My 'new' 1969 Spider

[fiat218]

Great

[leeputmanjr]

After this car was delivered to me on April 22nd, I'd not really had a chance to look at it. Knee surgery one week, started a new job in downtown Chicago the next week...you all know how that 'rush of life' goes.

After sitting untouched for well over three weeks, it fired right up on the first try! Big bonus points for the car, right there. I'll admit, when the car got delivered, I was a bit disapointed with it. The paint was so dull, it looked like a satin finish. The rims looked awful, and the engine bay & trunk looked like someone had attempted a truly awful color change. The rust I'd been told about was (of course!) a bit more serious than advertised. The engine bay was simply filthy ugly. The top had not been installed correctly, and two unique & VERY rare pieces of the car were missing (reverse light & foot pump for washer).

It did. however, come with a 44 year old Pirelli STUDDED snow tire!

On further inspection I determined in fact, it's not rust free, but it's still in damn good shape. One big rust hole on the back side of the front driver's side wheel well (you can almost put your fist through it). It looks to be the panel that was left open in later cars, that houses the front speakers. The rust hasnt gotten into anything structural, nor has it bubbled through to the paint. Looks to be an easy-ish patch-type fix, likely caused by an unattended chip in the undercoating. It has some very small rust bubbles on the rear passenger wheel well, and on the forward corner of the door. Otherwise, it's a very dry, solid car. The shock towers aren't perfect, but are damn good. Respray is at least 15 years old - plenty of time for old shoddy body work to have shown through! Paint is far from perfect, but buffing out nicely. Lots of old overspray. I spent a few hours with my Griot's orbital & 4 stages of machine polish, and the hood REALLY came out well!

Front, after buffing out the hood & cleaning the front rims:


It has a new top, and I think the poor install job can be easily addessed. Mostly, it just needs to have the side cables adjusted & the bows glued on. It has new 13" tires, new timing belt, and NOS bumpers. Original dash is perfect, still soft, no cracks! Center console has some minor cracks. Gauges at first looked to have corroded chrome bezels, but a little elbow grease polished them right up, and they are beautiful! The dash wood is very good. Seats are decent (evidence of previous repairs), door panels good, though missing the stainless strips. Carpet is very worn & faded. Original, unfaded logo seatbelts that are 'aircraft' style! Top boot is in very good condition, it needs new hooks in the inside corners, and the ends of the rear deck clips are digging into the paint, so the boot needs some small patches. The side mirror is incorrect, and in an "asshole" of a position - no way to get visibility no matter how it gets adjusted!

Trunk lid, no polish; and interior:


The engine bay & trunk look truly awful - turns out they were both sprayed with Ziebart. I'm very hopeful that some sort of solvent & elbow grease will cure that. Original trunk mat & wood are excellent. All the lights work, lenses are all excellent. Tail lights are a tad fogged, but chrome housings are excellent, one interior cover is missing (sigh). Reverse light is totally missing, as is the foot pump for the windsheild washer. Heat sheild for battery is missing. Engine runs well, just needs a good tune. No leaks or seeping, but the filthy engine looks sad. Trans shifts well, no gear pops out, but it has a little throw out bearing whine, and a 5th gear whine. I'll change the trans fluid with GL-1, and we'll see how it sounds then. Brakes are awesome. Tool kit & jack are both very good, but missing the ratchet handle (that's TWO of those I need!). Glovebox liner needs replacement (looks like someone gouged access to do a heater valve replacement? Savages!), heater controlls are iffy, and windshield wipers don't work. I noticed an extra wiper motor in the box of extra bits, so the last guy knew something about that! Rubber door seals need replacement, glass is all good, with one chip in windshield.

Engine bay:


The 1438 is a hoot to drive! The choke / carb / throttle response - seems 'gummy'. It'll be good to do a real tune up.

One of my VERY favorite features of the pre-'72 cars are the engine bay lights:


Test Drive:


All-in-all, it's a very good little car. I love these early cars, but I have a one car garage! Not sure what my plans are for it, I just couldnt pass up the deal.

[giuliot60]

Congrats Lee! She's a beauty and will be more beautiful after she's in your hands for a while I'm sure.

Good Luck and keep us posted.