Hello from Florida

[LetsGoMets]

Hi, I'm Tony and recently moved to South Florida from NJ. I don't own a Fiat spider yet however am on the lookout for a 69-74 project car with a solid body/frame that needs mechanical & interior work. Hopefully I'll find one soon and will be posting more as the work begins. Looking forward to the journey and joining your forum!

[AndyVAS]

Good luck on your hunt. If I can make a suggestion, forget the 74. They are an odd crossover year and that makes life harder. A 68 with the 3 link rear would be nice. Parts for that are hard to find as well but it handles a bit better.

[LetsGoMets]

Thanks Andy, Very good to know

[aj81spider]

I own a '74, and it is a little bit of a crossover year, but I would not discard it as an option too quickly. In my experience being a crossover means that some of the parts are from earlier Spiders and some from later. However there are no unique parts (other than the DMSA carburetor, which is viewed as one of the best carbs you can get for a Fiat). If you are buying parts and look carefully at the existing part you can always find the part you need at one of our suppliers. As an example, my '74 has an 1800 engine. Completely common with all the other 1800 engines out there. However the radiator was an earlier model. That just meant when I replaced it I measured it carefully and found the right one.

I've owned a '74 and an '81. Since I knew little about Fiats when I started (and dangerously little now), I always measured and looked at parts carefully. I didn't find the '74 required any more attention to detail than the '81. If you're a Fiat expert and can order parts from memory, with mental guideposts around the 1400, 1600, 1800, and 2000 engines then the '74 is definitely an outlier as it is a mix of earlier and later parts and doesn't fit cleanly into one of those categories. However if you're just a guy who doesn't know much then it's the same effort to identify the right part on a vendor web site.

The '74 was the last year of the chrome bumpers and may be easier to find than earlier Spiders, so it's worth at least considering if you run across one.

[BEEK]

+1 aj

the 74 is a very desirable year. best 1800 car, early bumpers , even though they are pushed out due to the federal 2.5mph crash laws. same as a 73. great car great year. probably best for all over is the 1608 spider 71-72. I own a 75 but still the same having worked with and owned 100's of fiats 74 would be the one I would want to restore and keep as my own if i could find the right one at the right price!

[chrisg]

Any early (68-74 is what I mean by that) 124 is more interesting to me. I think they were better built originally, but these days that’s probably irrelevant. Within that range there are actually 3 series, the A, B & C, 68-9, 70-72 & 73-74, respectively. To me, it seems like every year model has enough “transition” that it can be frustrating at times, but on the other hand the cars are like Legos. The main thing that will save you grief (unless you like welding) is a good, straight & not rusty body.

Good luck & keep it fun. It’s not an investment, yknow!