78 spider restore/upgrade

[tsunami01]

newbie to fiat world. traded for a 1978 spider roughly 3 weeks ago. my nieghbor had owned car since 05 and brought it over to see if i could weld up a exhaust leak for him. header was rotted completely, now i own it. teardown started 2 days later. so far i think ive taken at least 3 lbs of seam sealer out of car, i'm just looking for solid structure, so far so good. i'd like to start a build thread if i can figure out how since car is in bare metal wheelwells and under hood. might give someone else a idea of what to look for or give me input on what doesnt look right from people who know how it should be.which brings me to my first question.where fender attaches to core support, driver side, i found a stamp in the steel "137127" does this mean anything.

[vandor]

Dang, you don't waste any time!
I don't think that number means anything, Fiat part numbers are 7 digits. Look for rust in the shock towers and rocker panels. The outer rocker panel bolts on, remove it to look for rust behind it.
Some rust in the floors is usual, but easy to fix.

There is a thread somewhere on how to post pics.

[Ptoneill]

It is easy to start a thread, go to the technical area, probably list it under restoration projects unless you have a question in a different area. Make a name got your thread and start typing and posting pictures. Pictures are very important with these cars as it is unlikely that you can just go to a car dealer and look at a comparable model to see how it "should" go together. Besides we all like looking at the pictures people post online. You will probably have yo set up a photobucket or similar storage site to post your pictures from......but I am no expert and there may be other ways to import.

Good luck!

[RRoller123]

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

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

And here is another picture-posting thread:

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

And here is a link to a map of Spider owner’s locations. Many forum members have listed their locations.

https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=191825

Pete

[tsunami01]

thanks for links.hopefully i can get up to speed on this using free time this weekend. as for rust my shock towers and front fenders and inner wheelwell structure all survived rust free. the drivers floor hasnt faired as well, looks like i have had a leak from windshield area that allowed insulation to hold water directly below pedal assy. spent the morning forming new sheetmetal for this area. hopefully i can have patch welded in by tonight,

[Ptoneill]

Very good, I also had a little rust on the drivers floor. Make sure you check your door hinges, you can see what I found in my post "off to paint" under restorations. Also pull off the rocker panels dirt loves to hang out in there causing rust.

[SoFlaFiat]

And post pictures... We love pictures! Especially from the ones in the same boat!!