1976 fiat spider project

[Archdukeferdinand]

Hi everyone, i am 17 and recently bought myself a 1976 fiat spider. it is my first car project and i intend to modify it for performance and power. currently it has an 1800 motor. I have some plans for modifying the current engine to increase power, but i also considered an engine swap. are there any good larger engines that are popular in similar projects and are compatible with my car?

[TStark]

You'll shoot your eye out kid

more seriously, cool your jets just a bit and enjoy the car in its current form before getting all steamy over engine swaps. They are NOT trivial. If you aim is to go real fast just get a cheap five-oh mustang to tinker with and save yourself a boatload of headache.

Best enjoy the experience and much to learn of getting your car to run really well, mostly reliable and sorted out.

[btoran]

as far as swapping the engine for another make/model, it's been done, but is a very, very, very (did i say very), involved project with lots of fabrication required.

search the site. there are plenty of ways to jack up the power with the existing engine.

[Nanonevol]

How about some photos?

[joelittel]

Sorry to pile on here but before making it go fast you might want to focus on making it stop.

After that, focus on making it run perfectly.

If you modify it before you sort it out you risk introducing new and extremely frustrating issues.

A well sorted spider is capable of going plenty fast, so like I said up top your first mod should be some new brake parts (pads, hoses, caliper bits etc.)

But don't be discouraged by all of our seemingly negative feedback. We're simply trying to steer you in the right direction so you don't become frustrated and abandon the project. Someone on this forum once said that Spiders are like the girl in the new(ish) 500 Abarth commercials. They are sexy but you are going to get slapped around a little bit.

Search the forum, post some pictures, tune it to stock form and build it up from there and I'm betting you won't be disappointed.

For fun search v6spider and brad302. There are others too, I just don't recall their handles at the moment.

[bradartigue]

99% of engine swaps never see the road.

Why swap a wonderful engine? Learn the car, learn the engine, build it to performance. You'll enjoy and be able to drive the car.

[divace73]

99% of engine swaps never see the road.

Why swap a wonderful engine? Learn the car, learn the engine, build it to performance. You'll enjoy and be able to drive the car.

X2

If people searched on the history of the Lampredi twin they would have a new found respect for the man and his motors, and the Fiat 124 spider is the closest to a mini Ferrari you could get without the massive price tag

[dinosabella]

Hi,

My 77 FIAT was my 1st car (that ran, had a non starting 84 RX7 before)

I thought about making a sort of Italian hot-rod for years, maybe put in the v6 from an Alfa Romeo 164. I would be insane quick and sound like the devil's car. It's been done before to Alfa Spiders so it is doable.

I also considered swapping my engine out for a 5 cyl engine from the FIAT Coupe of the 90s, its an insane engine that is actually based on our Lampredi engine! From memory I think it had 210hp?

But after reading what is involved I decided not to, way to much work, and it will end up costing me a fortune. I have had my car since I was 19 and now I'm 35. If I had to do it all over again I would do it like this;

Find someone to modify your engine properly, maybe massage out 130-150hp? Get a differential pumpkin that wont rev like crazy at cruising speeds (although its fun). To modify it won't be cheep, but compared to what you will pay for all the mods and fabrication of an engine swap you are still saving.

Once engine is done, get a nice freeflow exhaust, (maybe a glasspack) twin webbers, stance it out so it looks good and handles better. Then drive the sh!t out of it. Oh and bigger brakes if you have bigger power.

Have fun, let us know what you do with her