My "New" 1969 124 Spider

[SeldomSeen]

Here it is finally, after a nearly four year search. The car has a fair paint job with no rust anywhere that I can find, needs appropriate tires (Vredestein 165R-13s are on order from Coker as we speak), The interior is excellent. The engine was completely rebuilt about 1,000 miles ago with Autocross cams, new 34DMS Weber, 9.8-1 pistons, custom exhaust header and Stebro exhaust system. The engine compartment and engine are clean enough to show off. I'm in love all over again!!! My first car ever was a dark blue '69 124 Spider back in '71. I had a car that was the clone of this one from '79-'85. So maybe you can go home again. It came from a private collection of twenty-nine cars. The seller is 70 and just wanted to sell a few cars.

[mdrburchette]

Congratulations on your new beauty! I'm so happy for you. How does it drive? Does it feels that same as you remember?

[SeldomSeen]

Denise:

I could have found every curve, control and feature blindfolded. Deb had a real dejavu moment when she saw me in it since I had a red '69 spider when I met her in 1980. It runs bit rough but I'm sure the Weber needs to be adjusted for my altitude - 5,700' rather than the former 590'. I wonder if that's something I could do. The previous owner had the car for ten years and drove it around town about twice a year. There may be issues with the fuel system. I'll have that checked out by the local Fiat expert. There is a tear in the top. I will order a new one next Fall. I can't wait to get the plates on it.

[spidernut]

Very nice car!

[baltobernie]

Congratulations! Your patience has been rewarded We have friends in Boulder and Ft. Collins; what a great part of the country to drive a Spider!

[WYSpider]

Great looking car. What mechanic are you taking it to? One of the two Fiat specialty shops in Denver resurrected my 1980 after it sat for years wasting away in a garage.

Did they guy you bought it from have any Alfas he was parting with?

[SeldomSeen]

WYSpider: I was thinking about taking it to Tom at Aspen Motors. The other alternative is Apple Motors. Which one did you go to? No Alfas. He has lots of MBs, a Rolls, Pantera and mostly older American stuff.

All: Thanks for the complements. There are some small issues but overall I'm pretty happy with it.

[WYSpider]

Tom at Aspen. Nice guy that really knows the ins and outs of Fiats. He will be stoked to work on an older car in such great shape.

[SeldomSeen]

Surprise! I just discovered that someone dropped a completely rebuilt 1608cc engine into this car! So now I have (IMHO) the best body style with the best engine for the 124 Spider. Oh man, I'm floating ever so slightly above the Earth's surface.

WYSpider: I talked with Tom at Aspen this morning. He said that these engines are usually set with the ignition timing at ~O degrees at sea level (which is where it is from) and that I should reset at 10 degrees or so. I will do this tonight or tomorrow with my timing light. That should get things running well enough for now. He sounded pretty excited about the car too.

[WYSpider]

Do you know how long ago the timing belt (rebuild) was done?

Once you get it on the road take a loop around Apple Valley Road some evening and enjoy the smells for me.

Oh, and you have to come up with a name for your Italian addition

[SeldomSeen]

WY:

The timing belt is on my list of things to check on. Thanks for the reminder.

You must have lived near Lyons. I live on Blue Mtn Rd which is on the other side of 36 from Apple Valley Rd.

Deb, my wife names all of the cars. The Fiat is now Francesca. I kinda like it. Her MINI Cooper S is Lizzy. The MGB is Nigel and the Alfa GTV is Marcello. Next time you're in the area stop in. Oskar's in Lyons makes the worlds best pizza and pale ale.

[fiat218]

what did u pay for that 69

[ga.spyder]

Congratulations on the happy ending to your quest! The car looks great.I thought of you at FFO,as there were very,very few pre-72 Spiders there.I asked one guy if he ever considered selling his.He gave me the look and said "Never"

[SeldomSeen]

fiat218: I paid $7900 for the car which is on the high end. The seller had it advertised for $9900 (temporary delusions of grandeur) but lowered the price after a while. Considering how solid the body, paint and interior are and all of the mechanical rebuilds I am not too bothered about the price. The secondary on the Weber doesn't seem to be opening. I will have it looked into. The timing was way off.

ga.spider: This one will do for now if I can get it sorted out but I'll still keep my eyes open for a blue condition 2+ BS.

[fiat218]

thanks , i was wondering, i bought a 69 damn near perfect myself and paid 8 grand , i love this car, i love driving it way more then the 74 alfa i have
nice car u have