Thanks SLO - although the dampers are very different - it looks like CCW is full soft. So mine are set at almost full hard - which makes sense based on how they feel.

Great - now they have to come back out..... thanks SLO!!

The dilemma is the fronts....swear they are set the same as the rears - but they behave totally different.....Great - out with the fronts too.....thanks again SLO!!

We'll see if the Vicks trick A-Arms were worth the extra money....

Will update in a week or so - I am traveling for awhile.

kbee00

kbee00 wrote:Thanks Csaba - that's what I did and you are right -it was very obvious. I got the front end done - but didn't have time for the rears. Drove it today and it feels different already. The back situation is much more pronounced - so it will need changing soon. Running different dampers and springs is not good anyway -but i wanted to get out and put some miles on it so I can go back in and tighten, check, etc. when I do the rears.

Pics of the completed front:




You will notice the studs that connect the roll bar are shiny - the studs supplied on the Vicks arm broke free - and since they were rivet style studs there was no way to tighten them up - so i replaced with bolts. Also, the bolt on bottom brackets that hold the damper are setup such that you can't remove/install the damper bolt with the bracket bolted in place - they interfere. So I am not seeing the benefit in having the bracket removable - can someone explain this to me? It was supposed to be a design feature that allowed damper adjustment without removing from car.....don't see it.

Like most new endeavors -the first side took me 8 hours and the second side 2 hours.... But I am happy with the new parts and once the rears are done will let you know how it all works out.

Next are wheels.....

Once winter arrives - the interior will change color, as will the top, new wood for the dash, some new paint, and my trick 2L engine.....will be a busy winter. And I can't wait!

Thanks for following along.

kbee00

yellow and blue is not a good combo lol

Yellow and blue make green - yes?

Green is one of the colors of the Italian Flag - yes?

ergo - yellow and blue do mix together well....

I am changing the interior to white w/white top and white stripe on the blue body.

Now I just need some red.....

AHA! the color of my knuckles every time I work on my car.....so I am good to go!!

Jim - you are an inspiration to us all !!!

kbee00 wrote:Yellow and blue make green - yes?

Green is one of the colors of the Italian Flag - yes?

ergo - yellow and blue do mix together well....

I am changing the interior to white w/white top and white stripe on the blue body.

Now I just need some red.....

AHA! the color of my knuckles every time I work on my car.....so I am good to go!!

Jim - you are an inspiration to us all !!!

Your welcome I tell it as I see it ,sorry, it just not a great combo

Update - so I have replaced the outer tie rod ends - the boots were torn so in the trash they go. Well, I learned that PO's sometimes change things and you only learn AFTER you take something apart.

Case in point - I purchased the outer tie rod ends - the inners were solid and the boots were completely intact. I remove the passenger side first - using a tie rod fork and a BIG hammer. As I attempt to thread the new rod end on - it seems the threads on tie rod are RH and the threads on the tie rod end are LH. AHAH! must have the wrong tie rod end. I grab the other one and it is also LH threads. WTF ???? So I go to the drivers side - remove that tie rod end - and it is LH thread - so on goes the new one. easy peasy. So what happened? I learned that the PO must have swapped the tie rod around - why I have no idea. So I have a RH thread on order and had to put the old one back on - which I don't like to do - but the car is my driver. So I am careful and keep my speed down.....

something else I noticed - I set up my jacks and string to align the car - lo and behold the drivers side front tire is pushed out 1/4" more than the passenger side. I mean the whole tire (I was measuring at exact center of the tire). I had to put a 1/4" shim on the outside of the rear tire so the string would match on the both sides. So what would cause one side to be pushed out? As you know, I just replaced the entire front suspension - everything except the crossmember - I didn't remove or add any shims. Any thoughts on this situation? BTW - I set the toe in at 1/8" each side.

Next on the list is to replace the worn steering column bearings and tighten the steering box. I have a new one, but am waiting until winter to replace it. I am then thinking about adding a new stereo - just can't stand the sound of the POS aftermarket unit and lousy speakers. But I want to build a rear storage unit / combo speaker box first so....

Anyway - thanks for following along. And any advice on the alignment issue would be appreciated.
kbee00

That's why we sell tierod ends in pairs

The left tire being farther out could be production tolerances, who knows. I don't know how close it's supposed to be.
I know that on many Spiders the rear tires are not the same horizontal distance from the fender lip.

BTW, I usually use a tape measure to set the toe, and a digital level to set the camber and caster. No strings needed.

I set the toe in at 1/8" each side.

if im reading this correct, that would be 1/4" of total toe? if so thats too much

the rear end in the fiat does move from side to side depending on the ride height. this is a physics issue due to the panhard rod.

Thanks for the correction - total toe is 1/8" - not each side. Holy worn tires Batman!

I thought about the Panhard rod thing too - and then realized I have lowered car thus possibly pushing the axle one way. Mystery solved! Thanks BEEK.

I replaced the points and coil with AR's Pertronix unit and Flamethrower coil. Took me a bit make sure I had the correct wires in the correct place, but once installed it fired right up first try. My only complaint is that the wires did not reach the coil - I had to solder on extension wires. I haven't checked the timing - but the seat of the pants tells me I have a bit more pep in the engine - the points were installed by the PO so no idea how old of if they were set correctly.

I also replaced the front wheel bearings as mine were grumbling a bit. I should've just bought new hubs for all the work it was getting the races out - damn! that took a long time.

Anyone notice re-installing the front brake calipers a real PIA ? I mean it takes 15 minutes just to line up one bolt....

Same thing for the wheel bolts. Anyone replace them with studs?

kbee00

Yeah. Putting the wheels on can be a pain.

Just followed your suspension thread to here. You're doing great work. A lot of stuff I plan to do at some point. I was looking into suspension and searched and found your thread. I was looking at KYBs because I'm not too picky (although I want a softer ride), but I really enjoyed reading about your springs. Thanks. Good luck with the rest.

Decided to get started on the stereo system for the car. Although I don't really need it, my wife loves a loud stereo - so it was easy to convince her of the cost to do it right. I did my homework, found some deals, and ended up with what should be a nice sounding retro looking system. The stereo head unit is from Retro Sound - I received it yesterday and it looks great! Will look almost totally stock in the Fiat -even the knobs (the inner "knob" turns but has no function - I like the little details like that)

Today my daughter helped my build the sub box for the trunk - she is putting the carpet on it right now.

I decided to try my hand at fiberglass and built a mold for the rear speakers using an old plastic bucket. I duct taped the entire thing - put a layer of bondo over it, sprayed it with lacquer, then used carnuba wax to buff it to a slippery shine. 3 layers of fiberglass later and it came right off the duct tape. I peeled the bondo out of the mold and I have my first rear speaker "box"!





Will carpet that as well and mount to the rear cover panel. Next is to build a mold for the front speaker boxes. I have an old set of map pockets that I will build onto - I have to do a right and left so I am not as concerned about the mold - just has to be able to be removed once the fiberglass dries.

Anyway - time to get some real work done - taking the car to the store in town for a bit of shopping and then time for dinner. The next few weeks are very busy so won't have time to work on the car.

BTW - I added Ramzi's rectangular chrome intake box - looks really nice! But I had no where to vent the big hose in the back so I bought a small air filter for a lawn tractor and adapted that to the hose - perfect breather!! $7 total.

Thanks for following along.

kbee00