Attention ‘Body Guys’

[Frog2Spider]

I have an ‘81 2000 that will be going into the paint shop next week. There has been some discussion with the painter about masking the windshield where it joins with the body. I looked this over again last night, and it looks to me as though the cowling ‘under’ the windshield is held in place with screws, and could be removed.
Rather than ‘roping’ under the rubber, and then masking, can this cowling be removed, painted and then easily replaced without any problems?
Thanks,
Dave.

[aj81spider]

The cowling comes out quite easily. It's how you access the wiper motor.

I'd pull it and paint separately. It will make the masking easier and you won't have a line of new paint that could be visible.

[chrisg]

indeed...an obvious masking job there (and, it would be hard for it not to be too obvious if you look for it) is usually one of the (subtle?) indicators a car is a hack job when I'm looking at a 124 Spider for a car or as parts.

[JohnMc]

It is good to take the cowling out - good to look at anyway.
Believe it or not I found a pair of channel locks, screwdriver and roll of electrical tape when I took mine out.
One mine only the six small screws and will pull out (don't take out the bolts as that holds the wiper motor). There is also electrical connection to wiper motor and then the hose to the windshield washers.
Also saw that some starts of rust - took care of it.

[baltobernie]

I'm not sure about your car, but the plastic grilles on older Spiders are easily removed with the cowl off.

Some cowls can be a very snug fit, so make sure you have clearance beforehand as to not damage your new paint during re-assembly.

With the cowl off, this would also be a good time to inspect, adjust if necessary, lubricate, and clean out the cabin intake air box and flap.

[Frog2Spider]

Thanks all,
Just wanted to know if there was any surprises? The car is totally rust free and only getting repainted because the original paint, which was in nearly excellent condition, got attached by some acid rain. This caused very noticeable spots on all the horizontal surfaces.
The shop doing the job is a classic/custom car painter but, he’s never done a Fiat Spider before, and has some questions. As I’d never removed a cowl before, I needed to ask.
Thanks again,
Dave.