Well a little over a year ago I inherited my grandpas 1980 fiat spider.
I inherited it with a slight knock, unfortunately I didn't even make it to the auto parts store to buy oil,filter and gasket material when the car suffered a broken rod and damaged crank.

I had decided that because its a family car I would make it fun to drive but still keep the original aspects of the car in mind as my grandpa had wanted.. (i was really contemplating some sort of engine swap)

I had already contacted Jon at Midwest 124 and arranged a rebuild with a little bit of performance in mind.
The engine now has a 40/80 intake and stock exhaust cam, 4.5 mm Dome 84.4mm Pistons, performance valves and springs, Dual Weber 40IDF Carbs. He also had the flywheel lightened for me as well as all the necessary machine work.

I got the engine back last fall, I have to say that Jon was really easy to work with and easily worked around all my questions/hectic schedule with coordinating delivery,payment and pick up. After getting It back and seeing how nice it looked without one spec of dirt or grease I decided to carry it into my dining room and paint/clear coat the block and heads before putting back into the car.

Over last winter I let it sit on the stand in my house awaiting warmer weather, it was too cold in wi for a non heated garage. I also decided to switch the fuel system over to a Fuel lab system with electric Fuel pump/pressure regulator and new stainless fuel filter. I also ordered and put on aluminum pulleys/adjustable cam gears the "turbo" style stainless exhaust manifold and exhaust from allison automotive.

To keep everything cool and from melting I put in the larger aluminum radiator, electric fan, a stainless coolant overflow,and a stainless windshield wiper container.

At this time the engine looked like a center piece to the decor of my living room It was even suggested by many people to leave it out of the car because it looked so good where it was sitting.

However Last week I got the engine and trans in place with gear reduction started and everything bolted up. Hopefully I can find time within the next week or two two get the exhaust and fuel system all squared away and then to have the carbs and timing adjusted, complete with a dyno tune.

Some things I'd like to have installed in the car by may 21st are (I will be bringing the car to automotion in wisconsin dells that weekend)

Koni adjustable suspension with Progressive springs
Tubular Control Arms
Larger front and rear sway bars
Willwood 4 piston Calipers
Updated Brake system including stainless lines/ and brake booster
replace all polly bushings
new trailing arms
replace stock clutch???

things I would like to have done by end of summer
Custom removable Roll bar for auto crosses (if i decide to ever go)
Some sort of subframe/chasis bars to stiffen the car.
Possible fuel cell in the trunk
removal of rear seat?
The last two modifications are in search of trying to lighten the car without drastically changing the car and retaining original sheetmetal/ect.

Im sure she wont be the fastest Fiat out there but by then everything will be either replaced or updated to be reliable, more powerful and handle better than the original car. With out butchering the original looks..



I will try to get some pictures posted later tonight.

Tubular Control Arms - waste of time and money unless you want a serious negative camber

new trailing arms - what's wrong with existing ones?

replace stock clutch - with what? if worn, replace it with quality new one. oter then that, leave it alone

Some sort of subframe/chasis bars to stiffen the car - waste of time and money. if rusty - repair it. if not - leave alone

fuel cell in the trunk - fuel tank is already in the trunk

brake booster - if you feel that you need to do something to improove it - it's malufunctioning. replace it for a working one.


all in all, you're re-inventing the wheel.
do your research before you start messing with the car.

djape1977 wrote:Tubular Control Arms - waste of time and money unless you want a serious negative camber

new trailing arms - what's wrong with existing ones?

replace stock clutch - with what? if worn, replace it with quality new one. oter then that, leave it alone

Some sort of subframe/chasis bars to stiffen the car - waste of time and money. if rusty - repair it. if not - leave alone

fuel cell in the trunk - fuel tank is already in the trunk

brake booster - if you feel that you need to do something to improove it - it's malufunctioning. replace it for a working one.

all in all, you're re-inventing the wheel.
do your research before you start messing with the car.

