Greetings!!
Here's a page with a couple of pix of our "new" 1975 Spider:
http://www.stjohn-family.com/fiat_spider.htm
My first two projects this winter are to find a bumper for the rear (hopefully, not NEW as IAP wants about $1,000 for all the parts ... Yikes!!) and to recover the front seats with the factory correct black. May tackle the back seat as well as it sports a couple of rips. 'Course, if I'm doing that I might as well go ahead and get a carpet set, right?
My other question is ... can anyone ID these wheels (I have 4 of them!!)? I'm looking for a center cap and it's about 60mm across ... too big for the ones listed as fitting Fiat wheels. The rims do seem to come from Italy.
Cheers!!
Ken
First photos of "new" spider & what are those
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HawaiianSpider
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KensSpider
It is a pretty little car. As I have a chance to look around more, I can naturally find more of the "warts."
The Good: I am impressed that everything seems to work. Lights light up, so do the turn signals, interior light goes on & off at the right time, the clock even keeps pretty good time! No obvious problems with the clutch, or gearbox ... shifts very smooth. No real drive line noises either. Brakes are OK, and the paint is shiny. Engine seems OK although the low reading oil pressure concerned me just a tad.
The Bad: Not much. Missing bumper is the biggest thing. Mismatched seats in the front, pretty well worn carpets.
The "Unknown": Although the paint is shiny, it is not the best paint job in the world. Lots of over-spray, and if this baby was light yellow when it left the factory, the shade on there now is not quite an exact match. (I do like the color, I'll just not win any trophies!!) More of a Ferrari yellow ... again, not a bad thing!! I suspect at some point it was hit in the right rear and the repair job was not done by the best guy in town. It's OK ... but there is definitely some Bondo around the wheels. The engine seems to be spraying oil around from somewhere. There's a light coating on just about everything, and when I pulled a spark plug to have a look there was a small puddle of oil around the hole. Supposedly, the car had a new head gasket and all last year ... perhaps something is not torqued quite right? Also, is there supposed to be a cover on the timing belts at the front of the engine? If there is, I'm missing one.
All in all, I consider it an excellent candidate for a part time, sunny weather, fun driver ... which is EXACTLY what I was looking for!!
Cheers!!
Ken
The Good: I am impressed that everything seems to work. Lights light up, so do the turn signals, interior light goes on & off at the right time, the clock even keeps pretty good time! No obvious problems with the clutch, or gearbox ... shifts very smooth. No real drive line noises either. Brakes are OK, and the paint is shiny. Engine seems OK although the low reading oil pressure concerned me just a tad.
The Bad: Not much. Missing bumper is the biggest thing. Mismatched seats in the front, pretty well worn carpets.
The "Unknown": Although the paint is shiny, it is not the best paint job in the world. Lots of over-spray, and if this baby was light yellow when it left the factory, the shade on there now is not quite an exact match. (I do like the color, I'll just not win any trophies!!) More of a Ferrari yellow ... again, not a bad thing!! I suspect at some point it was hit in the right rear and the repair job was not done by the best guy in town. It's OK ... but there is definitely some Bondo around the wheels. The engine seems to be spraying oil around from somewhere. There's a light coating on just about everything, and when I pulled a spark plug to have a look there was a small puddle of oil around the hole. Supposedly, the car had a new head gasket and all last year ... perhaps something is not torqued quite right? Also, is there supposed to be a cover on the timing belts at the front of the engine? If there is, I'm missing one.
All in all, I consider it an excellent candidate for a part time, sunny weather, fun driver ... which is EXACTLY what I was looking for!!
Cheers!!
Ken
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cecat
Nice Spider, Since you mentioned Ferrari yellow and car show. Here are pictures from last weeks car show at the Saugus Speedway in Santa Clarita, CA. The car came in 2nd place for best Foreign, got beat out by a 1932 Jaguar. Just to let you know the Spider was a big hit. I have several classics but the spider is always a winner with it's clean lines and Italian heritage. Have fun. My brother 74 was painted blue, metallic. After looking at it, were going to change the color and go for an Abarth look. Have fun.
Late George
Late George
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ventura ace
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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
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Gerard Del Monte
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KensSpider
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cecat
Thanks
Ken, sorry to high-jack your thread, but I've been known to be a show off. I hope you have a blast working on the spider. I'm not a purist , so have fun making it your own.
Oh by the way thanks Ray, Mark and Alvon- So Cal locals, It's been along time we've been on a run. We need to get together, and not just sit at a park( Woodley Park-Italian Show) every November.
Late George
Oh by the way thanks Ray, Mark and Alvon- So Cal locals, It's been along time we've been on a run. We need to get together, and not just sit at a park( Woodley Park-Italian Show) every November.
Late George