azzurro

Wooo, drag day! Big thank you very much to all the people who organised and helped out on the day, and all the racers and spectators. Since last drag day ive done quite a lot of nothing much to this, but the main difference performance wise will be the new 'big valve' head. Otherwise everything else is the same, just fettled, maybe more than once Last years Average and Best runs vs this years (ET in seconds vs distance in feet) shows that this years average is better than last years best. Gained about half a second and 3mph, which doesnt seem like much but the HP calculators (ET and trapspeed) suggest this required a 10-18% increase in HP, from about 62ish to just over 70. Manual for a 1968 125 sedan says 90HP (DIN) Didn't break anything, no leaks or weird noises and didn't spill anything on the track (as far as i can tell!) Someone chatting to me later said they cleaned the track after one of my runs , but the engine/box and underside is still as clean and dry as when i installed it, so perhaps it was just water leaking from the rear tray I dunno? The WoF ran out today so will need to organise that, get a wheel alignment, set the tappet shims (so noisy!) and sort out the sideys, but will probably be in the new year

Well side looks good. Are the us trucks swb? How you planning on filling the gap? Make a king cab

Check the other stuff first while its together and 'running' then you can be both sure its carb related and that everthing else is 100%

Yeah, Usually that would indicate a lean idle so start there. Start with the basics/easiest first. Set the idle screw 2 turns out from bottoming out and throttle stop screw 1 turn in from first touch. Then check ign timing. then check for air leaks then for fuel blocks and may as well check the float height and needle valve while its apart. Missing or worn teeny o-rings on idle jet holders and etc have got me before too. But... Could just be that when on the choke/cold start circuit its 'less rich' (choke doesnt just close the flaps to reduce air but often opens other fuel passages too) but that depends on how your carb works.

Got this all buttoned up and took it for test run #1 up the culdesac, good news and bad news,, engine runs good and the turning 'noise' is now gone! wooot. Must have been those old inner tie rod ends and/or probably the stiff steering rod ends. But bad news is it made an all new suspension related clunky noise! Oh, that will be it then. Uhhhgghh. I guess the straight 124/Lada ones dont work on a 125p, To be fair, It did have plenty of clearance on the stands... So, back up on the stands to replace more parts I just replaced. Got some bent 125 ones from my new favourite shop, Euro-Italian on the shore, and much cheaper than i expected - should have got them to start with. test road test run #2, a week later demonstrates great success. So today i piled the engine crane, engine stand, spare 5 speed gearbox i installed and removed, the old head, and various other clutch bits and pieces, spares and other shit to to lock up a 30 km drive away and also to collect the xmas tree. Good way to bed in the clutch and as a bonus it dropped the ass nicely. Needs another wheel eyelignment, adjust the cluch cable a bit, and a few other little things that ill sort tomorrow, but otherwise im pretty confident it will make it to drag day under its own power and not only that but it feels like it should run better times than last year too. Mrs even noticed how much smoother and "less shit" it feels to drive around in now.

removing the idle screw wont break anything, setting it is pretty easy too, but if the idle screw is not affecting the idle at all. the idle circuit is either - blocked so engine will stall due to lean condition from fuel starvation - clean it again or - there is a fuel leak and idle is too rich flooding engine - try checking float level and needle valve or - there is an air leak and will stall due to lean condition - if its not the manifolds check the booster isnt leaking by blocking the booster vacuum take off, maybe leaking around the butterfly shafts too, like my DMS

https://drive-my.com/en/test-drive/item/2938-fiat-2300-familiare-vs-triumph-2000-estate-and-volvo-221.html?start=1

Yeah, i figured something like that, i haven't looked inside it (and probably wont!), but it kinda felt and sounded like those gears were spinning on the shaft or something. i had a cursory look before i installed it and it seemed clean/nothing obviously broken, which is the full extent of my gearbox checking/testing/fixing skillz, but i will look at the diagrams and see if i can get my head around it. Im glad the engine seems ok too, im hoping the tapping is just valve clearances and not something more serious from hydrolocking or something, but the bottom ends of these engines are very stout and i checked that #1 piston wasnt sitting lower than #4 at TDC for the most part i was just getting it running before adding coolant, and once it was and i added it, the starter laboured and would nae start (i thought flat battery initially) so hopefully no harm no foul apart from wasting a lot of oil, coolant, money and time...

Nice. Proper 1592cc on top of a 1608cc gasket, cylinder 1 at left.$35 each so i ordered two 'just in case'. the fire rings on the front and rear cylinder were tapped by the pistons and the front coolant passage right above the water pump made the cylinder part of the cooling system Disconnected the things, lifted the head and swapped the gaskets, and soon enough back as per, but with lots of little things done tidier. Yeah looking good. No leaks no bubbles. Bit tappy but pretty sure its valve shims need doing and not rod knock based on my big screwdriver engine stethoscope Now the engine runs good (needs shims doing before going too far), lets check out the new clutch adjustment and feel the smooth action of that fresh low mileage gear box! Seriously, this thing. I dont even. All out AGAIN to swap the old gear box back on. Anyways, its all back together and back in the hole, (im getting pretty quick at this now!) but its gonna rain for the next few days (nearly out of tank water so thats good) so it can sit in the rain for a while, im pooped.

