Where It All Began

I suppose I should start this with a formal introduction. My name is Charlie Scanlon, I am a 20 year old student of Mechanical Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), which may or may not be an engineering school in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have no prior experience restoring vehicles, though many of my friends can testify that I have a bit of an obsession when it comes to cars. I am President of the school’s SAE Chapter and Project Manager of a high mileage vehicle team. Both of these have given me a great deal of experience in setting and meeting goals, as well as design of automotive parts.

I am starting this blog so for my own sake, to maintain documentation, and also for those of you who find the same enjoyment I do in watching something transform by the work of passionate hands. This will likely be the most long-winded post I write, and I will be doing more with pictures than words from here on out. Congratulations to those of you who have taken the time to read this first post. I hope that you can relate to some stories I have and can learn from them without struggling as I have.

Speaking of lessons, here are a few that I have learned in the year that I have already owned the car:
1. Nothing ever, ever goes the way to expect it to.
2. Preparation is 95% of anything.
3. You are going to bleed, whether it is your knuckles or your brain.
4. There is always something to spend money on, but that doesn’t mean you have to.
5. You have to get dirty if you want something to look clean.
6. Do it once, do it right, take your time.
7. Fixing something is really just a method of figuring out what else is wrong.


I was 19 when I first saw my car sitting by the side of the road and, although I was very interested, I had no serious intentions of purchasing it…at first. I knew very little about the FIAT Spider, but I certainly liked the lines and had a very keen interest in small, lightweight, pre-‘80s convertibles. I stopped by one day to get a closer look at the car and, though it had obviously been outside for some time, much of it appeared to be intact. Unfortunately, my college-student budget was not about to tolerate the $2500 asking price.



My curiosity brought me back, though, and I called the seller to ask about a test drive. He obliged, and I took the old girl for a spin. I was admittedly cautious, knowing very little about those parts which could suddenly let loose and send me spiraling into a tree. I took a short drive to a friend’s house where we looked the car over and I got his input. As I attempted to leave, however, I managed to stall the car out, not having given it enough throttle. With the starter not functioning, he and I had to push start the car on the hill in his driveway. Lucky for me, the engine ran well and started like a charm.
I pulled away and up the hill to the next stop sign, only to stall it out again as I pulled away. Fool me once…you get the picture. Anyway, I ended up doing a three-point turn, pushing the car around the street. Good thing it is light! I put the car in neutral and, with the door open, began pushing the car towards the hill until I was running with it. I jumped in, pushed in the clutch, put the car in first and released my foot. The car came to life once again! Having broken a sweat, I decided it was time to go back and finish my test drive.

Why, after all this, would I bother to buy the car, you ask? Well, for one, it was Italian. I have this thing about cars with some soul and character in them, and this one has plenty for the price. The other reason would be the bargain I got. After the test drive I confessed the limitations of my budget. I could not possibly justify buying the car for more than $600. This was kind of my way of apologizing for not being able to take the car. What I did not expect was that its owner was ready to pass the car on. So much so that, after some time to think about it, he agreed on my price.

This is how I ended up with a 1978 FIAT Spider in my driveway. The next day I left for school. My parents were really happy about that.



Once the car was adopted, I felt it was time to find an appropriate name for her. Something Italian, something that makes sense. The name Antonia means “beyond price,” which might not refer to the value of my car to the general public, but the value I saw in it when I bought it. It wasn’t about the money for me, it was about the journey. Antonia is also the name of a song by Motion City Soundtrack about a girl who does all sorts of quirky things, but is somehow loved for each of them, even if other people might not see what he sees in her.

Until next time!

you seem to have some writing talent pal. don't let it go to waste. i've seen far worse articles in "serious" newspapers in my life.

about the car. loose the bumpers, they're fugly, and give it a good polish. it will transform the car.
could you take a pic of those rims? never saw ones like that before.

hope you fixed that starter motor. if not, there are plenty available online. they're all interchangable, any year and any fiat twincam

Hey cool story! Have fun workin on her! it'll be a battle for a while I'm sure, but it's all fixable.

