New 1980 Owner :)

[ideashappen]

Hi.
I have been looking through all the awesome threads and helpful tips for my new car.
I just bought a 1980 spider EFI with 66k Km's (Sorry I speak Canuck +- 41k miles) Awesome car.... loved them when I was a kid.... never thought I'd own one.

I have been working on it slowly for the past 2 months I have owned it (Mostly driving though 3k kms already ).

I did not want a radio because I don't want to have it stolen and damage my car so I installed a few gadgets and a 600w 1981 Alpine 3566 amplifier in the trunk to play music through my iPhone by bluetooth with my Pebble Steel watch as the control. I removed the back seat portion and custom built and upholstered , sound-cushioned plywood base at a 45 degree angle with 2: 6x9 s speakers and 12'' subwoofer. No one can even tell it exists back there until I point it out to them.

The question I have is with regard to the radio hole.
I just bought an oil pressure gauge with it's original wire harness for a FIAT 124 (not sure what year but was told it was for a 1980 but not convinced)
I would also like to buy the original volt meter and Ammeter if there were for these cars and install all three in a custom plate angled towards driver that I will print for the radio hole.
So in short the main question is this.......

The oil pressure gauge has original wire harness.
If my model does not have the gauge will it by default still have the male portion and will it 'just work' if it does exist under the dash?

[4uall]

Hello & welcome to the greatest place on earth

WHOO HOO anoth 1980

Answers are forthcoming

[So Cal Mark]

neither voltmeter nor ammeter was used in the cars, only a charge light

[ideashappen]

Thanks for the response......
I was almost 99% sure no models had an ammeter or volt meter but I am far from a wealth of information yet about these cars.

My main question was more about the oil gauge I did find. I will repeat as I did spew a bunch of stuff out prior asking

It was purportedly from a 1980 although I have yet to see a 1980 without the 'idiot' light and an oil gauge.

I would like to know if you, or someone can answer the question as to whether there is 'male' portion of the wiring harness that is installed by default and if so, would the gauge just 'work' by plugging it in?

I plan on removing the face plates of the dashboard over the winter and refinish them and will ultimately find out at that time but I am hoping to get an answer before that time.

Is there any ammeters or voltmeters made by the same company for other models of FIATS that might include the 2 aforementioned gauges wanted.

Dude...... I love this car and it was a steal, too.

[focodave]

I own a 1980 and I installed an oil pressure gauge, a voltmeter, and a 140MPH speedo from a 1978.
The oil pressure gauge was not offered on the 1980, but it is very easy to wire one in. There is no connector for it behind your stock dash. I am travelling for work right now, so I don't have the wiring diagram handy but I will post it this weekend (when I get back home) unless someone else beats me to it. I wired the voltmeter up to the old door chime circuit:

[focodave]

As promised -- the wiring is as follows:
Grey/Black wire from gauge (marked "HN") goes to the new sending unit
White/Black wire from the gauge (marked "BN") goes to chassis ground
Yellow/Black wire from the gauge (marked "GN") goes to +12Volts, switched
White wire from gauge is the light, which would go to your other instrument lights' circuit

[bjbrown]

focodave, I really like your idea of replacing the (usually non-functional and clouded lens) cloak with an oil pressure guage! Adding the voltmeter is a great idea too. I seem to recall the spiders with turbo had two small openings in the dashboard to the right of the tachometer to give room for the turbo boost meter. That dash board would allow both the oil press and volt meters to sit in the dash. Has anyone better information on the turbo dash? A pic?

[focodave]

bjbrown,
I hate to burst your bubble, but the turbo cars had the same dash hole layout that my car has. Below is a photo of a turbo car's original dash. It is a 1981 owned by a guy who belongs to the same car club as me --- I have seen the car myself several times, in person:


What you are thinking of is the earlier dash hole layout. See photo below:

[bradartigue]

Before 1979 FIAT installed gauges for fuel, speedometer, water temp, tachometer, clock, and oil pressure

After 1979 FIAT installed gauges for fuel, speedometer, water temp, tachometer, and clock

On the turbo models only the clock was removed and the water temp gauge moved to its place, the turbo boost gauge put into the water temp hole. Though I've seen the turbo gauge where the clock goes as well.

To make your oil pressure gauge work you need a sender installed into the oil filter housing. The threads exist, you just have to remove the bolt and I think move the idiot light sender to that position and the oil pressure sender in the position vacated by the idiot light sender. This may depend on the position of the alternation, but whichever it is, its real easy.

[bjbrown]

OK, I stand corrected, but it's great to know the twin instruments on the right of the Tach was original to the car. Question: is the dash wood inlay the exact same shape between the early six-instrument and the later five-instrument mounts? In other words, are they interchangeable if one wanted to say, add oil pressure and ammeter in place of the clock? Is the space behind that part of the dash board available for the two instruments in the later cars?

