Thanks to the online mechanic manual I found, it was easy to figure out where the vapor lines and fuel lines lead. However, I do not see sizes listed and that has me concerned. Here are some updated photos. Enjoy!
Today I started installing fuel lines and putting the gas tank into the trunk. I don't have the nuts that mount the gas tank so I'm going to have to go on another metric nut hunt. They look around 10mm? Who knows. I'll find out. The hoses seem to be going together well. I still need to figure out how the gas filter and the gas pump mount to the bottom of the car. I have a variety of mounting plates, but I have no idea how they assemble. I'll find out.
Thanks to the online mechanic manual I found, it was easy to figure out where the vapor lines and fuel lines lead. However, I do not see sizes listed and that has me concerned. Here are some updated photos. Enjoy!
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While browsing for helpful videos on youtube, I came across this short video about the history of this little Italian roadster. If you're working on a Fiat Spider like I am and don't even know where to start, have I got a treat for you! You are probably looking to find a copy of the shop manual or other various tidbits of information but don't want to shell out $60+ on them. Here is a link to a shop manual. I'm not sure that it's the same photocopies you can get from the various Fiat jobbers, but this has a decent amount of information:
Click here for the service manual password is pdftown.com Direct link to download page Through the www.fiatspider.com forums I have also found this great manual, put together by a Fiat Spider enthusiast, Bradely Artigue. There is some GREAT information in these free documents. Learn more about the author at his website. I simply printed out the documents I needed from these links and dropped them into a three ring binder for easy access. I recommend printing them double sided. Many printers offer this function now a days and they provide detailed instructions. Today I spent over two hours trying to figure out what nuts to put on the sender unit of the Fiat Spider gas tank. After going to two different stores and returning the same nuts twiceI figured out the size. At the second store, the clerk recommended I use a die to re-cut the threads which had been filled in by previous applications of rust preventative. After re-cutting the threads it was obvious that the sender was held in by 4M .70 metric nuts. Once I replaced the missing nuts I was able to pressure test the tank and find that there were no leaks. That was a very exciting discovery. Most of my simple projects on this car usually require some sort of extra effort. Like patching the radiator (which was done), scraping rubber off the floor in the passenger compartment or finding missing pieces. It took me less time to wire brush and prep the tank for rust reform than it did to find the proper nuts for the sender unit. Who knew! I used Rustoleum Rust Reformer which has gotten pretty good reviews online. We shall see. Ideally I would have media blasted this tank and then painting, but it was too large for my cabinet. I think this application of product should protect the tank for years to come. The previous owner had already sealed the inside of the tank. If it begins to leak eventually I will use a two part gas tank epoxy to fix it. For now, enjoy the pictures. I wanted to head down to the Italian car show at the Lars Anderson museum over the summer but the date didn't work out. It turns out that the show was postponed until October 16th. So if you like Fiats and other awesome Italian cars, head over there. Here is a link to the main even page. I look forward to taking TONS of pictures of Fiats so I can see where everything is supposed to go. I wonder if I can get my head underneath one to see the fuel system. Probably not. I was going to wait until I finished the top coat to blog, but this is taking longer than expected. Yesterday I was able to prime and use seam sealer. I put a second coat of primer on today. Next, I need to go purchase some fiber glass fill to fill in two large gaps just behind the wheel wells. Previously there was a substance similar to plumbers putty jammed into the large gaps. I removed the putty and primed and sealed inside. Now that it is primed, I will fill it with glass and prime again. After everything dries, the trunk will get a coat of glossy black paint. Then I can start creating templates for the trunks cards. I do not have the originals. It will take me a while, but I want my car done right. It would go a bit faster if I had the originals. After I finish the trunk I need to move on to the gas tank and the passenger compartment. Both will get cleand, sanded and refinished. NOTE: You'll want two cans of primer and two cans of top coat for the trunk. I had to go purchase more from the store today after putting one coat of topcoat on. I sanded down the whole trunk, treated bare metal and rust with a rust prohibitor, primed and topcoated. I used Rustoleum "STOP RUST" brand rattle cans. You can find this paint at your local hardware store, autoparts place or home supplier. I need to get a bunch of parts from my uncle before I can continue on the engine. Yesterday I went under the car and prepped the area where the fuel lines will go. I scraped the area, cleaned and treated with rust preventative. After that I headed out to Harbor Freight to pick up a multifunction tool (more info below). I used the tool to clean up the trunk compartment. I need to remove flaked paint and rust bits so I could the treat for rust . After the rust treatment cures I will lightly sand the compartment and coat with a primer sealer. Hopefully I can get the trunk painted, the gas tank tested and installed and the fuel line installed in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! Multifunction tool. I opted for the pricier model because it came with more accessories and plugged into a conventional outlet. I did not want to battery powered model because I wanted power. I also didn't want to replace the battery every five minutes. This should work nicely removing the rubber flooring from the interior. Here is the tool at Harbor Freight. I have a stand alone store in Warwick. But they ship and are quick. I had to take some time away from the Fiat today to work on my son's 1949 Mercury. It was a tricky venture, but I managed to get the passenger exhaust pipe back in place. I have a variety of adhesives for this purpose. If you choose poorly there is a good chance to ruin whatever material you are bonding. The plastic can melt or become liquid for a long period of time.
Yesterday I headed to NAPA to buy a giant pile of hose clamps so I could install all the hoses I ordered from International Auto and Midwest Bayless. I was very excited to get those replaced. I'm hoping that later today I'll get the car back up on jack stands, bleed the brake lines and start looking at the fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel lines leading from the tank forward. I also hope to solder these two wires on the front of the plenum. EDIT: The image on the lower left is the cold start. I asked for advice on soldering it back together from www.fiat.com and received an answer. The two white wires are both ground. It did not matter which wire lead where. I lined them up and soldered the ends back together. I used heat shrink tubing then covered the whole thing with plastic piping to protect it. I brought the Fiat outside one more time yesterday and cleaned off the body and got a lot of the mud out of the wheel wells. I think the plastic wheel wells are missing. I may have to order them, which is a shame because they are not cheap.
Today I'm going to get the car back on jack stands. I'm going to get underneath with the shop vac and a brush attachment. I want to prepare to paint under spots where I'll be replacing hoses. Since they are easy to access right now they'll be simple to paint. Today, I also want to pick up hose clamps for most of the engine compartment and some of the fuel line. I'm not sure how far I will get today, but I'd at least like to get supplies. |