Another Canuck ... this time from Winnipeg

[MacMan]

Hi Everyone

After 20 years of wanting a Spider, I finally took the leap. On Saturday my wife, new mechanic and I drove one hour out into rural Manitoba and found my new hobby.

It's a '73 spider with 58,000 miles and a replaced 1756cc engine from a '78. Overall it's in pretty good shape, the engine runs well, the steering seems pretty solid and the brakes ... well they stop the car. I also took it for a pretty long test drive, a one hour back to Winnipeg! Could have been disastrous, but she made it without overheating, the engine seizing, or the timing belt flying off.

But it needs work. To get the car insurable, I'll have to replace the exhaust system and obtain a back bumper. And that's just what I know about until we get it up on a hoist. Then there's the interior - needs to be completely replaced (seat mounts and foam are good though), a really bad paint job, and the top has no back window and has lots of patches.

Love the website, I'll be visiting often and I'll be needing lots of advice.

... oh yeah. Anyone have a back bumper for sale?

[baltobernie]

Hello MacMan, and welcome!

Congratulations on obtaining a Spider, and an early, pre-emissions one at that! The early chrome bumpers are quite rare; those that haven't been wrecked have mostly rusted away. There's two in the rear, BTW, and there are repro ones available from Vietnam, although some posters have not been kind in their reviews. Search the forum for that thread. You might be able to fit a later model rear set to get you on the road in the meantime.

Good Luck in getting her legal; you've got a pretty short (but spectactular) driving season up there!

[narfire]

Hey macman from winnipeg,wecome . Congrats on your new purchase and the uneventfull trip home.
Need some parts? post in the carparts wanted section, might get lucky. Andy's spiders in Toronto might have something as might Ital motors in Edmonton. I saw an older spider languishing under a cottonwood tree in a small mining town on the way to Van. last year. Think it had the old style.I'm going down in a few weeks and will look again.
Don't forget to change the timing belt as one of the first things on the to-do list.
No shortage of help here.
Good luck
Chris

[rlux4]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on fulfilling a 20 old dream. It's a common theme to hear that many of us finally get our Spider after many years of wanting one. Hope yours brings you lots of smiles.
Ron

[kilrwail]

Hey. Welcome to the group and congratulations. When you get a chance, post some pictures for us, eh?

[mbouse]

welcome to the site. bumpers? best of luck. Advice? we got plenty of that, some is even worth listening to...

pictures? looking forward to seeing them.

[finderbar]

Welcome from the West Coast to the most insane group of car nuts!!!! We love our Fiat's and those who share the Italian Passion. The restoration journey is long but with this group not lonely. I have just started and look forward to sharing experiences with you. By the way how are things in "Winterpeg" ?

[MacMan]

Hey macman from winnipeg,wecome . Congrats on your new purchase and the uneventfull trip home.
Need some parts? post in the carparts wanted section, might get lucky. Andy's spiders in Toronto might have something as might Ital motors in Edmonton. I saw an older spider languishing under a cottonwood tree in a small mining town on the way to Van. last year. Think it had the old style.I'm going down in a few weeks and will look again.
Don't forget to change the timing belt as one of the first things on the to-do list.
No shortage of help here.
Good luck
Chris

Thanks for pointing me in Andy's direction. He has what I need, although I don't know what the damage is yet. I also sent him a couple of photos and the mounting bracket that was screwed into the frame is not standard and he mentioned I might have a problem mounting the bumper ... it looks like the previous owner did something to make my life miserable.

... that bumperless Fiat in the FiatSpider.com banner is looking even more attractive now.