[bradartigue]

OK, I stand corrected, but it's great to know the twin instruments on the right of the Tach was original to the car. Question: is the dash wood inlay the exact same shape between the early six-instrument and the later five-instrument mounts? In other words, are they interchangeable if one wanted to say, add oil pressure and ammeter in place of the clock? Is the space behind that part of the dash board available for the two instruments in the later cars?

If you have two gauges to the right of the tach on a 1980 then it is not original. From 1979 to 1982, the "Spider 2000" series CS2 (79/80) and CS0 (80/81/82) have a five gauge cluster. The dashboard wood piece shape never changed, so you can use any of the pieces on any of the cars. If you, for example, wanted a six gauge cluster on a Spider 2000 then use the wood pieces from a 1978. You'll need all of the pieces as the tone of the "wood" laminate on later years typically doesn't match between cars. At some point prior to 78 they were all just wood and cracked terribly - but are easy to resurface.

I do need to correct myself - prior to 1970 (or more accurately the BS body) they were all five hole just like your 1980. Then they added the clock, making it six hole through 78, then they deleted the oil pressure gauge through 1982. In the pininfarina Spiders the clock was moved the console and the oil pressure gauge made a comeback but it was still five holes. In 1985 the panel had three screws instead of four. No idea why they did that.

[focodave]

OK, I stand corrected, but it's great to know the twin instruments on the right of the Tach was original to the car. Question: is the dash wood inlay the exact same shape between the early six-instrument and the later five-instrument mounts? In other words, are they interchangeable if one wanted to say, add oil pressure and ammeter in place of the clock? Is the space behind that part of the dash board available for the two instruments in the later cars?

If you have two gauges to the right of the tach on a 1980 then it is not original. From 1979 to 1982, the "Spider 2000" series CS2 (79/80) and CS0 (80/81/82) have a five gauge cluster. The dashboard wood piece shape never changed, so you can use any of the pieces on any of the cars. If you, for example, wanted a six gauge cluster on a Spider 2000 then use the wood pieces from a 1978. You'll need all of the pieces as the tone of the "wood" laminate on later years typically doesn't match between cars. At some point prior to 78 they were all just wood and cracked terribly - but are easy to resurface.

I do need to correct myself - prior to 1970 (or more accurately the BS body) they were all five hole just like your 1980. Then they added the clock, making it six hole through 78, then they deleted the oil pressure gauge through 1982. In the pininfarina Spiders the clock was moved the console and the oil pressure gauge made a comeback but it was still five holes. In 1985 the panel had three screws instead of four. No idea why they did that.

Actually, there is a difference in the wood perimeter shape between the 5 and 6 gauge pieces. The 6 gauge piece has a cutout for the "hump" over the steering column, where the 5 gauge piece does not have the hump cutout and is cut straight along the bottom edge of the piece (see my photos above).

[bradartigue]

OK, I stand corrected, but it's great to know the twin instruments on the right of the Tach was original to the car. Question: is the dash wood inlay the exact same shape between the early six-instrument and the later five-instrument mounts? In other words, are they interchangeable if one wanted to say, add oil pressure and ammeter in place of the clock? Is the space behind that part of the dash board available for the two instruments in the later cars?

If you have two gauges to the right of the tach on a 1980 then it is not original. From 1979 to 1982, the "Spider 2000" series CS2 (79/80) and CS0 (80/81/82) have a five gauge cluster. The dashboard wood piece shape never changed, so you can use any of the pieces on any of the cars. If you, for example, wanted a six gauge cluster on a Spider 2000 then use the wood pieces from a 1978. You'll need all of the pieces as the tone of the "wood" laminate on later years typically doesn't match between cars. At some point prior to 78 they were all just wood and cracked terribly - but are easy to resurface.

I do need to correct myself - prior to 1970 (or more accurately the BS body) they were all five hole just like your 1980. Then they added the clock, making it six hole through 78, then they deleted the oil pressure gauge through 1982. In the pininfarina Spiders the clock was moved the console and the oil pressure gauge made a comeback but it was still five holes. In 1985 the panel had three screws instead of four. No idea why they did that.

Actually, there is a difference in the wood perimeter shape between the 5 and 6 gauge pieces. The 6 gauge piece has a cutout for the "hump" over the steering column, where the 5 gauge piece does not have the hump cutout and is cut straight along the bottom edge of the piece (see my photos above).

Ah yes, you are correct.

[ideashappen]

Thanks for the help.... sorry I had to put my car to the side to deal with a plethora of family issues.... Kids are awesome, but.........

[davery]

In 1985 the panel had three screws instead of four. No idea why they did that.

Maybe the 1985.5, but the 85 still had four screws.