New member with some questions. NEW PICS!!!

[atilamejias]

w Hi, first of all I want introduce myself and say hello to all the Fiat fans out there. I just joined the forum because I'm going to check out a 1980 Spider and I want to know what to look for when inspecting it. I have owned a couple of Fiat's in the past, a 1976 131 about 20 years ago and a 1978 x 1/9 about 15 years ago. Also, although I'm not a mechanic, I am mechanically inclined. I love always loved this little car and maybe now its the moment to get it. Well, I haven't seen the car but the owner told me that it have a new top, new front end components, no rust and that the interior was in very good shape. What would I have to look for? He did send me a picture: Thanks a lot!

Thanks for your help. I checked the car and here are some pictures. First of all, I know the front seats and door panel are hideous. I can fix that. What I did found is the following:
The gauges dont work nor the directional lights.
The paint job doenst look professional.
The body looks solid, almost rustless. I checked it with a magnet and it seems that doesnt have bondo (at least not a lot)
The floors are in good shape.
The front glass is cracked.
What worries me is that when shifting it seems to sway and feels like if I was going faster I would loose control. Does anybody know what could be causing this? Thanks a lot.

[baltobernie]

Hello atilamejias, and welcome.

Who wouldn't want a shiny red Spider?! I too had a 131 when new, and am in the process of restoring a 1973 Spider.

Rust is the enemy of older unibody cars, especially imports. "No rust" is not the same as "all metal", so unless you're sure the car has spent its life in the Southwest, take a small magnet with you when inspecting the car. The first Spider I looked at last year was Bondo 5 inches from the wheel openings! There are at least 4 catalog companies in the US that can supply an incredible variety of Spider parts, including short blocks and new transmissions, but saving a rust bucket is prohibitively expensive.

The moderator can give you more information on your car; I think 1980 was the changeover year from carb to FI. The mid-70's Spiders with emission controls and carbs are generally more troublesome than the pre-emission or later FI models.

Here's a Buyer's Guide from Hemmings that can get you started:
http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/200 ... uide1.html

Its not uncommon for a nearby member to volunteer to look at a car for you. Post some more information if you feel inclined. Good Luck, and let us know your progress!

[So Cal Mark]

welcome, and congrats on finding such a nice looking Spider. 80 models that were built for Calif were fuel injected, 80 federal models were still carbed. The carb version is especially anemic due to emissions equip and carburetion choices. That can be easily rectified if you don't have to undergo emission inspections.
I'd look closely at the crossmember and the mounting points, they are prone to cracking. Other than that, nothing really out of the ordinary is a major problem. I assume the owner can show maintenance records? If not, you'll want to replace the timing belt and do a full service on it before driving much

[atilamejias]

nt

[rlux4]

It looks like you have a car there that's not at a bad starting point. If the mileage is accurate you should have a good engine unless it was seriously abused before. The electrical problems are something most of us have to deal with at first. Go here for Brad Artigue's fiat page for your wiring diagrams: http://www.artigue.com/fiat/. You'll need to do a good job of cleaning all the fuse clips at the fuse panel, and look for the two in-line fuse holders up behind the fuse panel. To check your fuses, pull each one and check continuity when it's out of the fuse clips.
As far as it seeming to drift, I'd check your rear axle anchor rods. They bolt onto the bottom of each side of the rear axle and go forward to anchor points under the body. One of our FLU members had one come unbolted at the axle on the way to our last function and he said the car would drift left or right depending on whether he was accelerating or deaccelerating. (Front steering is much more effective)
Good luck, keep us posted.
Ron

[atilamejias]

Could be worth $3,500 ? The asking price is $4,000. I'm in Puerto Rico. Thanks.

[rlux4]

I don't know if anyone else here is familiar with the Spider market in Puerto Rico, I'm not. That said, by what I see my opinion is the engine and tranny would have to be in very good condition to fetch that price around here. Some points to consider: Has it been run without the air filter, if so, how long? The top may be new, but it doesn't look like a professional installation. The $3500 price range car up here would have a very decent paint job, and little if any under body rust. How much of the work will you be doing yourself? If you can't get the wiring fixed yourself it could get expensive. Does the seller have maintenance records? Oil change and gear lube intervals are important to the life expectancy of the running gear. Has the chassis been lubed regularly?
If that car were up here, and I wanted it, I'd try to get it for no more than $2500, and then not feel bad if I had to do engine or tranny work.
FWIW: One man's opinion
Good luck.
Ron

[mdrburchette]

The first thing I'd do is take it to a shop and have them put in on a lift. The swaying problem you witnessed would have me worried, especially if the owner says it has new front end components. I had the same problem with the X19 I bought and it ended up being a rear wheel bearing, but it could be anything. While it's on the lift, you'll be able to check the underside of it.

