New Member - Gulfport FL

[flyboy]

Hi all,
'78 spider purchased about 2 months ago. The kid that sold it to me must be laughing. I should have known to turn around when I ran out of gas 2 miles from where I bought the car. As luck would have it, I ran out of gas right in front of a gas station and there was a 20 ish guy walking by and ready to help me push. Put in a few gallons, drove the 5 miles home and parked (ok, I drove it to my neighbors house until I could get it cleaned up a bit before taking it home). Stunk like gas...

haven't had much time to work on it but I have found most (hopefully all) of the fuel leaks. Replaced a bunch of hoses, and now need to order a accelerator pump diaphragm since mine was gushing. Then fix the clutch, and...

Thanks already for the past knowledge contained on the previous version of the site.

[So Cal Mark]

welcome! post any questions you have about the car, we'll be happy to help. Post a picture when you can

[rlux4]

Welcome Flyboy, Were you looking for a hobby when you got your car, or did you just get lucky? Just about anything you need to know about your Fiat is here, either in the past posts, or through great people ready to help.

[flyboy]

Were you looking for a hobby when you got your car, or did you just get lucky?

If I posted a picture you would know that I knew that this was not a new car. Also, the price didn't justify a car that didn't need some work. I couldn't even open the door on a consistent basis because I didn't have the right combination of wrist and hip action. Rather than practicing this difficult maneuver until I perfected it, I just tightened up the screws on the door latch. The fuel leaks were a little surprising given that the kid that sold me the car said he didn't know of any fuel leaks - and he does a lot of fishing, just like me, so I know he doesn't stretch the truth. When I drove the car, the engine sounded good, acceleration was smooth and strong, and there was almost no rust underneath. There was an oil leak from the distributor that dripped right on the exhaust manifold so we didn't drive much because otherwise there was going to be a lot of smoke (I am hopeful that the QMI liquiseal works - another tip that I picked up from the old forum.

I figured if I could get a year out of the car without too much investment, it would be a fun little car to drive along the beach. Besides, I have a 17 mo. old at home and he needs something to do in his spare time. I just need to get everything fixed up before Tarpon season because then I really won't have any time!

On a final note, where is the best place to order parts? I need an accelerator pump diaphragm so I can get out on the road.

[mbouse]

HOBBY? my Fiat ownership seems more like a part-time job!!

anyway, welcome. here are some of my frequent parts suppliers (in no particular order):
http://www.fiatparts.com
http://www.midwest124.com
http://www.funimported.com
http://www.baylessfiat.com
http://www.vickauto.com
http://www.international-auto.com
http://www.piercemanifold.com
http://www.webercarbsdirect.com

and, though I have not tried his products yet, our very own Mark Allison is known to have a rather large following in his specialty offerings.

good luck with your new career!

[Gunsmith]

Welcome! Nice to see another member from Florida on the board.