Periodical PMCS

[Fiatlanta]

Picking up a 1979 Spider this weekend and trying to read up on the forum here to get ready. Also purchased Maintaining the Italian Roadster by Brad Artigue and have been flipping through that.

From what I can tell, the car is in pretty good shape right now. The current owner says it's been a daily driver. Definitely not a full restoration project or anything...just need to be able to keep it running.

So with that in mind, what are some of the daily/weekly/monthly etc things that I need to be checking? I'm a military guy, I'll likely put it on an actual checklist to make sure I get everything covered.

I'm not a complete noob when it comes to basic maintenance, but this is my first Fiat and I know they are pretty unique, so feel free to explain it like I'm 5 lol.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to being a part of the community!

[Exit98]

Hi,

I'll try a little.

Forget about the check list for now.

Drive the car. Does it start easily. Does it idle smoothly. Does it shift properly. Does the engine pull strong up through 5500 rpms or so?

DOES IT STOP?

How old are the tires?

You get the idea. Get as much history as you can from the PO, but don't rely on what he tells you about the condition of the car.

Number one, when was the timing belt last changed. More than 4 years or so or if he doesn't know you need to do it or have it done. AR has a complete kit.

The brakes on these cars are quite strightforward. You want them working properly and if they aren't that's a good place to start. Parts aren't particularly expensive and you can do it all yourself. You'll learn alot about the car in the meantime.

Change all the fluids. Also good practice.

In a few months you'll know a lot more about your new 36 year old car. Then you can make your checklist and begin thinking about the performance improvements you want to complete. De-smogging, better carb, non-restrictive exhaust. Maybe suspension mods or different wheels and tires.

Enjoy the journey.

[Fiatlanta]

Thanks for the detailed response!

I did get a chance to drive the car already. I also happened to be closing on a house a couple days later, so I couldn't pull the cash out right then. Let me see if I can address some of the things you mentioned.

It started and sounded good. Brakes seemed solid. Drove it around a parking lot and some surface streets for a bit and got it up to 4th with no obvious issues. Unfortunately didn't pay strict attention to RPMs. Tires looked good.

Good question on the timing belt...he seemed to have kept pretty good records, so I'll definitely ask. I was planning on full fluid change after getting it.

As for smog equipment, as a classic car, no emissions test is required in my county, so I as pleased to see that the equipment had already been removed. Saves me the trouble of having to do it now lol.

Also checked body for rust and didn't see anything really problematic. Top looks great. Plan on keeping it in the garage, so hopefully it'll stay that way.

Thanks again!

[Exit98]

Great.

My point is you'll learn a lot about your new car in the next month or so. We've all been there.

Be sure to post some pics, and good luck.

[Fiatlanta]

Thank you, I appreciate it. Will definitely post some pics.