Note: This page is constructed entirely from material and input of others.
most notably Ray Mcnairy, Dave Shindle, and Mike Pannel
it is under construction and will continue to change!
Credits
(1) Scorpion notes by Ray McNairy (mugwump2@well.com)
Comments on different tricks. Revised: June 17, 1993 Last update: 2nd November 1995
Ray McNairy - mugwump2@well.com
DISCLAIMER
These comments are from my experience and those of others and are provided for information only. No guarantee or warrantee for accuracy or responsibility is given or implied.
1. Do not use American windshield glue on the rear view mirror. The Scorpion glue patch is much larger than U.S. ones and American glue will stress the windshield and crack it. Porsche has a large double sided glue pad that is supposed to work as will some double sticky tapes.
2. C.V. Joints and boots are the same as the 1.5L X-1/9 and usually available used.
3. Rear "A" arms from a 1.5L X-1/9 fit. Remove the Scorpion sway bar brackets from the old arms and weld to the X-1/9 units. Use a 79 or later arm.
4. Late X-1/9 shifters will bolt in but are longer. The X-1/9 hand brake assembly fits.
5. 124 and 131 starters will work if the middle mounting bolt hole is drilled to fit the scorp. Bell housing alignment bushing. Solenoids and brushes also fit.
6. 124 speedometers can be adapted to the scorp mount including face plate but must be recalibrated when the scorp needle is used. You do loose the trip odometer.
7. Front calipers, pads and kits from a late 131 brava fit as do 124 rear pads and kits.
8. A larger "O" ring from a hydraulic supply will stop the speedometer cable drive assy from leaking tranny oil. 2-113 is the "O" ring number. Be sure the tranny air vent is open.
9. In a pinch Ford oil filters will fit. (Fram ph-8, ph-16, ph3600), Fram ph-7's are the original. All Fram's are missing the check valve.
10. X-1/9 brake flex hoses will fit. Braided steel lines are available.
11. The air/heater vacuum control is a Chrysler product with # 58024 stamped on it. Late 131 controls look like they will work but have the labels rotated 90 deg. Dis-assemble and rotate buttons.
12. Rocker type switches can be salvaged by removing the guts from another FIAT unit of the same type. Be careful as the spring will fly out.
13. X-1/9 steering wheels can be adapted.
14. Some Beta and older 124 wiper motors will work. X-1/9,128 and 131 units will not.
15. Some 124 and 131 headlight, wiper and turn indicator switch assemblies will work as will ignition switches. Try carb. Cars around 1975 to 1980. F.I. Car switches might work.
16. Various X-1/9 and other FIAT brake cylinder rubber parts fit as do X-1/9 clutch cylinder parts, master and slave. Parts might not go in the same place.
17. Deck and trunk release levers can sometimes be repaired, call me.
18. If the stock carb. Off throttle solenoid has opened, no idle, remove it and take out the pin valve assy then reinstall, it looks stock.
19. Abs plastic pipe glue works for most of the plastic parts. PVC glue does not.
20. 124/131 xlutch and pressure plates fit. The throwout assembly doesn't. The 124/131 bearing might if removed from the carrier and installed on the scorp. carrier.
21. If the hood is rusting around the air grills, fix asap. The factoryused a open pore foam between the two sheet metal pieces for anti squeak reasons and if they are not sealed by something it will absorb water and not dry out. If you can see it it's bad. Hot tank it.
22. Water behind the seat could be from leaking quarter windows or the rear window. Re-silastic or you might end up with structural rust like my parts car.
23. Be sure all underside and door drain holes are open. Use an ice pick or screw driver to be sure. Stop all signs of rust asap. These cars rust even in Calif.
24. The plastic coating on the belly pan, tunnel plate and the windshield header separates allowing rust to form between the steel and plastic. Hot tank, bead blast and repaint with rustoleum cold galvanize and undercoat or paint.
25. If the car "jacks" at speed on sweepers check the rear ball joint play. The "A" arm must be loaded-car's weight on tire-to get a good check. Any play will compromise handling but 1/8" is max. "A" arm bushings are available, late X-1/9 "A" arms work if the roll bar brackets are installed.
26. Redline synthetic tranny fluid seems to work.
27. I have a supply of 6mm body "plate nuts" for the underside panels. Mr. Metric was the source. They aren't exact but can be adapted.
