New project car! '73 FIAT 124 Spider

  • Thread starter TB
  • 114 comments
  • 11,876 views
ildd
I'm rather surprised that a wash cleaned it up so good from your first picture!
Click to expand...
The wash didn't do a damn thing. The before and after was an hour and a half of scrubbing with a rag and rubbing compound! That 90 minutes got a 14" x 10" section of the hood done. :scared:

On the plus side, the hood is by far the worst spot and I now have my dads buffer as mine is a raging POS. It'll apply wax just fine but it doesn't have the horsepower to cut through 30+ years of neglect.
ildd
I can't see the Great TB driving one of those :lol:
Click to expand...
Just when you thought you knew someone...

If I'm honest, a week ago I didn't see myself in a Fiat, either, but there's just something about it. Perhaps just the fact that I've never seen one in town and if I can have some part in preserving that and all it sets me back is a few thousand dollars, why not? :)
TheCrazySwede
What's the mileage on the chassis, if you don't mind me asking.
Click to expand...
Odometer reads 26k.
 
You knew this was coming, but V8 swap it! Haha.


Awesome car. I really like it. Little roadsters are always cool.
 
TB
The wash didn't do a damn thing. The before and after was an hour and a half of scrubbing with a rag and rubbing compound! That 90 minutes got a 14" x 10" section of the hood done. :scared:

On the plus side, the hood is by far the worst spot and I now have my dads buffer as mine is a raging POS. It'll apply wax just fine but it doesn't have the horsepower to cut through 30+ years of neglect.

Just when you thought you knew someone...

If I'm honest, a week ago I didn't see myself in a Fiat, either, but there's just something about it. Perhaps just the fact that I've never seen one in town and if I can have some part in preserving that and all it sets me back is a few thousand dollars, why not? :)

Odometer reads 26k.
Click to expand...
Well it sure looks shinier after the rubbing then. Luckily it's a small car so rubbing and scrubbing should go by fast.
My dads friend has an old Fiat (I haven't seen it in 5 years so I don't remember which one though) and that was actually the reason he got it-because nobody knew what it was. Nothing wrong with driving something obscure.
 
Ahh this explains the pile of money you posted on Thursday. Looking forward to the updates on this project.

If you find that its taking a lot of work to buff an area, hit it with 2,000 grit wet sandpaper first. It will make buffing the car MUCH easier. I always recommend 3m buffing / cutting compound after 2,000 grit sandpaper.
img_20140510_184503-jpg.156788
 
Last edited:
TB
At the request of one @Mike Rotch, I give you this thread. :P

I'll do my best to document anything I'm working on on this little beauty but as I've just brought it home and parked it in the garage there's nothing to report just yet. That said, without further ado, my new toy:

RDAEnc2l.jpg

1973 Fiat 124 Spider
​
Work log (strike-through denotes the issue has been fixed with a link to the fix as warranted)

A good wash, de-oxidizing (in progress) and waxing.
Passenger side interior door handle missing half assed temporary fix done
Engine running very rich - adjust carburetor
Replace spark plugs
Re-install radio
Click to expand...
what a beautiful car! :D Good luck on the project!
 
Very cool. Been following, but so busy in the last weeks, days I rarely get time to post here or go through the threads.

Keep us updated on the process 👍
 
I haven't had much time to do anything of note, hence no updates. :(

Over the weekend I did manage to get the garage straightened up a bit so I can get all three cars in. In doing so, I wall mounted a 4' fluorescent light in front of the car. Then I remembered the hood opens towards the front... :lol:

I also checked the fuses. One of them registered 45 Ohms, which is a TOUCH high. :lol: I'm just going to replace all 11 fuses. I think while I'm grabbing those I'll order up a set of gaskets, too.
 
Great looking car TB! Really makes me wish I could afford an old project like that! I'll just stick to mediocre motorcycles :lol:
 
Update:

I got the fuses changed and the blinkers started working so I was all excited at having some progress. Until the 16A fuse started smoking. Twice. Looking back at the Haynes book, it shows a 16A in the Electrical section but the Supplemental section says the US version should be a 25A. Before I throw a 25er in there an nuke something that can't that much, I must do more research.

I took off the radiator cap and it's all full of sludgy gunk so I started flushing the coolant system. I'll get a pick posted tomorrow later today. It looked like chocolate milk. :scared: I think I have it mostly flushed but I'm going to put everything back together and run it for a bit to make sure before filling it with antifreeze. Also need to boil the thermostat to make sure it's working.

Also also, when I was flushing the radiator, whenever I'd slightly overfill it, the tube to the overflow tank would drip. doing some nosing around, it looks like they "fixed" it with some silicone. I ripped that off, scrubbed it down and (hopefully) fixed it with some JB Weld SteelStik. I'm letting it set up overnight before I put any pressure on the seal.
 
I mention this because Jay Leno is always banging on about it, but have you thought of using waterless coolant rather than regular antifreeze when refilling? I believe it costs a bit more but it also works safely up to much higher temperatures, doesn't expand and shouldn't ever need changing.
 
The repair has been made with the JB Weld SteelStik:

B2xo5QS.jpg


It's a bit thick on the bottom but there's nothing there it will get in the way of and that's where the hole was so hopefully it's up to the task.

With that done and the system flushed, before I fill it with coolant I want to check the water pump. So. How does one check a water pump? :lol:
 
TB
With that done and the system flushed, before I fill it with coolant I want to check the water pump. So. How does one check a water pump? :lol:
Click to expand...
To see if the water pump is working you will want to leave the cap off the radiator. Then get the engine up to temperature and once the thermostat opens up, you should see the antifreeze circulating in your radiator. Just leave your radiator level a little low so its easier to watch the antifreeze circulation. You will actually see it move through the fins inside the radiator cap hole.

If the water pump is squealing, replace it. If water is coming out of a bottom hole of the water pump, replace it.

On a side note if the repair doesn't work on the radiator, just get a new radiator. They are usually only around $150-$200 depending on which one you go with. There are quite a few options.
 
Last edited:
@CAMAROBOY69 - Thanks for the tips! 👍

I still need to make sure I've flushed out the heater core lines as the book says it's a 1.6 gallon cooling system but when I fill up the block by the thermostat I only get about one gallon out of the radiator. I'm wondering if the other .6 is in either the heater core or if there's crap in the system. Clean water in the top comes out clean at the bottom, so I'm leaning towards the heater core.

And I still need to post a picture of the crap that came out when I first started. :ill:
 
You wont be able to fill it 100% until the system is pressurized and circulating. There will be air pockets you just simply cant get to by filling from the thermostat.
 
Regardless, I want to make sure those lines are clear before I bother putting coolant back in. :)
 

Similar threads

wfooshee
Picked up an Aurora - now about those Northstar issues........
Replies
2
Views
18K
wfooshee
wfooshee

Latest Posts

Back