124CS20152496

[wetminkey]

Oh my gosh! 21 years of limping around short distances,...now I've fully restored the car to the road! Running, and driving so very nice - I hope to finish the cars' paint this summer.
Grigio metallic, with burgundy interior and black canvas top. 2.0l with DFEV and auto-tranny. I don't believe it has been out of Colorado,...nice car. It will live beyond me.
It deserves a "shout-out",...so here it is.
Todd.

[aj81spider]

Congratulations! That's a big milestone. Clearly a lot of work behind it.

[wetminkey]

Got some pics, but it's still a bit dirty from the county road, after it's first time out after successful alignment:



And Spidey is a bit spotty, due to being readied for paint!

It has survived neglect, terrible previous owners, and a pretty good hit in at least one accident before I got it. My wife even missed the brake and shifted into Reverse one day, hitting the vehicle behind, 'reaction shifted' into Drive, and hit the vehicle across the way,...she doesn't drive it now.
An attempt at alignment failed in October because the lower unibody framerail (where the studs that hold the crossmember are supposed to be affixed) was cracked on both sides. That got it a VERY NICE framerail repair on both sides, and a redesign of the original Fiat design, to copy an Abarth rally cars' modification: "through-bolts",...so the ol' crossmember studs are no more!
The car has a number of nice mods,...like I said, it deserves a "shout-out", just once.
Thank you for looking at my little car!
Todd.

[focodave]

Schweeeeet!!

[rdv]

Hi Todd,
congratulations and a toast to this event! Cheerio!

With your serial no. it's my task to update your entry from 2017 in the worldwide Spider Register! Picture Update from now or after repaint?

Cheers again
Ralf

[wetminkey]

Oh, ralf,...let me complete the "Grigio metallic" base coat/clear coat paint, please. I'm just waiting on proper solvent temps in my 'paint-shop' (and for my cottonwood to be DONE with it's cotton-thing!),...
Thank you for updating my car's registry!! It's pretty much done, at this point, so I expect it to be around longer than me,...
I'm just SO very glad to be able to have 'saved' this abused car in 2000, and to finally have the resources and time to be able to finish the car.
It might be a couple of months before I have the car painted, but I'll SURE be back here with pics - even before I polish-out the clear-coat. It will still look beautiful, as do the finished hood and trunk, right now.

[wetminkey]

Wow! focodave! Thanks for the nice complement! Good to see your post.
I have one more pic that I'd like to share,...under the hood. Looks pretty "sleeper", huh?

[focodave]

Wow! focodave! Thanks for the nice complement! Good to see your post.
I have one more pic that I'd like to share,...under the hood. Looks pretty "sleeper", huh?

Ha! Yes.
But underneath that mild-mannered exterior appearance, we all know the copious torque and horsepower that lurks within -- just waiting to rip up through the twisty canyon roads we enjoy around here.
Let me know when you are ready to take a rip up through Horsetooth, up to Estes, or up through the Poudre Canyon!

[wetminkey]

Thank you, my friend! But, do recall that I'm only running a CARBURETED 2000cc engine, with torque applied by an AUTOMATIC transmission! The MSD will sure be a help once I have it planned and installed in the car! Not sure how soon that will happen,...
But I will SURE let you know when I can manage a meet - I've been 'dying' to for several years now, and my Spider has only been 'limping about' until now,...
Rist is another possibility, BTW!

[wetminkey]

You'll never get to see the lack of rust on this car, now,...the car has been getting prepped in the paintshop for a couple of weeks. The bodywork is done, and I sprayed it with urethane primer today.
I re-aligned the drivers' door a while back. And the car got completely disassembled,...(yuk).
Touch-up bodywork, and touch-up primer, next. Then base coat Grigio Metallico (Silver Birch Metallic),...same paint batch as the hood and trunk that I finished last fall. And, finally, the clear, of course.
More soon. Todd.

[wetminkey]

Urethane primer yesterday:

[wetminkey]

FIVE passes over the bodywork (looking for, and fixing defects) before I spayed the final primer coat yesterday AM. Wetsanded a couple of drip/runs today, and touched up with my small HVLP gun. I'll wetsand the entire car to #400 and #600 tomorrow, and be ready to spray color at first opportunity - when I can apply clear within a week. The weather is in charge,...
I'm getting there, rdv!

[rdv]

I'm getting there, rdv!

I'll be waiting.. I am sure, the result will be great!
Ralf

[wetminkey]

All of the paint gods must have been smiling on me this morning, because I was able to get two coats of color on this morning, with no drips, no runs,...Gave myself an A+ on this one!


And I'm ready for clear coat in the AM!
More soon, Todd.

[wetminkey]

All of the masking is off, now, but the pics I got this morning were just after I finished my very early-morning clear coat: