of the piston, and it is hanging up when it gets to the seal (car has been sitting for several years). So - we decided to 'punt' and am going to order a rebuilt for the driver side, then tackle the rear calipers. I see from the manual and from some postings here that they are a bit more challenging, also the passenger side rear has the bleeder broken off in it, so may be ordering a rebuild there in the near future, but going to give it a shot.
If the weather gets above zero for a few days, may finish taking the wiper assembly apart and cleaning up the rust, then comes the POR 15. Still need to get my autobody guy to come over to give me a rough estimate of the total cost of bodywork, I am emotionally involved with this car, but if it will be crazy expensive, may look for another body to put my good parts on. Thinking if the bodywork and paint is $5k or less, I will keep it, since the interior and drivetrain look so good. With all the other stuff, I would then have a pretty good driver for around $7k total - does that sound reasonable (with the emotional attachment factored in)?

[fiat218]

i feel good i paid more for my 69 and as far as i see it is damn near perfect , if yiou like to spend all that , id look for something for that kind of cash, i sold my 72 for 3700 and that was really great shape, my opinion which dont mean nothing but id be looking for a one that better. but each to there own,
but im doing the change on the 69 as we speak, and i can bet it will be costly

[vandor]

I'd be happy if I only had $7k in mine
And the paintjob is crap...

One could argue both ways. You could get a runner for less coin, but it would still need work - they always do.
If you keep and fix this one you will know what you have, because you did the work.

[leeputmanjr]

As always, Csaba makes a good point!

I've done it both ways, budget 'runners' & irrational money-pits. Neither answer is "better", you gotta follow your heart.

Here you can see my "budget" 1969, and my money-pit of a 1974:



The '69 is darn near perfectly stock, the '74 is highly 'built' & modified. As similar as they are, they are TOTALLY different driving experiences!

[fiat218]

Nice
There are more 69 out there then I thought

[deftone]

Nice
There are more 69 out there then I thought

Because they are the best...

[johnsje6]

Tested the fuel pump and lines, everything seems to work ok, no leaks or other unpleasant surprises, but the strainer on the fuel pick up is pretty much trash - does anyone know where to get a replacement strainer? The tank is in pretty good shape, but has been sitting for a while and I would feel better with the strainer on before the gas gets to the fuel pump.

[johnsje6]

Got a new fuel pump and strainer, also go the Ignitor kit for the distributor. Pulled out the dual points, installed the ignitor, but no spark. Replaced the coil, put one set of points back in to test and got spark, put the Ignitor back and am getting nothing. It is wired to spec, red to coil + and black to coil -, and I get +12v at the coil with the key on, wondering if the gap is not right, even though it is the kit from Autoricambi and there are only 2 positions for mounting the pickup?
Also, cleaned up the rust and pine needles from under the cowl and painted with POR 15, noticed that the round openings on each side have flaps in them but they don't seem to be controlled by the heater controls? Am I missing something (very likely).

[majicwrench]

The flaps are controled from under the dash on each end there is a little lever. It's to get fresh air to your feet.

Electonic ignition...... do not know problem, but like I always do, I have to wonder why you are changing from points, let's see, the points spark, the electronic doesn't, let's stick with the electronic....... this is just my pet rant. Good luck!

[vandor]

The gap between the lobes and the Ignitor should be 0.030-0.040".
I believe it is possible to mount it so there is a much larger gap.

[johnsje6]

Thanks to both - now I can keep my feet cool and hopefully get some spark from my Ignitor! Thought maybe the gap would be the issue, will check it tonight.
Majicwrench - know what you are saying about the points, simple to understand and fix, but I am looking for low maintenance, so hopefully when I get the Ignitor figured out I won't have to spend time under the distributor cap for a while.

[johnsje6]

I HAVE FIRE!!! The gap between my distributor lobes and the Ignitor was over .040, I had to slot one of the screw holes to make the Ignitor adjustable, got the gap around .030, and have spark! Now I just need dad to finish the carb, put it on, put some gas in and give it a try.

[johnsje6]

IT"S ALIVE!! Put the rebuilt carb on, hooked up all the lines, cranked it till we saw fuel in the filter, and it started right up, for the first time in 3 years! Did a little idle mixture adjusting and checked the timing, everything looks good. Need to figure out why the tach is not working, but that is probably related to removing the original wires to the distributor when I put the Ignitor in. Also didn't look like the ammeter was working, but i put a voltmeter on and the alternator is producing 14v, so it must be another wire off somewhere.

[fiat218]

Great:)

[johnsje6]

Been working in the engine bay a bit, cleaning it and prepping for paint, and there are some places that I can't get to that are showing some rust. Any advice on a spray in rustproofer, undercoating type stuff? I am sure I will run into the same situation when I get around to the underside of the car, was thinking maybe truck bedliner spray would work?