New to the site

[spiderman1]

My name is David and I have just joined the site. My first car was a 1975 spider and my siter had 1981. I am currently shoppping to find a spider to restore. I have enjoyed all the tips.
I have two options I am looking at:
1- a 1981 that is resonable and running but maybe a little over priced
2- a 1980 that would be super cheap but has quite a bit of rust. It would be a total restore.

? at what point does everyone think a car is too far gone and will not be worth the $ to restore. It seems body work could get expensive although I plan to do some of it my self.
David

[johndemar]

Fiat restoration course 101, less rust is ALWAYS better.
Everything else is pretty straight forward.

Oh and welcome to the site!

[RRoller123]

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

My 2 cents is to always go with the no/low rust option.

Here is a thread on how to post pictures directly to the forum:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21014

And here is another picture-posting thread:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... 12&t=23084

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

[narfire]

Buy a Fiat for $1000.00 fix rust and mechanicals, invest time and money to the tune of $15,000 and get a car that you might be able to sell for $7000.00....
I don't believe anyone here, myself included, are restoring these cars to flip and make a buck though.
As mentioned, try to get the most rust free car you can afford. Here a nice FI car can be found for around the $5-$6000.00 mark (cdn funds too) Drive it while adding your touches.
Rust means a lot of cutting, fitting and welding. mechanicals....just swapping parts if required.
I have seen on another site a fellow has completely stripped the car, media blasted it, and found way more rust than expected. Has it on a rotisserie and spending a ton of time cutting, bending and welding in new steel.
Regardless FIAT is an acronym for "fixing it as therapy"
Chris

[SunnySideUp]

Welcome aboard! If the '81 has less rust than the '80 and it's a good runner then you will be WAY ahead in the long run. Price is always negotiable. Also, don't be in a big hurry - a little patience can go a long way as there will be others that may be in a lot better condition for similar money that come on the market during the winter months.

[vandor]

Exterior rust is such a pain to fix that I would avoid any car that has it. Floorpan rust is a little easier to deal with, as the result does not have to look perfect

[spiderman1]

Does anyone have an opinion on which manuals would be the best to buy.
I would love to become more familiar with the the mechanics of each car to help me make a decision
I have read about about the haynes manual. What do you guys think

[vandor]

The factory manual. It's on the web as a PDF somewhere. I think maybe the New Jersey Fiat club's website?

[4uall]

This might help

http://fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20731