28. Cutting off the bottom 6" of the timing belt cover makes replacing the timing belt easier. Do not do it unless you have the belly pan which you need anyway for proper air flow.
29. A little "P.M." On the window regulators will save these irreplaceable parts. Remove, clean and lubricate every two years. Late X-1/9's and 131's use the same basic design and might be adapted.
30. If the windshield wipers flop chances are that the spot weld fixing the idler is broken. Remove linkage assy. And fix with a sheet metal screw or a tack weld.
31. To save the wiper motor, take the park switch assy apart and drill a 1/16" drain hole in the plastic case. The park switch will rust from entrapped water and break. Betas use the same switch assembly and it is usually good as it is on top of the motor when installed.
32. The clutch slave cylinder flex hose is no longer available. An X-1/9 hose will fit but is too short and requires a splice using 5/16" steel line. This is a low pressure system but use flares on both ends to be sure. The hose should be available from another application.
33. Various other fiat steering column plastic covers fit. Try a late X-1/9 or 124
34. G.E. hi temp silastic works great as a gasket sealer for seal holders, cam tower covers, pan, and water gaskets. Use a thin coat on both sides of the gasket and do not over tighten the thick pan and cam cover gaskets as they will extrude.
35. If your Ansa or other exhaust system does not have a heat shield, make one. Without it the right inside cv joint fries. You do not need much and it can be welded to the header pipe as long as there is an air gap between the shield and the header.
36. Loose forty ugly pounds. If you do not use the air conditioner, remove it and plug the hoses for later use if desired. Without the compressor and condenser, servicing and airflow are improved. A late 131 or aftermarket rotary compressor is the trick solution.
37. For easier stock wheel installation, use another alignment stud instead of the bolt that holds the brake disk in place.
38. Easy installation of an oil temp sending unit is in the pan drain plug. Use one of the magnetic ones that have a male hex, remove the magnet and drill and tap for 1/8" pipe. Most gages have sending units that fit 1/8" pipe.
39. So you will not get frustrated when installing interior door panels, slit then slip a piece of plastic sleeving over the lock rod and silastic vertically under the knob.
40.When replacing the stock fuel pump with an American unit use a pressure regulator set to 2-3 psi. Webers like lower pressure than the 6 psi usually set for U.S. cars.
41. To recalibrate the oil and fuel sending units, use a radio shack 10k potentiometer from the sending unit wire to ground. Adjust for zero psi oil pressure with the ignition on and the engine not running. Remove and measure the pot and install a 1 watt fixed resistor of the measured value-approx 2k ohm-in the same position. Fuel units require that you know the tank level and full seems to be the best place to start. If both gages read low check the ground connection; it's double nuted at the rear right AC. assy. mount.
42. Do not reengineer (kludge) the wiring. Fix it as it isn't hard to understand
43. Msd "cd" ignition systems work really well. You must use all their tack tricks.
44. Bosch WR5DP plugs are fine for higher than stock compression engines. Stock compression should use the recommended WR6/7DPs. I recommend using solid core wires.
45. When the engine is apart, remove the fuel pump cam from the aux shaft (lathe or hacksaw and grinder) tap and plug the oil hole. No more timing the aux shaft or #2 rod interference. Be sure the plug does not block the oil hole for the rear bushing. Peen over the plug hole. This cam is an artifact from the mechanical pump days.
46. Shifting still sloppy even after replacing the linkage bushings? the transaxle lever ball joints are probably loose. Remove both levers and weld. You will be amazed at how crisp the shifting is. Also check all linkage ball joints as they are only riveted down. Weld as required. Readjust everything as required. If the shifter moves in a slight curve between gears, fore and aft, something is loose.
47. Do not use a fork to separate ball joints or tierod ends that must be reused as the rubber seal will be damaged. Use a small tierod puller.
48. Poor performance? clean, check and lube the distributor advance system. Eurospec. cars are timed at 13 degrees btdc with the same curve as our smoggers.
49. Left and right headlight buckets are interchangeable. The pivot shaft has to be removed and reversed if you need to install one from the other side.
50. Brava side marker light lenses work. Housing gaskets do not look right because of different body contours.
51. Rear X-1/9 toe out/in link rod ends work and seem to have the same bushing specs.
52. If removing a spring coil bend the spring to fit the strut mounting pad or else the strut rod will bend and bind. I feel that removing a whole coil is too much but you decide.
