Our new 1981 Spider 2000 - Chatham, NJ

[KevAndAndi]

Hello, all. I have been a member/lurker here for some weeks and thought it was time to introduce myself. I'm Kevin; my wife is Andrea - hence, the handle KevAndAndi. But I will likely be the only one checking in here, as I am the CM (current mechanic) and my wife is merely the CO (current owner).

She had been expressing for years a desire to get a vintage sports car. To be frank, I was not familiar with the Fiat Spider, and though she mentioned it as a possibility, the name went in one ear and out the other. So when I decided to surprise her with a car for her 50th birthday in November, I began looking at MGBs. I was not terribly impressed. And the secret search became too difficult; I'm a terrible liar. I had actually told her I was shopping for a boat, but I was going slip up sooner or later, so I came clean.

She asked why I hadn't been looking at Spiders. My response: "Ohhh, riiight. I forgot about that. What is that, again?" Well, what it is, is the model of car she used to ride in, in her youth, with the car's owner, her dear, late friend Paul. I don't want to further any stereotypes; I'm sure there are some gay members of this forum who are much better mechanics than I. But let's just say that Paul was probably more interested in his Spider's aesthetics than the mechanics. In fact, one time, the car caught fire while Andrea was riding in it.

Anyway, I redirected my search and found a 1981 Spider 2000 in British Racing Green (Andrea's requirement) with a saddle interior. We went to test drive it, and once we had gotten about a mile down the road, with country music blasting on the radio, my wife looked at me and said, "We're going to buy this car, aren't we?" "Yup," I explained.

A week later, we completed the transaction and picked up the car. The drive home was close to 1-1/2 hours, with the CO following me in our Volvo (as she felt too rusty to drive a stick shift) and truckers on the highway tooting their approval. When I adjusted the side mirror the cable snapped. Uh-oh. When I stopped at toll booths, the car repeatedly stalled. Uh-oh, again. And when we got the car home, the fuel pump began buzzing like a game show sound effect for "Wrong answer!" Comically, when the CO showed the car to our 12-year-old son, she tried to close the wing window, and the latch fell off.

The PO, of course, had claimed that the car "needs nothing". As you all know, that's like saying Charlie Sheen doesn't need mind-altering substances. It's simply an impossibility.

And so began my crash course in the mechanicals of the Fiat Spider. I'm good with tools but no gearhead, with no experience beyond basic maintenance, changing out bad electrical components, and tinkering with minibikes and mopeds. Since we brought the car home at the beginning of October, I have inspected the fuel tank (yep, a little sediment there); retrofitted a fuel strainer; replaced the Bosch fuel pump (looked like it had quite a bit of age on it) with a Facet; replaced the fuel filter (Bosch); changed the engine oil (Shell Rotella 15W-40) and filter (Clean brand from Torino, of course); replaced the rotting steering wheel with a wooden Momo; and installed a Michigan short shifter. (The car already had a Prestone T and an oil pan skid plate.) I have a set of blue silicone vacuum hoses waiting to be installed, along with a new coolant overflow bottle and a battery fluid reservoir to replace the existing ones that are in bad shape. I also have two new hoses to connect the reservoir to the master cylinder.

A couple of test drives in November demonstrated that (a) the fuel pump was working well and was relatively quiet; (b) the crazy Pioneer stereo that the PO installed is iPhone-compatible and the LEDs change colors (which my 15-year-old daughter thinks is way cool); (c) the stopping distance is longer than the CO would be comfortable with; and (d) the headlights suck.

I picked up a NOCO Genius 750 battery maintainer (highly recommended) and some Sta-Bil and have amassed a to-do list for the winter: Replace the tranny oil (NAPA GL-1 90 gear oil); replace the differential oil (NAPA 80W90 gear oil); replace the rear shocks (the PO replaced the front ones and gave me two new KYB's for the rear); replace the short length of fuel return hose near the tank (I already replaced the clamp which, when I touched it, disintegrated like a Nazi in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"); clean the ground blooms; install a headlight relay kit; install Cibie halogen headlights; replace the front brakes with a Big Brake kit and bleed; and inspect and possibly replace the timing belt. Perhaps this will actually keep me busy through NEXT winter! I bought some #10 wire and had intended to do the famed Brown Wire Fix, but I later found out that a 1981 may not need it. I have to look into that further.

One of my biggest concerns at the moment is the labored, whirring sound I noticed when I had the car running in the garage. It seemed to be a little more pronounced when I depressed the clutch. I'm hoping that new tranny oil will mitigate the problem, but I fear it may be a bearing situation.

