Rebuilding Sofia - 1971 Spider in Oz

[18Fiatsandcounting]

PS: I listened to your video again, and it sorta sounds like the engine isn't running consistently on all 4 cylinders. In addition to timing, I'd also check your plugs, wires, distributor, etc. Easiest way to do this is to put a timing light on each of the 4 plug wires in turn, and see if one cylinder has inconsistent (or nonexistent) flashing.

-Bryan

[Sambo42]

Well Bryan (and others) - FINALLY I've got the motor running, with the help of a mechanic friend. To answer your previous post - I checked spark with the timing light and all sparks were receiving juice. I don't know whether the lack of the muffler and the associated noise made it sound like one cylinder was missing? Or just the woeful timing (see below)? Anyways - here is a rundown of what I learnt from the experience....

- The inlet and exhaust cam wheels had their timing marks lined up so that no. 4 cylinder was TDC and about to start the power stroke instead of no.1. Here's what I had done: got no. 1 cylinder to TDC by turning the crankshaft, then lined up the timing pointers pointed with the holes (marks) on both camwheels, then fitted the timing belt. However when we took the cambox covers off - I found this setup to correspond to cam lobe of cylinder no. 4 pointing up and to the centre (approx 1pm on the clock) instead of the cam lobe of cylinder no. 1, which means that I had obviously not found no. 1 at TDC before the power stroke. So instead we set the distributor timing to cylinder 4, instead of cylinder 1.
- I had forgotten to check the points gap.
- as a result of point 1, the distributor was 180 degrees wrong in its orientation!

So anyhoo - it now runs!!! Or did until I ran out of petrol....

Two last questions. No. 1 - it there is another timing mark that should bolt onto the engine - I can't ever recall seeing it on mine (check out 1.58 on this Eldest Builds youtube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFXvSvRPD8c&t=310s) and I can't seem to find it on the Vick's, Midwest or autoricambi websites. Anyone know where I can find such a thing?
No. 2: I'm finally reinstalling the gearstick (shifter) - is there a trick to getting the plastic bushing back up in to the gearstick when reinstalling?

Feel like I'm learning all the time.....maybe when I'm in my 80s I'll have finally got good at this.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Yes, having the engine timed 180 degrees out would definitely make it run poorly....! But, to restate how it should be setup: If the #1 and #4 pistons are at TDC, and the two cam pulley timing marks are aligned with the pointers, the distributor should be set up up to fire on the #4 cylinder. Many people assume that the distributor should be at the #1 cylinder, but for some reason, Fiat designed it to be #4.

As for the timing bracket you asked about, those seem to be rare beasts. A junkyard is probably your best bet, maybe eBay or similar, or perhaps you can find someone with a blown 2L engine who would sell you that part.

The gearshift level plastic clip, always a source of frustration. I could be wrong, but my recollection is that you assemble the plastic and rubber parts inside the barrel of the shift lever extension, with the outer ring of the clip in its groove inside the metal lever extension, and then the shift lever extension just fits down over the metal rod sticking out of the transmission, and when you push down on the shift lever extension, the whole assembly clicks together. While that may be the way its "supposed" to work, it doesn't seem to work that easily in practice.

-Bryan

[Sambo42]

Well Bryan you were absolutely right - I ordered new clips and bushes, fitted those together in the right order inside the shift extension then pushed the whole thing home and it worked perfectly.

So then I fired up the motor, checked for brake leaks (again), rebled the brakes (again), checked the driveshaft and rear suspension, got the wheels to turn (with the car up on stands). AND THEN I TOOK IT FOR ITS FIRST DRIVE! In about 10 years. Sorry for the all-caps and excitement - funny how a run of about 50 yards makes the world feel like a better place. And funny - I hadn't realised how much I've been thinking of her as a collection of parts in boxes, and she's suddenly a car all over again.

It was a good weekend.

(Video to follow. Carefully edited to leave out the bit where I discovered I had forgotten to put one nut on a tie rod end and at very low speed suddenly couldn't steer. Oops!)

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Good on you, Sambo42, and we're looking forward to see videos of your smile as you drive down the road in your resurrected '71 Fiat. And yes, do check to make sure you've got all the nuts attached, especially on suspension parts...

-Bryan