After a long hiatus (read winter) I finally got back into the shop. I was somewhat dismayed that a band of elves hadn't come and freed the stuck piston in the Fiat engine. I grabbed a borrowed 12mm hex wrench and loosened the oil pan plug and got all of the oil out. I...
I was finally able to finished getting the engine out and mounted on to the engine stand today. It was one of those moments that makes you feel like an idiot but at the same time you are just glad you made it past. I tried to pull to the engine away from the...
Since there was no luck in getting the engine turned over it was time to get the engine out and mounted on the engine stand. As the disappointment from not being able to take a ride this summer/fall fades away I realize that this is for the better. I will be able to...
Well, no luck with freeing up the piston. I had hoped to get it going and drive the car a bit before settling in for winter but I guess she had other ideas. That's all right. I did want to rebuild the engine, in the back of my mind. I had made a wooden marshmallow...
After having no luck with the engine today I decided to see if I could get the driver's window moving again. Before I got started I pulled up the mats on the floor to have a good look. I found some rust on the driver's side that looks like it went through the floorpan...
I checked on the stuck cylinder today and it still had the same amount of fluid as it did before. The 903cc engine was still not budging. I soaked all of the liquid out of the top of the cylinder and put some automatic transmission fluid into it. I have been...
I went to the big auction in Auburn, Indiana today. I walked around the swap meet area hoping to find maybe one or two booths that might have some Fiat parts. I looked through the Ford parts, the Chevy parts, Dodge, Plymouth, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac and all of...
I checked the cylinders today and the Marvel's Mystery Oil had seeped it's way past the pistons in 1,2 and 4. That is good news. The number 3 though still had the penetrating oil in it. It must be pretty stuck. I soaked up the penetrating oil and replaced it with the...
The first thing I want to do is to get the engine running. Then, I figure I can drive it around a little before the weather turns cold and discover all of the other things I will need to do in order to call it "restored." I wasn't sure what to expect. After all, the...
So, it is a 1971 Fiat 850 Sport Spider that hasn't ran for 20 years. First order of business will be to get the motor running. I am going to put some Marvels Mystery Oil in through the spark plug holes and try turning the flywheel by hand first. I did get the top down...