As far as the bumpers, do what you like. I still have mine on there and I think they're far from fugly... I really like them in fact.
If you don't like them, that's for you to decide. There's lots of people with them and lots of people without them. They're original to the car and they'll save quite a bit of body damage if it rolls into something or something rolls into it. Just sayin.

The wheels are interesting, I feel like I've seen them somewhere before though.

Go for drive-ability and reliability before too much money on aesthetics would be my advice. The paint might be restorable. Give it a really good wash and claybar and polish and such. Who knows how well the color will come back!

Way ahead of you guys!

Stay tuned and I will post the rest of the progress I have already made.

Getting My Feet Wet

The thing about a FIAT, or any old car for that matter, is that there is always work to be done. The question is where to start? Start small, that’s where. My first step was to give a thorough cleaning of the car, from the shop vac to a bottle of Armor All. This already made a huge difference, but I was in for something of a restoration, not a detailing. I found the smallest part of the car that I could to restore first. So why not an ash tray? Good enough for me. I dug it out looking like this:


This one was easy. I took it apart, sandblasted it, and painted it black. Now it is a coin tray.



I was encouraged by my results, so I decided to wade in a bit further. I had to replace my valve cover gaskets anyway, so I thought polishing the covers up might give me something to do while I was away at school.
This is what they looked like when I took them off the car:



Many hours spent with several grits of sandpaper and two tubs of polish, and this is what I ended up with.



I then clear-coated them to preserve the finish and painted the hardware blue (all with engine enamel). They looked really nice on the car and made a good addition to the new air cleaner I picked up from Csaba and Ramzi at AutoRicambi.

Great write up Charlie and congratulations for your new found treasure!
I LOVE the Azzuro Scuro.

You obviously have some talent, good luck with the studies. Don't let it go to waste.

Dang those look awesome!! I'd like to do that some day.

The look of polished cam covers was what I liked so I did the polishing and I like the way they turned out. Personal preference, of course and others have different ideas.

Keep up the blogging. I am enjoying hearing about your unfolding adventure.

Real Fixes

While a shiny engine served as an excellent distraction from the fact that the car didn’t start, it was time to start addressing the laundry list of issues which needed some serious attention. Apart from using a Permatex rust treatment on the fender flares and trunk area and replacing engine hoses to cure a backfire, I hadn’t really tackled any serious work.
I had the benefit of generous family friends who were willing to offer a space in their barn where the old girl could stay for the cold Wisconsin winter. I had push-started it in my driveway to get it running before I put it away, the trouble was that I had no way of getting the car back out if I didn’t get the starter working. I consider it motivation to get things working again.

Back at school, I had plenty on my hands, but could not stop thinking about my lovely new car which I had spent a mere weekend with since I bought it. So I did some research. I learned about a general consensus among FIAT owners: starter motors on these cars are a pain in the neck to change. On the other hand, another lesson I have learned working on this car is that anything can be easy, if you have the right tools.

In this case, the “right tool” was a ratcheting wrench with two extensions and two universal joints on it. Fifteen minutes and I had the thing free. How easy was that? Then I tried to get it out of the engine bay… Five hours of struggling and I still couldn’t pull it away! Well I found that there are tricks to this, too. Many of them. You can take the alternator out. You can remove the intake manifold. You can turn the wheels and move the steering linkage out of the way. Etc. Etc.

I couldn’t move my tires because they were on stands, and I had to replace my intake manifold gasket anyway, so I took that off. The motor came out really easily after that! I just lifted it right out. I sandblasted the intake and gave it the same clear-coat treatment that I gave the valve covers.

Before:


After:


What a difference a good cleaning can make! While the intake was out, I had access to the long-since bypassed mechanical fuel pump, so I decided to take that off and put a plate over the hole. I was also able to clean some of the block and find that there was, in fact paint underneath all of that grime!

