NYC Rusty new owner

[theProdikalSon]

Hello everyone,

I recently the new owner of a rusty 1980 Fiat Spider. This is my first car and hope to get acquainted with it through all the work that I am sure I will have to put in.

My first mission is getting the thing to my home (60 mile trip). The owner said the car has not started since May of 2010, and is probably just a dead battery. In any event I plan on taking it to a mechanic to have it looked at before starting my trip. Is there an after market battery that I can pick up from Pep Boys or something that will fit the Spider?

I have a basic understanding of cars, but not that much experience servicing them. If the car is not starting but ran fine a few months ago, aside from the battery, I may need a new starter, correct? Is the installation of a starter expensive to have done or difficult to do on my own?

I hope I did not bite off more than I can chew. I have been inspired by this video on YouTube and hope to one day have my rust ball in similar condition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJWjCcRFcFI

Thanks for any input
-Andrew

[mdrburchette]

Welcome Andrew! Do you have pics of your new ride? The 80 came fuel injected or carbed, which did you get?
You won't have any problem getting a battery that will fit. As for the starting issue, there could be several things that could cause that, depending on whether it's FI or carbed. Getting the car started wouldn't be my main concern. I would be more worried about how much rust in in this baby. Are you an autobody tech?

[wikkid]

Hi and welcome.

Don't worry - just about everything you will need and/or want to do to the car can be learned. First off, buy a shop manual and you will see exactly what it will take to, for example, get to the starter. And with a good digital camera and written description of issues, as well as a wise use of the "search" function, you will be able to get a lot of guidance from folks on this site. You have chosen a good car as a first car - yes, probably a fair amount of issues to address as with any older car, but these little gems are easy to work on. Show pic's !!!

Be careful with those sixty miles home - you do not want any mishaps.

[courtenay]

Before you go out and buy a new battery and/or starter, check this thread out...
http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... =15#p76617

[Exit98]

Hi,

So first of all are you the "Rusty" one, or is it the car? I'm old, but I'm not rusty.

Seriously I take it your are in or around NYC. There's a bunch of us in New Jersey and a few on Long Island around here. Where are you moving the car to?

Anyway let us know what's going on maybe we can help one way or the other.

Oh, and good luck.

[theProdikalSon]

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

I purchased the car from a member in the forum that I found while searching craigslist. It is 1980 FI engine.
His link to pictures of the car are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54843059@N07/

I am not an auto body tech, but a fast learner ..

I am not the rusty one lol. The car is 6 years older than I am
There is a huge rust spot/hole on the rear driver side wheel well. I assume I will have to work either with some scrap metal or auto body filler. I have been looking around the forum for people dealing with rust as bad as what I have to deal with to see how they take care of it.





Thank you for the thread with starting issues! This site has proved to be extremely helpful already!

There are so many things I have planned for this car, and so much that I will have to learn ( I never even drove stick shift! ). I will update once I pick the car up and actually get it from Fair Haven, NJ to Queens, NY. That should be quite the adventure!

[NJFIAT1981]

Hi Rusty,
A few of our members here at NJFIATS.ORG have used a body shop in PA. The owner does a very nice job for the money and his prices are great. With the amount of rust remediation that you have to do on your spider you might want to take it over to PA and let a pro do it. He has painted both my spiders. TonyfromNJ had extensive rust damage on his. After a trip to the body shop his spider now looks great. Good luck with your project

[TulsaSpider]

Welcome! Are you going to try to drive it home? If so you might be better off towing it. You never know what can happen on the road to a car of this age. The very first thing to do is take off the front wheels, or jack it up in the front and inspect the front shock towers to see if they are rusted. If so they must be replaced, this is a critical safety point in these cars and it's a very costly job!If I were you I would make sure the motor and tranny are in good shape before I started sinking big $$ into rust repair. I have a parts car that is in better shape than yours. I wish you luck and this is a great forum!

[pooldoctorstl]

Tulsa is right, check the front shock towers and other structural areas of the body, like where the trailing arms mount. Just be careful with how much you want to sink into this and remember that you can pick up a pretty rust free car for a couple thousand bucks, probably a lot less than you will spend to fix this one.

Good luck,
Jeff

[NJFIAT1981]

Hi Andrew,
Well hows it going with your new Spider? Is it running yet? On the road? How about some pics. George