A new Fiat adventure

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mdrburchette
Posts: 5754
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:49 am
Your car is a: 1972 Fiat 124 Sport
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

A new Fiat adventure

Post by mdrburchette »

I've got so many Fiats in the yard, I decided to get one ready for a 24 hour Lemons race in Kershaw, SC http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/
In order to be able to race in the 24 hours of Lemons, you need 4 to 6 drivers, so I was able to coerce Craig (Ga Spider) into driving 4 hours one way to help tear this car down to the bare shell. I also found a few local guys willing to donate their time for some seat time. Here they are getting ready to begin:
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I helped determine which jobs each fella tackled and since Craig is one of my favorites (he stole my teddy bear) I had him drain the old gas and tackle the dreaded filler hose and fuel tank removal:
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Blake and Kevin started on the interior while Ron and Craig worked on disconnecting items for the engine removal:
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Now, don't think I didn't work, but you won't find pics of me since I was the one with the camera. :mrgreen:
We got the engine and tranny out after Kevin insisted on removing the whole gear shift. I told him it wasn't necessary, but what do you do?
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Once everything was gutted from the interior, we fitted the rollcage I picked up from a Fiat racer buddy:
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After fitting the rollcage, we decided to see how we would position the seat to fit someone 6'4" all the way down to someone 5'1". Kevin kinda had a problem with the seat sticking to his rear. Someone suggested he'd have to let gas to blow the sucker off. I'm still laughing over that one:
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1972 124 Spider (Don)
1971 124 Spider (Juan)
1986 Bertone X19 (Blue)
1978 124 Spider Lemons racer
1974 X19 SCCA racer (Paul)
2012 500 Prima Edizione #19 (Mini Rossa)
Ever changing count of parts cars....It's a disease!
racydave

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by racydave »

That sounds like so much fun! ( not the gas ) Wish I could do the same someday! Did you fire up some BBQ?
So Cal Mark

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by So Cal Mark »

Denise, please don't chuck the emission equipment off that motor. We need that stuff here in Calif to help keep our air breathable :|
mdrburchette
Posts: 5754
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:49 am
Your car is a: 1972 Fiat 124 Sport
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by mdrburchette »

Can I go ahead and send it to you Mark? We don't care whether we can breathe or not in tobacco country. :wink:
1972 124 Spider (Don)
1971 124 Spider (Juan)
1986 Bertone X19 (Blue)
1978 124 Spider Lemons racer
1974 X19 SCCA racer (Paul)
2012 500 Prima Edizione #19 (Mini Rossa)
Ever changing count of parts cars....It's a disease!
4babycar

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by 4babycar »

Let me know if you need more manual labor. If I can work it around my girl's schedule, I will gladly come give you a hand. I don't have a whole lot of Fiat experience but I am a fast learner. I am only about 2.5hrs away.
mdrburchette
Posts: 5754
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:49 am
Your car is a: 1972 Fiat 124 Sport
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by mdrburchette »

I'll email you when we have our next meeting. The more the merrier!
Dave, I can hold off on some of this for when you come down if you want to get down and dirty with us. :wink:
1972 124 Spider (Don)
1971 124 Spider (Juan)
1986 Bertone X19 (Blue)
1978 124 Spider Lemons racer
1974 X19 SCCA racer (Paul)
2012 500 Prima Edizione #19 (Mini Rossa)
Ever changing count of parts cars....It's a disease!
rlux4
Patron 2022
Patron 2022
Posts: 4211
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:32 pm
Your car is a: 1982 2000 Spider
Location: Granite Falls, Wa

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by rlux4 »

Dang Denise! Us guys in California miss all the fun. :wink:
Wish I could be there.
Ron
Ron Luxmore
rlux2n2@gmail.com
'82 2000 Spider: after 26 years between Spiders.
pope

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by pope »

Looks pretty cool Denise. Are you sure that the car wont fall apart the first bump it hits. I always thought Rustys were red heads, but that car might change my mind! Good Luck though, should be a great time.
So Cal Mark

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by So Cal Mark »

Denise, please send me whatever smog stuff you pull off :D
mdrburchette
Posts: 5754
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:49 am
Your car is a: 1972 Fiat 124 Sport
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by mdrburchette »

Pope, we're going to epoxy the rusty pieces on so the car doesn't disappear throughout the race. :wink:
Mark, I'll put the smog parts in a dedicated box and let you know how much shipping is when it's ready to come to you.
1972 124 Spider (Don)
1971 124 Spider (Juan)
1986 Bertone X19 (Blue)
1978 124 Spider Lemons racer
1974 X19 SCCA racer (Paul)
2012 500 Prima Edizione #19 (Mini Rossa)
Ever changing count of parts cars....It's a disease!
mbouse

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by mbouse »

five guys, and one gal? betcha had a grand time, 'eh Denise?

looks like craig got the short end of the stick. tuff luck, Craig.
So Cal Mark

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by So Cal Mark »

thanks!!!
jazzguitarboy

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by jazzguitarboy »

Sweet! Looks just like the one we'll be running. I posted up about it on Jalopnik last night, and Murilee replied, "You guys already have a big jump on the Index Of Effluency."

Our progress is at http://scuderiapollofritto.blogspot.com/ if you guys are interested.

You're counting on epoxy to hold everything together? We're thinking plenty of red Loctite and a bunch of patches MIG-welded in place. Paint it with Dollar General spray paint ($1.25 a can) and you're good to go.

Any tricks for removing the triangular front windows? We've got it pretty much stripped, but we're having trouble accessing the bolt inside the door that holds the rail where the glass slides.

What are you doing with the wiring? We're thinking of ripping it all out (including the dash) and rewiring the bare minimum we need. Those spade connectors tend to fail during races. BTW, you can get the required kill switch for $3 from Harbor Freight.

One of these weekends we'll make it out to Winston-Salem to steal that 4-2-1 header and downpipe...

Ben
mbouse

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by mbouse »

jazzguitarboy wrote:Any tricks for removing the triangular front windows? We've got it pretty much stripped, but we're having trouble accessing the bolt inside the door that holds the rail where the glass slides.
no offense, but that should be a P.O.C. removing those vent windows. (Piece of Cake) i think it requires a 1/4" drive 10mm hex socket, and a minor amount of patience. three little 6mm x 1.00 threaded bolts is all. one of the first tasks i ever attempted and accomplished when i began my Fiat hobby was replacing the driver's door vent window. seems the previous owner used it for a grab bar when closing the door.
jazzguitarboy

Re: A new Fiat adventure

Post by jazzguitarboy »

Yeah, it should be. Unfortunately, the bolt is seized and it looks like there's a captive nut on the other side that has broken loose. When you turn it, it just spins. The hard part is figuring out how to get something around the other side to hold that nut in place.
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