Fiat 124 Maryland Bumpers

There is a story on various Fiat 124 sites that back in 1974 Fiat put special Maryland and California bumpers on the 124 to comply with regulations.

OK, only problem with that is the states cannot do this, Maryland never has (to the best of my knowledge), and the story exists only for the Fiat 124.

Does anyone know anything about this story?

http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2006/08/01/hmn_buyers_guide1.html http://www.spidercenter.com/history.html http://www.esportscarparts.com/Fiat/SpiderHistory.htm

Did you notice that one of our own is quoted in that first story?

"Electrical

Dwight Varnes provides "Dwight's Rule": It's a bad ground. "90 percent of a Fiat's electrical problems can be directly traced to a dirty or corroded ground. Component failure is actually pretty rare," says Varnes. The challenge, of course, is tracking down those bad grounds to alleviate the problem. Start with anything that's been added to the stock electrical system over the years: Radios, foglamps, driving lamps, relays, etc., especially those connected with unsoldered crimp-style connectors, can cause electrical nightmares. Once you've eliminated any potential problems here, begin with a wiring diagram and trace every single ground to find out if it's dirty or corroded. Chances are almost guaranteed that you'll find your problem here."

States (particularly California) do that sort of thing all the time. I have no idea if Maryland has, but states can, and do, make special demands.

67 Shelbys had a similar issue with their inboard headlights. As I recall, they were illegal in Pennsylvania and I believe one other state. Shelby offered two different versions that year, the inboards or a pair at the outside end of the grill, much like the 69 Mustang.

Like a lot of things, if California does it, it's OK. If Texas did it, it would be a violation of the interstate commerce clause.

slantvaliant wrote: Like a lot of things, if California does it, it's OK. If Texas did it, it would be a violation of the interstate commerce clause.

...but Texas wouldn't give a rat's ass.

unfortunately, it is true. Cars that were sold in Cali and MD had big rubber blocks built into the chrome blades

Tim Baxter wrote: States (particularly California) do that sort of thing all the time. I have no idea if Maryland has, but states can, and do, make special demands.

No, actually they don't. Federal law prohibits it, and has for a long time. A car maker has to meet US standard to be imported into the US. They do not have to meet New Jersey standards to be imported into NJ.

California is the only state that's been allowed to set its own standards. No other state has ever been allowed to do this. And that's emissions standard only, not safety equipment standards. That's why there was such a big hoopla about some of the states banding together recently to force their own emissions standards, why it was such a big deal that the Bush administration shot it down, and why it's such a big deal that the Obama administration brought it back to life.

The Fiat 124 story is interesting in no small measure because I find no indication of any other car maker doing this. None. Not a thing. The claim is also completely unsubstantiated.

It may well be true. But I can't find anything to show it is.

there were all sorts of strange things going on at that time. the US government was seriously considering outlawing convertables too.. chances are, MD considered it.. and Fiat went with it thinking it was going to be a real law.

either way.. 74 bumpers are like hens teeth.. they are different from every other bumper before or after

Yes, I remember that. But while the feds could have banned convertibles, no state could do that. It's federally prohibited. So even if MD were to have been considering their own bumper standard, it would be illegal. Not that Maryland has ever had their own bumper standard, as far as I can tell.

foxtrapper wrote: The Fiat 124 story is interesting in no small measure because I find no indication of any other car maker doing this. None. Not a thing. The claim is also completely unsubstantiated. It may well be true. But I can't find anything to show it is.

Well my skeptical little friend, if I still had my Fiat parts books from my days as a parts person at the dealership, I could show you that fact printed in black and white on the pages for the bumpers. When I first saw it, I thought it was stupid too (sure, California...but Maryland??). So you'll just have to trust me that it's a fact, though I can't explain why that fact exists.

I'm also rather proud of "Dwight's Rule" even though I didn't name it that.