New Member in Atlanta (car in hands at last!)

[kmac33]

I was finally able to get down to Florida and pick up the family Fiat. It is going to be a bigger project car than I had originally anticipated. The car drove great all the way up from Florida, but the heater core gave out just as I was pulling into the driveway - spewed coolant all over the floor boards. I had to drive through some nasty rain on the way home and discovered I have a windshield leak, and defrost that doesn't do much defrosting. Once I got the car home and really started looking things over, I discovered floor pan rust-through in a few small areas, a bad spot of rust on the windshield frame that will more than likely require a frame repalcement, the body has enough chips and dings that I am now planning on a complete respray of the body to get things up to the standard I want. Since I am going to gut the interior to repair the floor pans, I am planning on refinishing everything as I put the interior back together. I spent about 4 hours getting started on things after work and loved every minute of it! I want to thank those on the forum that have already proven to be an invaluable resource for what I know will quickly become an all consuming obsession!
I couldn't get my pictures to post. They can be seen at:
http://www.kmac33.myphotoalbum.com

[leemartin]

Wow it looks nice, its hard to believe it has all those issues. enjoy the project and welcome to the forum.

[So Cal Mark]

welcome to the world of long-term projects!

[mbouse]

while it is currently a rolling restoration.... keep it that way, a rolling restoration i mean.

she looks real nice. Congratulations.

[Gunsmith]

I'm sending Guido and some of the boys up to you for taking that car out of Florida. You can have the car but you will have to move to Florida in order to keep her.

[kristoj]

Looks pretty sharp in the pix. But I am kind of a perfectionist myself, so I understand where you are coming from. I'm sure it will be stunning when you are done (as if you will ever be 'done'). But you will have a ton of fun working on it, and you will learn a lot along the way. Congratulations!

[ga.spyder]

Kevin ,she looks great! I know you want it perfect ,but I wouldnt hesitate to drive that car anywhere.Keep us updated on your progress ,and whenever you want to ride the mountains I'll meet you in Dahlonega or Dawsonville.
Craig

[rlux4]

Congratulations on getting her home. You gotta love it when something fails just as you get in the driveway. I once through a rod on 53 chev pick up just as I stopped in the driveway.
Ron

[kmac33]

Just posting a quick update. My "restoration" project is moving forward - just a bit slower than expected. Isn't that always the case though. I had to take about a week off from doing any work. My dog has been extremely sick and was in the "hospital" with very serious pneumonia. They think he also has cancer of the spleen (Not sure what we are going to do about that). I finally got him back home yesterday so I hope to get ramped back up on the car in the next day or so. Incidentally, it is just as expensive to have a dog stay in the hospital as it is for a person! The bill could have paid for 2 or 3 decent Spiders - but my dog is worth whatever it takes to get him well. Here is a pic of him in front of my former vehicle.
[img]Ben%20and%20the%20G35[/img]
I should have the floor pan repairs/refinishing completed after another day or two of work. I may wait to put the interior back in after I get the exterior repaint finished. I have added an album to my photo album at:
http://kmac33.myphotoalbum.com
that contains pictures of this ongoing, and I am sure, never ending project. At least I'm having a great time working on getting the Spider back into shape. Thaks again for all the help the forum has been!

Kevin