Model year cycle

[fredguaz]

Does anybody know when the model year cycle started for Fiat Spiders? My car is titled as a 1977 but the door jamb placard states mfg in Aug of 1976.
Thanks,

Fred

[So Cal Mark]

Fiat mostly made running changes, the model year thing is pretty much a US phenomenon

[fredguaz]

Thanks,
What has me even more confused is I read on this forum that 1974 was the only year that had elect fuel pumps other than all FI had electric pumps. Well my car, titled as a 1977 but door placard says mfg. 8/76, has an (after market) electric fuel pump along with a 2 stud rubber mount in the trunk fed by a GRN/BLK wire coming off main harness and Mech fuel pump blocking plate, which leads me to believe that my car originally came with an electric fuel pump. Above the 2 rubber mounted studs are 2 additional studs located just below and left of battery tray, ITH. Can anybody comment on this?

[timspider]

I had a similar issue with a spider I recently bought that was titled 1978, but the door placard says it rolled out of the factory in March of 1977.
So a silly question: Isn't this actually a 1977 model? Or is there some reason I don't know about that would categorize this as a 78 even though it was completed in the first quarter of 77?
If this is a mistake, I'd like to get the title corrected, if possible.
thanks for any help!

[divace73]

I had a similar issue with a spider I recently bought that was titled 1978, but the door placard says it rolled out of the factory in March of 1977.
So a silly question: Isn't this actually a 1977 model? Or is there some reason I don't know about that would categorize this as a 78 even though it was completed in the first quarter of 77?
If this is a mistake, I'd like to get the title corrected, if possible.
thanks for any help!

From what I understand many manufactures made a Model aimed for a specific year, so a car to be released for 1990 will have to be manufactured earlier??
In the state I live in NSW, the car year is when it gets it's compliance ?? I have a '97' Saab that was build in 96.
Also with Fiat that door Jam plat is the US compliance plate and would have to be after date of manufacture. It would have been a great Idea to also put the real manufacture date on that plate as well.
And the cars may have been complied in reverse order as they cam of the ship?

I unfortunately have the door placard missing on my car and only have reverence to the serial number. I've noticed the serial numbers does not follow a logical compliance date. I have a '1980' model as it is fuel injected but judging by my serial number mine is most probably late 79....

[timspider]

now that you say that, it seems pretty obvious. I remember driving, in very late 1977, a 1978 Buick Lesabre, which was indeed a 1978 model but was of course built in 1977.
So is there a way for me to confirm what exactly dictates the model year? So my door placard for a vehicle delivered into the american market says a manufacturing date (3/77), but that date is actually related to the time the car was imported?
So I might have to switch back to saying this is a 1978.
If I can use the placard to get the title switched to 1977, I'd like to.
Better yet, is there a place where I can use the VIN to get a confirmation on model year of a specific vehicle?
thanks again
tim

[divace73]

Better yet, is there a place where I can use the VIN to get a confirmation on model year of a specific vehicle?
thanks again
tim

Hi Tim

If you can find this magical place please let me know, I think it is located in Utopia guarded by unicorns??

Just on the weekend I saw a 1980 FI model type that had a slightly later VIN number than mine but had a late 79 stamp date on the placard. (Keep in mind I am in Australia and spider are harder to come by here)

[vandor]

A model year usually started to be built in June of the previous year.
1974 to early 1977 had electric fuel pump from the factory.

[fredguaz]

[jdssr]

Hey guys, here's a chart I came across while investigating Spider history. Also check out the link to IAP's page for more details. Hope it answers your questions.


Year Model Starting Chassis Numbers CC's Engine Type Fuel Delivery Aspirated

1966 AS 000001 1438 124AC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1967 AS 1438 124AC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1968 AS 0005619 1438 124AC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1969 AS 0010554 1438 124AC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1970 BS 0021861 1438 124AC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1971 BS 22589 1438 124AC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1971 BS1 33950 1608 125BC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1972 BS1 47032 1608 125BC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1973 CS 59592 1608 125BC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1973 CS1 63308 1592 132AC.040.3 Carbureted Naturally
1974 CS1 71650 1756 132A1.040.4 Carbureted Naturally
1975 CS 88792 1756 132A1.040.5 Carbureted Naturally
1975 CS 88792 1756 132A1.031.5 US market
Carbureted Naturally
1976 CS1 99909 1756 132A1.040.5 Carbureted Naturally
1976 CS1 99909 1756 132A1.031.5 US market
Carbureted Naturally
1977 CS 113343 1756 32A1.040.5 Carbureted Naturally
1977 CS 113343 1756 132A1.031.5 US market
Carbureted Naturally
1978 CS 126001 1756 132A1.040.5 Carbureted Naturally
1978 CS 126001 1756 132A1.031.5 US market
Carbureted Naturally
1979 CS2 142514 1995 132CS2.040 Carbureted Naturally
1979 CS2 142514 1995 132CS2.031 US market
Carbureted Naturally
1980 CS0 00171001 1995 132C3.031 Fuel Injected Naturally
1980 CS0 1938507 1995 132C3.031 Carbureted Naturally
1980 CS2 0157654 1995 132C3.040 Carbureted Naturally
1981 CS0 171001 1995 132C3.031 Fuel Injected Naturally
1981 CS2 164089 1995 132C3.040 Fuel Injected Turbochaged option
1982 CS2 1938507 1995 132C3.040 Fuel Injected Turbochaged option
1983 DS0 1967897 1995 132C3.040 Fuel Injected Naturally
1983 DS0 5500001 1995 132C3.040 Fuel Injected Naturally
1984 DS0 5503666 1995 132C3.040 Fuel Injected Naturally
1985 DS0 5506060 1995 132C3.040 Fuel Injected Supercharged option with carburetor

http://www.international-auto.com/index ... 60&acid=30

John D

[vandor]

The '031' in the middle of the engine type does not mean 'US market', it means California emissions.
If it has '040', that means 49-state emissions, and '000' was usually the Euro version with no emissions.

[BEEK]

1972 BS1 47032 1608 125BC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1973 CS 59592 1608 125BC.040 Carbureted Naturally
1973 CS1 63308 1592 132AC.040.3 Carbureted Naturally


the problem of this chart from iap is that i have a 1973 spider that is a 124bs1 vin 0060668
this is after they show the chassis changes to cs,

[divace73]

I don't know of any CS2 cars that were fuel injected??, those numbers do not appear to be accurate, weren't all the turbo's CSO's??

[fredguaz]

Which goes back to what Mark Allison said at the beginning of this thread. Fiat just made rolling changes and didn't have a cutoff point for model years. My car's vin number makes it a 1977 (124CS1 0114XXX), but when it comes to electrical parts, etc. I treat it as a 1976 since it has the stock holdover electric fuel pump, where my 1977 manual says mechanical.
Does anybody know what the last 3 digits of my motor number means? (132A1 040.6, as opposed to 040.5.)

[BEEK]

the .040 part designates for the us federal market. the .5 or .6 is the version, the .4 was 1974 only and has small flycuts, the .5 has small flycuts in the pistons and the .6 had the deeper flycuts, like the 2.0. the .031 designates california emissions. this is correct to the best of my abilities without hours of research.