First Project and New Member

[FiatGreg]

1970 Fiat 850 Sport Coupe for $750 off of Craigslist

I might have bit off more than I could chew, but I just bought a Fiat. Being 16, inexperienced, and with a limited budget I might have just screwed myself, but I'm still excited. I haven't lost any sleep over it yet.

Pictures: http://imgur.com/a/FPCEt

It's a little rough since it's been sitting outside in Montana for 27 years, but it's in reasonable shape.

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard! You will find plenty of knowledgeable and friendly people here.

Here is a thread on how to post pictures to the forum:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21014

And here is a great picture-posting thread edited by SLOSpider:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... 12&t=23084


Pete

[azruss]

The wheels on the car are aftermarket BWA wheels. They might give you a clue to the origin of the car. The dealership in Eugene, OR bought a big shipment of those wheels and offered them as an option. There are many fiats in the northwest that have these wheels that came from the Eugene dealer. I have not seen that style of wheel offered anywhere else. Does the car run.

[FiatGreg]

I'm not sure if it runs or not. I have not tried turning it over yet, but I was going to take the plugs out, spray some deep creep in there and let it sit for a few days. After that I was going to turn it over by hand to see if it is seized. I put some anti freeze in and it didn't leak out of the block so that's a good sign. *fingers cross*

[TX82FIAT]

Fiatgreg, awesome car and a lot of work for sure. i think your pics said it had been sitting for 27 years. You may need to use some leverage on the carnk to get her to turn over for the first time. Awesome car!

[djape1977]

nice find!

please get rid of those ugfly side markers!

be carefull with the crankshaft, those are known to break. i'd rather remove oil pan and see what bearings look like.

[FiatGreg]

djape1977,

Is there anything else I should look at before I try turning the car over? I want to cause as little damage as possible.

I always thought those side markers looked a little off!

[djape1977]

take a look at pics of euro spec cars on the net, they look much better without US spec side markers.

that crank is the only really sensitive thing in that engine. around here, when those were new (ish) dayly driven cars, people used to open the engine every 50k miles or so to replace crank bearings. if worn, they will cause crank to snap. from that, i suppose that using force to turn the engine over is a big no-no.

check if there's a sheet metal cover plate under the engine. it's actually important since it directs the air to the radiator.

[FiatGreg]

I'll definitely take a look at it. Thanks for the advice and possibly saving me from a broken crankshaft!

[TX82FIAT]

Did not know the history with that engine crank and bearings. Thanks for chiming in on this folks.

[djape1977]

I'll definitely take a look at it. Thanks for the advice and possibly saving me from a broken crankshaft!

you're welcome, finding a new one would really be a bitch