Greetings from Madison Wisconsin

[wispider79]

Hi all,
Just joined the forum today. Proud owner of a 79 Fiat Spider 2000. She runs great (good local mechanic), here's a picture if I'm doing this right:



The driver's seat frame is pretty weak (it'll sag way back as I drive, need to give it a push to get it vertical. I've been on a couple sites looking for ideas or a replacement.

Paint: It has the original paint, not rust, though I have some significant oxidation on both hoods. Looking to get it painted. I did find the paint code. Is it easy enough to buff out and try myself (I'm not yet a car guy, getting there) or should I take it in somewhere? Some guy wanted to charge me $5k to paint it, more than I paid for her! I'd rather have someone professionally paint it (maybe even a little restoration with the top and inside a bit), not sure though who to trust or what I should look for around the Madison, WI area.

Good to be on,
Drew

[wispider79]

Trying to post a pictures again:

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard, your pictures now post just fine! You will find lots of friendly and knowledgeable people here.

Pete

[2ndwind]

For the most part a $5000 paint job on these cars is not justified. I don't think I'd pay more than about $2000 to have mine prepped, primed and painted. I used to work in body shops. Although removing dents and dings is time consuming, a basic sanding, masking, priming and painting can be done in two days. Removing all or much of the hardware is when it starts getting expensive.

There was that time before I worked in a shop, when I sanded and masked my car then drove it to a shop (with windows masked too except for windshield peephole) and had it shot for $400.

[eman2112]

Is that silver or gunmetal? My 81 was that color before the po painted it red.

[kbee00]

Hello fellow WI Fiat owner. I am located in Mukwonago - about 90 minutes east of you. I travel through Madison quite a bit - perhaps we will bump into each other sometime.

Good luck with you Fiat.

kbee00

[rrrrob]

Hello Madison,

Welcome from Wind Lake.

[Exit98]

Hi Drew,

Take a deep breath and slow down a little. You and your new Fiat need to spend some time getting to know each other first before you worry about paint and such.

Your seat issue is called "gangsta" seat around here for reasons not entirely clear to me. A common problem and a little search will bring you some answers. Take a look here:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... =30#p93789

You mignt be able to find a used seat back, but they're all weak so getting yours welded might be the best way to go.

No matter how well the PO took care of the car there's bound to be some issues that you'll need to take care of, sooner rather than later if safety is involved. Things like the brakes, front end bushings, tires, alignment and so forth. Electrical gremlins might also pop up now and then.

You can find pretty much all the answers here.

Enjoy your new Fiat for the next few months and get to know her better, then you can start setting priorities and goals for all the things you need and want to get done.

Good luck.

[toplessexpat]

Agree completely. Let the gremlins surface - and then you can work out where to invest your hard earned $.

Yes - the hood is kind of annoying (especially as you're looking at it all the time!). Try doing the "scrap yard hunt" and finding one that's the same color (ok - it depends on how rare your color is) as a replacement. Yours is the "big bump" hood - so make sure the one you get fits etc. etc.

In terms of where you're likely to put some $ (besides the most excellent items event), then from an aesthetics point of view, there are some great 4x98 bolt pattern wheels out there.

Good luck - and enjoy her!

Andy

[BSG]

Hi,
I'm just buying my first Fiat, 1977 spider 124 and am wondering who that mechanic is in Madison?

Thanks,
Brenda

[Pasni]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I agree with Exit98 in that you should settle in with your car before jumping into major cosmetics. From the looks of your pics it looks like the oxidation may be a deteriorated clear coat in which rubbing it out won't help. Anybody out there want to correct me, but I'm pretty sure even late Fiats were subject to clear coat fog especially in the metallics and on the horizontal surfaces. Looks like you have a good car for starters. There's tons of good info you can search for on this forum.

Good luck and enjoy!

Bill

[njoconnor]

Welcome both Drew & Brenda! I'm over in Sun Prairie (Brenda, I believe we met at the Botham show yesterday).

Drew, the discoloration does look like clear coat fogging (looks like my 88 Grand Voyager before it got traded for the Dakota!). I agree with the other comments about driving it and poking around a while to discover what's wrong/what's right. Then you can have both a list of priorities, as well as a work sequence. Nothing worse than having to undo and redo work. It's been a great summer for Fiat cruising in WI, so enjoy the car and get to know it!

Neil

[njoconnor]

A follow up on Drew's request for professional services in the Madison area.

I have my 124's floor pan and finish issues resolved by KARS of Reeseville, but Dan tells me he's dropping the resto part of his business to focus on current crash repair referrals (it's too bad...he does excellent work). One of my clients used to be a painter for State of the Art Auto Body outside of Sun Prairie, and speaks very highly of his former boss' skills.

For mechanical issues, I'd had excellent results from Harry at Import Auto Clinic on Old University Ave near the UW and VA hospitals. I've not had him work on my Fiat yet, but he's handled everything my former SAABs and Audis could toss at him, and his rates are reasonable. I've seen several 124 Spiders at the shop from time to time. There's also the Madison icon, Foriegn Car Specialists, on Regent Street, and Dunn's Import on West University (Jeff Dunn is a former Fiat mech who still maintains a lot of parts for the cars). Friends tell me the latter two have been excellent.

For interior work, I highly recommend Vic's Auto Upholstery; see my post in Restorations for a shot of the redone interior. Vic recovered the seats, installed the top, and fabricated the matching boot cover for me. Outstanding work, and very reasonable prices.

However....with the help of this forum, and investment in a couple of shop/repair manuals and tools, you may find that doing a lot of your own work adds to the enjoyment of the car (and you're secure knowing what's done and why). Don't be afraid to ask questions here. Ther'es an incrdeible store of knowledge here, and an equal amount of willingness to share.

Enjoy!

Neil

[BSG]

Hi Neil,

Yes we did meet at Botham! Thanks for the info. Dunn's works on all our cars but when I called them, they said they wouldn't work on the Fiat, same with Import auto. A little bit frustrating as I really trust Dunn's, I may try again. I will look into Vic's for certain as the interior needs the most work. Right now I'm just enjoying the driving!

Thanks,
Brenda

[njoconnor]

Brenda, I'm really surprised about Dunn's. When I stopped there last summer and inquired about some lug bolts, the owner had the part for me in about 3 minutes. He seemed interested in seeing my car once it was done. I'll swing by there with the 72 once the weather stabilizes a bit.

Harry's Import Auto Clinic would be my next go-to. If Harry says no, I'll need smelling salts!

Neil