New Spider Owner

[Teletom]

Hey all! Just Bought a beautiful '78 1800. I'm looking for any and all tips, tricks and advice for things to look out for, replace and or upgrade.

Also anything to simplify the engine bay and put a little more pep into her is appreciated.

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard! You will find plenty of knowledgeable and friendly people here.

Post some pictures! 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:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f15/viewtopic ... 13&t=32169

And here is another picture-posting thread:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f15/viewtopic ... 12&t=23084

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

http://www.fiatspider.com/f15/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

[4uall]

hello & welcome to the greatest place on earth

[joelittel]

Get it setup to as close to stock as you can. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much that alone will wake the car up. Check out artigue.com/fiat and download the tuneup guide. I can't quite recall what he calls it, but you'll be able to find it. Follow his guidelines and you'll be well on your way to having a great car.

Many people remove the smog equipment for a little more pep.

After that your options are endless, but I'd change the compression first (if I were to do it all over again).

[narfire]

Well good morning.
Ok first.....where do you hang the hat? perhaps a member here is nearby hat might be able to point you in the direction to get the car sorted.
Otherwise a few things usually are replaced to give you a piece of mind before you put many miles on the car.
Change out the timing belt. You'll be starting with a known life on the thing. If the old one were to break I believe the 1800 were an "interference" engine where if the belt were to break the pistons could come into contact with the valves....buggers your day up then.
On the driveshaft just behind the tranny is a rubber "donut" , swap that out as well for the same reason, you know where you are starting from.
Got that done by lunch time ....go to the brakes, flush the lines if the fluid is old. I understand the fluid can absorb water and that will rust out the brake lines. Consider replacing the soft brake lines, an upgrade to the braided steel lines is a good thing in my opinion.
Check fluids in the tranny, rear end, change engine oil and filter.
Make sure the brake pads are in good shape and the brakes will stop your car, obvious reasons there...
Enjoy the car. yes there are many bolt on upgrades, but in my opinion see what the car is like and then decide what you want with a budget in mind. One can spend thousands for a few HP gain or upgrade the suspension and have a great car in the twisties or spend a gazillion and have it do both...or buy a Honda S2000 to get the same.
Chris

[scusi]

Welcome and enjoy your new toy. I have only had my car for 1 year. And, I can say the people here are great and willing to give their help with advice, eagerly.

[124JOE]

also inspect your ball joints and remember to NOT shift fast or the sinkrolls in the tranny will burn out