(not so) new project! barn find '72

[htchevyii]

Thanks, they are actually Ebay cheapies, they were $300.00 shipped. They are a bit wider than I would like, but I'll make them work. The Scat Ralley 1000's are the best aftermarket seat I have seen in a Spider, but cost double what mine did.
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch ... toview=sku

[htchevyii]

So, I decided to clean up the engine compartment a little bit and spray it black, in anticipation for the car's future color change to it's o.g. orange. Before I knew it, I was chiseling off unneeded brackets, removing unnecessary wiring, solenoids, voltage regulator, charge relay and vapor canister. Next the idler and steering box were removed and blasted and the brake booster was removed and painted. A starter button replaced the old solenoid test switch.
Now I'm finally ready to drop the engine and trans back in, (I spent 3 hours cleaning the transmission that noboby will ever see, yesterday). Hopefully it will look more complete in the next pics.

Before:


After:

[So Cal Mark]

looks good, but it sure is dark in there now

[Newell33]

Hi Guys

I haven't looked at my new ride all that closely (77 Spider), but I didn't notice any seat belts. I see you have harnesses mounted in yours. Did you make your own harness mounts, or did you tie into something already existing? Those seats do look neat by the way!

Thanks,
Josh

[htchevyii]

Thanks, I actually haven't mounted them or the seats yet, but they can be floor mounted or rollbar mounted. I think running a tube across the roll bar would be the cleanest way to mount them. I bought them from RCI thru Ebay for $25.00 ea, but they are 3 years old, so out of date for racing use.

[pope]

Trey, now only the white dirt will show in the engine compartment. Looks nice.

[htchevyii]

Trey, now only the white dirt will show in the engine compartment. Looks nice.

Thanks, I was kind of torn on the black, I like body color engine compartments, but I'm planning on a color change to orange eventually and I didn't think a red car with an orange compartment would look too slick. I tried some grey/sliver Hammerite, but it didn't look right. Maybe I should have painted the engine grey instead of black, but we'll see.

[htchevyii]

I got frustrated with the engine buildup, so I switched gears and messed with the body today. I put on some decals, it looks like I'm ready for the Baja 1000 now! Hopefully it looks a little better when I get the engine in it.

[htchevyii]

I finally stabbed the engine and trans, yesterday! Now I've just got to figure out which intake I'm going to use and slam the head on.

[spiderrey]

looks great, all that work and you forgot to clean up the down pipe. it looks out of place now.

[racydave]

Red + orange = yuck! My timing gear cover was re-painted red, now that my car is orange, it'll have to go!

[htchevyii]

[mdrburchette]

It's really coming along nicely Trey!

[htchevyii]

Well, I put it off as long as I could, tonight it was finally time to see if the little 1438 would run and it does!! Needs a little tuning of course and the dist. shocks the crap out of me everytime I touch it, but no major problems or weird noises. It doesn't sound quite so much like a lawn mower in person!
Click below for video:


I bought a Innovate Motorsports wideband A/f ratio meter to help tune the carb.

[htchevyii]

After all of this time, I finally drove it for the first time! It was kind of a good news/bad news deal. The new engine seems to run good, but needs some tuning. The trans and rear end seem solid, although I never got past third gear. The rear shocks are completely frozen, but I have new ones I need to install. The brake booster is good for nothing except causing a vacuum leak, I had to pinch off the hose and the brakes suck and pull bad. I haven't replaced the rear calipers yet, so that could be some of the problem. Oh well, back to the garage.