1981 Fiat Spider 2000 - What am I doing!? LOL!!

[jimmycakes401]

My timing belt and bearing are sitting on my work bench. My mini van has been distracting me from my Fiat. It required some extensive maintenance. I was just given an early Christmas present. My father ordered up some Master Series Silver rust paint for me. this means I can start cleaning up the floor, sanding it and prepping it for paint. I can also weld through it, so it's time to fix the three spots on the body that need patch and cut out the rear rocker sections and weld in new flanges. I'm eager to get started again. I was moving a quick pace up until now. I'll need to borrow my father-in-laws space heater for the garage while I work. Starting to cool down here in New England.

[jimmycakes401]

Anyone know what this thing is? Just found it among my parts that the PO gave me. Looks like it might go near the fuel pump or something....

[WYSpider]

That cover goes over your coil.

[jimmycakes401]

Cool. Add that to the list of my engine compartment installation. Thanks!!

[jimmycakes401]

The air flow meter is supposed to have a gasket between the metal air cleaner box and the air flow meter itself right? I can't seem to find the gasket on IAP....

[jimmycakes401]

I guess they stopped making the gasket in 1995... I'm going to make one with a gasket making kit that my father in law has.

Anyone know if it will be a pain if I install all my cooling hoses, T and thermostat thing before I put the fan and shroud on? I can do the hoses this week, but I won't have my fan and shroud until christmas eve when I get them from my uncle.

[124JOE]

yes there is room ot install your fan later

[jimmycakes401]

Excellent. That's what I was hoping to hear.

[jimmycakes401]

Just got some headlamp upgrades for Christmas! Need to do some research on it. They are the Xenon upgrades from what I can tell. I think I need to upgrade the headlight circuits as well.

[jimmycakes401]

So my engine is all together. I really want to start it. But I need to cut out some metal pieces and weld in new ones. Since the tank has been empty for about ten years and it has been resealed I don't want to put any gas in it until I weld the few spots in the rear. It's killing me. LOL! While its sort of cold I should start pealing up the junk on my floor so I can repaint the interior. The floor pans seem like they are in great shape judging by the initial inspection. I even pealed up some rubber in spots I thought there would be rust through, but there's just a little surface rust. Luckily it spent most of its life in a garage or under a tarp. I need a few nice weekends with nothing to do so I can just work on the car a bit. Also need some temps over 36 degrees so I can masterseries the interior. Hopefully things will slow down around here soon.

[124JOE]

as seen on here we use presto wrap,dyna mat,or somthing like that to seal the floor
you could cut a 3" peice and patch your top from the inside untill you get a new top
if you save for a cloth top it will last longest
you can get a vinal one but expect to buy another in 10 to 15 if stored inside
7 to 10 outside

[jimmycakes401]

It's stored inside.

I'm looking into floor coverings.

Chipped off some tar yesterday. Shouldn't be too bad if I get it done before winter ends.

Just got a 30 gallon 6hp air compressor from a friend and ordered a flanger/punch to fix up the couple bad body spots. Can't wait to get working on it again.

[jimmycakes401]

Chipped up some flooring today. From what I can tell, there's not a lot of rust. I'm not going to go CRAZY here, but I do want to remove as much as possible. I used a multitool set to high RPM to zip it off. Then I wiped it down with paint thinner. I have some spots to address still. It took me about an hour to do this. I need to do the other side and the back seat. I will be painting the floor with Master Series Silver and then top coating with Rustoleum Rust Coat.

[124JOE]

looking good

[jimmycakes401]

I know a lot of guys use Protecto Wrap, but I have two questions. How is it as a heat shield above the transmission/exhaust. I read that it really heats up and you need the insulation down there.

Also, as far as VOCs are concerned. It says "outdoor use only" which leads me to believe it off gasses quite a bit. I see they make and audio wrap. Is it also inexpensive? I realize my top will be down most of the time anyway, but it's something I think about.