52. I have not tried but think that some FIAT X-1/9/124 upper strut hardware will fit.
53. If the spare tire is in the original position use a smaller tire and tie it down or use a wing nut and some running thread thru the center hole to prevent it from slipping into the tail light housing in the back grille and breaking the grill mounting studs.
54. Chrome on the tail light housing peeling? sand off and paint semigloss black. Looks fine. There is a place in texas that advertises in hemmings which replates plastic parts.
55. Use ceramic or glass fuses as the plastic ones seem to warp with age which lowers the holder tension. WD-40 and rotate fuses in their socket once a year to remove corrosion.
56. Check the quarter window air vent grille nuts as they vibrate loose and the grille falls off. I use a blob of silastic to hold them. Be gentle or the plastic will break
57. Do your passengers get hot or cold feet? the firewall hole for the air cond. Return line should be blocked with a piece of flat rubber-truck inner tube-silasticed to the firewall under the foam insulation behind the boot rug.
58. Anti seize compound on the spark plugs and caliper wedges help. Don't use much!
59. When redoing the cam end plates be sure to check that you have enough end play. The wrong gasket will bind the cam and strip the belt with the usual valve damage. I drilled a hole in an old end plate so I could use a depth mike and be sure. End play can be adjusted by using different gasket thicknesses. Bernie & I found out the hard way. Welding an extension on a stock fiat intake end plate and machining flush works better than the stamped steel plates for blocking the intake tower air pump oil seal drain hole.
60. I have had excellent luck with head gaskets by torqueing the head bolts to 65 ft-lb. In three steps 35-50-65 ft-lb with a new gasket. Do each bolt in sequence then repeat to the next value. Warm the engine to temp-rad.Fans on-and turn off. Wait 8 hours min. Then retorque. I do one bolt at a time, in sequence, and completely release the torque then go to the 65 ft-lb spec. A 24 hour wait is better. Retorque a cold head at 5-7000 mi intervals; cheap insurance but check the cam belt as it could loosen and retard the cams.
60. Some Webers-36dcd's-have the fuel supply line pressed in and it can vibrate loose. Check it and press in further with a "c" clamp but not far enough to restrict fuel flow.
61. "Oberg" micropore reusable oil filters seem to work quite well and can be installed at the rear of the block. You can clean it and see what kind of chips your engine is making without removing the belly pan. Use the one for V-8's for less pressure drop. Ford remote filter adapters fit the block for remote filters and/or coolers.
62. Air pump injector plugs? find a 124/131 in a junk yard, remove fittings, drill and tap for allen head set screws-1/2 x 5/16 nc or nf. Makes the plugs look almost stock
63. When installing a voltmeter, use a small relay and a wire from the battery or the drop thru the ignition switch will give a lower reading. Install a fuze, close to the battery, inline with the wire. Use a seperate ground.
64. Aux. Shaft bearings that do not require line boring are available. Most shops say their hot tank will not hurt the aux. Bearings but all do some damage and the shaft will knock at idle due to excessive clearance.
65. Electric window lifts sound like they are straining? it could be the main drive bearing and dirt in the track. The bearing is not a sealed unit just shielded and traps water then rusts. Sealed units are available from your friendly bearing supply. The bearing is a lot cheaper than a new unit even if you could find one. 6201 Is the bearing no.
66. Porsche 924 wiper arms with the 1" dog leg fit and will give a little more swing to the drivers wiper arm.
67. Swap the seat cushions to equalize wear.
68. Secure the plastic air tunnel duct to the underside of the body with plumbers tape to prevent loss after you hit a speed bump with the front valence panel. The duct is required as too much rain water gets into the tunnel from the front wheels if it's missing.
69. Comment on electrical problems; most that i have found are with bad grounds. Check the ground first especially if two or more things seem to be going south. A sudden change in the normal gage readings is typical of a bad inst. Cluster ground. One of the main grounds is in the engine bay and tied to the plastic tail light housing, bad show. Attach to the metal body structure with a sheet metal screw.
70. Trouble unscrewing the speedo cable? next time you have the cluster out, cut the cable hole bigger. No big deal and it helps people with big fat fingers like mine.
71. Always go to wheel aligners who use 4 wheel setups. Older non-computerized two wheel systems do a poor job on the rears as the body cannot be squared to the wheels and the car ends up driving like a crab and is hell on tires. Again, I learned the hard way.
