For sale is a 1977 Fiat 124 Spider. This has been an ongoing project since September 2014 but now that I'm back in school I no longer have time for this project and I'm ready to give it up for cheaper than what I've spent on it. Before I purchased this Fiat it has been converted to a 1981 Fiat 124's bosch fuel injection. The car sat for a while after it went through some problems the fuel injection set up but all the mechanicals of the engine worked perfectly. It has a TON of new parts on it. As of now the engine cranks over when starting but the starter will need to be replaced as the solenoid caught and stays cranking despite the position. I have verified that this is the starter with such problem and not wiring. I’ve gotten the F.I. set up to work once and thus I was able to test drive it but after that I couldn’t get it to work anymore.
Drivetrain:
Engine - The flex fuel lines fuel tank fuel pump fuel filter and the fuel injectors have all been replaced. The engine spins over and I actually heard it run before but I was never able to fix the fuel injection set up completely. The coolant sensor has also been replaced. In addition the engine's valve cover gaskets and cam tower gaskets have been replaced by GuyCroft-approved gaskets. The timing belt is also new. The spark plugs spark plug wires rotor and cap are all new and so is the ignition coil pick up inside. I have done an intensive diagnostic work on the engine's electrical aspect and I'm willing to share this knowledge with the buyer to save time on restoration. Oil and filter have been replaced as well.
Transmission - Manual transmission is in great working order. Old gear oil has been flushed out and replaced with fresh oil. Tranny has not been dropped for clutch inspection but clutch felt nice and no slipping was found when it did run. Driveline has a new flex guibo.
Brakes:
Front - The two front brake calipers were taken apart cleaned painted red and rebuilt by myself. The front hubs have new rotors and the pads have a nice meat on them still. There are new front brake pads included with the sale. The flex hoses leading up to the front calipers.
Rear: The rear brakes have not been touched at all but all the parts needed to rebuild the rear brakes are included. This includes new seals for the calipers new brake pads new brake rotors and new flex hoses.
Master Cylinder – Old brake fluid has been flushed out from the master cylinder and the front lines. It was replaced with DOT3 brake fluid.
Steering:
The front wheel hubs have been completely gone through: Wheel bearings have been repacked with grease. Wheel bearing hub have been cleaned and painted Cast Iron. The steering idler arm has also been replaced with a brand new one.
Suspension/Chassis:
Front – The front suspension has been redone. Front spindle assemblies have been painted black. The whole front has brand new upper and lower control arms with new ball joints and bushings. It has also received brand new KYB Excel-G shocks. The original coil springs were media blasted and painted a bright blue color giving a nice contrast.
Rear – The rear has not been touched but the car will come with the brand new KYB shocks for the rear as well. Rear differential has yet to be serviced but has no grinding or weird noises when car was driven.
I have verified that there is no rust whatsoever on the frame and the chassis is completely solid. Tires hold air and still have good thread to them though I can’t verify if they are road-worthy aside from being used as rollers.
Interior:
Most if not all of the interior pieces are there. The interior was initially removed and the floor pans were repaired when tiny rust holes were found. The floor pans were then lined with truck bed liner material then jute pad and NEW carpet was installed throughout the whole vehicle as well as NEW weatherstrip. Interior was originally saddle and dark brown combination but the vehicle was geared towards a black interior conversion.
The dash was fitted a new plastic molded dash cap. The gauge bezels and glove box door have all been painted a platinum color. The center has been fitted with indicator lights that show if the fuel pump is running if ignition is starting or if engine is running and if the exterior lights are on. Between the indicator lights is a fully functional push start button. This is probably the only Fiat 124 you’ll find with a PUSH start button that works when the key is on “RUN” position.
The rear passenger bench seat is now a flat black color. The front seats will need to be reupholstered but are included in with the car. There is a replacement center console as well as all the rest of the interior pieces.
Electrical:
The car has a new battery installed but will need new cable clamps for it. Included are a few new fuel injector repair clips and a group of new fuses.
Exterior:
The car has been primered and painted a color similar to the new Fiat 500’s “Granite Crystal Metallic” which is of a dark silver/gunmetal color. The hood and most of the front clip has already been wet sanded and buffed. The doors will need to be realigned and tightened down and the rest of the car will need to be wet sanded and buffed for a mirror finish. The rocker panels have been painted Semi-Gloss black for a nice offset. Wheel wells have also been finished with black paint.
The holes for the side mirrors on the doors have been filled with body filler. New adjustable chrome bullet mirrors have been installed on the front fenders for that vintage European look. The chrome bumpers are also still present on the car and so are the rubber bumper ends. Included but not yet installed is an original Fiat Spider chrome luggage rack.
All the lights are present but I don’t remember if they do work. The rear tail light lenses as well as the four marker lamps throughout the vehicle have been polished with three-stage plastic polish. The front light bulbs have been bench-tested before being reinstalled and are found to be in good working condition.
Also included are an antenna and the base for the radio but is not fastened to the body of the car. The door handles will need to be tightened down also but are there. All the window moldings and the windshield surround still have a nice shine to them. The front nose and rear trunk emblems and rear quarter panel emblems are all there.
Miscellaneous:
Aside from the car and the mentioned parts above the vehicle will also come with a bunch of other miscellaneous parts. Included in this are a full set of control arm cores professionally glass bead-blasted ORIGINAL FIAT hardware pieces (nuts and bolts some with fiat head marks) old gas tank (for carbureted engines) other old hardware pieces that will clean up nicely fuses metal cam gears lower engine baffle chrome bumper rubber bumper ends extra weatherstrip pieces windshield washer fluid reservoir and pump coolant tank reservoir extra jack and bunch of other parts that I have forgotten about.
CONCLUSION:
Overall it won’t take much for this car to be road worthy. Just needs a person who has patience and is overall knowledgeable in the Bosch fuel injection system. Either that or someone who just wants to drop in a carburetor instead. Either way it is not too far from being driven again. Seeing as how the car is in a state of being a project the car will not be sold as a “driving car.” I do not assume any responsibility for any work needed to be done to the car. For California buyers I assume no responsibility for smog test but car has been BAR-approved for the F.I. conversion. It will be sold as-is. Car is located in Fremont and if you have any questions feel free to contact me at (925) 864-2127.
Pictures of the project as it made progress is available. More pics below the description. Can ship if buyer arranges.
Thanks
Arvin