My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

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Nanonevol
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Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 124 Spider
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Wed Jun 17, 2015 8:20 pm

These are the second gear parts that show wear and will be replaced.
ImageImageImageImageA little scoring from the detent balls but won't be replacedImageThis looks fine to meImage
The only bearing Brooklands says to replace everytime is the little input shaft needle pilot bearing. Still deciding on the others but I see nothing wrong with them...
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Wed Jun 17, 2015 8:50 pm

This is First Gear. Anyone who knows think I should replace?
Image
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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RRoller123
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby RRoller123 » Wed Jun 17, 2015 9:37 pm

Not sure what the cost is, but after all this work, just replace everything?
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AriK
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby AriK » Wed Jun 17, 2015 9:49 pm

No way i can help out here but sure following along :shock:
Hopefully someone here with more experience can chime in. Keep on truckin!

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Thu Jun 18, 2015 7:14 am

Thanks! There will be a pièce de résistance surprise at the end. So, anyway, I expected more evidence of damage considering the second gear would not engage at all. Not a lot of excessive grinding noise but just wouldn't go in gear. Maybe that is a lot of damage? As for the cost, I'm at about $700 for what I think are necessary parts. Replacing everything would surely be the cost of new or at least a well rebuilt.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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azruss
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby azruss » Thu Jun 18, 2015 11:45 am

The biggest issue with not going into gear are the shift forks. The pads that ride in the groove get worn and sloppy.

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Thu Jun 18, 2015 1:10 pm

That's good to know! First and second fork is on the right here and there is considerable wear. There is actually a small ridge there that doesn't show that well in the photo.
Image
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Sat Jun 20, 2015 12:47 pm

Back to my friendly neighborhood mechanic with a press to help push off the input shaft bearing.
Image
but he noticed this wear on the shaft so I have another part to order.
Image
Input shaft has 4th gear which fails a lot of people so that helps justify replacing it.
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

vandor
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby vandor » Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:14 am

Nanonevol wrote:This is First Gear. Anyone who knows think I should replace?
Image


It does show some wear, but should work ok for a while. It really depends on how much you want to spend and how thorough a rebuild you want to do.
Csaba
'71 124 Spider, much modified
'17 124 Abarth, silver
http://italiancarclub.com/csaba/
Co-owner of the best dang Fiat parts place in town

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:13 pm

So the new parts arrived and I'm putting the main shaft back together. This snap ring is giving me trouble but I've heard it would be a tight fit.Image
But what's bothering me most is I have to really fiddle around with the sliding sleeves to get them to slide all the way to either side like this:
Image
They seem to stick about here:
Image
or even sooner. The sliding sleeves, synchro rings, and springs are new. It doesn't shift that smoothly back and forth. I seem to remember it was like this with the old parts too before I took it apart and I thought new parts would fix this. I hope someone out there can tell me what might be going on. Maybe it will work better when it's oily.
Edit: Csaba tells me this is normal. If I jiggle things around and spin the shaft a bit, the sleeves will slide all the way to either side engaging the gear. That's a relief.
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:13 pm

The rebuild process: ImageImage
New 27mm bolt banged in so it won't move. Speedo gear taped in place so little ball bearing doesn't fall out.Image
New "guibo" as we call it.
Image
Woila!
Image
More fun putting back together with new parts than taking apart. Bought a HF 12 ton press ($100) in the process (hate asking for help and sometimes you just have to throw money at your problems) , also a transmission jack (another $100), built my own creeper and got a lot of grease under my fingernails!
Plan was to have my flywheel lightened, balanced, surfaced, but can't seem to get it off! Thought my electric impact wrench was going to knock off anything I encounter, but no. Maybe skip it and touch up the surface myself so I can put my car back together. Hmmmm.
Pasting in this link for my own reference:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... 7fdW0bDfQg
Same issues I'm having.
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:36 pm

Rebuild is complete. From the shop back to the garage. Here I'm still under the delusion I can simply jack it up and slide it forward to bolt in.
Image
I soon realize and remember from posts here that I need to go up at an angle to get the shifter in first then tilt up the front.
Image
The bellhousing barely clears the flywheel tiliting up. Then the challenge is lining up the shaft and pulling forward. Basically steering this greasy 70 pound precision shaft into a precision hole "blindly" since its in the bellhousing and often on your back with your nose in the floorboard. I found I needed more jacks.
Image
Couln't seem to line it up!
Image
And a strap to pull forward.
Image
Basically a two day PITA. From coffee to beer. Fell off the jack a couple times, countless getting under different sides of the car, twisting and muscling the thing to line it up. This is not a job for the faint hearted.
Happy ending though because it's back in with 3 bolts holding it so far but the weekends overs! And I thought I'd have much more accomplished.
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:21 pm

This may be controversial. Some may think it a clever idea, some may call it classic car desecration, others may consider it "cheating". Hey, you do your mid life crisis your way, I'll do mine my way. It worked a charm though for the top drivers trans to block and top starter bolt.
Image
I found the spot by drilling a test hole at a point under the car where I could see the socket universal had rubbed when taking the bolts out. Drilled small holes in a circle then enlarged them to make the ragged opening.

Just need to put the driveshaft back in, the exhaust back on, put the interior back together and it'll be time for a test drive. Am I anxious that everything works and shifts well in all gears? Hell yes!
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Nanonevol
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby Nanonevol » Sun Jul 19, 2015 4:25 pm

Installed the short shifter and the color matching, "pièce de résistance" It's a real pool ball.
Image
Test drive. Shifts beautiful! My best Jimmy Connors fist-pump.
Image
Last edited by Nanonevol on Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

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courtenay
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Re: My late mid-life crisis 77 Spider

Postby courtenay » Sun Jul 19, 2015 6:17 pm

Well done - and more particularly, well documented! Thanks!
Bruce Shearer
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