New Member SpiderGuy (Keith)

[SpiderGuy]

Hello to all the Fiat Forum Fine Fellows !

New member here to the Forum.
SpiderGuy (Keith) here in Colorado Springs Colorado USA

I found this 1981 Fiat Spider 2000 5 speed on a Craigslist ad.
The Owner had parked it 5 or 6 years ago when the Starter quit working.
My Brother helped me load the little Treasure up on my Trailer and we hauled the little Roadster over to my place.
Looking forward to cleaning it up and getting it running again.
With some tips from Forum Members I found the Loose Red Wire that had fallen off of the Starter Solenoid and once I got it reattached the starter is now working. I have drained all the old gas out and will check all the wires and fuses and work on getting it fired up and back to life again

[SpiderGuy]

Looks to me like it is about 98% complete with only a few missing original parts. It even has the original Jack Tools and keys.
Very dirty and has had Mice in it so it will take a lot of clean up, New Carpet, Seat covers and replacement of a lot of 41 year old plastic and rubber parts

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Awesome work, Keith! Just curious: It looks like there is a toggle switch to the right of the ignition switch. Any idea what that's for?

A few suggestions on things to check on a spider that has sat this long:
1. Could need a new battery
2. Timing belt should be changed.
3. Various hoses and such may be leaking or nearly so.
4. The brake system should be flushed with new fluid and then bled to remove air bubbles.
5. It's fairly common for the fuel pump/lines/filters to develop clogs. See how it runs before diving into that.

We try to answer any and all questions, no problem too big or too small, and the price is right.

-Bryan

[SpiderGuy]

Thanks Bryan (18fiatsandcounting) You were one of the members who gave me tips to get the starter working. Excellent advice and awesome low cost
Don't know yet what the Switch below and right of the key is yet.
Yes lots of hoses are fossilized and I will replace as well as fuel filter. Fuel Pump was working strong enough (when Key was in Start position) and it pumped the tank dry thru the fuel line I had disconnected.
Battery is new.
Good news is it looks like the mice did not eat into the wires while they were living in the car, just destroyed the carpets..YUK
Will Flush and Check Brake System before getting it up to top speed..always a good idea.
If I can get it running I plan on pulling the Engine and Trans to clean it up and replace leaking old gaskets.

The seller claimed the miles are 32,206 (Actual) and that is what the title says..but I would bet a box of Donuts that it has been at least once around the Dial

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Sounds like a plan! Other than the dash and driver's seat, you might be surprised about how good the interior looks once it's given a good cleaning. Carpets can be pressure washed, but I leave it to you whether that's an option.

The good news is that I have never seen mice chew through Fiat wiring. Insulation and plastic pieces yes, wiring no. But, maybe Colorado mice are heartier than California mice....

-Bryan

[Tcamp]

Cool car fun project,welcome to spiderland im new as well in kimberley bc our project a 1973 spider rebuild the last 10 months ,this site was essential! I looked at your pics and what we did was recap our dash and console ,used a razor blade and a fine buffer to prep, glued new caps on and bang bran new.We only have experience with one car but now is the time to make sure all heater controls are moving and working good mine were very stiff .check and or replace Heater core i also had a valve that controls coolant flow that leaked on passenger side , these items I thought were essential to replace at this time,

the cost was very reasonable.This might sound crazy but the heater and air controls takes forever to get good at using , i thought it was just mine but sounds like all units struggle with this issue. Enjoy your spider, spiderguy and welcome to spiderland l got the spiderbite and now have a new family member 4ever

Todd

[18Fiatsandcounting]

This might sound crazy but the heater and air controls takes forever to get good at using , i thought it was just mine but sounds like all units struggle with this issue.

Todd, it's not you, the Fiat heater design was a bit goofy. But, it's actually a pretty good heater when working. The downsides are leaking cores and valves, an air input that often gets plugged up with leaves and such, and a bizarre ventilation control system. And levers that get sticky with age.

Here's how I remember the ventilation levers: The "beginning" starts with the lever closest to the driver, so that lever controls the amount of air coming into the car. Next, the air is warmed (or not), so that's the middle lever. The "end" of the process is in which direction that warmed air goes, up to the windshield or down to the footwells, so that's the lever furthest from the driver. Left to right: amount of air coming in, heating of air, where the air goes. Rinse and repeat.

-Bryan

[Tcamp]

Thanks Bryan. I will take it for a drive tomorrow and try. I have 8 foot snowbanks so I will wear a toque and goggles with the top down. Interested to see what the neighbours have to say. I got a single plane intake manifold and gasket for my birthday so the coolant will be half drained and need circulating anyway.

Todd.

Hoping for a Spiderbite not frostbite.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I drove around in my spider one time with the top down, when it was about zero degrees F (-20 oC or so). Actually not as bad as it sounds with the right clothes, and the only downside was that the plastic rear window cracked when I put the top down. Sigh...

-Bryan