new old fiat 124

[jamesrobert]

hey guys im new to the forum from Australia and i just started working on my red 78 fiat spider and loving every minute of it so far i have replaced the soft top, the tie rods/ ends and am going to be doing all the suspension arm bushings and steering box soon.
so far this forum has helped a ton

[Fi8spider]

Hey jamesrobert, welcome mate.

Did you replace the soft top yourself?

[jamesrobert]

yeah with a bit of help from a local car upholsterer we did it together and some extra insulation under the bonnet etc was quite a good learning experience

[Fi8spider]

haha, always a good day when we've learnt something!

I was thinking of getting some insulation done but then I though maybe I liked the sound too much and maybe regret it.

Was the soft top custom made or off the shelf?

[jamesrobert]

it was off the shelf but it seems to fit really well i managed to get a great deal with some connections at nolans warehouses and it cost me less than 400 dollars. the insulation was needed though i drove the car up to the entrance and there was a lot of heat coming from the foot well / pedals

[jamesrobert]

http://s1301.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... a.jpg.html

this is the car when i first bought it about 4 months ago

[Fi8spider]

the entrance eh?
I've family around Woy Woy, I was up that way over the holidays doing some fishing and beaching.

Too much heat in the cabin could be from the old LHD holes left behind from the conversion to RHD...
ARM Yourself with an array of rubber grommets and get to work. Some time the heater tubes to the dash vents are not connected back up after the conversion, stick your nose in behind the glove box and check if if the vent from the scuttle is plumbed up.

[Fi8spider]

Sweet looking with the Simmons wheels! 15's?

[jamesrobert]

yeah 15's they look pretty cool but every once in a while the right tire nudges the the wheel well which worries me a bit however it might also mean i need to replace my shocks. when i bought the car nothing had been done to the front end in years hence all new bushings and steering overhaul.

[jamesrobert]

at some point the exhaust was replaced and not very well and it runs very close to the drivers side floor which is what i suspect is causing my heat problem.

[jamesrobert]

oh yeah almost forgot i love heading up to the central coast it is such a good day trip from Sydney

[Fi8spider]

Do you know what offset they are?
Is it touching inside rear maybe?
I've got 7" on mine with 25+offset and no spacers, it will ever-so-slightly rub inside rear on hairpins, all suspension recently done.

Sitting over a cat-converter in 40 deg heat isn't going to help.
Have you thought of heat sheilds?

[Fi8spider]

oh yeah almost forgot i love heading up to the central coast it is such a good day trip from Sydney

Especially if you take Wisemans Ferry road and come in from Peats Ridge or Mangrove Mountain.

[jamesrobert]

to be honest i can't quite remember right now it wouldnt worry me except that it has caught on the edge of the front quater panel in the wheel arch and bent it down in the past ( previous owner ) and now it sometimes catches again. i think it will be ok i just need to spend a bit of time and first of all fix the camber which will hopefully solve the rubbing problem as well.
i have heard that peats ridge is a good place to go.
thought i'd try and figure out image posting so here it is before the new soft top

[Fi8spider]

There's a guy in Sydney who has a mobile guard rolling business that I could dig up a phone number if you like.

If you're looking for bumper bar options I know that Divace73 on the forum here lives in Sydney and has a set of 79/80 bars for sale which are in decent condition. She'd look nice and tidy with a chrome smile and shiney bum.