Making my '74 a good daily driver

[FiatRunner]

Hello all,

I purchased my '74 Spider in October of last year, and this summer it will be my daily driver. It is in very good condition, but it is going to need a few things before it can be my daily. I will track my progress here.

Of course, I will take care of the small issues with the drivetrain, suspension, and brakes before other things, but I have had my questions about those things answered already. I'm just waiting for it to get warmer so I can get some work done.

What I need to know now is about how well these cars hold up to rain. Since I've owned the car, it's only rained once, and I tried to find leaks, but I didn't see any. Are there common leak points? Any seals or gaskets I should be replacing? The windshield gasket doesn't seem to fit particularly well, but I didn't notice any leaks when it rained. The last thing I want is for the car to rust from the inside out, without me knowing. The top is almost brand new, but I don't know about any of the window seals or gaskets.

A friend of mine has a 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider, and the top leaks so much that you can't drive it in the rain, at all. I'd really hate for my car to be like that.

[TX82FIAT]

My experience with these cars and water is as follows. One, even the best installed top is not designed by todays convertible standards. Do not take the car through an automated car wash. The high pressure water will find the gaps and leak in at the top where the rear fold up glass meets the door glass. 100%. Two, keep the car clean and sealed. If you drill a hole in a metal part seal the exposed metal. Three, there are a ton of places for moisture to get trapped such as the carpet, under rockers, the shock towers, around the trunk. Road dirt and mud stick to a variety of places and drain holes get clogged if not maintained. The manufacturing of these cars did not always use the best steel. I'm told at one point some of the spiders were shipped open to the sea air across the ocean. If you want the car to last another 20-30 years I would try to keep it out of the rain as much as possible. Always keep a good protective coat of wax on all metal. If you must drive in the rain for daily use then clean it and dry it as soon as possible to prevent unseen spots from trapping moisture.

[FiatRunner]

I definitely try to keep the car as clean and dry as I can. I am going to wash the car once a week at minimum, and by hand, with the proper tools and equipment. I hate it when the car looks dirty.

I don't expect the car to get rained on often, but I'm sure it's going to happen at some point. I do also have "modern" vehicles that I could drive, but those have zero soul compared to our little Fiats.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

If the top is sealing reasonably well, I wouldn't be concerned about driving it in the rain. I know the stories about how these cars start rusting if you even mouth the word "humidity", but I haven't experienced this. Yes, if the car sits in a muddy field with grass growing around it, it will rust. Similarly, if you drive around in the winter with chunks of ice attached for months to the underbody and well wheels, it will rust.

As others have mentioned, trace down and fix any leaks in the top, make sure the drain holes aren't plugged, and hose off any snow or salt. But don't be afraid to drive it in the rain.

In my younger and more foolish days, I used to drive my '69 spider through 8" water when the local river would flood over the banks. Great good fun*, although the water would seep into the passenger compartment if I stopped... It also saw snow and salt and ice. To this day, only minor rust, and I credit hosing it down religiously for achieving this.
*Pro-Tip: This is not a good idea.

-Bryan

[FiatRunner]

If the top is sealing reasonably well, I wouldn't be concerned about driving it in the rain. I know the stories about how these cars start rusting if you even mouth the word "humidity", but I haven't experienced this. Yes, if the car sits in a muddy field with grass growing around it, it will rust. Similarly, if you drive around in the winter with chunks of ice attached for months to the underbody and well wheels, it will rust.

As others have mentioned, trace down and fix any leaks in the top, make sure the drain holes aren't plugged, and hose off any snow or salt. But don't be afraid to drive it in the rain.

This sounds great to me. The last thing I want is for it to sit in the garage all the time. The car was built to be driven, so go drive it!

When I was a kid, my grandpa had a corvette that he would never drive. It would just sit in his garage almost all summer. Sure, the car was perfect in every way, but it always bugged me that the car was barely ever driven how it was supposed to be. (although whenever he went on vacation, my dad and I made sure to go for a drive and stretch it's legs)

But about the drain holes. Where are they located? I know of the one by the fuel filler, and I've made sure that one isn't plugged, but what about the other ones?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

But about the drain holes. Where are they located? I know of the one by the fuel filler, and I've made sure that one isn't plugged, but what about the other ones?

I'm probably forgetting some, but off the top of my head:

2 drain pipes leading from the pan under the cowl, where the windshield motor is. These often get plugged with leaves or the like, and then that area fills up with water and rusts. If you open the hood and take a hose and run water through the black vent area in the cowl, you should see that water drain out of two rubber tubes on the rear firewall. If not, they're plugged.

2 drain pipes, one on each of the rear quarter windows in the top. If you look closely, there is a metal rim at the bottom of the quarter windows, with a rubber hose attached that leads down into the floor area, behind the plastic panels on each side of the rear seat. Over time, with the top going up and down, these tubes break off and then water collects behind the panels.

The drain tube in the gas filler tube well as you mentioned.

Under the driver and passenger seat and footwell areas, there are several triangular shaped cutouts in the floorpan, but these are only seen from below unless you take out the carpets and insulation (not recommended at this point). These are to allow water in the floor pan to drain out, although opinion is mixed as to whether these actually allow water to enter the floorpan from the roadway.

Just curious if you don't mind my asking: Where are you going to school?

