New project car! '73 FIAT 124 Spider

[TB]

At the request of one @Mike Rotch, I give you this thread.

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:

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
Coolant flush and fill
Broken radiator pipe Done

 

[Mike Rotch]

At the request of one @Mike Rotch, I give you this thread.

To say I am not jealous would be a lie of herculean proportions 👍.

Excellent purchase TB, if you had let on you were looking for a project car, I would not have picked a Fiat as the choice. 10/10 for exclusivity and without a doubt where-ever you go it will be a conversation starter.

I'm dying to see some more pics so don't be shy if the light of day and time permits .

Edit:

According to wiki, the '73 has 116hp which in a car which I am guessing weighs as much as a tea towel, would be spritely performance!

 

[TB]

if you had let on you were looking for a project car, I would not have picked a Fiat as the choice.

My wife and I were looking for a fun car which to me simply narrowed it down to being a convertible of some flavor. I certainly wasn't looking for a Fiat, either. I came across that SLK I mentioned in the Premium section but a late 90's German car is not an easy thing to work on yourself. Also REALLY liked the '01 M3 I found but not the price tag it came with. I found the 124, did some looking around and decided the price they wanted was fair so here we are.

10/10 for exclusivity and without a doubt where-ever you go it will be a conversation starter.

I don't know how this vintage of Fiat is in Australia but around here they just really don't exist. As such, you never see them driving around and yet parts still look to be fairly easy to come by if when things need replacing.

I'm dying to see some more pics so don't be shy if the light of day and time permits .

Will do. The interior needs some help but short of the door handle it's nothing that needs to be addressed right away. Same with the outside - some things that could use a tweak here and there (a crack in the hood could use a repair) but nothing that has to be done right this second. Priority One is getting that gas smell down when you're driving.

According to wiki, the '73 has 116hp which in a car which I am guessing weighs as much as a tea towel, would be spritely performance!

Hopefully it's just a matter of adjusting the carburetor but with as rich as it's running, performance is hard to gauge right now. Even tough, it does seem to be fairly decent. She's not rev happy but it's was quite a quick process getting used to the accelerator and clutch. Although my wife did kill it once.

 

[Mike Rotch]

My wife and I were looking for a fun car which to me simply narrowed it down to being a convertible of some flavor. I certainly wasn't looking for a Fiat, either.

It's got bags of what a SLK and M3 don't have - charisma. Sounds like you got one in good enough condition for you to make a difference, without you having to rebuild half of it.

I don't know how this vintage of Fiat is in Australia but around here they just really don't exist.

There are all of 5 for sale on the countries biggest online car sales advertisement site . I can't recall the last time I saw a Fiat that wasn't a new 500 here.

I really had no idea a 124 Spyder existed before this. I do have a soft spot for small 2 seater convertibles of this ilk and vintage - Nissan Fairlady and Alfa Spyder's - and to be fair, I prefer this look over the Alfa's.

 

[TB]

It's got bags of what a SLK and M3 don't have - charisma.

I was never sold on the SLK but that M3? I was ready to drive the 4 hours to look at it but the $15k price tag said otherwise, especially as my wife gave me a budget of $5,000 (which I came in well under with the Fiat )

Sounds like you got one in good enough condition for you to make a difference, without you having to rebuild half of it.

The guy we just bought it from has had it for only a year. The people he bought it from had all the parts and pieces but they needed to be reassembled. Him and his dad did the work but he has other cars he's working on now (a '73 'Cuda for example) so this one had to go.

I can't recall the last time I saw a Fiat that wasn't a new 500 here.

Pretty much how it is here, too. Fiat was around in parts of the '60's to the '80's then disappeared until the 500 came back.

I really had no idea a 124 Spyder existed before this. I do have a soft spot for small 2 seater convertibles of this ilk and vintage - Nissan Fairlady and Alfa Spyder's - and to be fair, I prefer this look over the Alfa's.

I think what drew me in more than just it being a convertible at a decent price and appeared to be in good shape was when I started looking in to the car and found its roundabout connections to the '63 Stingray and Pininfarina. Definitely piqued my interest.

 

[Dennisch]

Yes. I need more likes to give.

That thing looks great. Should be great to drive.

1 pre caution! Check the timing belt.

 

[Cano]

Aaaah those things are cool. there's one roaming around work that I see every so often, and it's a real head turner.

It looks like a pretty solid foundation. Just needs a 351/C4 and you're good to go (:

Yeah I know I'm tempting the ban hammer here

It will be fun to see where this goes dude. Good luck with the little trinket 👍

 

[TB]

Just needs a 351/C4 and you're good to go (:

I haven't looked in to it, nor am I interested in doing it, but I happened by an engine swap with a 5.0.

Yeah I know I'm tempting the ban hammer here

Takes a hell of a lot more than that, dude.

 

[Cano]

I haven't looked in to it, nor am I interested in doing it, but I happened by an engine swap with a 5.0.

Damn. That soubds like all kinds of slash-wesome. But even if you don't plan on turning it into a V8 monster, it will still be a fun car. I take it you're just going to freshen it up and drive the bejeeberz out of it?