The only thing I can agree with you on that is the tubular control arms, and fuel cell...

The trailing arms and control arms come with bushings in them for a decent price. makes life easier, and really compliments a "rust free" car. as well as the added benefits of grease fittings and ability to adjust shocks.

as for the clutch/ master cylinder/ and possible subframe/chassis stiffening.... these "modifications" are all self explanatory and have proven to be effective on a car that is driven harder than normal and may see the occasional track/autocross event. not to mention complimenting other modifications such as engine/calipers larger tires ect.

other than that, its my build, it may not "need" larger brakes or shiney new control arms but I like knowing its built the way I'd like it and I went through each system and improved some part of it as well as other minor things that compliment those changes.

as much as i dislike and don't understand other cars or things people have built... as long as youre not hurting any one....

build what makes you happy

very nice

If you're going to ask people who have owned, modified and serviced Fiat Spiders for many years, it probably isn't good form to slam their suggestions without asking for their reasons supporting their beliefs. If you think, for example, that the stock clutch or brake booster/MC is insufficient for your intended use, begin by asking the experts (including Midwest) what their experience has been with cars of your horsepower and intended use. As far as chassis stiffening, if you don't see a kit offered by the vendors that frequent these forums, do you think that one is necessary (or even feasible)?

Are you running stock ignition? Aftermarket units can be configured with custom advance curves to compliment your engine mods.

That is a sweet looking motor you've got. Nice work. I think the key requirement for any Fiat is to drive it, a lot. I spent so much time working on mine, that I missed all last summer. No way I'm doing that again! Sure, I have no interior, sure I still have some mystery noises. Who cares? It was 67 degrees here in Denver yesterday, so the car was out and the top down! This is a great forum with lots of passionate Fiat people (with lots of opinions ). Welcome.
Kirk

that exaust manifold must be a joke. if you want a good one, get what was made by abarth for these cars 40 years ago. modern reproductions are made nowdays.

subframe/chasis stiffening - once you figure out what to do - let us know. i'm sure that all of us are very curious to see it done. you'll be the first.
for racing, starting from 1966 up to present day, these cars have been seem welded. existing chasis rails are more then adequate for their job, untill they rust away. when thinking about 124, keep in mind that you're dealing with the most produced platform in the world. spiders, coupes, sedans, fiat, lada, seat, pandmini, tofas... over 40 million cars made with same basic setup. used and raced all over the world, there's literally no serious mechanic that has not had a go at one at some point. thousands of cars that have been raced and are being used in hardcore rallys only have seem welded body and that's it

by the way, how old are you?

I'll only reply to this once because its not worth any of our time, nor is it productive.

I wasn't trying to bash, in fact I don't think I put in an negative comments. I just simply stated I felt for the little extra cash it would save me a good chunk of time when replacing bushing ect to order new parts with them in it already.

I've heard good things about the exhaust manifold, It comes from a reputable vendor and supporter of this site, although I haven't talked to him outside of one email. He seems extremely knowledgable and from what i have seen has done more than his fair share helping out the fiat community on this forum. however I do have the VAS header that was on the car before I inherited it, but decided to go with the one currently on the car.

The "updated" master cylinder/booster Auto Ricambi sells may not be "better" that the stock unit, however when I do the calipers I will have the entire system bled down so, for peace of mind and aesthetics under the hood why not replace the 37 year old part? I wont have to worry while at events or while driving the vehicle (this will most likely be my go to car during the nicer months here in wisconsin, as all my other vehicles are currently trucks and a motorcycle).

Ignition is currently stock unit, I was told this is sufficient enough for my current set up, I would like to switch to the computronix ignition system, however right now there is an issue with with heat generated by the header. I haven't inquired about it in a few months but the computronix is rated to 350F, apparently they were concerned that it could over heat without some sort of protection.

