1978 Spider - Prugna

[Joe6pack]

Hi all - I am a new owner in Braselton, GA. I would like to introduce you to my new Spider project and ask for some advice. But first, a pic:



This is how the car sat when I picked it up on Friday. It is minus the drivetrain (engine/transmission). It is in its original paint, has very little rust and has never been hit. I even have the original window sticker. All labels and stickers are still on the car. The jams and under the hood look great. The battery tray and spare wheel well have some surface rust, but nothing that can't be dealt with. The paint is tired, but serviceable. There is one spot behind the rear wheel that will need some attention. As you can see, it was adorned with every exterior accoutrement the '70's had to offer. I have now removed all of the trim except for the windshield surround:





I had originally planned to permanently remove all of the moldings, stripes, etc. and respray the exterior panels only. But now, I am wondering if I shouldn't just leave it alone. I know it's a rare color. I rather like the pinstripes and the rocker moldings are ok. I don't care for the side moldings, especially in their current location, but I don't think that there is any way to remove them without a full respray. They are in the same location as on a Brava. I have only seen one other 124 Spider with moldings in this location. What would you do if this were your car? I am definitely a less is more kind of guy, but I also appreciate originality.

Update: I have edited the post. Please let me know if the images now show.

Thanks,

John

[BEEK]

read how to post pictures, i would love to see what you have

[Joe6pack]

Yeah, I was afraid that wouldn't work. It will have to wait until I get home.

[RRoller123]

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

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

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

And here is a great picture-posting thread edited by SLOSpider:

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


Pete

[Joe6pack]

Hello all - Hopefully, my pics are showing now. I am in the process of rebuilding the brakes and cleaning up the underside. I have decided not to do a full blown restoration. I have been there and done that and have either wound up with something too nice to drive or had so much money in it I couldn't justify keeping it. Instead, I want to get this car back on the road and as mechanically sound as possible. It will be clean and safe, but will have a lot of its original patina. I do have some small rust holes to take care of in the battery tray and under the driver's seat. Hopefully, I can get some paint matched in a rattle can to take care of that once I treat it with POR-15.

I have sourced some drivetrain components locally from Todd Rice a Fiat mechanic in the Stone Mountain area. Todd seems like a nice guy and has shared a great deal of knowledge over the phone even though we have yet to meet face to face. If anyone has done business with Todd in the past, I would appreciate the feedback. He has 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 L shortblocks, several heads (including a couple of 1592's) and 5 used transmissions to choose from. He also has fuel injection setups as well. I have pretty much settled on a 2.0 L shortblock with an 1800 head as this combo seems popular from my searches here. That said, here are some questions I hope you all can help me with:

1. What is a fair price for a used shortblock, a used head and a used transmission assuming they only need minor reconditioning (i.e. rings, bearings, seals, honing, but no major machine work)?

2. I assume I will have to replace the syncros in the transmission - anything else I should look for? Were there significant differences from year to year? I know about the speedometer gear issue.

3. I know my way around an engine somewhat, but what should I look for in a used Fiat shortblock? As long as it turns freely, there isn't a huge ridge at the top of the bore and the pistons aren't swimming in their bores, am I ok?

Thanks in advance for the help,

John

[Ptoneill]

John,

First of all, welcome! You have definately come to the right place for information, these folks have helped me a lot with my car. I was a lot like you, I was afraid of '"ruining" the car, however my brother who does high end customs explained it like this. .....Except for very rare examples the 124 will probably never garner huge money in the collectors market, however nothing beats the price of a car that you have built to your standards". In other words make the car into what you want it to be, and have fun.

As for engines I am running a 2 ltr with an 1800 head and automatic transmission. I really do not know all the varience's between the engines but mine pulls very well (before I took the whole car apart to customize it).

Look forward to seeing your progress, if you need a nice working distributer setup let me know...I put in Marks electronic ignition.

HAVE FUN with it....it's a FIAT!!!