In conclusion, let me say that this forum has been an invaluable resource, and I thank you kindly for sharing your tips, stories, and advice. I hope to soon gain enough knowledge to become a "supplier" rather than just a "consumer" of information here.

[KevAndAndi]

Forgot one little detail: The mileage? 117,300. The ad said 106,000. How does one make an 11,000 mile mistake?

So, though the car looks great, it's got an awful lot of miles on that Twin-Cam. A violin repairman once told me that he could tell how good a violin sounded just by looking at it. "If it is well-worn from playing, then it must sound good. Bad-sounding instruments don't get played." I like to think of that man when I look at the odometer.

[BEEK]

dont let the mileage scare you, i have put over 300,000 miles on a fiat twin cam, it went through 3 cars, but the engine kept on ticking. not literally. that engine only had 1 headgasket replaced, that w as after a cold high rpm run blew out the oil jacket in the head gasket, it leaked oil and was down on power, but kept running

[Exit98]

The noise you hear when you depress the clutch may be the clutch throwout bearing or the pilot bearing.

A bad throwout bearing can last quite a while but the trans will need to be pulled if you need to replace it. I though mine was bad but when I did the job it turned out to be a bad pilot bearing instead. Of course if you get that far in change the clutch and get a lightened flywheel. Nice upgrade.

There's plenty of posts about these jobs.

[KevAndAndi]

dont let the mileage scare you, i have put over 300,000 miles on a fiat twin cam, it went through 3 cars, but the engine kept on ticking. not literally. that engine only had 1 headgasket replaced, that w as after a cold high rpm run blew out the oil jacket in the head gasket, it leaked oil and was down on power, but kept running

Beek, that is almost literally music to my ears. You made me quite a bit less worried about my decision.

[KevAndAndi]

The noise you hear when you depress the clutch may be the clutch throwout bearing or the pilot bearing.

A bad throwout bearing can last quite a while but the trans will need to be pulled if you need to replace it. I though mine was bad but when I did the job it turned out to be a bad pilot bearing instead. Of course if you get that far in change the clutch and get a lightened flywheel. Nice upgrade.

There's plenty of posts about these jobs.

Doug, I'm in Chatham. How does your Spider like the salt air?

Thanks for the tip; I'll check out the posts. The transmission is where I draw the line. I don't think that's within my capabilities as far as skills and equipment go, so I'd have to go ahead and "pay the guy".

[Exit98]

Kevin,

Don't know how I missed your location. Come down and join the party.

http://www.njfiats.org

We even have our monthly breakfasts in the winter.

Hey I'm no mechanic but with great help from some of the guys I did the clutch, flywheel and so forth.

I'm pulling the trans again this winter. Bad leak from the top that I can't get to.

[RRoller123]

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

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

[Unpluggedone]

Congratulations, you will love this car. The fuel Injection means you will have very few engine issues as long as you keep the fuel clean and change the oil. Your challenges will be squeaks and rattles, bushings and everything rubber. Keep her out of the snow and you'll be good to go.

[4uall]

Hello & welcome to the greatest place on earth

[KevAndAndi]

Kevin,

Don't know how I missed your location. Come down and join the party.

http://www.njfiats.org

We even have our monthly breakfasts in the winter.

Hey I'm no mechanic but with great help from some of the guys I did the clutch, flywheel and so forth.

I'm pulling the trans again this winter. Bad leak from the top that I can't get to.

You will definitely see us sooner or later. I thought we might be able to do the covered bridge tour in October, but I wasn't comfortable driving it with the complaining fuel pump, and it took me longer than I thought to get the new one installed.

You're "no mechanic" and you've done work on the trans? Maybe there's hope for me, after all. The tranny is really terra incognita for me. Is something like a pilot or throwout bearing doable for a newbie? Here's where I really display my ignorance: How does a home mechanic pull the trans? How much does it weigh, anyway?

[KevAndAndi]

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

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

Thanks, Pete!

[KevAndAndi]

Congratulations, you will love this car. The fuel Injection means you will have very few engine issues as long as you keep the fuel clean and change the oil. Your challenges will be squeaks and rattles, bushings and everything rubber. Keep her out of the snow and you'll be good to go.

Thanks! The idea of taking it out in the snow makes me shudder. I'm even reluctant to take it on roads that still have salt on them after the snow melts. There are a few small spots under the car that rusted through, and it looks like each one was repaired with fiberglass by a PO.

[KevAndAndi]

Hello & welcome to the greatest place on earth

Thanks, Jay! Already, many of your posts have been a great help.

[4uall]