New owner, Philly Area

[DeltaV]

Hey all...new member in the Philly area.

'82 Spider, 2l FI engine, needs a little TLC

First task: fixing the steering idler! Already took one shot at it...got the bolts off the idler itself (the attachment bracket is snapped, and I think the idler itself is seized. I've seen info about the 124 sedan one which isn't hydraulic and is an improvement, apparently). The bolts attaching to the tie rod ends aren't moving, but are soaking in penetrating oil, and view this as a good excuse to get a small blowtorch. Anyone know any good curses in Italian? I'm used to German cars, and swearing at them in their native language helps.
Next up: Exhaust!
Winter project: rebuilding the diff!

(I'm an engineer...I was actually looking for a car with little rust but a few things that I could fix)

One other thing...I believe it is a California car. Is there emissions crap I can trash? It is on antique PA plates, so no emissions/inspections.

Sorry I only have the one pic, its my pic, but at the sellers house...its out in the dark under a cover.

[redcars]

On a 82 the only emissions thing to get rid of is the cat.

[vandor]

The 124 sedan idler used rubber bushings that wear out - I would not go that route.
The new replacement idlers use ball bearings, they last forever and don't seize up:

http://www.autoricambi.us/product/SU0-4 ... --1982-85/

[TX82FIAT]

My Idler arm siezed and i replaced it with the one Csaba mentioned above. Easy job and it works great. I added a little bearing grease prior to assembly. If you go that route pick up a couple slightly longer bolts to attach the new idler to the frame as the old bolts only give you a little over 1/2 of a nut to attach.

[Exit98]

Congrats. Looks good.

We have an active but very informal Fiat club just east of you in NJ. See here: http://www.njfiats.org

Parts are easy, we have great vendors. 2 x on the AR idler.

[DeltaV]

On a 82 the only emissions thing to get rid of is the cat.

Nice...was planning on that. Anyone sell a straight pipe adapter, or is that going to be on me to create/source?

The 124 sedan idler used rubber bushings that wear out - I would not go that route.
The new replacement idlers use ball bearings, they last forever and don't seize up:

http://www.autoricambi.us/product/SU0-4 ... --1982-85/

Sounds like its a popular part...cheaper than I'm seeing online for the other idlers as well. Any trick to getting the old idler off the arm? Mine's kinda stuck on there, and I can't get the nuts to the tie rod ends off easily either.

[TX82FIAT]

I don't think you will find a straight pipe with our bolt pattern and length readily available for sale. I grew up in the Philly area and would recommend finding a new stryle free flow CAT that will fit. A lot of that will depend on the emmissions and your intended use/registration of the car. I don't thinkl it is exempt in PA but i could be wrong since I moved to NY in 2001.

As far as getting the old idler off. i used a $9.99 ball joint seperator, a hammer and a lot of patience. The job was not hard, it just takes some time to move the arm off the idler. You should remove the two bolts on the next part of the assembly connected near where the idler arm connects. This gives you enough play in the steering to get the idler off the arm and not have to re-align the entire steering assembly. Leave the old idler attached so you have some leverage to remove the arm. Penetrating oil if it is all gunked up from oil and road dirt. Hope this helps.

[Kryger]

hey delta V

what a great looking car, if you don't mind me asking how did you upload your picture+

best regards

Michael

[vandor]

. ... If you go that route pick up a couple slightly longer bolts to attach the new idler to the frame as the old bolts only give you a little over 1/2 of a nut to attach.

We now supply those with the idlers.

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard! You will find plenty of knowledgeable and friendly people here.

Here is a thread on how to post pictures directly to the forum:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21014

And here is another picture-posting thread:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... 12&t=23084

And here is a link to a map of Spider owner’s locations. Many forum members have listed their locations.

https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=191825

Pete