Another new SC member

[89checkmate22]

Greetings from beautiful West Union, SC (about 20 miles from Clemson).
Last summer my wife and I were eating at the local marina with one of my wife's co-workers when she mentioned that she and her husband were separating and he wanted to get rid of some "stuff" that he had accumulated over the years. One of the items was a Fiat that he had bought at a yard sale and let their son drive until it quit. Since neither he nor his son were mechanically inclined, he parked it in the woods and covered it with a couple of tarps. That was all she knew about the car, but was sure that her husband wanted to get rid of it cheap. Since they only lived a couple of miles away, it would not be a problem to drag it to my house should I want it.
The following Saturday he dragged it out of the woods and we went over to look at it. Expecting the worst, I was amazed to find that it was a 1972 124 Spider in fairly decent shape (except for bubbling paint around the wheel arches, dismal interior, and the fact that it didn't run). I had always loved the 124 Spider, and had almost bought one new when I was in the Air Force in the early 70s. After several beers, we came to terms at $350 and dragged the car to my house.
Since I was in the middle of restoring a 1988 Nissan 300ZX at the time, my workshop was full at the time, so the Fiat sat in my garage until this spring. I had tried several times to get the Fiat running, but was not successful. I discovered that the timing was 180 degrees out, the gas was stale and nasty, the plugs were gapped way too wide, the condenser was shot, the points were badly burned, and the choke wasn't hooked up. After fixing all of those, it still wouldn't start. The last thing to check before pulling the engine was the compression. 20lbs, 20lbs, 70lbs, 40lbs. That explained it!
So now with the car in my workshop, I have begun the process of restoring it. Having identified the blown head gasket, I moved on to the body. Removing 8 layers of paint has been a fun experience, but we are now down to bare metal (and numerous areas of Bondo). The car has been dinged several times, but never seriously damaged. There is rust in all of the usual places, but it is definitely repairable. The floors are not bad and can certainly be fixed without replacing them.
Thank you for having a site dedicated to these wonderful cars. I will be logging on frequently. Just a quick thought; does anyone have an idea how many of the early 124s (like my 72) are still around?
Brian Z.

[mbouse]

Brian,

thanks for the detailed introduction. we can all relate to many parts of your story...some more than others. I hope that you will be diligent and post some pictures from time to time, i canno read so well, and pictures are a big help

alright, i can read just fine, but the pictures are really nice addition

[ga.spyder]

Another Southern Spider,the south is rising again!! I live in Blairsville,Ga.(west of Clayton),so I am not that far from you.Welcome to the forum.There are still quite a few early models like yours that are street worthy.Fiat made a load of them.All of the spiders are a blast to drive on these mtn. roads...thats exactly what they are made for.When you say you have moved onto the body,does that mean that you do have it running now? Anyway,good luck with the restoration,and email me if I can help you out.
Craig
nuker598@yahoo.com

[mdrburchette]

Welcome to the forum, Brian. You have found the very best year for the Spider....don't let anyone tell you differently! I don't know how many were made, but there are quite a few still running around. In fact, I have quite a few early model ones myself so if you need any parts or information, I may be able to help you. I'm located in Winston-Salem, NC. Good luck with your project and don't forget the pics.

[rlux4]

Hi from the left coast Brian! Welcome to the forum, and thanks for a great "how I got my Spider" story.
I hope when we get the pics of your car you took some "before" shots to share.
Ron

[ventura ace]

Brian,
May I add you to my list of folks to visit during our next visit home with my folks in Clemson? Glad to see that you are restoring the old spider. We'll be very interested to keep up with your progress. Hoping things go well with the project!

Alvon

[narfire]

Wecome Brian.
Yeup there are a few 72's about,I have recently purchased 2 of the cars. Both are restorable and one has the same issues as yours.
Great cars to work on,and lots of help down your way.
Have fun
Chris

[89checkmate22]

Sorry about the delay in getting back to the forum, but the day after I joined the mother board on my computer puked and I had to buy a new computer (what a pain).
Just a quick update on the 72: bodywork is progressing very nicely (but slowly). Inside of engine compartment and trunk have been detailed and painted. Have not reassembled the engine yet, but am pretty sure it will fire up easily when put back together.
Could someone please email me a picture of the mechanism that holds the trunk lid open? Mine is completely missing and I cannot find a picture in any of my books. My email is BrianZiskal@aol.com. Thanks in advance.
A quick note for Mike from Coldwater MI: until I moved here to sunny SC in 2002, I lived for 27 years just up I-69 from you in Marshall. Small world, huh!

Brian Z.

[kilrwail]

E-mail sent - it's from a '78.