PULLED THE TRIGGER/PHOTOS ADDED

[kmac33]

George,
Congratulations on pulling the trigger and joining the rest of us fanatics Don't worry about the nay saying from your mechanic that looked the car over. Sounds to me like he may be one of those mechanics that didn't know enough about the Spiders he was working on to "know" the straight forward, easy fixes for the majority of the gremlins that seem to plague them. If I were you, I'm not sure that is the guy I'd go to for help with your Spider...since he thinks they are "all pieces of crap". You want to find someone that "loves" Fiats and appreciates the Spider for the great little sports car that it is. But as many have mentioned (including me in your original post) these cars are easy to work on if you have a moderate amount of mechanical ability. Get a couple of service manuals, a good set of tools(including a multi-meter) and take care of it yourself.
Stay active on the forum, and find some local long term owners (speaking of local, where are you located?) and you will quickly learn all you need to keep your Spider on the road and running. Just remember that you have a 41 year old car and any car that age will not be as reliable as anything built in the last quarter of a century! That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to drive my 74 any distance at any time.
When you get a chance, please post some more pictures. I'm interested to see your new purchase in greater detail.
And trust me, the first time you are driving your Spider in great weather, with the top down, you will be extremely happy with your decision to take the plunge

[124JOE]

i took a bus to reno in 94 to get my spider
we changed fluids and buffed it out
then i jumped in and drove it 1800 miles to WI

boy that was a while ago

[georgeramos]

I'm in Portland, OR. On the map I seem to be the only one here... I have seen 2 or 3 cars around town though including one that was 'plugged in" to an electric car parking spot!!!!! That was a few years ago and I havent seen it since but that was very cool. I also saw a DINO the other day parked on the street. Left my card on the windshield, like to meet the owner and maybe start a "local" club of enthusiasts. Thank you all for the advice so far. I will post pics and report on my progress as it happens.

Has anyone had luck with waterproof car covers? If they make one that breathes and is really watertight that might be just the thing, then I could keep it in my driveway...I've also thought about one of those canopies but my neighbors would blow a gasket...hopefully my car wont!

George

[SpyderNoobe]

George swerves into a great question, and I hate sounding stupid, but is there such a thing as a hard top for these? For George who lives in rain belt and myself in the snow belt, is there any merit to having one?

RW

[124JOE]

yes theres a hardtop for these
it helps alot in the winter
i dont have one and i wont bring my car out in the salt

[kmac33]

George,
For car covers, I recommend getting one from "California Car Covers". Here is a link to the web site.
http://www.calcarcover.com/default.aspx
Just look over the different options and pick the cover that meets your needs. The cover I ordered from them is extremely high quality and fits the car like a glove.
SpyderNoobe - yes there are hard tops for the Spider. Some have lucked up and gotten original hard tops in good condition for a reasonable price. The new "reproductions" that are available are not cheap, but if you are in a cold weather state and drive your Spider often or as a daily driver, I'm sure it is worth every penny.

[RRoller123]

Here's a whole parts car available with a hard top, for $400.

http://capecod.craigslist.org/cto/2714568459.html

[thechadzone]

Hey George, I'm in Portland, and I'm happy to have a look-see at your car if you like. My mechanical skills are moderate to good, and I'm reasonably well kept & well spoken for a grease monkey... My cars are both in Eugene, check out my Sport Coupe in the Restorations section of this site.

[giuliot60]

Hi George.

Did you ever resolve the clutch noise? I'm starting to get it, it's a little noisy in neutral, but goes away when you push the clutch pedal in. It also seems fine in gear.

G.

[Dawgme85]

Hi George.

Did you ever resolve the clutch noise? I'm starting to get it, it's a little noisy in neutral, but goes away when you push the clutch pedal in. It also seems fine in gear.

G.

To reiterate what Mark said earlier, noise in neutral, with your foot OFF the clutch, is indicative of a transmission issue. Most likely (?) the input shaft bearing, I believe. Noise that occurs when the clutch pedal is pushed IN is indicative of a worn throw out bearing.

My 77 has the former issue, as well, and has done so for the past 10k+ miles. I intend to fix it, but don't consider it of imminent concern. At this point, I'm monitoring it until I decide to get it fixed.

Good luck,

LeRoy

[giuliot60]

Thanks LeRoy. What is the remedy? It's not just an oil change is it? I'll look back into the conversation in the meanwhile.

[Hobo]

I am also new to Fiats and The Forum. Both have been great so far! Enjoy the ride...

[Dawgme85]

Giulio,

You can try replacing the oil with a high performance oil, such as Redline, but I wouldn't hold my breath expecting it to work wonders.

To be honest, I haven't sat down to figure out what exactly needs to be replaced, but it really depends on the condition of the rest of the transmission components. For instance, mine has been grinding occasionally on the 3-4 upshift, meaning I'll probably have to replace that synchro as well. Who knows what the rest of the bearings look like? Once the transmission is out and on the bench it can be more fully assessed.

Fortunately, I have a Master Fiat mechanic who lives only a few miles (by back roads, no less!) from me (Ray Mortensen, at Performance Apex). When the time comes, I will turn to Ray for the repair, unless I get a screaming deal on a rebuilt tranny in the meantime.

[georgeramos]

mine still has the noise. Amazing how silent it is when you push the clutch pedal. it sounds especially loud with the top up so my remedy so far is only dro=ive with it down!

ive had occasional grinding when downshifting from 3rd to 2ns=d but i think its because im not pulling the lever far enough to te left (so ill call it user error)

George

[Dawgme85]

...it sounds especially loud with the top up so my remedy so far is only drive with it down! ...

That's my remedy, as well!