-Bryan

[FiatRunner]

2 drain pipes, one on each of the rear quarter windows in the top. If you look closely, there is a metal rim at the bottom of the quarter windows, with a rubber hose attached that leads down into the floor area, behind the plastic panels on each side of the rear seat. Over time, with the top going up and down, these tubes break off and then water collects behind the panels.

The drain tube in the gas filler tube well as you mentioned.

Under the driver and passenger seat and footwell areas, there are several triangular shaped cutouts in the floorpan, but these are only seen from below unless you take out the carpets and insulation (not recommended at this point). These are to allow water in the floor pan to drain out, although opinion is mixed as to whether these actually allow water to enter the floorpan from the roadway.

Just curious if you don't mind my asking: Where are you going to school?

I will definitely check these places for plugs. I've seen the drains for the cowl vents before, and there were a few leaves/twigs but an inspection with a flashlight showed that they were unblocked. Also, the plastic grill for the vents moves up and down a bit, and it often rattles when I drive. Is this common? How would I remove or re-secure the grill?

As for the floorpan drains, I know these work. I am only the third owner of my car, and I was told that it was never ever driven in the cold. I got the car in October, so it was a little chilly, so I turned the heat on, which was probably the first time it had been used in decades. The heater control valve started leaking, and a lot, but I didn't notice it until there was a large puddle underneath the car. I could see the little triangle pieces, and the green coolant was dripping from them. I had to pull back the carpet and insulation, which have been replaced very recently, and when I could see the bare floorpan, I couldn't spot any rust.

About school... I take fire science and EMT classes at the College of DuPage, which is located in the western suburbs of Chicago. I take my required math and science classes at the main campus, but then I have to drive about 15 miles one-way to the trade school campus, where I take the hands-on classes.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Also, the plastic grill for the vents moves up and down a bit, and it often rattles when I drive. Is this common? How would I remove or re-secure the grill?

Yes, it is common, and the fix is fairly easy. Fiat used a rather goofy system of 3 rubber screws that screw into a flange on the underside of the panel and press up on the plastic vent lattices to keep them in place. One in the center, and one on each side. The screws look like this: https://autoricambi.us/rubber-panel-adjusting-screw/

You have to take off the cowl to get under there, and you might be able to tighten your existing screws, but I have generally found them to get brittle with age and just break in pieces. So, I end up buying new ones.

Good on you for pursuing fire science and EMT work! A lot of my volunteer work centers around education, which is why I asked.

-Bryan

[FiatRunner]

Okay, I will see if I can take another look at it soon. Hopefully this weekend, but I'm not sure. It was -4 degrees outside today, and that is far too cold for me. But I feel good knowing that it's a relatively simple fix. I often find these "small" fixes the most gratifying.

Good on you for pursuing fire science and EMT work! A lot of my volunteer work centers around education, which is why I asked.

And good on you for doing education-related volunteering! Both my parents are teachers, and I can confidently say that teaching is not easy.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Both my parents are teachers, and I can confidently say that teaching is not easy.

Agreed. Like you, both my parents were teachers as well. Kudos to all teachers, along with medical professionals, servicemen (women), and fire/EMT/police. They are the real heroes.

My, seems like I have drifted this thread quite a bit... Sorry!

-Bryan

[Nut124]

Both my parents are teachers, and I can confidently say that teaching is not easy.

Agreed. Like you, both my parents were teachers as well. Kudos to all teachers, along with medical professionals, servicemen (women), and fire/EMT/police. They are the real heroes.

-Bryan

I could not agree more.

[FiatRunner]

It makes me happy to know that there’s others on here who have respect for teachers, first responders, and medical professionals.

Sure, we might’ve gotten a little bit sidetracked, but for a good cause.

Anyway, thank you all for the help. I’ll report back once I get some work done, and I’ll make sure to post what I fix/repair/adjust here.

[Yadkin]

If this is your daily I suggest that you install relays for the headlamps and take the load off of the fuse panel. The factory electrical system is the least reliable part of the car and used four of the ten fuses just to run the headlamps. When I inspected my panel it was nearly melted sand since the headlamps are the highest fused amperage I would guess that to be the cause.

[FiatRunner]

If this is your daily I suggest that you install relays for the headlamps and take the load off of the fuse panel. The factory electrical system is the least reliable part of the car and used four of the ten fuses just to run the headlamps. When I inspected my panel it was nearly melted sand since the headlamps are the highest fused amperage I would guess that to be the cause.

How easy is a headlamp relay installation? I've heard about it being done on these cars, but I don't know what exactly it requires.

Also, unless I am going to be using the headlights often, is it absolutely necessary? The electrical system in my car is in very good condition for it's age, and I really don't want to change any of it unless it's really needed. I cleaned many of the grounds and connectors, and I have yet to find one that has been messed with. Also, this car is going to be driven with the headlights off at least 95% of the time.

I'm all for making the car safer or more reliable, but I'm just not completely sure about changing the electrical stuff.

[dinghyguy]

For safety with a small car that the SUV's may miss i always drive with my headlights on. The relay modification is simple and well worth it. If you are at it you might do the wipers too. I did my headlights in about 2hours including coffee.
The vendors sell kits that are almost plug and play. If you want to make your own and are comfortable soldering wires together you can do it for about 1/2 the cost, but that may not be worth it if you dont have those skills comfortably developed.

Get the circuit diagram and study it a bit, that may help.

cheers
Dinghyguy