A new member in Western Canada

[DFuzz]

I have visited the site several times but have just recently had the need to join the club. My father-in-law called me the other night to ask if I wanted his Spider. He has owned the car for 20+years and while it isn't pristine, it is a nice car. In the 15 years that I have known him, he has taken the car out of the garage a few times a year for a drive around town to make sure everything is working, then parked it back in the garage. The paint is pretty oxidized but the car runs runs fine and he actually installed a new top a couple years ago, so it would look a little better. Well, this spring he bought a Miata and has decided it is time to move on from the Fiat. So, he called the other night to ask if I want the Fiat. The condition of the deal is I can't sell it, which I wouldn't want to do anyway. I really like vintage cars and have been looking for a convertible. I currently own a 1965 Sunbeam Imp, which is a Brit mini car, along the lines of an Austin Mini, but want to add a convertible to the collection. I had been looking at a Sunbeam Alpine as I had previously owned one, but I think the Fiat will be an even better choice. The Spider is a flat-hood model (no bulges) with the small bumpers. I am not sure of the year, but '74 seems to stick in my head from previos conversations. My wife is happy to be getting the car as it has some meaning to her as well.

Anyway, I am sure I will have some questions along the way, and I will be following the forum closely. I will post some pictures as soon as I bring it home.

[racydave]

Welcome! Post some pics and link them here. We like that! Id like to see the Sunbeam.

[DFuzz]

Attached is a links to some photos of my Imp. It is 875cc of pure fun. It will be a rolling restoration as it is alreadya driver and is virtually rust-free. I will work on a few things over the winter to get it better equipped for use, but I have no plans to take it off the road and strip it down. I am hoping the Spider will be along the same lines. When I owned my Sunbeam Alpine, I stripped it down to do a full-bore resto on it and it quickly grew into a white elephant in my garage. I worked on it for 5+ years and never got it back together. I finally sold it as an incomplete project because I was tired of looking at it. I vowed never to do that again. I learned to acquire a better car from the beginning and fix while you enjoy the car. It is cheaper and more enjoyable in the end.

http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll60 ... eam%20Imp/

[So Cal Mark]

welcome to the site. At least you learned a valuable lesson with the Sunbeam. Unless your hobby is complete restoration, it's a lot more fun to drive them than fix them. You'll find tons more performance with the Spider

[rlux4]

Hello, and welcome. What a deal! Your father in law gives you a wife and a car to drive her around in.
Good luck with your new hobby.
Ron

[kristoj]

Welcome and congratulations. In addition to you agreeing to not sell it, he should agree to never ask for it back! A Miata is no substitute for a 124 Spider. You made out in that deal

[DFuzz]

When my father-in-law called the other night and asked if I wanted the Spider, I wasn't sure what my wife was going to say. I thought for sure it would be "choose between the Fiat and the Sunbeam, but you can't keep both." However, I guess my wife has softened over the years in regards to my car hobbies. Her reply was, "I don't expect you to sell the Sunbeam. Hopefully you can fit them both in the garage." The good thing with the Imp is it is pretty small, so I can put it crossways in the garage and park the Fiat behind it. As long as I can get her car in the garage during the winter, she'll be fine. The car is a days drive away right now, so I will go up and get it in a couple weeks when I have some holidays. Other than cleaning it up and taking inverntory of the car, I don't have much in the way of plans for it for this year.

[JeremyB]

Congrats on teh 2 toy car household! I recently took the 2 car plunge myself! Be advised, your time will get more limited. Both cars will always need soemthing, so you have to prioritise everything. Im not familiar with the sunbeam, but it looks pretty cool!
2 toys will definately fill your garage up quick!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76124spiderjeremyb/

[msrmd]

. The Spider is a flat-hood model (no bulges) with the small bumpers. I am not sure of the year, but '74 seems to stick in my head from previos conversations. .

The flat hood ought to place it pre-1973.

[mbouse]

that is a way cool paint job.

if you ever get tired of it, look me up. I have a few grand kids that i need to start collecting cars for.

[DFuzz]

The Imp is a pretty cool little car. Kind of like driving a go-kart, especially when cornering. It needs some mechanical work but most 40+ year old cars do. Thanks for the comments.

[DFuzz]

. The Spider is a flat-hood model (no bulges) with the small bumpers. I am not sure of the year, but '74 seems to stick in my head from previos conversations. .

The flat hood ought to place it pre-1973.

I read this on the Hemmings site:

The "124" designation was dropped in favor of the "Spider 2000" name in 1979. The biggest change was the 1,995cc engine from which the car got its name, but myriad other changes were taking place. Outside, the hood features larger twin-cam bulges, taillamps and door handles, while inside, new seat materials were offered (including leather). Alloy wheels, which had not been an option since 1974, were made optional once again. The smog pump finally disappeared in favor of a catalytic converter. In 1980, Spiders were fitted with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, which was a vast improvement from the early CS2's poor carburetor and intake manifold design.

I know I have seen pre-1979 cars with bulged hoods. Are there different variations of the bulged-hood or am I misinterpretting what they are saying? I am going to pick up the car next weekend, so I will snap some photos and post them up.

[msrmd]

My first spider was a 1973 that I bought new. It, to the best of my knowledge, was the first year to have hood bulges. They were smaller than the ones that replace them in 1979, and continued through 1985. My current 71 has a flat hood and my current 73 has the small bulges. I think the 72 also had a flat hood although I have never seen one myself.

I also remember Howdy Doody, seeing Elvis for the first time on Ed Sullivan, and 'I Like Ike' buttons.

[mdrburchette]

Mark, you're right. The 73 was the first year for the small bump hood. 72 and older had flat hoods except the European cars equipped with dual Webers. You can check this link to determine which model you have by the serial #:

http://www.international-auto.com/fiat- ... cation.cfm

[DFuzz]

I made the trip to my in=laws this weekend and brought home the Fiat. It had been a few years since I really looked at it closely, an obviously my memory wasn't as good as I thought. It does have the small bumps on the hood. The plate on the driver's door pillar says it was made 12.74 but by looking at the tube bumpers, I guess it would be a 1975. I will compare the VIN to that site mentioned to make sure.

As far as the car itself goes, there is good and bad. The good is that my father-in-law has spent quite a bit of money over the past few years on mechanicals. The car starts and runs quite well, other than the carb float being set too low, so it runs out of gas when you press the accelerator. The bad is the cosmetics. The paint and bodywork are original and are what you would expect from a 33 yr old car, I guess. The car will need to be sanded and sprayed. There is one hole in the floor under the driver's seat, but the rest of the floors are solid. I am hoping a patch will suffice. The only other bit of rust is on the valance piece where the wipers are mounted. The paint has peeled ina couple spots and some rust has formed. I took the valance piece off to look at the bulkhead underneath and there is no rust there. The car has been in the garage for the past 10 years, so it hasn't gotten wet.

The car is still sitting on the trailer in front of my house, but my plan for tomorrow is to unload it, take out the seats and carpets, and start cleaning. Once I have it cleaned up, I will take some photos and post them.

Question...can the smog equipment be removed from the engine without adverse effects? I realize there is likely little to be gained in performance by removing it, I just would like to de-clutter the engine bay. Where I am, emissions are not an issue with 30+ year old cars, but could I add a catalytic converter to reduce any fuel emmisions?

Now the fun begins....