1978 Restore in Alberta
Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:34 pm
I found a non running 1976 Fiat listed on Kijiji for $1000 in the next town to mine in May of this year.
Gas down the carb got her to start but nothing I could think of would keep it running. Offered $900 just so I could claim bargaining creds and towed her home. Replaced the fuel filter, fuel pump, accelerator pump diaphragm, overhauled the carburetor, blew the fuel lines, cleaned the gas tank and replaced the fuel sending unit ... then she started. And then overheated. So I wired a toggle switch from the fan to the dash and she hummed and kept her cool. A trip to Motor Vehicles for plates and registration was dashed as I learned that it required a notoriously strict Out-of-Province Inspection which declared that I needed signal lights and 4 way flashers, defroster and heater, wipers and window washer, Left Front side marker, bumpers, repack wheel bearings, 5 new tires, front brake pads, front and rear brake hoses, new front rotors, rear rotors reground, emergency brake handle and cable, muffler and exhaust pipes and minor sheet metal repair on front rocker panels, left AND right. So I went to Europe for a month. Arriving back home broke but anxious to start the restore I needed to raise some serious cash first. I whipped together a couple of gemstone ammonites (see my website http://www.ammonite.com) and started searching ebay for parts. Wow! Everything I needed was there and relatively cheap and customers kept stuffing cash in my paypal account so I was all set. 2 months later and approximately $4500 and I have a whittled the Inspection list down to e-cable (on it's way) and Hazard lights which defy all attempts to isolate. I might need to attempt a complete rewiring job before I can get her on the road. Yikes! And what fun!
I have posted more images of the exterior work on photobucket here: http://s1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff371/Tommy_Dryden/.
Images of the $7 rubber bumper blocks I installed temporarily but am growing quite fond of are here: http://photobucket.com/fiatbumperblocks.
I have many pieces left over and hope that someone(s) can help me identify them before the car shakes itself apart in absence of them. Images of all the lost parts here: http://photobucket.com/fiat_parts.
And here:
Thanks for all the help from the forum - I could not have gotten this far without you!
Tommy
Gas down the carb got her to start but nothing I could think of would keep it running. Offered $900 just so I could claim bargaining creds and towed her home. Replaced the fuel filter, fuel pump, accelerator pump diaphragm, overhauled the carburetor, blew the fuel lines, cleaned the gas tank and replaced the fuel sending unit ... then she started. And then overheated. So I wired a toggle switch from the fan to the dash and she hummed and kept her cool. A trip to Motor Vehicles for plates and registration was dashed as I learned that it required a notoriously strict Out-of-Province Inspection which declared that I needed signal lights and 4 way flashers, defroster and heater, wipers and window washer, Left Front side marker, bumpers, repack wheel bearings, 5 new tires, front brake pads, front and rear brake hoses, new front rotors, rear rotors reground, emergency brake handle and cable, muffler and exhaust pipes and minor sheet metal repair on front rocker panels, left AND right. So I went to Europe for a month. Arriving back home broke but anxious to start the restore I needed to raise some serious cash first. I whipped together a couple of gemstone ammonites (see my website http://www.ammonite.com) and started searching ebay for parts. Wow! Everything I needed was there and relatively cheap and customers kept stuffing cash in my paypal account so I was all set. 2 months later and approximately $4500 and I have a whittled the Inspection list down to e-cable (on it's way) and Hazard lights which defy all attempts to isolate. I might need to attempt a complete rewiring job before I can get her on the road. Yikes! And what fun!
I have posted more images of the exterior work on photobucket here: http://s1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff371/Tommy_Dryden/.
Images of the $7 rubber bumper blocks I installed temporarily but am growing quite fond of are here: http://photobucket.com/fiatbumperblocks.
I have many pieces left over and hope that someone(s) can help me identify them before the car shakes itself apart in absence of them. Images of all the lost parts here: http://photobucket.com/fiat_parts.
And here:
Thanks for all the help from the forum - I could not have gotten this far without you!
Tommy