New update
A lot of things happened since the last short update... The biggest thing of all is that I found a lot of pictures back. So the last update wasn't "little" at all, but with no pictures it simply wasn't interesting at all to read the whole topic. But oke... enough self-critism for now, things happened and we move on, so now... NEWS,
The clutch finally arrived a couple of days ago, so I could build the truck back together! I'm very very pleased with it, and if you look at the pictures, it was about time that it could use a new example. I waited for it for months now, because they first send me the wrong one, then it was holiday, after that the company who made the clutch didn't let hear anything. And of course it was very hard to communicate when they don't speak dutch and I don't speak Italian.
At the other hand that is the "sport" of buying something that almost nobody has, and search for hours to find the right parts, or compare it with different types of Fiat. And still then, I have ordered lots of things that are slightly different, or parts that doesn't fit at all... Enough text, it's time for some picca's of the 615.
A picture of the old and the new pressure plate:
A zoomed in picture of the pressing-fingers of the plate. The old ones were so thin, you could bend then with one finger! I'm sure that one didn't hold it for one more week.
After cleaning the flywheel and degreasing it, it was time to screw it all together. The contrast of the old patina stuff in combination with the brand new clutch is enourmous! The grease underneath the clutch on the chasis is another project, so don't worry, it is going to be oke. It could take some years, but.....
Clutch is mounted,
After that it was time to get the gearbox back in place, after about two months. In one of the updates befor I already degreased it, so it was a pleasure to work with it now. I bought a new part for the speedometer, but it doens't fit. That part needs some extra research before buying another example of it.
Rolled the gearbox back under Luisa,
And it is going skyhigh to re-arrange it with the engine, for -I hope- again a year or 50,
I took some things apart in the interior so it was way easier to work on the gearbox from inside the 615. That's one more thing I love about old cars. They really really thought well about how to make it easy for a mechanic to do a reparation, and creating space without removing lots and lots of pieces.
And the gearbox is in,
It is all mounted back by now, except of the hydraulics of the clutch. I'm waiting for some new swivels for this. So I can not test the clutch by now.... but I think it's going to be oke with all the shiny new stuff that is already mounted now. In the meantime I also changed the bushings of the shift-linkages. The pieces were very cheap, but the effect was huge! When I bought it, the space between bushing and the actual linkage was about 1 centimeter. There are three or more of these bushings per linkage, so I don't have to tell you guys that it was almost impossible to shift the gear up or down.
I made a picture of the old bushings, and the new ones.....
And in the mounted position it looks like like this,
After that it was time to finish the brakes. Most of the renewing was already done, but I needed to change the master cilinder, because it was leaking. So after a worldwide search for a couple of weeks to find the good cilinder, I ordered it at the local carstore It was way easier to get there in the beginning, but oke... why do it simple when there is a hard way....ahum ahum....
Look at the size of it, it is really a MASTER cilinder,
Did a quick zinc-cover to keep the first rust away, and made a picture to compare it with the original old one, before mounting it underneath the car,
So except the brakelines everything of the braking is brandnew or at least replaced with some new parts, so it was about time to get the new brake fluid in.
Oooh, for the sharp viewers here on Retrorides, I also changed one of the steering ball-joints.
Wheels on (still jacked up, it isn't a 4x4 )
Hopefully the new clutch swivels arrive this week, then it is time to take the 615 to the dutch RDW to get a dutch license for it.....But that is for the next update