Again that's all I inquired about and am not involved or up to date on the situation but that's what I was told and decided to wait for a heat shield to be made. If one doesn't come out by the time I get the car driving for a while, I may be tempted to put a temp sensor or two to monitor what temperatures the distributor is being exposed to. I could go from there and then possibly come up with something to help shield/dissipate the heat or increase airflow to that area. Then again I may be happy with the set up and decide the 20 minutes to install temp sensors and an hour or two to design a shield isn't worth it.

Sub frame connector/chassis stiffening. this will be one I will have to look into, I honestly haven't looked into it yet but If at all possible I would like to try it.

How old am I, not sure how much this matters but I am 27
If you also want my back ground... I'm an engineering/business college drop out that works for an Integrity Management company. While I haven't been in the auto industry (aside from some quality control issues on various forged/machined parts) I do have a limited design/engineering background from when I was in school while we were designing a few vehicles for various competitions.

I never claim to be an expert mechanic or even vary experienced, most likely i will never gain enough experience to consider myself that knowledgeable. however as with other members on here I do like working on my cars and track bikes, that includes parts/modifications that may not be entirely necessary.But they allow me to enjoy myself and relax when i'm not running around the country working on projects for customers.

I have asked various members on here for advice, and to those that have given it.. I appreciate the help and advice.

And thanks for the compliments! admittingly all I did with the engine was paint the head, valve covers and clear cloat the engine block. the rest was done by Midwest 124 and the stainless header and exhaust is a product of Allison's Automotive.

not advertising or involved with them in any way but I received high quality parts and great service form both so thumbs up.

again nice car where in WI are you?
some one here may think you are over doing it a bit
but its your car do it your way

You can mount the Computronix down on the block just behind the alternator, and avoid the heat problems from the header that way. The installation is a little more complicated, as you need to make a couple of bends to the alternator bracket, and it is a little harder to manipulate it down there, but I think it is well worth it to save it from the excess heat exposure.

Don't worry about cranky folks, there are a lot of them everywhere, here included, and including me at times. After all it is an election year.... I try to keep in mind that every single thing that is said on this forum is based upon typed words on a keyboard, and is, in state of fact, merely nothing but opinion. Case in point: There have been various arguments between folks here, each of whom has something like 40 years of experience working on these cars, and deserve our respect for that experience. It is amazing how much knowledge a lot of these folks have, it impresses someone like me who has far more enthusiasm than experience or knowledge. Anyway, they may go back and forth about how their method, on whatever it is, works and is the right method. Things may get a little heated, and what is lost is the fact that they are both right. In math it is called the "homogenous" solution arguing with he "particular" solution. No absolutes, many solutions to every problem.

Do exactly what you want with YOUR car and have a blast with it.

Pete

Nice work so far..thats a really nice looking engine. What's your plan for the bumpers and wheels? I've got the same color scheme on mine silver/red.

Thanks guys

I also definitely have more enthusiasm than experience.....

I'm located in Racine, WI.

the color isn't stock, years ago my grandpa had it repainted silver with metal flake in it. I honestly cant stand the amount of metal flake in it but a lot of people compliment it.

I'd like to leave the stock bumpers off, not too fond of how the rear end looks with or with out the bumper but i think without looks the best.

I really like these bumper brackets on Auto Ricambis add but haven't seen them anywhere if i could get my hands on them Id most likely have them powder coated black, along with new upper and lower grill inserts.

here is the add with the bumper brackets. could be easily made....

A lot of folks drill holes in the bumper shocks to let the fluid out, then compress the bumpers to get them closer to the body of the car, and use the hole (or drill another one) to put a screw in to hold them in the close-in position. Looks a lot better, less protection though. ((Lots of discussion over that.) A few threads on this subject could likely be found with the search engine.

A few people have made those rally style bumpers.

I saw a post where someone made them out of fiberglass and attached them to compressed bumper shocks.

The possibilities are endless. I've always thought chrome overriders like a Shelby cobra would look great.

Here's a picture of one
https://www.google.com/search?q=Shelby+ ... gPg3dDM%3A