[Joe6pack]

I hear ya. Having been through the multi-year restoration process, I guess I am not feeling it this time around. I have developed a bit of a soft spot for unrestored and survivor cars and I have also come to realize that cars were meant to be driven (my opinion). Cars and collector cars especially are a statement and where we are in life dictates what kind of statement we want to make. To each his own and I certainly don't begrudge anyone who wants to make a car as good as or better than it ever was new.

Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind on this project at any time .

As an update on the project, I have finished rebuilding all four brake calipers and have all new soft hoses as well. I also have new rotors. I hope to get everything remounted and the system bled by the end of the coming weekend. I will be meeting with Todd tomorrow to hopefully select a block, head and transmission.

[Joe6pack]

Hi All - Quick question. I have searched, but to no avail. Is there a source or a substitute for the pillow block bracket spacer and rubber grommet? I have checked with a couple of vendors and they do not list either item. My local Ace Hardware has grommets and brass and steel bushings. I could probably come up with something if I had the right dimensions.

Thanks,

[kmac33]

John,
First off welcome to the world of Fiat ownership.
You should be able to source the guibo (pillow block) parts easily - unless I am misunderstanding exactly what you are looking for. Auto Ricambi link: http://www.autoricambi.us/product/DR5-4 ... E-Over-10/
If that isn't what you are looking for let me know a bit more specifically what you need.
As for the drive line, just to give you an additional option for sourcing things, I have an 80 Spider that was going to be turned into a track car. That project is on permanent hiatus and I am about to start parting it out. The carb set up was pulled off the car just before I bought it, so it hasn't run in a couple of years, but was a very strong running car until then. It has a very solid 2L block and a very good transmission (as well as a number of other good parts) that I would be willing to let go cheap - especially since you are local!

[Joe6pack]

Thanks Kevin - That's not quite it. The pillow block is the part that holds the bearing/driveshaft in the middle of the transmission tunnel. The pillow block attaches to a cross-member that is attached to the bottom of the car by two studs with nuts and washers. Also included in this attachment stack is a rubber grommet/bushing and a spacer that limits how much the grommet can be crushed (at least that is my understanding). My grommets/bushings and spacers are long gone. I have already ordered a new pillow block from Autoricambi, but they do not show these grommets and spacers on their website - nor does IAP. I may be using the wrong terminology as I can't see the diagram here at work.

I am definitely in need of some parts. I have already sourced a short block (2.0L), head (1800), intake and carb. I will need a few miscellaneous parts as I go however. Thanks for the offer.

John

[Ptoneill]

I am not sure if this is the right part but....go to Spider Point.com, look in the on line catalog, page 22, item #5, "drive shaft support". if this is the part I found it on "spiderroadster.com" when I did a google search for "fiat spider drive shaft support".


Good Luck,

[Joe6pack]

Just as a follow up, I did find the rubber grommet at AutoRicambi. It is listed as a radiator and drive line grommet. Unfortunately, it is only listed in the cooling section (not the drive line section). I just ordered two. I didn't see any spacers listed. I will probably look for a substitute at my local Ace Hardware. Does anyone know the approximate height of the spacer?

Thanks,

John

[Joe6pack]

Hi All - Quick question. I did a search, but couldn't find anything. Is there any reason I shouldn't install the shortblock without the head, etc. in place? I am going to have the bottom end done way ahead of the top end and would like to have the floor space back.

Also, the 4-2-1 header that came with the car is welded to the downpipe. I have heard that with the engine in place I won't be able to install the header. Can anyone confirm? Can I just put the header in and then the engine and bolt it all up later?

Thanks,

John

P.S. I plan to post some updated pics soon.

[Joe6pack]

OK, I had intended to make this more of a restoration thread, but obviously, that didn't happen. Anyway, I have been hard at work. Here are some updated pics. The engine is a 2 liter from a '79 Brava and the head is an 1800 from a '76 Spider. The carb is a Weber DFAV with the choke removed. It is jetted rich. I have a nasty oil leak from around the intake cam box which I endeavored to fix last night by changing the gasket, but to no avail. Also, my speedo cable broke this morning. Life with an old car.......

[btoran]

Wow. Quite a difference from the "before" pictures. Nice work.