 

[TB]

I take it you're just going to freshen it up and drive the bejeeberz out of it?

The interior needs quite a bit of help (I'll get pics posted later, promise!) but it's not terrible so it can wait. I'm not opposed to throwing a few bucks at it (especially for what I bought it for) but I have no intentions of it being a show car by any means. I have cars to drive them, not look at them.

 

[AlvaroF]

I don not want to be that that guy, but... this shouldn't be in the Member's Rides section?

---------------

Anyway, congratulations on your buy and what a sweet ride! It looks so cute and joyful. But I've got to ask, if you ditched reliability (Italian), why not go for a Triumph or a MG?

 

[Cano]

I have cars to drive them, not look at them.

As it should be 👍

 

[Beeblebrox237]

I've always loved the 124 Spider, looks like a really fun project!

 

[Turtle]

Such a sweet little car, I'm very jealous!

 

[TB]

but... this shouldn't be in the Member's Rides section?

Indeed and done. 👍

But I've got to ask, if you ditched reliability (Italian), why not go for a Triumph or a MG?

That era of English cars doesn't do it for me at all. Simple as that.

 

[AlvaroF]

That era of English cars doesn't do it for me at all. Simple as that.

Fair enough. I'm still jelous and it's still a sweet ride!

 

[Davis]

I saw one of these just like yours parked downtown yesterday and couldn't remember the last time I saw a 124 that wasn't rusting away in an Italian scrap lot.

How heavy is the clutch?

 

[Spacegoat]

Awesome project you got yourself there @TB. Really like the fact, that you're not going to go totally overboard with it. Best of luck and looking forward to seeing some more pictures. 👍

 

[TB]

How heavy is the clutch?

It's not nearly as smooth as the Plymouth Neon or '07 Civic I had (DUH!) but it didn't take long to get used to it.

Really like the fact, that you're not going to go totally overboard with it.

Kind of funny but my wife is more into making changes than I am. She's ready to get new seat upholstery and have the bumpers chromed instead of their current black.

looking forward to seeing some more pictures. 👍

I shan't keep you waiting, then. Click for larger.




Spots on the hood. Hopefully buffing compound will take care of it.




Pininfarina emblem


Hole in back seat and crappy 6x9 speakers have to go eventually.


Tape on drivers seat and vice grip door handle (the first fix from my list! ) need to be remedied eventually.


Radio needs to be installed (it's in the trunk), the trim ring around the speedometer doesn't match the rest and hide the rat's nest under the dash.


The red air cleaner cover looks completely out of place. A quick paint job would take care of that. So does closing the hood.


Close up of spots on the hood.


Same place as above after a bit of elbow grease. Looks very promising for when I attack it with the buffer later.


Top up shot. Probably won't be many of those.

 

[axletramp]

Beautiful car @TB. Absolutely begging for a 16v Integrale engine 'update'. Same 2 litre block IIRC.

 

[homeforsummer]

Stunning choice TB. 124s are such pretty cars. I'm sure there'll be some Abarth goodies knocking about that you can order too...

That era of English cars doesn't do it for me at all. Simple as that.

Don't blame you. I do like old British stuff but when it comes to sports cars from that era, Italian over British every time.

 

[TB]

Absolutely begging for a 16v Integrale engine 'update'. Same 2 litre block IIRC.

I'm sure there'll be some Abarth goodies knocking about that you can order too...

Probably wouldn't take much to push me over the edge to do something like that, if I'm honest. 👍

 

[GTPorsche]

Looks better than the ones I've seen for sale in this area. 👍

 

[dhandeh]

Jealous!

 

[cbarbosa]

@TB

Just to say thank you sir, for the dedication and work to bring back a classic to his former glory!

👍

 

[TB]

Did I mention the paint was ozidixed?

Before:


After:


It's so bad it the hood feels like 200 grit sandpaper. Thankfully the rest of the car isn't nearly as bad. It'll take heaps of elbow grease but results like this will keep me going, that's for sure.

Looks like the seats will clean up nicely, too:

 

[Doodle]

I love it.

 

[motortrend]

It looks like it can get a whole lot better (Already looking great though) with a lot of time and not that much cash, which is perfect for a project car. This is really making me want a classic car, every bit of it tells a story and it's just something else. Problem is not spending the cash on mods or on a car to beat on
Keep us posted!

 

[Spacegoat]

Kind of funny but my wife is more into making changes than I am. She's ready to get new seat upholstery and have the bumpers chromed instead of their current black.

A guy that worked for my father a few years ago had a couple of classic cars and his wife couldn't give two flips about them at all, actually if I recall she made him sell them both after he retired. At least Mrs TB is showing an interest, count yourself lucky, or though maybe not because it could end up costing you even more money. And nice pics, looks really good for it's age. Once again best of luck with this. 👍

 

[ildd]

I'm rather surprised that a wash cleaned it up so good from your first picture! Interior isn't that bad but it does need some love. Definitely an interesting car to buy, I like them, but I can't see the Great TB driving one of those