Before (of course, there typically isn't coolant all over everything, but is certainly adds to the difference!):


After:


I was all ready to drop in a replacement starter I had bought from a fiat124fl, who donates half of the proceeds to rescue dogs. My lovely girlfriend, being a pre-veterinary student, seemed to like this idea. It made me feel like less of a fool when I tested my original starter and it spun up without a hitch. Oops. Solenoid clicked, motor worked. Looks like I didn’t find the problem yet.
As it happens, the problem was staring me right in the face the entire time. An electrical connection for two wires that ran to the starter and solenoid was bad. Burnt and corroded.



The connector was really only there to make production easier for FIAT, so I cut the wires and soldered the leads together (not the prettiest of fixes, but adequate). I slapped the original starter on, squeezed the intake manifold on and bolted the carb on top. I then replaced the coolant that was lost when removing manifold and turned the key. No hesitation whatsoever. The starter spun and that sturdy Italian engine started purring. I was shaking my head. All that fuss over something I could have done in ten minutes! At least this lesson was an inexpensive one to learn: find the problem exactly before finding solutions.

Just For Show


After a productive winter break, I was too excited not to keep working on something, so I brought my shift knob to school and decided to make a new one. The original was not too bad, but was a little beat up.

I wanted a wooden ball shifter with a light hue that would match my interior. What I found were actually four-poster bed knobs. For a very low price, I bought a couple different sizes to make sure I had that right and multiples in case I made any mistakes. I settled on a two-inch diameter as the most comfortable. Using the school’s machine shop, I drilled a hole that would accept the threaded, metal insert from the old knob. Then, using a vice and rags to prevent scarring of the wood, I pressed the piece into the wood. Some polyurethane will protect the wood from stains and scratches. I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.

Original:


Custom:


In the early spring, I was able to bring the car back home and give it its first car wash! After stepping back to look at my duct tape and sheet plastic contraption to prevent water from getting through the torn convertible top, I began to wonder if the scene belonged in a Jeff Foxworthy standup bit.

Nevertheless, it did the job, and I followed it up with clay bar, a light car polish, and a waxing. I have done this many times on my Jeep and really like the results. Not to mention some car detailing that I have done for friends in the past. What was different this time was the lack of clear coat. All of my rags turned blue! The paint is also very thin on this car, and it is due for a repaint in the near future. If not for this, I would have first used a buffing compound.







My two, blue, bug-eyed friends!


I can’t argue that it turns the car into a very nice “twenty footer.” I even painted the lug nut covers and sandblasted the faux wire wheels for my rims. You can see them in this picture somewhat, but I will show much better pictures later on!

Pissah!

Get up at 5:00. Shower. Eat. Work. FIAT FIAT FIAT FIAT. Other Girlfriend . FIAT. Bed. Repeat.

This is my life right now and I could not be happier.

With the car starting consistently and the engine running well, I decided to make changes. What better way to make more work for myself?
The various loose wires hanging around my engine compartment led me to believe my emissions equipment was no longer functional. Being older than 25 years, the car is no longer required to comply with Wisconsin emissions regulations, so I decided to “de-smog” the car. I have heard rumors that this Lampredi engine will actually run cleaner without the equipment on it, but federal regulation mandated its presence. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking of FIAT owners such as myself.
Regardless, I started to undo bolts here and there. Belts are cheap, so I cut the air pump belt off. If I hadn’t, I get the feeling it would have found wings fairly quickly:



I ordered some plugs from McMaster Carr to fill the air injection ports in the head, plugged all of the hoses (a temporary fix until I get everything else sorted), and removed the charcoal canister (this is really not necessary, but it is likely expired and removing it cleans up the engine bay a bit, which is worth it to me). The pile of parts that came off of the car was quite impressive.



