New here from AZ

[Backyardspider]

Hey guys, I'm Don from Buckeye, AZ. A friend of mine recently bought a house and in the backyard, found a 78 Spider in desperate need of a new owner. So now I have inherited the car and I guess I get a crash course in Fiat wiring, since the previous owner took some liberties with the electronics. My short term goal is to get the car cleaned out and running. I already removed a dead cat from the backseat. I believe it jumped onto the top and fell thru, getting trapped inside. The center console is coming apart, probably from getting rained on. All in all I think I have quite a project ahead of me!
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q58 ... MuanBn.jpg
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q58 ... EuanBn.jpg
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q58 ... kuanBn.jpg
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q58 ... AuanBn.jpg
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q58 ... cuanBn.jpg
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q58 ... YuanBn.jpg
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q58 ... UuanBn.jpg

[dmwhiteoak]

Hello and welcome. With a little TLC she will be as good as new. What condition are the floor pans in?

[Backyardspider]

Thank you. The floor pans are in very good shape, so far I haven't been able to find any rust on the car at all so at least that's one less thing to worry about.

[johndemar]

This may help sort out the wiring.

http://www.artigue.com/fiatcontent/wiri ... g_1978.pdf

Rust kills these cars, so being in AZ has its advantages. Rubber and plastic on the other hand....

[courtenay]

Indeed, you have a project on your hands. The good news is you've come to the right place to get all kinds of help and advice as you work your way through it.
Welcome to the forum!!

[4uall]

hello & welcome
great inheritance from a nice friend
soooooooooooooooooo is there a plan for a cat fur carpet?

[124JOE]

wow and hello
thats a grat car to start from "thrers no rust"
the body looks straight
didnt see a floor in the trunk "to cover the spare and tank"
or a batt box cover
its all ready been reapolstered
and a dash pad

you can fill the crack in the stering wheel with epoxie
i would start under the hood with a pressue washer
then a good hand wash
i have a 78 found in a bad spot and now she shines
but remember it was parked for a reson"your going to get dirty"

[Backyardspider]

Thanks everyone. My wife is allergic to cats so probably no cat fur interior pieces haha. As for the wiring I am considering rewiring the entire car using the Painless Performance street rod harness. I saw a post in the electrical section about it and it would probably be easier than fixing the existing wiring. Has anyone here done this?

[4uall]

wife+allergy=dead cat lol

I have only seen this http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-40100/?rtype=10

[Backyardspider]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-10102/
This is what I was thinking of using

[SergeantSavage]

Congrats on the good find. I am a Gila Bend native. That's something you don't hear everyday!

Currently in Texas.

[markhenry01]

Hello Backyardspider,
I'm nearby in New River AZ.
I just bought my 78 spider back in November. It's usually running as a daily driver, but it's down at the moment waiting for a new clutch pedal. Thanks to all the great advice on this forum, I have quickly been able to fix the common problems. Everything on my car is close to original, so if you need a comparison, I could drive over and show you mine.
Best of luck with your project.
Mark