original parts and odd question

[tonys1980124]

So my dad and I had time off together and got around to pulling the motor and transmission from the 76, The motor was seized up , and was that was when I bought the car. being honest it had weeds growing in the motor, but that is a topic or another day. the transmission seems good from what I can tell. I will prolly list the parts im not going to need. like the original timing belt shield made of metal, and stuff. I noticed the starter is the original that came with the car, I will test it later, but thru the many fiats I have had I don't ever remember replacing a starter, I wonder if they will last forever, prolly not... also there is a sticker on the driver door jam that says non-catalyst, but when we took the exhaust off there was a converter on the car, is that normal?

[Boris61]

I suspect what you are calling a catalytic converter is actually the resonator. The converter in fuel injected later models is below the passenger seat area and is bolted to the pipe flanges with four bolts. The 76 likely has a 3 bolt flange. Good luck.

[aj81spider]

I don't know if starters fail much, but when I pulled my engine during my restoration I changed out a working starter for a brand new gear reduction starter. When the engine and transmission are out it's a simple job.

My reasoning was that I was saving some weight, adding some space in the engine bay - and most importantly, given how painful it is to replace a starter - putting in something that would last as long as I owned the car so I would never have to tackle that job with the engine in the car.