72. Scorp's are typical FIAT products so that most mechanical parts are usually common to other models or manufacturer's.
73. Been talking to Bernie Benz who has some really clever solutions to all sorts of problems. I'll list these and you can call Bernie for details. He has fixed the air conditioning so it works like it should and figured out how to get the brake boost to the rear wheels. He has a bulletproof fix for water pumps and found a VW-TRW#83148-puck that fits the motor mounts plus having a fix for the electric windows and several other neat tricks. He also has a source for door detent springs and knows how to rebuild struts and the brake booster. His phone is 415-854-4907 and he seems to love Lancias.
74. One of FIAT's tricks used for for smog compliance is the relationship between the teeth on the cam gears and the alignment holes. For aftermarket gears and go daddy cams be sure to check with your supplier as to what is correct if you do not degree the cams. If you have to jockey the gears to get the teeth to mate with all the slack on the tensioner side it's probably wrong. Most cams are aligned at about 15 deg before and after the drive pin-exhaust/intake. Doesn't our gummint love to help us? fi brava gears give euro timimg.
75. Install a 18" wiper blade on the drivers side for more coverage. It makes a difference.
76. For those of you who have installed fuel injection, Road and Track tech tips says that there are two basic types of ox sensors,1 & 3 wire. They state that Ford units work and are only$20-$30ea. Not the $90 FIAT wants. Bosch and Nippondenso are the only manufactures.
77. Check the transaxle C.V. flange drive nuts. They do come loose; special socket required.
78. 1979 On X-1/9 front and rear wheel bearings fit but the ones fiat supplies for scorp.'S were supposed to be stronger. Could be that what they list now is the same.
79. Loose rear or handling flakey? check the removable rear cross member for cracks. Re-enforce and weld as necessary. It is a weak design. Ed/caribou had exchange ones.
80. Front end float at speed? a front spoiler helps as does one size smaller front tires.
81. Late X-1/9-128 lower front control arms will fit.
82. Dis-assemble, clean and lub. The original gas cap. They are unavailable. All it takes is undoing the large lock ring on the inside. There is a spring so be careful. Always lock it as they have been known to develop legs and the replacements do not have the cone sides. Iap, in va. Has a cap that fits an Alfa GTV-6 that is identical and fits except it has three spokes in the center instead of the scorp. bar.
83. Check the condition of the large insulation filled heat shield in the engine bay. It collects water and causes the underneath surface torust. Remove it if you don't have the cataylic. With the cataylic leave it alone. Do not try to seal it as it might catch on fire.
84. I have a list of TRW suspension and other parts that fit. They are cheaper than FIAT.
85. If you have to remove the crank pulley while the engine is in the car, cut a 1" hole in the inner right fender well so a socket and impact wrench can be used.
86. A 1/4" drive allen wrench, a 6" extension and a 1/4" ratchet make removing the C.V. joints painless and quick but still messy.
87. Do not over torque the cam covers. You can break the tower bridge with expensive results plus the gasket will extrude and leak. If a stud thread is stripped, there is more metal available for retaping deeper in the bridge. Red loktite or jamnut in place.
88. When installing a 2l Beta block, the upper front engine mount boss has to be cut 7/8". .823, On mine, needed to be removed from the top mount boss and the boss redrilled. The iron web between the two lower mounting stud boss's must be ground flush with the block or the scorp. front engine mount plate will not fit. Call me for how to details. Most late FIAT blocks will work as is but check the position of holes(studs) for the front mount plate.
89. Any late FIAT remote thermostat will work. Be sure it's installed correctly. It will fit backward so check it out. Very slow warm up then overheating is a sign that it's in backward. I have been told that there are two types. Install with the heat sensor in the rear facing water pump output hose not in the head tee hose.
90. Beta two liter oil pump gaskets fit 1.8L scorp's. 1.8L FIAT gaskets do not.
91. Momo p/n 211121.4012 Is the correct steering wheel hub for scorp's. It's not available from Momo-America but somebody might have some.
92. Late Beta inline electronic distributors can be adapted to the scorp intake cam tower. Mine has 50k mi on it with no leaks or problems, call me for details.
93. Fuel injected Beta intake cam covers fit and do not have the egr valve mounting boss.
94. Brava-131-adjustable steering columns should work without major modifications.
95. Tach sticking? Good chance the two nuts holding the torque motor to the P.C. Board are loose. I've had three apart and all had vibrated loose. Use loctite on the nuts.
