Hello to all the Spider lovers!!!

[bulldog4444]

Hey everyone, my name is John from Northeast Ohio and I have been a happy and loyal 124 Spider owner for the past 30 years. I was 24 when I got my Spider in California and I just turned 55 last month. I've put on so many miles on my Spider that So Cal Mark thinks it may be a record. I have slightly more than 325,000 miles on the clock and this automobile is still mint.

I will do my best to post some pictures (I probably have about a thousand) doing various repairs, places I've been and people I've seen. I have experienced every possible part failure, system breakdown and adjustment you could imagine for a 1978 124 with a third of a million miles. That is why when I read the forum I chuckle thinking, "Oh, I remember when that happened".

Please don't get me wrong, this is actually the most reliable automobile I have ever owned. I have every high mortality part stored in the wheel well of the trunk (no spare, who needs that?) so that I am never stranded. By the way, we name our cars in my family and my 1978 124 is named Tony. I have found myself cursing Tony sometimes for the issues that come back again and again. For those issues, I will post what I carry in my trunk's wheel well for high mortality breakdowns. In the old days we didn't have a internet for help (until Al Gore invented it), we used shop books, ALL of them.

I will end this now but want to say hello to everyone that has the "balls" to own the finest sports car ever made!
Bulldog

[CajunMike]

That car is a beauty. Congrats on the long term ownership.

[baltobernie]

Hello Bulldog and Welcome! I'm sure your long-term experience will be beneficial to other owners. Great looking car!

[grittracing]

your car looks great ! Mirror black! Those pieces on the lower rocker panels. I have seen them once before. Does anyone know if they are a dealer item or if that was stock ?

[kmac33]

Great looking Spider!

[grittracing]

Where about in northeast Ohio? Im only 40 mile north of the line mich / ohio

[bulldog4444]

The rocker panels I have been told are a dealer added item most used in California. Probably because they had to drill the rockers and you know how these things rust. They do tend to dress the car up I think.

The car is all original except for So Cal Mark's Rota wheels (the tires are 205/55 15 S-Drive Yokohamas), side view mirrors, Allison X700 electronic ignition (now Crane I believe) and a third brake light I added in the 80's after someone bumped me in LA traffic. Said he didn't see me. (this pic should show both the mirrors and the brake light). Those tube bumpers rock!

Where in Ohio? Home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton Ohio.



Bulldog

[courtenay]

That is one fine looking Fiat. Where did you get the bra?

[bulldog4444]

The bra was a special order from Pep Boys in LA in the mid 1980's. Most off the shelf bra's of the time had FIAT blazing across the front. I didn't like that look and so Pep Boys would do special orders at that time. This forum has a link: http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... &sk=t&sd=a
Good Luck,
Bull

[azruss]

awesome looking ride. i retired my last one at 295k miles, so you have me beat. interested in what you think of the tires. i'm looking at the same tire in a 195/55x13. how accurate is the speedo, are you getting any rubbing. do the tires steer heavy, how long have you had them....details, details.

[azygoustoyou]

Nice ride Bulldog! I see you took very good care of her.

[aj81spider]

Hi Azruss,

Did you mean 195/55 15? I didn't think the S-Drives were available in 13".

If you did, I have 195/50 R15's on my 81 spider. They run great. There is no rubbing (they are almost the exact same size as the 185/70 R13 on my other Spider), and the speedometer is dead on according to my GPS and the town's roving radar message board.

They do take a little force to turn if you are not moving, but it is unnoticeable once the car is rolling.

I like them a lot and would buy them again.

[bulldog4444]

Well, here is the scoop on the wheels and tires. Actually the wheels are what brought me to this great site. I was having trouble getting 13's and wasn't overly thrilled with the standard factory steel wheels that came with the car. Photo attached (remember, I have thousands! LOL!) I contacted So Cal Mark about the first of May (super nice guy by the way) and we discussed the Rota in 15 inch. I then checked out the tires available and decided on the Yokohama S-Drive because they have pretty good ratings from users but I had to decide either 50 or 55 profile.

I went with the 55 to better fill out the wheel wells and boy I think I hit a home run. There was a "slight" rubbing on the left front when making an extremely sharp right turn in a parking lot. I had several emails with Mark and wrongly thought it was rubbing on the stabilizer bar. Actually I found the issue right at the front of the fender where it scoops under and just in front of the tire. That "lip" just need some slight reforming to be more straight up and not angled towards the tire. I mean slight! The car rides extremely stable and compliant. One of the reasons I wanted the 55's. Ohio isn't my old home of California and the roads can be lumpy to say the least. I'm starting to get old and want comfort! Lol!!! So if Mark reads this he will know that the 55's do indeed work.

One additional note to anyone considering his Rota wheels. Get them! They look FANTASTIC, they are hub centric, have tapered lugs for a great smooth fit and ride. BUT......and there is always a BUT. You are going to need some mud flaps. Yes I know they suck but my first drive out I had crap in places I had never had crap. There are none available so you are going to have to buy universal fit, cut them out and then attach them with those binder clips you get from Office Max (I won't drill into my baby) That way I can remove them anytime I want to go back to bone stock. If you look at my very first post photo back up at the top, you will see them. Really hard to see but work fantastic.

Good luck to all,
Bulldog