Greetings from Dublin, OH

[willis73]

I recently acquired a white 1979 Spider 2000 that my Uncle had first purchased in 1981. I was 8 at the time and was infatuated with Ferraris, so seeing this Italian convertible with the Pininfarina badges was like having a mini Ferrari in the family. His then-fiancé convinced him to buy it because she didn’t like riding around in his crummy Chevette. She was a striking redhead and the two of them cruising to Myrtle Beach on their honeymoon with her hair flying in the wind must have been quite the sight. Over the years my uncle always kept the Spider in his garage but drove it less and less. Eventually he sold it to his next-door neighbor who again always kept it garaged but drove and maintained it less and less to the point where it is today, which is in generally good shape, but with lots of cosmetic imperfections and likely a number of minor- to medium-difficulty mechanical issues.

The Spider has 61k miles, is all original (except for new vinyl top) and miraculously has no major rust. It looks to be leaking oil up front and from the rear diff. It hasn’t been started in a few years so I am planning to change out fluids and the timing belt and do a thorough check on the fuel system before even attempting to start it. I will be doing the popular intake/carb swap (already have looked through a nice set of instructions on the forum). There’s an issue with the clutch, not sure yet if it’s just the cable, or if the clutch itself will need replaced. New bushings are needed everywhere. Also want to repaint it, upgrade wheels & tires, and refurbish interior carpet, console and dash. Sure there will be other things along the way.

I’m a novice mechanic, but have always wanted a project car to tinker on. This one seems perfect and has sentimental value to boot. Look forward to sharing my adventures with it on the forum and learning from all the folks who have already been down this road before me.

[aj81spider]

Welcome aboard. It sounds like a great car, and one with a personal history is always the best!

You have some work ahead of you, but you've come to the right place. I knew nothing about cars when I bought my Fiat, and this place has helped me restore mine and keep it on the road (most of the time!).