"Favorite" aggravating tasks?

[hayesbd]

I've been through quite a few portions of the car now and I'm beginning to form a mental list of the "most unnecessarily difficult and amazingly irritating repairs". In other words, jobs that have you frequently muttering "what were they thinking?". Here are some of my "favorites" :

Replacing the rear brake compensator - I think that the task of integrating this item into the spider chassis was given to an engineer from the deepest recesses of you-know-where! I don't think you could actually find a spot where the access could be any worse while still technically allowing access to the brake lines, etc. The sequencing of installation of this engineering marvel is not too obvious and the shop manual is not really much help. Why did they have to make it so hard!? Now I know why so many folks just bypass the compensator.

Rear brake calipers - all I can say here is "Wow!" The shop manual simply tells you to put it back together and that lovely stack of belleville washers need to be compressed somehow. There's not even a tool A.666 to help with this!

Intake manifold - as many of you know, there are lots of places on the spider that require you to pinch a nut between your index and middle finger, shove it into a dark abyss and hope that you can find that blasted stud and start turning it 2 degrees at a time and please, oh please, just let it go on this time (after forty previous attempts have failed)! This was the only time I found myself using two swivel joints on the ratchet... and we're supposed to tighten to how many ft-lbs? Forgetaboutit!

Starter re-installation - all the blind fastener fun of the above manifold, with the added feature of bench pressing a starter that actually gains weight the longer you try to get it in position! Sheesh!

Does anyone else have "favorites" to post? Jobs that require you to remove the left rear tire, convertible top, and cylinder head just to change a light bulb? I'm sure there are some other gems out there.

Brian

[ga.spyder]

That is a great list to start with.I think some long gone Italian engineer is laughing in heaven every time someone has to replace a starter.I have to add the heater control valve to the list.Working upside down in a narrow footwell,after removing the seat and folding yourself into positions a yoga master would be jealous of.After all that,the wrench you need is under you ..somewhere.Then the flashlight batteries die.Ahhhhhh...you gotta love it !!!

[hayesbd]

"...the wrench you need is under you ..somewhere..."

Ha! I thought I was the only one prone to doing this! Misery loves company!

Haven't done anything to the heater valve (yet) - just the cable clamp. Mine has already been replaced by a PO at some point. I hope I have a lot of miles left on this one!

Brian

[4uall]

Anything that involves adding more scars from Fiona

[seabeelt]

Bleeding the rear calipers..... By yourself...

[TX82FIAT]

How about clutch cable re-attach on the pedal fork, lifting the gas tank to uninstall the rear bumper shock, tracing circuits to find hot to ground or continuity issues with wire color that does not match your make and model wiring diagram.

[RRoller123]

or having to raise the engine to get the oil pan off?

[Curly]

That is a great list to start with.I think some long gone Italian engineer is laughing in heaven every time someone has to replace a starter.I have to add the heater control valve to the list.Working upside down in a narrow footwell,after removing the seat and folding yourself into positions a yoga master would be jealous of.After all that,the wrench you need is under you ..somewhere.Then the flashlight batteries die.Ahhhhhh...you gotta love it !!!

Try the heater control valve after you've converted the Spider to right-hand-drive Working upside down in a narrow footwell with pedals sticking out just where you need to access the valve and a steering column with wheel just waiting to smash into your head.

While I'm at it - there's connecting the clutch cable to the top of the clutch pedal and how could you leave out stretching the clutch assist spring to connect it between the pedal and pedal box.

The top 2 bolts that secure the gearbox bell housing to the engine block are fun too. I've worked out a way to tackle them by laying under the car and using a series of long socket extension bars and universal joints to reach up under the firewall whilst an assistant guides the socket onto the head of the bolt.

[Tobi]

Redoing the shifter by my self was a fun one and of course the clutch cable and the heater valve.
The starter was a pain the first three or four times but it is an easy task now that I got it figured out.

Curly, I have to say that the heater valve on a right hand drive must be hardest of all.

[ga.spyder]

Yep...Curly wins that prize!!!!

[131]

The top 2 bolts that secure the gearbox bell housing to the engine block are fun too. I've worked out a way to tackle them by laying under the car and using a series of long socket extension bars and universal joints to reach up under the firewall whilst an assistant guides the socket onto the head of the bolt.

I used to work in a Fiat/Lancia workshop, we had a metre long extension with a universal joint at the socket end for this job. It was also handy for starter motors on Lancia Betas, remove the left wheel and plastic inner guard liner, then you have easy long distance access to the starter bolts.