New 850 Coupe Owner, a few questions.

[Jingo Lingo]

Hi all. I've just purchased myself a 1969 850 Coupe. It's in great shape and i'll try and post a few pics soon.

Having never owned a vintage car of any kind it's going to be a bit of a learning curve as I plan on doing most of the mechanical maintenance myself. I have a few basic questions:

What would be the recommend fuel to use with this motor? I was told 98 octane with no additves but I would like to hear your suggestions.

Would there be anything in particular to look out for on this car? Are there any particular mechanical checks I should be making for this model? The car appears to have been very well looked after but I received quite a limited mechanical history from the seller. The car has just had a roadworthy inspection and it also starts and drives beautifully.

I am considering taking it to a Fiat specialist just to have it looked over. If anyone could recommend a Fiat specialist in Sydney that would also be great.

 

[Jayarr]

Hi Jingo,
Welcome to the forum!

Where to begin on the frailties of the 850? Actually, they are a reasonably reliable car given their age, but to bring up to scratch can take a bit depending on the past owner. I'll limit comments to what my immediate concerns would be.

My top 10

1) Get the right radiator cap, 850's have a long reach version.
2) Check the top and bottom radiator hoses
3) Remove the centrifugal oil filter on the end of the crank and remove the sludge.
4) Recondition the distributor, they are pretty sloppy normally. Consider changeover to an electronic version rather than points.
5) Remove starter motor, take off the end cap and clean out the accumulated graphite deposits. Renew the brushes. I'd linish the rotor shaft while the starter was out as well
6) Check kingpins on front suspension for wear. Rebuild kits are readily available ( needs special reamer) or a number of places used to do changeover.
7) Mounts which are bolted to front of gearbox are prone to cracking. Telltale is engine hanging at a odd angle. Remove and weld.
8) Check rubber sleeve around fuel filler pipe as it passes through bulkhead in the engine bay. Frequently perished - don't want a fire in there.
9) Check fuel lines in the engine bay, there are some long lengths in there which can fail.
10) Pull down the carburettor, check jets and float levels per manual.

Easiest to pull the engine and gearbox out as a unit to accomplish most of the above. It's a 1 hour job if you are organized. If you have the time and inclination, I'd take the head off and decoke the head, check for straightness, lap valves, and replace the head gasket.

Best of luck!

John

 

[stanz]

Run the highest octane you can find, yes 98 Octane was the desired fuel back when these cars were built but it's hard to find today. Here's a note from Chris Obert on fuel:

http://compusulting.com/fiat850/fuel_req_.htm

One big issue with all 850s is rust in the fuel tank. If you can't clean the tank, which requires removal, I would run two fuel filter in series. It's easy to clog the carbs with the stuff that comes out of the tank.

These cars don't handle sitting around very well and newer fuels don't last as long as the fuel we had in the 1970s. At least not here in the States. We run at least 10% alcohol in our fuel which tends to help the fuel "go off" faster. One month old modern fuel looks like 1970s fuel after a year.

I have a thread on the FLU forum discussing my eventual conversion to fuel injection and electronic ignition. I have to get the body sorted before I do the conversion but it should be done by September, that's my goal.

http://fluforum.italiancarclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4758&sid=ad3558689260bfd3e6dcaa0cc06e9de5

 

[Jingo Lingo]

Thanks so much for the info. Seems I have some work ahead of me. After having a good look under the car I've noticed most of the suspension bushes are well worn. Is it an easy enough job to replace those?

 

[stanz]

Most jobs on an 850 are simple, there's nothing complicated on the car. That's one of the reasons I chose an 850 for my latest Fiat. I've done newer Fiats and they're just not as simple to fix.

The real issue is the state of the nuts and bolts on a 43 year old car. Many haven't been turned since they left the factory.

Take your time, only use 6-point wrenches (spanners), twelve point versions don't have enough bite to apply loads of torque that may be required to remove them. Don't use heat on the bolts/nuts unless you plan on replacing them. A nice long breaker bar should do the trick on stubborn bolts after some penetrating oil is allowed to soak in.