1977 Fiat 124 Restoration

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I also wonder what's going on when I keep finding loose bolts and screws.

My suspicion is that some (not all) of these parts came from the original manufacture. An assembly worker would drop a fastener or clip or the like, and rather than retrieve it, just left it and got a new one. I've found these in just about every car I've ever worked on, regardless of price or age.

-Bryan

[Erkenbrand]

Yup, I'm used to finding a few. This just started to get ridiculous. For a car that hadn't had "any serious work" done. On a positive note I did find the remains of a carb rebuild kit, and timing kit in the trunk. But those were probably done 20 years ago when it was first taken off the road.

This is now my - when the weather gets warm I'll return to messing with it car. Heat in the garage is OK, but it doesn't really replace just being warm.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

This is now my - when the weather gets warm I'll return to messing with it car. Heat in the garage is OK, but it doesn't really replace just being warm.

Sounds like a plan. Reminds me of putting a cylinder head back on many years ago, and the biggest challenge was keeping the blowing snow from filling the combustion chambers as I worked. In my younger (and stupider) days of course!

-Bryan

[Erkenbrand]

Lol - exactly.

Years ago, I kept a set of tools in my Cavalier. After class, I'd drive the parking lots of my college in Rochester, NY, and do any car repairs needed. It was a great way to make book and food money while freezing on the asphalt.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Years ago, I kept a set of tools in my Cavalier. After class, I'd drive the parking lots of my college in Rochester, NY, and do any car repairs needed. It was a great way to make book and food money while freezing on the asphalt.

Ha! I made extra beer money in college by fixing other students' cars in the parking lots, under awful sodium vapor lamps. One eye on the task at hand, one eye on the lookup for the campus cops that inevitably would come by and ask me what I was doing. "But officer, my friend told me I could have these 4 tires!"

-Bryan

[DieselSpider]

I had the police pull shot guns on me when I told them the name of one person who gave me permission to do the work.

I didn't have that much trouble though convincing them that I was trying to repair the old farmers truck which was held together with bailing wire and a prayer despite the reputation of the son of the owner of the woodlot where the farmers truck was broken down and stuck in the mud. It helped that their dispatcher was able to locate the farmer who was as I told him at the local emergency room getting his mother admitted to the hospital. Not fun having a spotlight and 12 gauge shot guns pointed at you by 2 country police officers one of whom appeared to be a bit too much of a Barney Fife.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Not fun having a spotlight and 12 gauge shot guns pointed at you by 2 country police officers one of whom appeared to be a bit too much of a Barney Fife.

Great story, Diesel, and I bow in your general direction. Could have been Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f3CFzahrRs

-Bryan

[davebdave]

Congrats on the Fiat, I'll be following along.
Dave

[Chops]

Just following along with your resto, I've viewed your photos, you would be much better off if you have purchased the 79 in better condition or any fiat in better condition. The amount of work, time, effort and costs will mount up. Ask me how I know, although i'm in Canada, after shipping, duties, and exchange the prices double. I presently own 2 spiders because I purchased the wrong car first, purchased a welder, metal, realized how much work was required, then purchased a 2nd one in very good shape so i could enjoy these cars in the summer.
Should mention that I continue working on floors, sub structure and towers of the first car, but at my pace. Best of Luck

[Erkenbrand]

I did purchase a '79 that's in much better condition. There is a small soft spot in the driver floor, everything else is clean. Not only is the soft top good, it also comes with a hard top! Runs great, and has had all of the right maintenance. It does need a paint job.

I bought it from a gentleman in Ohio, and my brother picked it up for me. Once I get my vaccine in a month I'm planning on making the 400 mile drive so I can see it for myself.

[Chops]

Hey good for you, definitely you have made a good move. Please post photos when you pickup your spider. Fixing a floor spot is not difficult. The biggest positive is you'll be able to enjoy your car sooner.

[Erkenbrand]

After a lot of consideration, I decided it's time to get back to work on the '77. And the '79 somewhat in parallel. After doing a lot of contemplating, it comes down to focus. My goal with both is to have a nice pair of drivers, not concourse winners. Also, I need to get back into practice on the welder.

For the '77, I'm going to cut out and weld rust throughs, and bad sections. For the trunk areas where rust is starting, but not bad, I'm going to hit with rust encapsulator, and then paint it all. The engine is staying in. Since I'm not changing colors, I'll do a good detail of the engine bay once it's again running.

I'm even going to keep the tube bumpers. They're in pretty good shape, even though the rubber and plastic bits are showing their age. As long as I focus on 'nice driver' I'm ok.

The '79 will get a separate thread once I have it home. Currently, it's still 400 miles away on my grandfather's farm in Ohio. I was back visiting a couple of weeks ago, and took it for a spin. That one is going to be the sporty build.

Oh, and these are going to be a 'his and hers' pair. My fiance likes the green / tan of the '77. She does not like red cars, and the '79 is red. It just works out nicely!

[Erkenbrand]

I'm keeping a steady stream of photos in my Flickr album. That's a lot easier than loading images here.

I now have the 77 as stripped down as it's going to get, and then power washed everything to cut through as much old grime as possible.

From now on the only things being taken off are driveline and steering components. It's really time to get started on the body work. And that work isn't going to be too bad. The driver floor, patches in the inner rockers, patches in the shock towers, and a couple of small patches on the wheel wells. Then, time for paint.

I'm also going to convert it to electronic ignition using a complete ignition I found in a local scrap yard 79 Fiat.

Slowly, but surely, progress continues.

You can find the Flickr album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmStGBmb

I'll keep the photos in there updated as I keep up the work.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Thanks for those photos, and I stand in admiration of your photographic documentation. It will be interesting to see this project as it progresses.

-Bryan

[Erkenbrand]

More photos in the collection.

I've removed all of the steering and wheel components from the driver side. I'm going to be replacing all of it, and I needed to get in and address the shock tower as well as the toe board and floor board. Now, all of the rust from those areas is cut away.

Next up, cutting out the rust from the inner rocker. Followed by lots of grinding, and then making up the patches. So far, I'm pretty happy with the progress. The floor isn't as rotted as I at first thought, but I was disappointed in the seat mount nearest the door was pretty much tissue paper and I'll have to replace it.

I like taking lots of photos. It makes putting everything back together much easier.

The ever-growing album is here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmStGBmb