Newbie from PA

[joeforum123]

Hi All -

My name is Joe and I don't own a FIAT .... yet! I have experience with old cars in the past, having restored a few Ford Mustangs and a VW Karmann Ghia a few years ago ... All those cars are gone now (liquidated my stock to get my kids through college ....) ... but the bug is biting me again. So I am seriously considering getting into a low cost FIAT spider project. I want to avoid any major rust restoration work, but I have no problem tinkering with all the mechanicals. I am looking at a few for sale in the Philadelphia area. Mostly seeing 1975 and newer.

I have started to do my research on this forum and other web sites ... but wanted some input from this group: Is there anything I should look out for, besides rust issues? Any opinions on carburetors versus fuel injected? I hope to spend no more than $3000 for a drivable car that I can enjoy while I'm fixing it up. Doable?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

Joe

[TX82FIAT]

Joe, Bucks county.. nice, lived in PA for about 25 years. My mom still lives in Delaware County. The choice between carb and fuel injected is up to you. The Bosh fuel injection is pretty reliable with the exception of the occasional air flow meter. The carb should be rebuilt every five years. The carb has a nicer sound and typically can be tuned for higher RPM's. it really depends on what your looking for.

A low cost Fiat spider project can be a tricky proposition. A $3,000 car could easily take $3,000 in repair items. There are a lot of check lists on the forum of things to look over. Most will tell you if the car is not rusty in many of the suspect places such as the shock towers and wheel wells, the transmission shifts in and out of all gears fine with no grinding or poping, and the engine is strong then the rest is typical quick fix items. However, you may spend more time than you think on things like electrical and brakes.

Good luck, there are some half decent spiders out there. Be carful of e-bay.

[JammerX19]

Hi Joe!

I'm from the western end of the state and I have found several on Craigs List, including one very near to me that is a '69 that looks to be 3/4 assembled but has a rebuilt mill.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/3106252257.html

Here's an '83 Azzura that I've seen personally. A nice machine but the price might be a bit much:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/3094138014.html

This is a '79 automatic.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/3023227983.html

So if you don't find what you want close by, you might give one of these a shot.

[joeforum123]

Thanks TX82 and Jammer. I'm gonna look at a 1975 in Philly for $2500 that looks good in the picture, but the guy says there is some rust in the wheel wheels... I just need to take a ride and go look at it .. hopefully this weekend. There are a few others I have my eye on , but they are a little more pricey , like $3500 - $4500. I guess you get what you pay for ... but I'm determined to find a decent one at a decent price. I'll let you know what i find .... Thanks for your replies.

[narfire]

Two or perhaps two and a half, schools of thought. A cheap car with issues could cost you a bundle to get sorted, rust and body work being the big kicker. A car that is in the $6-10,000 range could be a gem and other than changing a belt and the flex disk, could give you many miles of top down driving without issues. The other perhaps half school is to buy a rust free car with some cosmetic or mechanical issues that could be sorted quickly or doing a "rolling restoration".
I have a fuel injected and love it. If I ever get the 72 sorted I'll have a recent carb'd car to compare to as the 70 I had 37 years ago is a foggy memory other than the carb and rust issues.
Good luck with the hunt and purchase.

[lanciahf]

Hi Joe,

I'm across the river in Lawrenceville NJ. A couple of us have started an informal club in the area. We have monthly get together at Mastories Diner in Bordentown NJ. Check the website http://www.NJFIATS.org for our next breakfast or shoot me an email and I'll add you to the email list. You are more than welcome to join us and take a look at the cars.

Also every October we have a Bucks County Covered Bridge Tour.

Hope to see you soon,
Ralph

[joeforum123]

Hey Ralph,
Thanks so much for the gracious invitation to join you guys sometime. My twin sons go to Rutgers U. in New Brunswick, so I drive through New Jersey every so often. ... and I'm a "breakfast person" ... so that's really tempting. You guys have some VERY nice looking cars. After looking at your pics, I am even more inspired. I will be looking at a few cars this week, with the goal of buying very soon! However, my car won't look like any of your guy's for a while. I am hoping to get a decent driver that I can start to enjoy immediately... I learned from experience about the effort and expense of restoring a rust bucket ... not going down that path again.

I will stay in touch. I actually live in Upper Bucks county, so one of my favorite drives it down River Rd from the north,toward New Hope. The October Covered Bridges Tour sounds GREAT! I will hopefully have my Spider in tip top shape by then!

Regards,
Joe

[lanciahf]

Good luck with the purchase, if you need any help just ask.

[injunjoe535]

Hey Joe! Good luck this weekend with viewing the '75 and the '77. Hopefully one of them "speaks" to you like the one I found did me. Looking forward to hearing how things went.

[2ndwind]

Hi Joe,
If I had it to do over again, I'd take more time looking for a more-sorted spider. Here's why: Each spider seems to have its issues and gremlins that show up. If you buy a car that has a lot of "the required stuff" done, then you only have to spend time and $$ fixing the rest as it comes up. Enjoy the car.

Required stuff:
Timing belt
drive shaft flex disc
universal joints
Drive shaft center bearing
front end rebuild
clutch
starter relay installed
headlight relay installed
brakes
radiator rodded or replaced
gas tank cleaned
new fuel pump and filter
tires

other stuff:
electrical gremlins
replace ignition switch
air intake boot on Fuel injected
fuel injection parts
carburetor issues
transmission issues
transaxle issues
convertible top issues
cosmetics

Cheers

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard and good luck!

[joeforum123]

Hey, thanks everyone for your posts. This is a great group! So ... after a long and exhausting day driving around PA and New Jersey looking at cars ... I indeed found "the one".... gave the owner a deposit and hope to settle the sale and start driving tomorrow. (I'm as excited as a kid at Christmas!) Its a red 1978 ... very nice driver -- not a show car, but not a serious project. The previous owner did a great job caring for the car the past 10 years.

2ndWind -- thanks for your advice: I think I got most the things on your"Required Stuff" list:

Timing belt - check !
drive shaft flex disc - not sure, yet.
universal joints - not sure, yet.
Drive shaft center bearing-- not sure, yet.
front end rebuild - check !
clutch - Seemed good.
starter relay installed - not sure...
headlight relay installed - not sure...
brakes - check!
radiator rodded or replaced - Check! Replaced.
gas tank cleaned - not sure
new fuel pump and filter - Check!
tires - Check!

Also, new top installed.

I'll know more after I've spent a few days alone with her! I'll post pics and keep you all posted in the coming days.

Thanks again for the advice and well wishes.!

Joe in PA