850 Fiat 850 Coupé Sport

[Widarwidar]

I'd look for the Hall effect one, not one needing points and condensator off course.
Re break down, having the old points parts as spares for road side fixes if needed.

Thanks, the contact point surfaces look light grey/white, so that would indicate the condensor is good. I'll have to double check my coil wiring etc and test drive without the hood to see if it is engine bay temepratures that's having her to act up. I'm planning to do an air inlet prototype if there's a big difference.

 

[Widarwidar]

Yesterday i changed back to the previous coil and did a test drive without the hood trying to eliminate heat problems. She runs great and handles good under load, so guessing it was partly the high capacity coil that was acting up.

After 20 minutes she started to stutter again under load, checked the fuel filter and it wasn't much fuel in there so i thought vapor lock symptoms, and discovered that the valve cover ventilation was blowing straight at the fuel hose coming from the tank. Hence fuel vaporized, so i let her cool down a bit and then she ran fine again. So today I'm going to try to relocate/shield and cross my fingers.

 

[Widarwidar]

Yes!! That sorted it out! She purrrs like a kitten.
Now onto a more permanent solution (after spending all free time on small narrow roads ).

Edit: Should probably merge this thread with Garage Thread (Can a mod or admin help me out here please?)

 

[Widarwidar]

I read about the steering column being more or less of a spear on the early coupés and that it even was recalled in the U.S., so now I'm looking to upgrade to the non-spear version with U-joints, and afaik it's the same on the 850 Spider, so if anyone know where I can find a kit, please let me know.

Spear


Replacement

Thanks

 

[Widarwidar]

I've sourced parts for steering column conversion to non-spear and got a new Abarth Air filter box with the vavle cover ventialtion recirculation thingy, fitted and test drove but being so close to each other the hose bent too much and stopped the flow. Going to fit a u-bent pipe and that should sort it out.

 

[Widarwidar]

I never updated here, sorted the breather out and she runs smoothly.

Just brought her out from winter hibernation a couple of days ago.
A couple of minor fixes before the summer but a quick test drive was a blast.

 

[bugsymike]

I never updated here, sorted the breather out and she runs smoothly.

Just brought her out from winter hibernation a couple of days ago.
A couple of minor fixes before the summer but a quick test drive was a blast.

Looking good.

 

[bugsymike]

To me there are some cars that just look right, the 850 Coupe, the Opel GT, the Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV my first wife got in the divorce settlement , I am sure there are many others that you just have one look and you know the designer had a good day.
Some may disagree but even 1950s Cadillac has a certain appeal to me.

 

[There all puntos]

My older brother had one of these great (1973) 850 sport coupes in 1981 it had been already past eight previous owners.

Mostly women, but the last owner before my bro, has fitted wider steel rims, for 175x65x13 (the front rubber rubbed the arches) before he ran out of skill and dented the front wing, door and sill.

He bought it from woodlands road motors as a trade in. it held the road like a limpet, all because of the light unsprung weight, and bow sprung front end, and the fact it had a Twin weber 45 (don't know how they managed to splice it on the manifold, but it worked well). And the air filter was tube fed from a wedged intake on the boot vent.

It had about 65 bhp. So under acceleration it dug in. And continued in most bends (as long as you could hold it)

It also had a banana branched exhaust into a short mini type back box.

Rapid little street sleeper, as most of his friends Ford cars, couldn't keep up nor catch him on the Twisties.

On motorways the would leave him standing above 105 mph.

He did crash it in the ice one day, broke his heart as it was toe'd away with no front end on it, and the passenger door hanging off. As he had hit a stone dyke wall.

But he dried his tears and bought his girlfriends aunties 1976 P reg 128 3p that was wasting away in her front driveway needing a clutch.

Who said thing don't happen for a reason?

 

[bugsymike]

As an apprentice in the late 60s early 70s we had several customers with them, also the saloon version and even the Spanish Seat version, but generally most cars from that era rusted away in the UK climate.

 

[Widarwidar]

Got something strange with the front suspension,.
She's too high on front, she leans left, right front wheel arch is higher than left even unloaded. I don't have any spare wheel etc in frunk, but something else must be strange, any ideas of what and where to start my fault search?
Ans also with my 185cm I cannot see cars behind in the rear-view mirror

 

[bugsymike]

Got something strange with the front suspension,.
She's too high on front, she leans left, right front wheel arch is higher than left even unloaded. I don't have any spare wheel etc in frunk, but something else must be strange, any ideas of what and where to start my fault search?
Ans also with my 185cm I cannot see cars behind in the rear-view mirror

Is it weak rear suspension possible? When parked on level ground what is the gap between the rear wheel arches and the wheel centres?

 

[Widarwidar]

Good input, just checked and she's level at rear but front has a 20mm difference! A lot more than i thought.

 

[bugsymike]

Good input, just checked and she's level at rear but front has a 20mm difference! A lot more than i thought.

Has someone here on Forum got the correct ride height front and rear data perhaps?
I just thought perhaps the rear springs were tired and throwing out the front.

 

[Widarwidar]

Aha, good thought. And she isn't fully level at rear, somewhat lower on left probably due to higher right front.
I checked suspension but didn't see anything obvious.
Well, another thing on my want to do list

 

[Widarwidar]

So took a longer test run and she died on me again, still vapour lock symptoms. Started stuttering and then died.

I don't have the energy...

 

[Widarwidar]

Made it back home after i let her cool. No high temp on the temp gauge.
Certain it's temperature related but out of energy atm

 

[bugsymike]

Made it back home after i let her cool. No high temp on the temp gauge.
Certain it's temperature related but out of energy atm

Nothing silly like a blocked fuel tank vent?
Can you safely, temporary jury rig a fuel supply to bypass everything else as a test to see if it is fuel related.
I did it on an old diesel Doblo and found a faulty fuel line connection sucking air.

 

[Widarwidar]

Good idea. if fuel hose has been damaged, expands when hot and draws air. Thanks

Fuel tank vent is open and clear

 

[bugsymike]

Good idea. if fuel hose has been damaged, expands when hot and draws air. Thanks

Fuel tank vent is open and clear

Just a thought, you haven't got electronic ignition? Sometimes it can cause similar symptoms.