[mbouse]

There is prolly no way we could analyze that value here in the states. How prevelent the Spiders are in your area are prolly pretty slim. that should mean two things:
1. asking price might be higher, if there is a demand for convertibles in your area...or lower, if no one wants convertibles.
2. repair and restoration costs will be much higher, especially due to freight costs

Like Denise said, take it to a mechanic, and have him put it up on the lift, and give you the detailed analysis....pointing out what you might be up against. any decent mechanic could do this in about 10-15 minutes. If he charges you...remind him that if you buy this car, you will be looking for a good mechanic full time.

and, I will trade you for those rims and that steering wheel

[radiopilot]

Hola Boriqua.. Como estas!

Nice car... looks like my red spider... it's a good value for P.R. from what I've seen being sold there. The value for spiders in P.R. command much more than they do in the states and not many are found there, most are imported there from the mainland.

I suggest you take the car in to a mechanic as others here have posted and get familiar with working on the car... KEEP WATER OUT OF THE ENGINE BAY!

You can upgrade alot of stuff in your spider from most of the usual vendors and for technical stuff this is the about the best place to come to, everyone here is great and easy to talk to!

Otro Boricua de Vega Baja

Nick

[atilamejias]

Thanks everybody for your input. I'm going to tell you guys how I found this spider. I'm been trying to sell my 1985 pop-up camper for about a month, I think (at least I though) is worth about $3,500. This guy called me, he told me that he has some classic cars and that he got this Fiat from an old man who had it garaged for a couple of years and that if I will like to trade the camper for it. Well, I though about it, I need to get rid of the camper and, like I said before, I love cars and I love Fiats. I also do almost all the mechanical work in my cars. The first time I went to see the Fiat I just looked at the body, the interiors and the engine. I started her up but didnt drive her. I left undecided but as the days went by I started to browse this forum and gather info about the spider and it kind of grew into it. I decided to give the spider another chance and went to see her again. This time I took pictures, checked the floors and drove it. I left undecided again but I dont know what this cars have that you fall in love with them. Well, I'm still thinking about it, I have to make a decision this weekend. I do have the tools to work with it, the garage to keep her and the will to fix her. About taking her to a mechanic, I live about an hour from the seller and dont know any mechanics there. The next time I'll go to see the fiat is going to be to bring her home with me. The thing that worries me the most is the swaying. Like Ron said, the back of the car seems to sway when accelerating or desacelerating. I'm not worried a lot about the mechanics, I can do the work myself. Another thing is the electrical system, the only thing that seems to be working are the head and tail lights. When you turn the headlights switch, the gas gauge moves from empty to full. Is this something hard to fix? I can get parts here and if I have to order them by mail,the shipping shouldnt be differen as if I were in the mainland. (mailable parts). To Mike, if I make the deal, I will gladly trade with you in exchange of some techical advice. Just fly down here and we can talk . (are those rims and steering wheel valuable?). And to Nick, you are right, there is no many spider down here. If I make the deal, there will be a new spider in ALMIRANTE NORTE, VEGA BAJA!

Cheers,

Luis

[rlux4]

If this were my decision to make I'd be all over it like white on rice! A camper will only go down in value, whereas these cars are doing better all the time value wise. The electrical shouldn't be too big a cause for concern, with the wiring diagrams you can get it all working again, it may just be frustrating if a PO chopped a lot of wires. The grounds come up as a problem, but the '80 has ground "pods" (sometimes called bottle caps) that make it easy to find and check. If the unibody, shock towers and suspension mounting points are in good shape you should be able to find and fix the cause of the drifting rear end too.
Ron

[radiopilot]

Luis,

You have made a very good decision to buy/trade for this car, the swaying issue can be addressed with either new bushings or new links in the rear, also you may want to invest in a rear anti sway bar. As Ron suggested there are ground pods that are located throughout the car, locate them and clean the posts/connectors and use die-electric grease/paste to keep them clean and grounded, I'm sure most of the electrical issues will be corrected easily, just slowly go through all the fuses/lamps/grounds.

Here is a link to the electrical stuff you might want to check out:

http://www.fiat-spider.net/index.htm

The engine bay looks great, but get a carb air filter quick before you drive the car home to be on the safe side, body looks straight and ready for a nice paint job in the future, you'll have an oustanding spider, for the interior if you're good with materials see if you can redo the dash/consoles... seems the radio console is not the correct one for the spider, you can get the original console through one of the usual vendors.

You are much better off with the spider than the pop-up camper anytime, just imagine the fun you'll have driving the spider around the beaches of Vega Baja through Dorado, Humacao though Isla Verde, El Yunque and through the streets of Viejo San Juan, around the Cordilleras on through Ponce.... man I envy you right now....

Nick

[baltobernie]

I agree with the other members regarding electrical issues; they are common and fixable.

Are all of your tires the same size, and at least the same vintage, if not the same brand/model? Any unusual wear pattern?

Are those aftermarket wheels? Sometimes the spacers used were wrong for the Spider. While your mechanic has the car on the lift, remind him that wheel bolt torque is only 50 lb.ft., about half of what air guns are usually set at. If the wheels and tires are correct, then check the suspension as others have detailed.