67 Fiat Dino Spider restoration

This is the hole where the starter used to be. You have to remove the gearbox to replace the starter. So I want to get this right the first time or we have to take gearbox out again.

Every time we think we see the end of the line, it turns out to be another mirage. Things we didn't expect to see show up stopping or deflecting us. But I think its downhill now. I want to be an optimist but its hard sometimes.

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The starter ring gear on the flywheel is brand new. Came with the new flywheel.

 

We still have months of work ahead of us. The body and interior need a lot of work and we haven't even finished with the mechanical issues. Originally I was hoping for August. I think maybe November now at this rate.

BTW: Its in the 90's today -- very good convertible weather!

 

Thanks! We are checking now.

 

Got over to O'gara this morning. The new Starter came in. Its probably 1/2 the size and 1/2 the weight. In fact the mechanic thinks this new one is so small it could be removed without taking the gearbox out if we needed to.

Everything so far shows it fits up so we think its going to work just fine. I did some research on these WOSP guys who make aftermarket starters and their reputation seems quite good. They've been making these for about 20 years or so out of the UK. Appears to have Japanese internals. Not cheap at about $800 all in.

Sometime in this starter's past it was removed and they lost one bolt. They used a longer one and stripped the hole in the starter. No big deal but we have to find the right size bolt. Its little things like this that slows you up. Every time you think something is easy there's a past poor repair that you have to correct.

O'gara is slammed with work before the holiday but they might put it in later next week.

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The starter is in ... and it runs!

 

Carb tuning today. Last I heard one carb wasn't running correctly. I'm heading over to O'gara tomorrow to hear it run for the first time. Its getting pretty close to being released to the body shop.

 

It RUNS!

This movie is literally the first time its moved on its own in any driveable form in probably 30 years. And some good things.

The replacement Fiat steering column switch seems to have solved many electrical problems. The headlights and high beams work. The brake lights worked without blowing a fuse. All the gauges work with the exception of the water temp gauge (it might just be stuck). The only thing that doesn't work for sure is the windshield wipers. We need to check out the motor and mechanism.

Honestly its a little peppier than I thought off the line but we aren't pushing it. The gearbox works great but the clutch still has a small hydraulic leak. The exhaust is a little more loud than I expected given what reviewers have said about it. But you can still hear that Dino chain and camshaft gears.

What surprised me most is how attractive it is in the wild. In the shop it looked a little strange but when you drop the top and get it in the sun, its really quite attractive. Definitely something from the 60's. Its so tiny yet the interior has more room than you would think. Seats really comfortable. Love the sun glittering off the chrome knock off spinners.

The air cleaner is now in but the choke isn't hooked up. The repaired original steering wheel is being shipped next week Monday. If we are lucky it might be in the body shop the middle of July.

The video is the mechanic test driving the car (he's over 6'2") and doesn't really fit with the top up but can use the pedals.


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I'm 5'7". I fit in perfectly in my old 246 Dino Gt. For me its fine and I'm used to offset pedal boxes. I'm not expecting a problem. The bolts for the seat rails were also missing so I had to find and order them. I cross referenced them to Fiat 124 seat rails and they fit perfectly.

We fixed the issues with the air cleaner. I thought this would be super easy but turned out to be a PITA. At some point way in the past, an aftermarket unit was put on and some parts were lost. I had to replace the bolts that screw into the Webers and then bolt onto the air cleaner base. These turned out to be standard Weber parts and easy to find but took time to get.

Then someone drilled out the 3 bolts that go upward from the base of the cleaner through the top cover which traps the air cleaner to use aftermarket bolts.

I think at one point they lost the 3 thumbscrews that hold down the top cover. Back 30 years ago it was probably impossible to get. So they replaced it with greater diameter bolts making the holes too big to use original. So we had to do some fabrication to use the 3 original style thumbscrews that I had to purchase.

The choke mechanism was frozen and had to be repaired. I'm not sure why the choke isn't connected to the cable yet but there is some issue. Lastly I had to get the two rubber oil vapor return hoses which were stupid expensive for what they are. All of this slowed us up as each missing or damaged part had to be replaced or repaired. What I thought would be an easy swap turned out to be a lot of work and delay waiting for parts.

Someday in the future I plan to dechrome it and repaint it original. But right now I'm more worried about getting it run properly and into the body shop.

 

Just got word that the steering wheel has been restored and has been shipped.

 

No work done this week but I did stop by and take some pictures of the interior and look at problems more deeply.

Someone asked earlier about the radio. Its a Becker Europa TR. Seems to be original as looking online it was made in 1966/ 67. Seems like Mercedes used them. My plan is to send it out to be cleaned up and new components including Bluetooth installed.

The carpet is horrible. I'll replace with black. Still looking at sources.

The new shift boot has been installed. This is the original design.

Some small knobs missing on the bodin cables but these are standard Fiat. Its complete with the cigarette lighter and ashtray. The vinyl seats are in what I would call perfect condition.

The armrests look in good shape but the plastic chrome is cracked. I think it can be glued back. At least its complete.

Maybe next week I can actually drive it.
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You are correct. However I've been collecting stuff that I will need. Some of it are long lead items. Some details and trim pieces I'm going to need. But these carpets are truly horrible looking!

I'm hoping to be able to drive it next week for the first time. Mechanically and electrically its almost all together. Just a few adjustments and minor issues left. Then we attack the bodywork, which is a great mystery.

 

The steering wheel arrived and its magnificent! Absolutely perfect. I had many people recommend who might repair it but I went with a vendor of O'gara who had past experience with this company. They are in Northern California. I sent pics first and they requested the wheel sent. I talked to them after they received the wheel and they told me they intended to use the original wood from the wheel in the restoration. It didn't seem possible but they did it.

Right now we are using a crappy Fiat 124 wheel that I bought on Ebay for $25 as a substitute. I'll keep this at home until I get it back from the body shop. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I contacted a guy who can use the original radio and modify the guts for modern use. A bit pricey at $700 and I'm not sure how good it will be when I get it back. Takes about a month plus shipping.

OR, I could use a new Retro style radio that looks remarkably similar. About 1/2 the cost and probably easier to connect with modern speakers, amps, etc. What I'm thinking of doing is using this retro new one and holding on to the original for the next owner if they want it. I find them on Ebay for about $400 so its not that uncommon. Looks like a lot of Mercedes in the 60's used some variation of these Becker radios.

The debate now is if I should do this before the interior is started. I'm thinking the interior is last. Now that I know its no longer a long lead time item I have more time to decide.

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I'm going to try that on Friday. But I want BT added. I worry its so old that modern speakers and amps won't work with it.