96. Easy access to the turn indicator flasher if you do not have speakers installed is to unscrew the hood release lever assy. And now you can peel the carpet back.
96. Head lights dim? install headlight relays in the battery box; easy and a real help.
97. Beta 14 x 5.5" Wheels can be used. The offset is 5/16" different but owners, including me, report no bearing problems. Shankle has 1/4" spacers for the alfetta that give an almost stock offset. Spacers require longer wheel bolts-avail from bbs.
98. I have B. Benz's directions and parts list for re-building stock struts. Send sase for a copy. It is a very good, easy to follow complete "how to" article with U.S. numbers for parts.
99. A X-1/9 radiator fill tank can be adapted; it is smaller, use the metal one.
100. Some late brava fuel tank filler hoses can be trimmed to fit.
101. When bouncing the rear end if the strut shaft moves in the mount at all the rod has punched thru the upper mount hole. Weld a 1/2" SAE washer over the hole. File for rod sholder fit.
102. Velcro/silastic works great for holding down the trim panel under the rear window.
103. 65 Amp. Bosch alternators work with no wiring changes except removal of the old regulator and taping up the associated wiring. Wire per brava schematic and check pulley diameters.
104. The Lancia tech manual mis-printed the rod bolt torque spec; should be 47 nm-35fp-not 74
105. Late X-1/9 clutch slave cylinders are the same as scorp's.
106. Run the engine when bleeding the brakes so the booster will work if you still have one.
107. A bungee cord from your garage ceiling will hold the engine lid in the vertical position for a lot better engine access.
108. All coolant hoses are hiding in hoses for other cars. Match up at a parts house.
109. Oil pressure low and dropping too much when warm? the diaphram on the sending unit cracks and allows oil to get behind it. Get several from a junk yard as all FIATs except 850's use the same sender. Some do not have a wire pig tail.
110. Ed/caribou says that the original scorp. Valves were larger than the normal twin cam ones but all current fiat replacements are the smaller ones.
111. Sloppy accell pedal? have your machinist replace the nylon sleeve with a bronze bushing. Works great and might work on the clutch & brake pivot also.
112. "Electronic" turn signal flash units work well and overcome the "old italian electrics" syndrome, es-13c is a pin for an electronic replacement.
113. Horn slow to sound? kragen has a bolt on replacement that has a sealed compressor.
114. Randomly blow the fuze #2 during the winter? check voltage drop across the wiper switch and replace if there is more than a 1/2 volt drop with wipers running in slow.
115. The cars are very sensitive to front wheel bearing condition; check and replace if there is any noise, roughness or wobble.
116. Fiat 128 steering rod ends work but require machining as they are too long.
117. Front strut pivot bearings are unique. Trying to find a replacement.
Next; you tell me please? caribou has tops and repo hood/deck release levers. Save all cores for rebuilding as someday they might be all that's available.
(2) Scorpion Schematics by Dave Shindle The wedge shape and neat
aerodynamics made my matchbox scale Lancia Stratos racecar my favorite toy as a
child. After graduating from college (and matchbox cars), I saw a Lancia Scorpion
advertised in the local paper and made arrangements for a test drive without a clue
to what a Scorpion was. It ended up being a roadworthy project car. I bought it and
drove it for a summer. Sports cars were familiar to me as I drove a Triumph Spitfire
in high school and a very modified Saab Sonett III through college and to my first
Freak-Out. The Saab would run circles around the Lancia, so I stripped the Scorpion
with the intentions to modify. Many car enthusiasts frown on modifications, but this was
a Scorpion, not the originally designed Montecarlo; so I feel like modifying it in
Montecarlo fashion is more original than a Scorpion anyhow. The following are my top
dozen Scorpion modifications which may interest X-19 and 124 owners as well. 1.
Reduce the weight. Weight is the biggest enemy of performance as it effects acceleration,
braking and lateral movement. At 2490 lbs the stock Scorpion is a lead sled. Weight can
be reduced by upto 400 lbs without much problem, especially if you can get around emissions
and live in a climate bearable to not having A.C. or as in many cases, the A.C. doesn't
work anyway. My car weighs under 2100 lbs and includes some extra items like an oil cooler,
twin carbs, and fire suppression equipment. Use Montecarlo bumpers, either Montecarlo
euro-headlights or Beta dual headlight conversions, replace the very heavy stock seats with
racing seats, replace troublesome power windows with manual window regulators, and so on.
