shifting, what are the numbers?

Just one cautionary note.

The tachs are not always completely accurate. If you listen to the guy who shifts at 7500 but his reads 500 too high and yours reads 500 too low... You and he are going to have different experiences. There's no substitute for getting to know your own car.

But with that said, these are tough little motors with no serious weak points. I take all of mine to redline routinely and have cruised on the highway for hours above 4000 rpm (easy to do in a short-legged 4-speed).
 
wow... you are getting looks from others with stock exhaust and shifting at 4K... Are you driving through a cemetery?

Rip out the cat, and install a tube muffler and headers.. Now that is loud!

You make me want to come drive my car up there just to see the feedback!


 
After rebuilding the head, I started the car for the first time without the exhaust hooked up.

It would have likely been as loud as your set up by the sounds of it :)

M
 
I now want to verify my tach. I ignore it at idle. It says 1500ish, sounds like 1,000 to me and that's where it's set. Higher end seems like it reads low as I'm convinced I need to shift when it says 5500 or so, could be me. My diagnostic tach died a long time ago. Maybe time to get another.
 
When I had my 74

(74-80) - and as I was in my 20's - I redlined on every shift (once warm) on principle. Eventually had a Faza cam and a 40 DCNF and Supersprint exhaust, so every day was the Italian Grand Prix. * 90k, started blowing smoke in serious way; then taught myself more auto mechanics by re-building the engine. Only sold it because of the rust coming through the fenders, thank you St. Louis winters.
 
Tach accuracy is not something I'm overly concerned about in a street driven exxe. Currently the tach in the 74' is non-op due to the MSD conversion and there has not been time or much incentive to make this proper even when the properly calibrated tach is sitting on the shelf.

Rev and drive by engine note and perceived power is good enough. If it bust, an excuse to put a up rate engine in it.


Bernice

jvandyke said:
I now want to verify my tach. I ignore it at idle. It says 1500ish, sounds like 1,000 to me and that's where it's set. Higher end seems like it reads low as I'm convinced I need to shift when it says 5500 or so, could be me. My diagnostic tach died a long time ago. Maybe time to get another.
Click to expand...
 
Rupunzell said:
Tach accuracy is not something I'm overly concerned about in a street driven exxe. Currently the tach in the 74' is non-op due to the MSD conversion and there has not been time or much incentive to make this proper even when the properly calibrated tach is sitting on the shelf.

Bernice
Click to expand...

MSD's have a tach output haha...thats just lazyness, haha, cough cough, I mean no motivation :whistle: ;)
 
For the simple reason that this 1300cc Fiat motor, not gonna bust from over-revving (easy to tell what the power curve is like) and taking out the IC to install that tach is very, very low on the priority list.

Oh, driving by motor note is a GOOD thing.


Bernice


autocomman said:
MSD's have a tach output haha...thats just lazyness, haha, cough cough, I mean no motivation :whistle: ;)
Click to expand...
 
Need a '74 Tacho Bernice?

I have several spares if you need one.

With all the amazing stuff you do, do we need to shame you into taking 30 minutes of your time to change this out? :shock:
 
Kinda like having a radio in the X. Just not that high a priority. The modified 74' tach is sitting on the shelf ready to install. Yes, it would take all of maybe an hour or so..

Just cannot find the motivation to get this did.

Rebuilding the hubs, installing the 38mm rear calipers and Uno Turbo front brake conversion has higher priority.

When the other engine and 5 speed goes in, then the tach will go in too.


Bernice



bbrown said:
I have several spares if you need one.

With all the amazing stuff you do, do we need to shame you into taking 30 minutes of your time to change this out? :shock:
Click to expand...
 
Bella!

6500 rpms is about the tops of what the stock engine will do. Granted, you can run it all day at 7k rpm but you are really not getting much benefit out of it in stock form.

Now, go change the flywheel to a lighter one, slap in a mild cam, say a 35/75 and shave the head a bit and then hold on! For less than 1k you can have a real rocket.

Remember, Italians drive their cars very binary, meaning it is either on or off. The engine is very robust and will last a long time if you take proper care of it (gas, oil and water)

Have fun!
 
:)

Easy to feel the motor run out of steam.. It will rev to 7K easy, but why?
This 1300cc is driven pretty much full throttle on acceleration all the time until cruse speed is reached.


Bernice


fastx19 said:
6500 rpms is about the tops of what the stock engine will do. Granted, you can run it all day at 7k rpm but you are really not getting much benefit out of it in stock form.

Remember, Italians drive their cars very binary, meaning it is either on or off. The engine is very robust and will last a long time if you take proper care of it (gas, oil and water)

Have fun!
Click to expand...
 
When it is warmer out I notice the engine temp sneaking up to just past 190 degrees after driving about 30km, stuck in traffic, stop and go...this is after some more spirited driving...although it seems funny to me to shift at 5500 rpm only to slow down again to stop at the next light a block away...although it does wake up the Honda drivers.

And today, it is only about 12 celsius...and no matter how crazy I drive it is difficult to keep heat in the engine, it drops to just below 190 degrees. once an engine reaches operating temp, it should not cool down should it?

I know my thermostat is marked 180 and I tested it, it opens at 180...it is the wrong thermostat isn't it? should my thermostat be 190?

M
 
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