US or Eu

[Johninbarcelona]

Please can you tell me how I can know if my 1975 Fiat 124 Spider CS1 (132 A1 0405) was produced for the US market or stayed in Europe. I have differing information. I assume some of it's features would also tell me difinitively. I also can't get a definitive answer on what hp it has which I believe could also depend on whether it was produced for the US or EU.
Many thanks in advance from all you more experienced owners.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

The most definitive way to tell is by the engine model number, located on a flange near the oil filter. Not the engine casting number on the side of the block, but the model number stamped into the metal. There will also be the serial number of the engine just below it.

The model number will look something like: 132 xxxxx

-Bryan

[Johninbarcelona]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have put that number in my original post. 132 A1 0405. But what does that tell me ?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Ooops, sorry, for some reason I was thinking that was the casting number....

132A1.040.5 is the designation for a USA 1756 engine from 1975 to 1978, naturally carbureted. If you had the catalytic converter version (California only in 1975), the engine number would be 132A1.031.5. USA 1756 engines have a compression ratio of 8:1 and are rated at 86 SAE horsepower at 6200 rpm (83 SAE horsepower at 5800 rpm for catalytic converter version), with a torque peak of 90 ft lbs at 2800 rpm (86 at 2800 rpm for catalytic converter version).

What makes you think it might be an European engine? Was the car originally purchased in the EU?

-Bryan

[rdv]

Hi at all,
last known production for European delivery should be 09/74. (source: "das große Fiat Spider Buch").
Last known CS1 european car is 124CS10084046 from Portugal (build date 06/74)
https://www.fiatspider.de/register/vehicle/4899

The european CS1 1800 models got engine type 132AC1.000 with 118 PS/hp!

So you got an US model with US engine!

Cheers Ralf

[Johninbarcelona]

Thank you so much Bryan and Ralf for clearing that up and sharing your knowledge. Now I know I have the US model. I am almost at peace. However I am slightly disappointed that the hp is lower on my US version than it would be on a European version. I believe the EU version has 116hp.
Now this may be a stupid question but does my 1756cc engine have the capacity to increase the hp. ie. were the US engines the same but restricted in some way that can be reversed. What would I need to do to achieve that ? Or it is what it is.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Well, the 1970s were not a good time for automotive manufacturers selling in the US market, and Fiat was no exception. The oil price shocks of the early 1970s were part of the problem, but the larger issue was that the 1970 Clean Air Act in the USA mandated a 90% reduction in vehicle emissions by 1975.

To achieve this, Fiat started dropping the compression ratio from 8.9:1 in the 1438, then to 8.5:1 in the 1608, then to 8.1:1 in the 1592, then 8.0:1 in the 1756 engine. Also, starting in 1974, the Fiat engines added an air pump (smog pump) and EGR, along with changes in the carburetor and ignition timing. All this dropped the horsepower from 96 HP in the 1438 engines down to 86 in the 1756 engines, despite the larger engine size of the latter.

So what can be done? Probably the biggest improvement would be to find pistons with the European compression ratio of around 9.8:1, along with a better carburetor. Changing the pistons requires removing the engine. There may have been changes to the cylinder head on the European engines, but I don't know much about that. As far as I know, the cams were all the same between US and non-US markets, although there is disagreement on that.

You can remove the smog pump and EGR and find a better carburetor (the 32/36 DFEV is a popular choice), and increase the static ignition timing to 10 degrees BTDC and that will add perhaps 10 or 15 HP. But to achieve the 116 HP of the European engines, you need higher compression pistons. Whether that is worth the effort is a question that I can't answer.

The good news is that the 1756 intake manifold was one of the better ones, so there is that.

-Bryan

[Johninbarcelona]

Wow, thats a lot to take in. I think short of flying you over to Barcelona to manage that mammoth refit, I'll leave it as it is. I appreciate all your knowledge and excellent explanation though but that just seems way too much to contemplate. I'll just continue enjoying it as it is.
Thanks again though Bryan for going into so much detail. Much appreciated.