Greetings from Italy!

[RCSquadraCorse]

Hello everybody!
My name is Riccardo and I'm a 27 years old petrolhead! I love so much classic cars and I've always wanted to have one, so I started to put pressure on my dad to start restoring his '69 124 Spider (the car has been left sleeping in our small garage since '97!). He's not a big car enthusiast anymore, so he told me to do it by myself and when the restoration will be finished I'll probably buy the car from him and I'll be the new owner!
The car is a black '69 124 with the small 1.4 engine and a 5 speed gearbox and of course, since it's almost 15 years that the car hasn't been moved, the engine needs some maintenance. Some minor signs here and there on the outside, and some broken parts on the inside, but overall it's absolutely wondeful and I love it!
I hope to be able to find someone patient enough to give me some tips on my restoration process, since I'm pretty good with the DIY, but of course I need some advices from someone who knows the car a lot better than me!
I'll post some pictures very soon!
Congratulations for all the really beautiful cars you have here, even in Italy it's rare to see some well maintained and restored 124 spider!

Kind regards,

Riccardo

PS: I apoligize for my not-so-perfect English!

[dmwhiteoak]

Hello Ricardo from Texas , your English is better than my Italian. You will find all the help you need here. First thing I would do is change all fluids and get that baby fired up! Don't get to radical until you change the timing belt .

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard!

[RCSquadraCorse]

Thanks guys!
Can't wait to fire up the beauty, but I want to sort out everything before doing some damage!
I already did some shopping and bought some brand new Fiat genuine parts like the silicon hoses for the radiator, a new oil filter and some parts for the interior but I still have to buy the new liquids because I'm not sure which one to buy... I mean, I'll have to buy a cheap oil of the engine, because I would like to give a "first wash" to the components to take away all the old oil and the small debris from the engine and then change the cheap oil and buy a final good one, then I want to check if all the pumps work correctly and I have to check the brake lines too, because the brake pedal feels really soft and I think that there's something wrong (so yeah, I have to rebuild also the brake lines). I hope that the general electrics of the car are fine, I've already checked all the lights and they're fine, I hope the engine wiring will be fine as well! Oh, and I already have a question... ahah... do I have to take off and wash the petrol tank? I got told by a mechanic that after 15 years there could be some small oxide particles that might block the fuel pump or damage the carburetors/engine... is that true?!
Thanks in advance for the reply,
Best regards,

Riccardo

[steve8462]

it is best if you remove the tank and clean it out. it comes out very easy from the top with four bolts holding it down if it is the same as my 1979 124. be gentle with the hoses. one its out you can remove the fuel sending unit from the top. this will give you two places to look into and also clean out from.

[RCSquadraCorse]

Hi Steve, thanks a lot for the tip! I still have to check how to remove the fuel tank, but I guess it'll be pretty much the same as your '79.
Today I pushed the car in the middle of the garage to have more space where to work and unfortunately I already have some problems...
I needed the help of my father to push the car because it was sooooo hard to move it! I guess the problem are the brakes or maybe (I hope not) the wheel bearings... I've never ever had so much troubles pushing a vehicle, even a full loaded truck would have been easier to be pushed!
I guess it'll be better for me to start a new thread in the "restoration projects" section where to ask for some help when it'll be needed and I'll post also some pictures of the car.

Riccardo

[djape1977]

just rusty brake discs.
remove, clean, and put back on

[RCSquadraCorse]

just rusty brake discs.
remove, clean, and put back on

I really hope so! I'll let you know on Monday when I'll take off the wheels (I have to wait for a friend of mine who's going to borrow me a hydraulic jack) and I'll inspect all the 4 brakes and hubs.
If the problem are the brake discs, then I'll probably change them, I've already found a set of brand new Brembos for just 70 Euro (85 USD).

Riccardo

[djape1977]

check for thickness. if they're over 9mm, you're ok. no need to change discs since anything you can buy these days new will be lot worse quality than original discs.

also, brake calipers might be stuck. if that's the case, you'll need to rebuild them, but being in italy, you should be able to find new ones cheap enough. front calipers will fit from any 124, 125, 128, 131 or 132, while rear calipers are the same as on any 124, 125 and 132 1800

[johndemar]

Sounds like you're starting in the correct area Riccardo. It's best to start with the safety areas of the car first. Brakes and all the suspension components are what I would sort out first. After all you don't want the wheels falling off or not be able to stop when you take it for your first trip around the block.

[RCSquadraCorse]

Thanks again guys! I already love this forum!
Maybe it sounds weird, but in Italy people don't use to share so much their experience on classic cars...
Djape, I'll check the thikness of the brakes once the wheels will be removed and I'll check also the calipers of course. As you said here in Italy is not so difficult to find Fiat spares, I'm really lucky with that.
Johndemar, of course I'm a lot worried about the braking and suspensions components! Without them you can also have 1 billion hp but you're dead, so, you know... ahahah!
I'll check everything on the next days when the car will be on the jack stands and I'll keep you updated! Any suggestion is always really appreciated since you all know the 124 a lot better than me and your experience is a lot important for people like me, so thanks again to all of you!
I've just started a new thread in the "restoration projects" area and hopefully one day I'll post some nice photos of the car running on the road!

Riccardo

[westy64]

Welcome to this fantastic forum.
We are lucky that we have this large community overseas which has specialized in this beautiful car !
Whatever you ask for, one of them will know it.
And the doctor might be in europe as well (hi Mr Djape).
I am not to far (south of France).
Enjoy your car and have fun !

[RCSquadraCorse]

Bonsoir westy and thanks for the welcome!
I agree with you, this forum is such a great place! It's really funny that in Italy there isn't anything like this forum and that the people don't like to share too much their knowledge on classic cars, especially with a 27 years old guy like me...
I saw your car in your presentation post it's tremendous! Congrats for that beauty, the colour is really particular and beautiful that makes it even more special!

Riccardo

[djape1977]

actually, i'm not that much older than you, i'm 35.
you need to find an old mechanic who used to work on these old fiats and make friends with him. that's the way i learned half of what i know. the other half i learned from my own mistakes
also, there's a lot of literature on the net. start by reading this
http://torrentz.eu/4c47a583ed10030da076 ... c983e327bb
and
http://torrentz.eu/6c4d5d3c64cd85829866 ... 3f37b22c1e

[RCSquadraCorse]

Cheers for the links mate! I already have the 124 manual, but I was minning the other book!
As for the mechanic, the problem is that in a big city like Milan it's very hard to find an old workshop and if you find any, they're always busy and don't want to have a guy around when they're working. I don't know how to explain it, but it's like if they look at you thinking that you own a modified mini cooper s with neons, big stereo and nos... lol! I'm the exact opposite of that kind of guy, I love racing cars, classic cars, mechanial stuff and I love to learn as much as possible about cars. I already have a good knowledge about engines and automobiles in general, but I've never worked on a classic like the 124.
I'll try to do as much as possible on my Spider by myself, but probably at some point I'll have to go to the mechanic (especially for the engine part). I'll start to look out for a good one in my area!

Riccardo