My baby has a new home!!!!

[TulsaSpider]

I finally got out the apartment! I found a place kind of out in the country. the best part is that is has a 30 x 30 workshop! Now I just need some tools!










Stopped at Sonic the other night....




Entered my first car show a while back. Hooters of course!

[Fiat88]

Congrats! Wish I'd had a garage at least half that big...did you get any numbers!

[mdrburchette]

Great deal on the shop! Your car is looking good.

[Exit98]

Tulsa,

Great look with the stock caps and trim rings and shaved bumpers. All black too.

Did the garage come with that attractive pit crew?

[TulsaSpider]

They were much hotter in person trust me! No I wish! wowza! Thanks guys, the stock wheels have enough bling factor and really don't look bad. One day I'll get some nicer wheels, not sure when but anyway!

[rlux4]

Congratulations! Nothing like a little elbow room and a place to store and work on the car.
Ron

[FrameShift]

Hallo Tulsaspider,

Your baby looks pretty good to me. I like the way the looks of the spider improves when you remove the bumpers (fenders in US). I have a California spec CS2, 1979 and am thinking of doing the same. The back one appears to be pretty straightforward since there are no lights or number plate on it and just should be a simple thing to remove (famous last words). The front, however, carries the number plate and the indicators. When you did it, did you resuse the original indicators, and if so how were they refitted? If not did you buy indicators from another car and if so, which? I've noticed others who've done the conversion also fitted rubber bumpers. Where did these come from? Were they a stock item off the shelf, sort of, or what?

About your wheels. I like the old wheels and am resisting changing mine. I have the pressed steel ones which are silver painted with matt black as a sort of cross panted at the centre and into the nut recesses. I haven't seen any spiders in the UK that have them, all have alloys. I was at a classic car show once and in the Fiat area, and a guy from Fiat told me that I should hold on to them as they are as common as rocking horse manure (well almost that). He said that they'd all been thrown away over the years when guys fitted alloys and were hard to find now, so if you do change don't scrap them.

I like to keep the car as original as possible, with the exception of that stupid emissions stuff on the California models, which I have removed. I understand that som of you guys in Calif have to keep that stuff whether you like it or not. In fact, last time I had my car MOT'd (yearly road test in UK) the guy told me that for the emissions test, 1979 cars were excempt except they shouldn't emit black smoke. However, for curiosity, he measured the emissions and found that it passed the modern requirements, anyway. That with an 1800 manifold, 38/38 Weber, and no cat! I was quite pleased since I'd spent weeks getting the right jets for the Weber. Incidentally, I have all of the old emissions stuff if any of you guys who have to have it need anything you're welcome to it.

Thanks for any help, you or others could give me.

[TulsaSpider]

Thanks! Well there are many discussions on previous threads about the bumper removal. On the right rear the gas tank must be drained and pulled out because the bolt is covered by it. It's an easy job and you can inspect and clean out your gas tank now. The front is just remove the bolts and pull out the bumpers! Yes I did re-use the stock lights. Check out this thread http://fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php ... it=+bumper
Do a search for Abarth Bumperettes and you will find info on the rubber bumpers. A few folks have fashioned their own.
In Oklahoma we only use the back licence plate so I am no help there. It seems to me that there has been a recent discussion on this topic.
Good luck!

[FrameShift]

Thanks TulsaSpider,

I new that for the back there would be some hidden hitch, there always is with the Spider, why do we love them? I'll post some pictures when I've finished, but it will be a while.

Regards,

Brian Spencer.