1979 Fiat 124 "Alessandra"

[brandonjayy]

as i said before in the welcome topic, i bought this car for $900 off craigslist from a member here, Tonys1980124

I'm 17
I have no mechanical knowledge, so i'll be asking a lot, hoping some of you guys can help!
I only know some of the basics, but i manage. To me, this is one big puzzle, asking me to take her apart and put her together, cleaner, faster, stronger



I have a 1965 Mustang in the process of being restored by professionals, it was too big of a project for me, it was actually my fathers, but he passed and left it to my sister, who's 20. She wanted it but showed no real interest in restoring it, or learning stick shift. so i asked my mom if we could have it restored elsewhere. I don't need a fast car, because i have my Pony car, real horsepower

I'll post pictures later, but "Alessandra" is already pretty sweet, i love my little Spider, but i hate it at the same time.

[RRoller123]

Take your time, be patient, and learn, as we all have done and we all continue to do!

[brandonjayy]

/photo32/fe/c6/f2bfbfcf792c.jpg

The Beauty, missing her driver side turn signal.

[brandonjayy]

Couple of rust holes on the floor.

Right under the gas pedal


Clutch corner


Behind the driver side


Right under where i sit, on the left rail
i feel like i'm going to fall through on day!


And last, (that i know of)
is hidden behind the back seat, that won't stay up.




More pictures to come! My phone just keeps crashing, i'm sending too many pictures.

[124JOE]

go get this stuff and dig out all the rust that will come off
and brush this on it

[4uall]

I am a big fan of this product. There are so many to choose from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFo-MlDNBXc

[124JOE]

yes POR15 is a great product
after you treat your holes then paint with por15
then lay down some fiberglass across the hole.repaint and 2 more layers of glass
let that dry and then do the same on the seat rail to the floor
dont forget to get the bottom side just paint,ypu may need several coats


if you can get 12 baby food jars w/lids you should get a quart and split them up right away

i heared it here on the best fourm.thanks all

[brandonjayy]

I was actually planning on cutting them out and welding in some 22-24 gauge steel. For now, i just can't drive into puddles..

An unfortunate event happened yesterday. I'm just not sure what.. I pushed in my clutch and it stayed in, when i looked back i saw a cable with a nut and screw at the end. i was going about 20-30 mph while this happened near my house. Luckly, it was uphill, so i just rode the car in reverse to my house. not an easy task, went about 1/2 a mile off pure momentum, afraid to press the brake and lose that momentum! Scary in reverse, swerving all over the place, but i made it

Here's a picture of what snapped and the clutch pedal, anyone tell me what happened?!

[brandonjayy]

And here's some pictures of the car

Guy who had it before me got hit outside a Sonic restaurant, not too bad







[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com%20%20/7170/6737290115_c60acb59b1.jpg[/img]

I'll use a fender off the parts car most likely but first, would it be easier to hammer this out? I noticed the fender has no bolts, do i have to weld it on there?

I broke the door handle, door got stuck & wouldn't open

but i took one off the parts car, too



it'll be on by later today
__________________________________________

Now, pictures of the whole car









Where can i buy a new back window?




Duct tape on the top due to heavy rains and leaks




I need a new center console and dash, but i don't want covers, where can i buy new ones?








I wired the radio into the glove box so that i never get jacked, no one will ever know


Walmart Pioneers, they're okay


New fuses and my turn signals still don't work

[dmwhiteoak]

Brandon , I don't think you can replace just the back window. Go with a complete top especially if your top needs duct tape to keep water out. I have thought about trying to get a glass sewed into mine but a top won't be to much more expensive. Looks like you need a new clutch cable too

[124JOE]

i think your ground cable to the motor wasnt doing its job and ruined your cable
you will have to get a new one and check the fire wall were it goes in for cracks

yes you need a new top

fender go ahead and hammer away if you cant get it better then replace it

for console and center go to "international auto parts" theres also "vickauto" in tx
they also have tops

[brandonjayy]

Thanks guys, i went to autozone today, ordered a cable.
Thank god it's only $15 for a new clutch cable
it's a special order, so my little fiat will be on stands for another week
I guess now's a good time to switch out the window crank.
I was thinking of buying chrome mirrors like the one's on classic Fords & Chevy's, the chrome around the car and on the handles would accent it pretty well, any thoughts?

[RRoller123]

I agree. In general, I like chrome mirrors on these cars much better than the black. I am presently (today) painting my old black plastic ones silver and will see how they look when I put them back on. So far so good.

[brandonjayy]

post a picture when you do please?

[RRoller123]

Here is where I am so far today on the Passenger side Vitaloni mirror. It came apart grudgingly. Had to repair the broken end where the setscrew holds it to the base, with JB WEld, then drill and tap new hole. So far so good. Using VHT SP148 grey engine primer and DupliColor BTY1613 (Toyota) Silver, with DupliColor BCL0125 Clear Topcoat. 3 coats primer, 4 coats color, 4 topcoats.

http://s1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb4 ... NOVATIONS/

Doing the original 13" wheels over too. Blasted (slag, because thats what my friend,s booth uses and has), acid etched/washed/dried with Purple Power. Have applied 3 coats VHT SP148 Grey Engine Primer, and will top with 3-4 coats VHT SP186 Chevy Rally Silver and 3-4 coats SP184 Clear Coat tomorrow. Made a turntable from a small lazy susan, and it is amazing how much easier this makes it to paint wheels.

http://s1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb4 ... NOVATIONS/

When the weather is better, I will do the rocker Panel Covers as well in some sort of color, maybe black, to carry the bumper color band around the car, or Silver. If I could get a good match to the custom red on this car I might consider that, but I have plenty of time to decide. It is going to be cold for a long time around here.