Another '77 Mid-Life Crisis

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Texafornian
Posts: 55
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:05 pm
Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Frisco, TX

Another '77 Mid-Life Crisis

Postby Texafornian » Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:58 am

Hi All,

I lurked for weeks here to research my recent purchase of a gently used 77 spider. Thanks for all the wisdom you have all collected here, and thanks in advance as I touch pretty much every aspect that will need attention as I get her in working order. Here are some photos https://1drv.ms/a/s!As0M4aC9epz5n9tu6NbvDAMVuvm8FA.  She started off in Colorado and spent 33 years there; the past 7 or so have been in CA, 2 as a weekend driver, then 5 in the driveway of the PO after she failed smog. First order of business is getting her tuned and emissions-legal, then the interior is going to need some sprucing up. Wish me luck!

-Daniel
Daniel

1977 Fiat 124 Spider

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RRoller123
Patron 2020
Patron 2020
Posts: 8179
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:04 pm
Your car is a: 1980 FI SPIDER 2000
Location: SAGAMORE BEACH, MA USA

Re: Another '77 Mid-Life Crisis

Postby RRoller123 » Tue Feb 07, 2017 6:21 am

Welcome aboard! You will find plenty of knowledgeable and friendly people here. Looks like a solid start, The inevitable Rust Gremlin is not bad at all.

Post some pictures! (or assist us in finding a better host than is presently referenced in the thread below....?) They help a great deal when trying to help diagnose problems, inquiries, etc that you may have.

Here is a thread on how to post pictures directly to the forum:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=32169

And here is another picture-posting thread:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=23084

This short instruction covers how to resize pictures so that they don’t get cut off at the right side:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30441

And here is a link to a map of Spider owner’s locations. Many forum members have listed their locations.

https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=191825


Pete
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle

AriK
Patron 2018
Patron 2018
Posts: 1148
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 7:58 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Fiat Spider
Location: Montreal Canada

Re: Another '77 Mid-Life Crisis

Postby AriK » Tue Feb 07, 2017 8:48 am

Welcome! Sprucing it up is the fun part! I spent a whole deal of time sprucing it up when i first got mine. Actually, the girlfriend at the time bought the car and i did the maintenance, cleaned up the trunk and engine compartment to the point you could eat off them. (The girlfriend has now gone away and we kindly settled that the car remains with me.)
Pay attention to the interior of your battery box as the acid corrosion will eat its way through.

Also pay special attention to the ignition cable leading from the coil to the distributor cap, yours is routed way too tight. Mine has alot more loose than that and was notorious for unplugging itself during driving. The engine naturally rocks itself to knock the cable loose. This can happen at the very worst time and place and is a safety issue. I've replaced the motor mounts some time ago which has minimized this effect but recently it has been brought to my attention that this cable routing over the exhaust manifold is incorrect and correct factory routing should be around the coolant overflow bottle and along the inner fender. That will require a cable that is at approx 3ft long. This will be my objective before driving season starts and hopefully i will not risk my life on a shoulderless highway as i did the last time.

User avatar
Texafornian
Posts: 55
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:05 pm
Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Frisco, TX

Re: Another '77 Mid-Life Crisis

Postby Texafornian » Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:51 am

Thanks for the tips! Not sure where to start, I decided to just give it a good wash, and didn't make it past the trunk, where I encountered the battery box rot. I spent the better part of the afternoon with a bottle of baking soda solution. I'll take a look at the cabling soon...
Daniel

1977 Fiat 124 Spider


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