I'm new to the forum and have loved the information thus far! Thank you to those that created it!
I have a 1977 Fiat 124 that I bought in 2019 from an auto shop who had been servicing the car for the original owner (so I'm told
) My youngest son named her "Stella!" Truth be told, when I was about 17 years old, I used to drive past an Alfa dealership and always gawked at the cars. I told myself, "one day... I'll have one of those." When I was young I had a hard time dreaming about the "elite" Italian sports cars (Ferrari, Lambo). I was kind of grounded in my reality. A Ferrari or Lambo was too far fetched for me. If I would ever own an Italian sports car, it had to be affordable, but still look beautiful. Alfa's seemed to be the ticket when I was young. Over the years I checked Craigslist every few months, but never felt ready to commit. Perhaps I didn't think I deserved a "spare care" or "toy." Fast forward 31 years to 2018. My wife and I went to Yosemite National Park. We decided to break away from the park one day and drive to Monterey, CA. While there, she found a brochure for Monterey Touring Vehicles where they rent classic cars including one 1982 Fiat Spider 2000 (https://www.montereytouringvehicles.com ... ider-2000/) for $220 for 4 hours. I warned my wife... "This is your idea and if I drive this car, I know I will fall in love." We drove that car along the 17 Mile coastal highway along Pebble Beach. I was hooked. Goodbye 1970's Alfa Spider dreams - Hello Fiat Spider dreams! When we returned home I immediately began searching more intensely till I found her.
I laid eyes on Stella with her new paint job (deep dark red), dark brown seats and lighter tan top (needs a replacement soon). The only thing my wife didn't appreciate was that it "only" has lap belts. I promised to install shoulder belts in exchange for "purchase pemission." More on that later...
I found a local Fiat aficionado on Facebook (he attends the Fiat Freakouts etc) and actually lives in my town. He owes several Fiats and turns a wrench regularly. He looked Stella over after my purchase and found the car to be all original with original emission control stuff intact but disconnected. Very nice guy and glad he gave a thumbs up. I had already purchased her, but needed to feel like I made the right decision. Stella has had very few problems with her so far. I changed the brake pads; painted the calipers (red); replaced the fuel lines in the trunk (they were weeping gas - my God that gas smell in the truck!); replaced the fuel vapor check valve in the trunk (the plastic one was broken - replaced with a metal one - fingers crossed); replaced the heater core (that was fun - um no); had the carb rebuilt by a local who claims to have worked for Fiat in Italy... I believe he did. He seemed to know the car well, had an Alfa and Fiat 124 in his shop and had a thick Italian accent. $300 later he ended the frequent stalling.
Back to the shoulder belts... I'm now preparing to convert the seat belts from just lap belts to should/lap belts. I found salvaged mounting brackets for the belts from a 1980's model that had shoulder belts. May 2nd they will be welded into place. I purchased new tan colored belts from Seatbelt Planet. I removed the rear seat back vinyl and placed it over a 1980's seat back frame that would accommodate the belts to go through the seat back. Finally my wife will feel comfortable as a passenger so we can begin taking Stella on some drives through the country roads of Lancaster (Amish Country)!
I just taught both of my boys to drive her. My youngest drove her to the prom today (first drive without me)! In my eyes, Stella was meant to be driven and enjoyed!
I know we all have a story to tell about how we ended up loving these cars. Mine isn't unique. Each of our stories is special. Here's to many years keeping these cars running and enjoying the towns they deliver us too!