15 years. Jeez, thats as old as my daughter. I had prior post saying it was 5 years, but now its 15, after talking to the owners previous to the seller. Pulled fuel tank out and carb. Gonna start with fuel system, then switch to next area, probably belts (all). Its a 79 spider 2000 with 55k original. Now I know why. 15 years.....

Sorry. seems you're off to a bad start. That is disheartening, I know. I'm kind of experienceing the same let-down, having discovered that the two-liter motor I bought is really an 1800, transplanted to a '79.

BUT: I'd caution you against offending the italian car-gods with too much bad-will. it seems that for me, once I decide I'm gonna keep it, I'd better find a way to love it... 'cuz Italian cars (especially 30 yr old Italian cars) must be loved.

They don't make very good cars otherwise.

Its a great looking car for sitting 15 yrs. On the underside there is a very thin layer of what looks like dried, dried on mud that for some reason preserved most of the undercarriage. I can scratch it off and under it is black paint, not rust. The entire suspension will need loving as well though, everything rubber looks dried up down there. I read your posts on the 1800 motor vs the 2000 and I agree with the fact that you shouldn't worry about the performance end of it, you won't see much diff. I may have not driven mine yet, but my friend had a 73 that had no problems with acceleration. Or just bring your 1800 down to Phoenix and we will swap, lol. Heck, I don't even know the shape of this motor yet, my next chore is to pull the rad out and see if I can spin the crank.

I recently jotted down a quick list of all things rubbery on a spider that it would be good to replace, on a car that has been sitting for a while. The materials cost was not unreasonable; the time involved is not inconsiderable, but fun, and to be expected. In the end, I'm going to take it area by area, attending to the "musts" first, then the "really shoulds," then the "probably ought to's," then the "might as wells."
New tires are the biggest expense. Hoses, belts, joints/seals/gaskets are all pretty cheap.

This where I actually had some luck. Seller had to purchase new tires just to move the car when he bought it. Right size too. Your right though, its a fun little project and I'm looking forward to it. I may not have it on the road anytime soon, but its better than laying on the couch drinking beer all day. (well......)

My '74 had sat for 10 years before I bought it (I discovered after the sale).

I had major problems resulting from rust in the fuel tank. Take the float off the top of the tank and inspect inside for any rust. Ensure your suction pipe still has its mesh net. Install a fine mesh filter in your fuel hose (which you'll no doubt be replacing anyway). If there is any significant rust, replace your tank or coat the inside with POR-15 or similar.

Of course, you'll need to do suspension bushes, brake hoses, fuel lines, check the guibo, new fluids throughout... It will be fun (at least I find it fun!) - just don't expect to be driving the car tomorrow. Take the time to do it right - your safety is at stake too.

az79spider wrote:Its a great looking car for sitting 15 yrs. On the underside there is a very thin layer of what looks like dried, dried on mud that for some reason preserved most of the undercarriage. I can scratch it off and under it is black paint, not rust.

My undercoating looks like that (kind of lumpy old mud caked on).

when I pulled tank the mesh was still there, but will look to replace most of the unit anyways. Looks like black tar glued to it and hardened. So that "mud" was undercoating ? And I thought it was the Nebraska dried mud protecting my bottom...

stupid question of the day: does my 79 fiat spider run on regular gasoline or unleaded ?

Almost certain by 79 everything was unleaded. My 76 ran on regular leaded fuel when it was still available, but the same year required unleaded in Calif.

Yes.



There is no issue with running the engines on either leaded or unleaded. Valve seat recession is not a problem due to the alloy construction.