81 Fiat Spider in New England here.
Bought her (Carlotta, Italian for Charlotte, who was a Spider...) for a grand two years ago.
Needed some serious brake work. Engine runs strong, had a few minor stupid things- the rear sway bar fell out, the radiator bit the shed, the heater core gave up the ghost (and a bunch of coolant all over my floorboards.) The rag top needs work if not replacing, and of course there is the everpresent body work. I had the tires I bought the car with fail (they always looked good, had good treads, no visible dry rot) and the driver's side rear tire blew the hell up, gatored, and busted up three body panels on the car.
I'm never buying a used car again without replacing the tires. Period.
The rust demons have attacked the usual locations, bottom of the driver's door, the passenger front panel behind the wheel well, etc etc. I'm still chasing down stupid stuff, like the damn temp needle flailing around, the muffler strap broke, and I've forgotten what else this week.
Couldn't be happier with the car.
Got one question, that no one on the other Fiat E-list can or will answer. I have an original Pannin-Farina hard top.
The front is held on by the same clips that hold the rag top on. The back is held down by...faith? Good Intentions?
I can't tell if I'm missing some original hardware, missing something with my set-up, or is the top just actually supposed to just sorta lie there? Can anyone shed some light? With illustrations, or photos?
