Hello from CT

[YoloCookies]

Hi all!

I'm a high schooler and I've never worked on any cars before, but I was looking to work on one over the summer. I came across a 81' Fiat Spider on FB marketplace, and I was wondering if this would be a feasible project for someone like me, who has no experience. As far as I can tell, there's a massive hole in the cylinder block, so it needs to be replaced, but I am genuinely lost on how to gauge the difficulty of this project. Would anyone here be able to take a look and let me know? Really far out of my depth here lol. I've linked a photo album of the car that the seller sent me.

Thanks!

https://rnixon.smugmug.com/1981-Fiat-Spider

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Hi Yolo, I looked at the pictures, and honestly I think this project is going to take a lot of time and money. The body looks in decent shape, but the fact that it needs a new engine means a significant amount of money. It's one thing if you did the work yourself, but getting a shop to replace the engine could be many thousands of dollars. Even up to $10,000 just for the engine work.

It also looks like the car has some modifications (custom headers and exhaust, bumpers removed, outside lights, etc) and this likely means that there are many other mods that could cause all sorts of headaches.

I don't mean to be blunt, but I'd look for a project that is closer to a running car. There are some solid Fiat spiders out there that run fine and just need some cleaning and tuneups.

-Bryan

[YoloCookies]

Hi Bryan,
I appreciate the advice. I'll keep looking for something a bit closer to my skillset. Thank you so much!