If the A.C. is removed, use an aluminum oil filter housing which is 13 lbs lighter than the
cast iron original and remove or rewire the A.C. fan on the radiator to run with the cooling
fan. Weight removed from the engine itself will put less strain on the rear crossmember,
probably the most integral part of the car with such a vital role I will include as my next
modification. 2. Reinforce the rear crossmember. These commonly rust from the inside and
crack causing a drifting sensation at speed, uneven tire wear and the transmission popping
out of gear. Begin by treating the inside with a rust inhibitor, then fill the inside with
household foam insulation which when dry will add strength and prevent water from getting
inside. Lastly, weld 1 ½ inch metal strips to the front and back. 3. Relocate the fuel tank
to the luggage compartment. This mod is a little extreme but provides a better front to rear
weight ratio, easier engine access and room in the engine compartment for "go fast goodies."
I mounted a 15 gallon fuel cell, the fuel pump and a variable fuel pressure regulator up
front and still have room for a small weekend bag and my tools. I mounted the fuel pump to
the front bulkhead near where the brake and clutch lines come into the luggage compartment.
I added a toggle switch to the fuel pump sticking back through the bulkhead so the switch
is above the pedals. Thus I now have an anti-theft/ fire protection kill switch I can reach
from inside the passenger compartment but hidden from would-be car thieves. The variable fuel
pressure regulator is a great modification as allows adjustment at the turn of a knob which
can help when tuning the engine or to better your gas milage while driving around town but
allow you turn it up for days at the track. Be sure to vent the fumes to outside the luggage
area. I located an oil cooler where the fuel tank originally was located. Don't be surprised
when the gas station attendant runs over to see why you're pouring fuel in your trunk. If
you prefer not to make this modification you may still wish to increase the weight over the
front wheels as Scorpions are notorious for front brake lock up partially due to the poor
front/rear weight ratio. Other ideas are carrying your spare up front or filling the luggage
compartment with extensive stereo equipment. I also bolted a plastic battery box like those
RV trailers use to the luggage compartment floor. I no longer have to worry about battery
acid eating my battery storage area but also lowered and centered the weight of the battery.
4. Upgrade the brakes. Remove and bypass the brake booster by installing a bypass line
between the master cylinder and front brake lines in the luggage compartment. Then install
metallic brake pads and steel braided brake lines. This setup provides adequate braking
efficiency while eliminating front brake lockup. You'll notice the brake system is much
easier to bleed without the extra 15 feet of brake line. Also, opt for 14 inch or larger
wheels to use larger rotors and dual caliper brake setup as Series II Montecarlos. 5. Lower
the suspension. The Scorpion's suspension springs raised the car about an inch higher than
the Montecarlo to meet a U. S. federal headlight requirement; the raisable headlights added
the other necessary inch. The taller ride height should be maintained if you plan to rally
or 4X4 (just kidding) your Scorpion; but for performance, adding Montecarlo springs and Konis
help enormously. Cutting the stock springs is the cheap alternative but since the spring
rate remains the same, bottoming out is likely. I've been told that removing 270 degrees
of coil effectively lowers the suspension. I haven't had any problem with tire clearance
with the Montecarlo springs and tires as large as 205x55VR14. Air dams and any speedbumps
in your neighborhood should be considered before performing this modification. 6.
Rust protection. Regularly check the seals to all windows as they tend to leak allowing water
in to rust out the floorboards. The glued in glass is also meant as part of the structure of
the car. Undercoat the entire bottom and inside the wheel wells by removing the front wheel
well's plastic liner, apply the undercoat and then reinstall the liner. If your Scorpion does
not have the plastic liners, find a pair to install. I believe the liners are the reason the
front wheel arches don't rust as terrible as the rear which came from the factory without
liners. Make certain the drain hoses from the area where the wiper motor and brake/clutch
reservoir bottles are located do not get clogged. I recommend removing the aluminum board
from above the exhaust area as they tend to hold gobs of water. Lastly, get a quality paint
job as paint technology is better than that original paint and will offer better protection.