my man mal@fiatparts.co.nz came up with an Exedy clutch plate and a clutch release bearing so i wanged them in (i gave this a wipe before install) So i could then join the box and block together for the first time in about three weeks I put the old single DMS and manifold on for now as sorting out the sideys manifold is gonna take a while and im sick of tripping over all this stuff and the ute not going. Lunked it in the hole and connected everything up and it started and ran nearly first pop, then it didnt RORRR ROOOOWWW Turns out there are THREE types of head gaskets, this engine (1592cc) being the special snowflake version with the early 80mm bore (shared with the 1438 and 1608cc) and the later bore spacing (this engine is an underbored 1756 (84mm), the 1995cc (84mm) also has a longer stroke ) This is a 1995cc (top) and a 1608cc head gasket(bottom - i used one of these) , seemed cylinder 1 had a massive coolant leak from the front passage due to the fire ring hanging into the cylinder, allowing coolant to pour into the cylinder and cylinder pressure to entre the cooling system. FLIPPING ACE I was so worried about the 1608cc gasket suiting the late model big valve head i never really checked the gasket on the block other than checking the bore diameter So yeah, another order in for a new 1592cc head gasket, and a waste of new oil and coolant. Its even worse that its my own silly fault not checking closely thinking i had it all sorted. GAHHH!

did you over fill it maybe? only really need to pack the bearings (plus a bit for luck), not fill the cavity, thats just weight and wasted grease as theres no friction surfaces that need lubing in there. grease is not compressible so will force its way out under pressure, say as you tighten the nut or the car sits on its wheels for a bit and the weight seats the bearings. Sometimes can get air pockets or small areas (say between the bearing and seal...) that can get airlocked and the grease will splurge its way out. Any cleaning solvent left in there will also mix with the grease and hasten its pathway out Pop the wheel off, have a butchers, give the seals a wipe and wang it back on

Tonight Postie hand me small package from Czech Republic. Is good. Much Excite. Then Disaster. The spindle shafts want to share the same space and i need to get the throttle connection and slave arm in there too Its at least 10mm too close to avoid some form of trimming to the spindle shafts. Spindles touching its 50mm barrel to barrel on the carbs but on the manifold its only 40mm barrel to barrel I wondered if my manifold was a dud one, but nope, same set up with Dellortos on my 125. Pretty dang tight even tho the mounting holes look to have been welded and redrilled a couple mm over (not by me). Wont do anything too drastic untill the manifold studs turn up, and then i can figure the exact amount of clearance ive got with all the gubbins fitted and mount the throttle cable because mm are going to matter. Bloody thing. May end up getting it running again with the single carb first. I just want to make the noise

"no Smoke or anything' Out of oil? (Love your work)

I also received a big box from the mother land (ladapower.com) mostly dress up parts for the interior and exterior New (black!) door handles with locks - im hoping these will fit The windscreen had a chip that has turned into a crack and will need replacing for the next WoF (doe day after Drag day) - i have a spare screen, and now i have a new rubber and a couple of panels if the corners are a bit crusty (lol, 'if'...) The ladapower stuff is cheap, but sometimes its laughably shit. For some reason i got 3 of these winders (they were US$2 each) , each of them have different QA related faults. I also got two interior door handles, both are slightly different and look they they were cleaned up with a spinning rock before being 'chromed'. So i probalby wont use most of the stuff on the inside, but I have jammed the first bit on, black plastic gutter trims (125 ones are stainless) to replace the nothing/old adhesive backing top i assume was from some stick on chrome strips And swapped out the FSO zinc coasted door striker plates for some italian 125 chromed ones and fiddled the door adjustments too. Im jonesing to put the engine and box back in but im waiting on the clutch scenario, and i may as well wait for the carb parts to show up as well. Other jobs i could do while im waiting but dont really want to include: - install the electric fuel pump in the suitable spot under the rear tray (will probalby jury rig it 'temporarily' in the engine bay) - swap out the old leaky heater core for the lada unit i have from my last ladapower order (will ignore for now) - refresh the rear diff/brakes (need to get some toyota ae1xx rear arms to make the linkage arms adjustable to fix up the whack diff pinion angle)

The guy I got the seal from also had one of these Its a quality italian FAVA steering centre link that goes between the steering box and damper, and the steering tie rod ends (2x each side!) bolt onto it. So many ball joints! Meant i could now use the cheap Delphi tie rods i got from Rockauto a while back Old rubbish vs new hotness. The old tie rods were actually ok (the outers at least were replacements) , but the ball joints on the center link (that go into the steering box and damper) were stuck solid. Ive used the straight (and much much cheaper) Lada fitment inner tie rods on my 125 Sedan as well and it seems to make no difference, the 'bent' Fiat ones just have a bit more clearance from the centre link ball joints at full lock. While i was there I also test fitted the larger 132 front brakes, and figured out why my wheel bearing keeps going out of spec. The little lock tab had broken off so the washer was able to spin with the bearing and then act on the nut is there nothing a blob of weld and a flap disc cant fix? Bigger discs fitted too, turns out just the caliper carrier and disc are different from the standard 124/125 stuff, as the calipers are exactly the same. So I dont even need to bleed the brakes, post a brake upgrade, and the top hat thickness negates the need to use the factory 6mm spacers ------ The white Hammerite was chipping off the meshies, so while the fronts were off i sprayed them Actually sprayed a couple of them a few different colours until i settled on 'wheel paint : silver' in a can over a darker (previous coat of unloved bronze) base Added a bit of a mist of highlight to the inside of the mesh from the back