The only thing to give me trouble was the exhaust pipe for the exhaust gas recirculation valve. Corrosion of the threads and carbon build up inside had completely seized the fitting. I nearly bent an open end wrench trying to pry that thing off! After ten gallons of blood, sweat, and tears (quite literally), I decided I would give the engine a try as is. Like clockwork, this workhorse is. Started right up and, apart from the obvious exhaust leak, it ran as good as it had earlier that day!
I eventually had to buy a longer wrench for the EGR pipe, then used a section of iron pipe as an extension. At first, even that wouldn’t cut it. But constantly soaking it in PB Blaster (a restorer’s best friend) eventually allowed me to turn it just a hair. I make this sound somewhat easy, but I nearly had a hernia while I was laying over the engine trying to pry this fitting out! Working it back and forth finally allowed me to get it out. I ended up welding a steel cylinder over the hole, rather than welding the hole itself shut. This way, a future owner could potentially cut/grind my welds off and still have threads to replace the emissions equipment.

I'm glad to be rid of all that excess plumbing in the engine bay. I Have put it all away in a box and in my basement. Perhaps I will sell off the working components (if there are any), or keep them if I ever sell this car to an owner who enjoys the look of federally mandated horsepower-killing equipment.

My apologies for the delay, I have been caught up with work and working on the car with no time to post more about my progress! I will get this thread up to date soon, I promise!


A running car is all well and good, but it was not yet driveable. My tires were in bad shape, I didn't trust the suspension, etc, etc. Beyond that, I didn't even have working turn signals or a license plate.... details.

As it happens, applying for a collector plate is awefully complicated, but I am sure it is much easier in Wisconsin than some states. I essentially needed photos of all sides, the engine, and interior to prove authenticity, then needed the P.O. to sign off, since the car had been titled under a trust. Even then, I wouldn't be allowed to drive it to work or the grocery store, or even in the month of January. Why? I may never know, but I have a feeling that won't be concerning me.

About mid-April, my Plates finally arrived! No need to register ever again.

My turn signals were a different matter entirely. I pulled out the multi-meter and started testing continuities and voltages. I eventually traced the problem back to the flasher unit not getting power. It turns out the flasher unit I purchased was also un-necessary, but serves as an adequate backup.

I will be honest, I did some things I am not proud of here. Some things that many would consider the work of a "P.O."

The problem ended up being the emergency switch, which I did not feel like dealing with at this time. I am ashamed to say that I cut the power wire and soldered it into one of the wires at Fuse 1...

I will set your worries and shock to rest, however, by saying that I have every intention of completely re-doing the wiring for everything except the gauges at the end of next summer. This will also include an ATO (blade) style fusebox. I really can't wait to do this and make everything organized and reliable. So fear not, fellow Spider lovers. I will not leave this car in such a molested state!


While I was messing with the electricals, I got distracted again and decided to clean up the battery box. The foam "gasket" FIAT had put on there was a bit more than worn, so I took the liberty of replacing it with an adhesive-backed strip gasket that we have at work. It is much cleaner now.






Until next time!

Topless!

For better or for worse, I got the old top off of the car. I still have yet to decide whether the new top will go on this year or next summer, but the old one was disintegrating and depositing itself all over the interior, so off it came.



Once the top was off, I was able to see the rust that was hiding underneath it. Not to mention some rather interesting colors left by adhesives and who-knows-what.



I removed the header bow and got it sandblasted, along with the bracket which holds the back of the top in place.

In repairing the bow, I attempted to fit a piece of sheet metal in the hole I made by grinding the rust away. The old, thin sheet metal did not hold up well to my entry-level, flux-cored MIG welder in the hands of an inexperienced sheet metal welder.


Considering the piece was not structural, I let it pass and applied body filler.


I sanded it down and gave it a coat of primer and paint. Good as new! Or, at least, better than old.


I put everything (on the frame, that is) back in place and am now waiting for the interior work to be done before I put a clean, new top on the car.

Things are cruising along nicely now, but summer is running out big time. I really just want to take her for a drive!