Learn me Fiat 124 Spider...

Been wanting a small inexpensive (to buy) classic two seat vert, and would like to know more about these, pricing, thing to watch out for when buying, parts availability, good web resources, etc...

124 Spider or 2000 Spider...

Pricing-cheap

Thiings to watch out for-rust, transmision problems, electrical problems, timing belt replacement, emissions equipment (if its an issue where you live).

I think parts availability is pretty good.

International auto parts sells parts for them, not sure who else has a good selection.

Read my web site and then ask me whatever I don't cover: Introduction to the 124 Spider

yes, Dwight is the man to ask questions on. Personally, I have had one in my stable since 1989. Parts availiblity has never been better.

International Auto Parts Bruce's Parts Bin (I recommend) Vick Autosports C.Obert and Co.. Bayless

All are easy to deal with and are enthusiasts to this greatly undervalued sports car.

Personally I will never know why the Fiat 124 is not better thought of. In so many ways it was much better than it's german and english compatriots, and more or less on par with the Alfa.. but it is generally Forgotten by both the enthusiasts and the press.. except when an article about rust comes up... not that the Fiat was any more or less prone to it than it's contemporaries

I have always been a fiat fan but the styling of the 124's just left me uninterested. I still want one and will own one soon.

http://classicmotorsports.net/articles/drop-top-60s-roadsters/

I wish I still had the one I wrecked when I was 18.

Mine was a 1981 injected 2.0L. It was well sorted and all it needed during my ownership was a water pump. I would, without a doubt get another one. As far as Italian cars go, it's very well thought out, fairly simple, and parts are cheap.

FYI, Bayless is no more. They weren't much of a player for several years and just recently sold the business to Midwest X1/9 and Midwest 124 (two seperate businesses run by two Fiat nuts I know very well. Good guys).

oh.. hope I can still get Stadale Abarth flares...

i keep going back to wanting the one i passed on last year(its still there) and put an LS1 in it.

Well electrical is no prob, rebuilt our XR4Ti custom wiring harness from scratch so that's no biggie, fuel injection would be really nice as I'm a MS'er but I could live with a carb. Basically every 'issue' seems mundane by comparison to every other little classic vert I've been looking at. The only thing would be rust, where exactly are the 'normal' spots, and where are the 'uh-oh' spots? Anywhere that's important but near impossible to inspect?

honestly... all the strength in the fiat shell is in the transmission tunnel... which rarely rots due to oil leaks in the engine and trans, I have had a car that had both sills cut out of the car (I was stripping it for parts) and I could still open and close the doors easily.

Known rust spots:

rear fender wheel wells. The folded over steel is a water trap

Sills: at the rear the convertable top drains INTO the sill (instead of through it) and at the front the join where fender meets the sill collects much and rust.

Front fenders at the Sill.

Driver's floor beneath the pedals (due to rubbing of feet on the paint)

rear suspension pickup points

Front upper arm mounting point and spring perch (this is a nasty one)

Behind the rear wheels.

Good news is.. the sills have an outer cover that just screws into place. You can weld to your heart's content, paint, undercoat, and cover it up to make it pretty again.

Bad knews.. front fenders are WELDED on. No bolts to undo, so repair work is a lot harder than you might expect. When you could get front fenders new.. they came in three parts. The pain part, below the headlight, and the bucket for the headlight. All were butt welded together just to make it more interesting.

I had one back in the 70s, and the main things I remember about it was that it was a virtual chick magnet, and a joy to drive. Cornered on rails.

But due to pedal placement, the driving position was very uncomfortable. If you have bad knees, it would be almost impossible to relax behind the wheel.

yes... pedals are close to you.. wheel is far away (and at a funky angle)

Aftermarket steering wheel with a deep dish can sort of fix that. I find the stock seats to be uncomfortable and I realize now was one of the main reasons I sold mine. It just wasn't pleasant for long periods.

Unless the PO has mucked with it the factory wiring is fine, it just needs clean connections and good solid grounds.

It's also important to buy parts from Fiat specialist suppliers as your typical auto parts store gets their stuff from 3rd world countries that wound up with tooling for these cars. The quality of suspension bushings, ignition parts and ball joints can be really poor. Fiat vendors take pains to supply the best stuff even if it is 2-3 times more because they don't want you calling them bitching a year later.

All good info, thanks guys! And I read your site Dave and the attached FAQ for buying. My problem now is whether I want a good runner or a project, I'm torn because I love tinkering and would love to rebuild/fix one up like we did the XR but at the same time part of me wants to just drive it on the weekend and enjoy NOT fixing it (alot)...

definatly take heed when it comes to Balljoints. I am not sure on the situation now.. but 10 years ago there was a HUGE shipment of bad/weak balljoints in the US. They would literally fall apart in a few thousand miles.

I had one break into 4 pieces in less than 5thousand miles. The ball seperated from the shaft and both parts of the clamshell that held the ball broke apart. Nobody had ever seen a Ball joint do that before.

My '81 fiat restoration project

great cars. I put Miata seats in mine, to make it more comfortable on long trips, hold you in better, and simply look better than the stockers.

Took it from this:

to this:

For $2500 total, with help from Bruce's and Mirafiori. Still have a good 2 liter engine for free if anyone wants it.