Does this 124 look familiar(e) to you?

[perthling]

After a bit of a search, I have taken possession of a 1970 Fiat 124 Familiare (wagon/estate). Spent the weekend giving it a general clean and making notes of all the things that need attention to first get it back to a driveable condition, and second, as a future restoration project.

From a distance it looks rough, but when you get up close, it's... well... very rough.

There are a number of pluses associated with this acquisition, namely:
* it's registered
* the engine runs
* the brakes almost work (exciting discovery on the drive home)
* it's very original
* it has almost all the original trim
* period, working AM radio
* the price
* did I mention it's a wagon?

The minuses include:
* coolant boiling by the time I got home
* the brakes almost work ...
* rust has been 'repaired' by a blind person using a trowel
* it's been painted with house paint
* tailgate doesn't seal
* dashboard chewed by a dog
* headlining falling down and quite damaged

It looks much better now it's had a clean, the funny smell appears to have gone, and the interior has been emptied out.

Another plus: a bag in the boot contained assorted containers of body filler, polish, two new reels of electrical wire, and a screwdriver kit.

Front seat bases have been retrimmed, seat backs and rear seat are original trim.

I now officially need a bigger shed.

More photos and updates will be posted here: http://www.turbo124.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7544 (seeing as I don't have a flickr or similar account and posting pictures on this forum needs a whole 'nuther post to explain how to do it! )

[rlux4]

Way cool Perthling!
Very clever spelling in your topic heading, BTW.
Ron

[mdrburchette]

Awesome! I would love to find something like that, but then I think better of it.....I don't exactly know where Ron's breaking point is, but I feel pretty certain another project might push him over the edge.

[perthling]

My plan was to sell the silver 124CC, but when I arrived home with the new addition and was discussing selling the silver coupe with a mate who helped me collect the wagon, my wife said that she had a soft spot for it (the coupe) and would be sad to see it go! And she said that the wagon had character. I think 9 years of exposure to my unhealthy obsession with Fiats must finally be rubbing off!

[perthling]

Post on other forum updated with list of parts required. Suspect shipping a tailgate from US to Australia may be a little expensive though...

[Fiat88]

Pretty cool Fiat wagon. Look like it will be a fun project!

[perthling]

It's been good fun so far - apart from discovering the state of the shock towers. I've not owned a sedan or wagon before so am learning plenty about how much they differed from the Coupe and Spider. I'm accumulating parts at present while I get the shock towers repaired, then it will be back on the road.

[spiderrey]

thats a real cool project

[perthling]

Just a shout out to Csaba at Auto Ricambi. I bought a bunch of parts via the Autoricambi.us website, which arrived in Australia within 10 days of order (much cheaper than buying locally - even including shipping). Csaba was very patient and helpful, confirming what parts suited the application and providing advice on the model in question. Parts arrived in good order and will be installed in the coming weeks.

[katsi]

Just a shout out to Csaba at Auto Ricambi. I bought a bunch of parts via the Autoricambi.us website, which arrived in Australia within 10 days of order (much cheaper than buying locally - even including shipping). Csaba was very patient and helpful, confirming what parts suited the application and providing advice on the model in question. Parts arrived in good order and will be installed in the coming weeks.

I have to say that I too have had really good service with Csaba. Not only with the parts be he actually took the time to answer some questions via email and even personally called me to make sure everything was going well. Nice guy. Not to mention he is kinda the Fiat guru here in TX.

OH, love the car. Looking foward to more pics on your progress.

[perthling]

It's running again (but still looks like a rust bucket because, well, it is).

Updates here: http://turbo124.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... 490#p79490

[perthling]

The wagon had its shakedown this morning - a 20 minute drive in peak hour traffic to the tyre shop for new rubber and a wheel alignment.

Brakes worked well (after a fashion), electrics all worked, the engine pulls well and hauls the little wagon along (although I kept looking for 5th gear ).

On the down side, there is a bit of a rattle from the front (right maybe) when running over cats eyes (I'll check the shock absorber installation) and the coolant overflow bottle was full to overflowing with boiling coolant when I pulled into the tyre shop. However, the temp gauge was only showing about half way.

The thermostat was checked and the radiator reverse flushed (by me and a garden hose) before it all went back together, so I'm thinking:
1) radiator is actually too far gone.
2) pressure cap not working properly.
3)maybe water pump fouled/impeller worn and ineffective?

Any feedback welcomed! At this stage, my plan to drive it to a wedding this weekend appear to be stymied...

[mdrburchette]

On the down side, there is a bit of a rattle from the front (right maybe) when running over cats eyes
Any feedback welcomed! At this stage, my plan to drive it to a wedding this weekend appear to be stymied...

Stay away from allies with a bunch of stray cats....you actually run over just their eyes? How do you accomplish that?
If they're not soft and squishy, but hard, you might want to check the sway bar bushings or something might be loose around the grille area. I also had a rattle in the brake pads when I was missing a clip. Something else to check, I guess.
As for the heating up, you know the t-stat is opening? I would check that, along with pressure testing the system for any leaks. If the cap can't handle the pressure, it's allowing air in the system. Check your water pump belt to see if it's slipping.

[sptcoupe]

Looks like a great project. When finished, it might be a good mate for our 99% original 73 sedan, which, you'll note, is the same color. .

IMG]http://i721.photobucket.com/albums/ww21 ... /fiat4.jpg[/IMG]

I had an overheating problem when I first put the sedan on the road. I finally isolated the problem as the thermostat, and tried two that I bought on Ebay and from another supplier, neither of which worked to solve the problem. But I was convinced it was the thermostat, so I finally bought one from Auto Ricambi, and presto - problem solved. The thermostat from AR is shaped slightly differently than the others I bought. Don't know if that was the difference, but I know it instantly solved the problem and it has never come back, even in the Texas summer heat (think Darwin on steroids). Maybe it is a later design?

[sptcoupe]

I got a few emails pointng out that the link in my post doesnt work. Sorry. Hope this one does.

IMG]http://i721.photobucket.com/albums/ww21 ... /fiat4.jpg[/IMG]