I sprayed my Scorpion with zinc chromate prior to paint. 7. Enginuity. My term for referring
to ingenuity and engines. The stock Scorpion came with a meager 81 horsepower which leaves
lots of room to improve. Common modifications include a 2000 cc block conversion, fuel
injection or twin carbs, turbocharging, Volumex superchargers, high compression pistons,
performance cams and cylinder heads, Ansa or Primaflow exhaust systems, electronic ignition,
adjustable cam wheels, lightened flywheels, removing the extensive emission control devices,
adding oil coolers and so on. Guy Croft and Phil Ward each have written detailed books on
Fiat and Lancia twincams which can be considered tuning Bibles. My engine features twin 45
DCOE Webers with velocity stacks mounted to a Guy Croft intake manifold. 8. Internal 74
degree Centigrade coolant thermostat. Early twincams had them installed but were changed to
the external version after installation of emission controls. This was to help prevent
thermal shock which can cause blown head gaskets but with the emission control devices
removed or copper head gaskets installed, this modification eliminates extra hoses and
clamps. I cut the "T" off the original thermostat housing and welded on a 90 degree pipe
fitting pointing towards the front of the car. By using steel braided hoses, a screw on type
hose fitting and not bothering to install the timing belt cover, I can easily inspect or
change the belts or the waterpump. I tapped a small pipe fitting into the thermostat housing
right above the thermostat for the hose to the overflow tank. By using steel braided hose,
I was able to route the hose to the water pump behind the strut tower for easier engine
access. 9. Aluminum oil filter housing. The original cast iron oil filter housing includes
the
mount for the A.C. compressor. With the A.C. removed, a much lighter (13 lbs difference)
and smaller aluminum oil filter housing may be used. It allows the alternator to be mounted
in a lower position to allow room for bulky intake devices such as twin carbs. The smaller
housing allows better access to the engine, particularly the timing belt and starter. Note
that the fan belt will now be very close to the timing belt tensioning bolt so take adequate
precautions. The oil filter will point in a different direction but there was enough room in
my installation between the housing and oil filter for a sandwich plate for my oil cooler.
10. Electrics. Scorpions came with Magneti Marelli 40-45 amp alternators with separate
voltage regulators. By updating to the Bosch 55 amp alternator favored by later Fiats, you'll
get more juice so additional electrical gizmos like fog/axillary lights and deafening stereo
systems can all run on a rainy night along with your wipers without your headlights going
dim. These alternators have built in voltage regulators that eliminate the old voltage
regulator and it's wiring. I was able to remove what seemed like five miles of wire from my
Scorpion. I found that there were many electrical do-dads I could do without and by only
leaving the essentials, I greatly simplified the electrical system. One recommendation is
to ditch the fuel pump relays. They are wired to the oil pressure sensor and won't allow
the car to start without proper oil pressure. It is a nifty safety feature for your engine,
but they commonly go bad and won't allow your car to start period. I wired my fuel pump
directly, keep an eagle eye on the oil pressure and no longer worry about being stranded or
spending hours trying to determine why the car won't start. Document any changes on a copy
of the original wiring diagram. 11. Interior. Remove the ashtray/lighter/hazard &
defrost switches from the center console and add decent gauges there. Those original gauges
are just too strange and sometimes unreliable. Relocate the switches to the trim around the
emergency brake if you have manual window regulators. Relocate the lighter somewhere else
if you intend to use it to plug in a radar detector or emergency/map light. Definitely,
replace the original steering wheel and shift knob with nice aftermarket ones. Also, by
adding safety harnesses, the Scorpion gains a racecar appearance. I used TRW Sabelt
harnesses and found the hardware has the same thread as the bolt holes in the body the
original seatbelts used. Easy installation. If you opt for aftermarket seats, be very
careful drilling the mounting holes. The coolant pipes under the car are offset towards the
passenger's side and repairing one under the car takes a dictionary of four-letter words,
some knuckle-skin and at least a couple days. I also added a floor pedal set for that racecar
appearance. 12. Miscellaneous rambling not covered elsewhere. 76 & 77 differ in several
different ways which may lead to problems when obtaining parts. Most noticeable of course
is the glass rear buttresses but also 77's have a carpeted lining on the inside of the
luggage compartment lid, have different roof latches and amber rear turn signals. All
Montecarlos had the amber lenses. If you order parts from a European source as there are
a couple good sources there, specify by left or right sides as opposed to driver's and
passenger's sides or you will not get the part you need. I hope owners find these helpful,
interesting or amusing. Questions and comments welcome. Dave Shindle 8121 Cottage St. Dunn
Loring, VA 22027. Dshindle@wmata.com (703) 204-9559