The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

This is the place to discuss restoration problems, post questions or projects-complete or partial.
Flaviaman
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:22 am
Your car is a: 1970 850 Coupe + 1970 124 Coupe
Location: Portland, OR

The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby Flaviaman » Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:41 pm

I purchased this 1970 124 BC (1438) in October 2013, from what I have been able to piece together it had a carb fire sometime in 1989, and sold by the insurance company to a body shop. The engine was then pulled and the interior removed. The car had passed through a couple of owners since then, however it was never reassembled.
Image

Image

The fire melted the carb, destroyed the wiring looms, relays, brake servo, air horns, front grilles, headlamp assembles and all of the rubber in the engine compartment. I can only assume the dash was pulled for installation of a “new” wiring harness (which had French Blue paint – or Blu Cannes as I believe the Mothership referred to it). Blue paint was also present on the headlamp buckets as well as that horrible yellow paint beloved by auto wrecking yards.
Image
Why the carpet was pulled remains a mystery. Someone did apply POR15 to the floor which probably was Not a Bad Thing. POR15 was also applied to parts of the engine compartment, again Not A Bad Thing…

On Rob Cantania’s excellent 124 Coupe site (http://www.124sportcoupe.com) this car is represented as a 5,000 mile example, regrettably I think that is incorrect. I could see it being 105,000 mile car however. There was remarkably little corrosion on the car and no welding appears to have been carried out. The dash and console are not cracked (yet!) and the seats were reupholstered with nasty domestic vinyl and the European style cloth inserts (which are sun faded).
Image

Image

Image

I like cars to be as stock as possible and represent the European version as much as possible, hence my plan of attack was the following:
1: Locate a 1608 motor as well as 40IDF’s, a factory air box and European pistons and hopefully a Marelliplex.
2: Cromodoras (though I always thought the steel wheels and hub caps were quite handsome) with the
Correct 165 HR 13 Michelin XAS tires
3: Cadmium plating for most of the fasteners and brake lines.
4: Replace / refurnish the suspension and driveline. Powercoat misc. parts.
5: Remove the hideous North American side marker light assemblies
6: Fit European lights and bumpers sans overiders
7: Recarpet, reupholster and replace the headliner.
The car came with boxes of parts, some of which were for Spiders and X1/9’s as well as 3rd generation (CC) Coupes. I was fortunate that more pieces were not lost along the way, the only piece I have never been able to locate is the silver plate for the engine compartment that shows the VIN and paint code.
Image


And so the journey began, I gave myself a budget (which of course I exceeded dramatically) and thought it would take a year, that time was also exceeded dramatically!

klweimer
Posts: 550
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:45 am
Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: Arvada, Colorado

Re: The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby klweimer » Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:50 am

Well that should keep you busy for the next decade... On the plus side, the body appears to be in really good shape. How does the underside look?
Kirk

philbert
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:59 pm

Re: The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby philbert » Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:02 pm

Oh that looks like a lot of fun, and you will have a beautiful example when you get done and what a treat is in store when you finally get to drive it. Best wishes!

Flaviaman
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:22 am
Your car is a: 1970 850 Coupe + 1970 124 Coupe
Location: Portland, OR

Re: The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby Flaviaman » Sun Oct 30, 2016 10:59 pm

I begin searching for a 1608 motor. Trolling the www I found an interesting posting on an old FLU forum; running gear from a 1608 Coupe supposedly with only 39 miles, at least that is what the speedo read! As I not only needed a 1608 motor & bell housing but also an alternator, Fiamm air horns and compressor, Marelli coil, starter motor etc this seemed a great idea....

Image

According to the seller, who was a great guy to do business with, he had an uncle who worked for American Motors (remember them?) as an engineer. AMC supposedly bought a Coupe to study the body structure, they had no use for the mechanical pieces. The bits were removed and thrown into the scrap heap. Said engineer rescued the pieces and took them home where they stayed (outside regrettably) until he passed. The seller inherited the bits and that is how I came to have them.

The seller was kind enough to deliver them to a crating company in Ohio and four days later they were in Portland Oregon.

Flaviaman
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:22 am
Your car is a: 1970 850 Coupe + 1970 124 Coupe
Location: Portland, OR

Re: The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby Flaviaman » Sun Oct 30, 2016 11:11 pm

I had no interest in the suspension or exhaust pieces, nor (to my regret later) the rear axle.

When the crate arrived I was very pleased with my purchase. The motor appeared to be new, the clutch plate measured new, the cross hatching on the bores was present and it even had a genuine Carello / Fram made in Italy oil filter....

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Regrettably moisture changed my plans....

User avatar
chrisg
Posts: 746
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:30 am
Your car is a: 1971 FIAT

Re: The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby chrisg » Mon Oct 31, 2016 9:13 am

Great project & thanks for sharing it! Looks like you're in good shape overall...plenty of work, but it's quite worthwhile! Good luck.
Chris Granju
Knoxville, TN
'71 FIAT 124BS (pretty), '72 FIAT 124BC,'76 FIAT 128 Wagon(ratbeast), '85 Bertone X 1/9, '70 124BC (project), 79 X1/9 (hot rod in rehab), '73 124BS (2L, mean), '74 124 Special TC, '73 124CS, '73 124 Familiare

Flaviaman
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:22 am
Your car is a: 1970 850 Coupe + 1970 124 Coupe
Location: Portland, OR

Re: The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby Flaviaman » Mon Oct 31, 2016 11:23 pm

Thanks Chris, it has been an interesting project so far!

Flaviaman
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:22 am
Your car is a: 1970 850 Coupe + 1970 124 Coupe
Location: Portland, OR

Re: The Yellow Peril - bringing a BC Coupe back to life

Postby Flaviaman » Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:23 pm

An update....

I sourced a set of factory Euro pistons in Italia at the Padova show...
Image
Quite a difference from the stock North America pistons...

Image

Image

I also have a set of genuine 124 Spider Abarth pistons, standard. Owing to corrosion in the bores I elected not use the Abarth pistons, in retrospect a good decision if for no other reason detonation is an issue!

While the block was being cleaned, bored, balanced the cad plating continued...

Image

Image

The headlamp "buckets" a collection of pieces no doubt from a scrap yard were powder coated...
Image

Image


Return to “Restoration Projects”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 61 guests