Greetings from the Charlotte Web!

[NCArachnid]

I am new to this board but have been a proud Fiat owner since 1998. My 1972 BS is spending a great deal of time in the shop now as I finally have the time or money (not both) to tend to her correctly. I also recently acquired a 1983 which will be a willing donor of a 2L power-plant and other bits. I've already enjoyed this forum for many hours as a visitor and I'm glad to be officially part of it.

Jon.

[ga.spyder]

Hey Jon, welcome to the forum.The Fiat National covention,FreakOut, is in Asheville in July.Just a short hop for you.Hope you can make it.Any pix of the car?
Craig

[NCArachnid]

The freak-out sounds great. I doubt the car will be back in action by then. Right now the rear section is in primer and the front in bare metal and light filler. God bless this So Cal car... no rust! Even under the rocker panels. I'll have to spend some time figuring out how to post pictures. I have some nice before and during shots. Hopefully I can make it to the meet for a little more inspiration.

[mdrburchette]

Welcome to the site from another 72 NC owner. Hope you're able to make it to Asheville, even if it's just to check out the cars and hang with the crowd. If not, you can try making it to the Dixie Fiatfest, being held in the Winston-Salem area Labor Day weekend.

[rlux4]

Welcome to the forum Jon. You're fortunate, living where you do. There are some great folks back there and some major Fiat gatherings in your neighborhood.
Ron

[NCArachnid]

I agree Ron, sounds like a great Fiat scene! Thanks for the great welcome.

Here are some photos of my Fiats. I would like to thank Jon for the nice post about how to post pictures.

I guess now I should be able to create an avatar as well.



My '72 several years back before the paint checked out. Daily driver for 4 years.



In the shop getting straightened and primed and ready for the paint shop.



Donor '83...AKA Flintstones car. The PO should know in Carolina tops aren't optional.

Lots of work ahead of me but a labor of love. I'm glad there is so much info available on this forum to handle the tricks in getting these cars just right.

[mdrburchette]

Great looking 72! Are you going back to the original color? If you need any odd parts, I may have them. I've parted out a couple 72s and have a 71 sitting in the yard. Good luck with the restoration.

[NCArachnid]

Thank you for the offer. I may have to take you up on that as I start putting everything back together.

The car was originally dark green then went silver then cream color. The firewall is green, the underside of the hood and trunk are silver and the door-jambs are cream. So obviously the paint needed sorting out in a serious way. I plan on painting it an original '72 Fiat color -- vivid red. I know red is a bit cliche but there are some designs IMHO that beg to be red. Many of the Pinifarina designs I believe fall into that category.
The interior and top will remain black.

[mdrburchette]

It's surprising how popular that green was. I have to wonder if it was because British racing green was so popular in that era. My 72 is burgandy with tan interior...not the most sought after color, but it was original so we stayed with it:

[NCArachnid]

Beautiful spider! Mostly stock?

[mdrburchette]

There are a few performance mods, but otherwise, pretty stock. Thanks for the compliment.

[NCArachnid]

mdrburchette, Did you chrome the grill or use a silver paint? If paint, what did you find that is durable enough for the grill?

[mdrburchette]

It's an aluminum grille so I used aluminum wheel cleaner and a toothbrush. It came out looking like a satin finish. It's easy to keep clean and I don't have to worry about any paint coming off.

[NCArachnid]

Nice! Mine has chipped and peeling flat black paint on it. I was stuck in the paradigm that it had to be coated with something to look great. Fabulous tip! Thanks.