10 weeks ago I bought my first Fiat. 81 2000.
It was parked in the garage almost 10 years ago and sat there ever since. Purchase = $800-

I'm updating this list as I complete it.

STARTING CONDITION:
1]Tank full of turpentine
2]brakes frozen on rotors
3]no battery
4]wiring strung allover hell
5]dry rotted flat tires
6]wouldn't start when it was last driven
7]exhaust system rotted
8]thrashed top
9]no horn
10] tired looking console/floor/carpets etc.
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10 week update:
1]new tires
2]new battery
3]wiring fixed/eliminated/repaired
4]full ignition tuneup
5]tank dropped and flushed
6]new fuel filter
7]bumpers removed/new front blinkers added
8]interior streamlined or replaced
9]new oil/temp gauges
10]free flow air filter
11]new complete exhaust
12]caliper rebuild, pads, drilled rotors,hoses.
13]new horns
14] 3/14 wheels and tires done.
15] new front glass...3/22
16] new top...3/22
17] dyed interior black
18] paint 4/26


Grand total= $3000
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That sounds fantastic! Keep up the good work

- and we need PICS!

Why a roll bar?

Just put a new windshield in and a new top on it today. Total 3.5 hrs. The glass is the easiest thing ever and the top was no more difficult than putting on a wrangler top except you glue a few spots and pop in a couple rivets. Total piece of cake. 2 people a must for sake of simplicity, but these are jobs not to be scared of. New glass and a black top that actually keeps the rain out is awesome!

Sometimes reading the posts here one would think our cars are the most difficult to work on.

It's great to read posts from someone who appreciates these Fiats and realizes for the word "FUN" to be found in the word "WORK" is my choice.

Thanks for the positive outlook and posts.

I think it's a pretty common perception around here that these cars are very easy to work on. Sometimes rookies like me may sound like we're in real trouble but things usually work out well in the end.

Almost 4 months and a 3-day weekend away from paint. (I don't get why I have to right click and open in a new tab to see the image...)

This was when I brought it home in December.

that tab feature is very cool. didnt know you could do that. for the picture to display right, the size needs to be 700 pixels wide.

Started paint work. Hood & trunk done and cowl. The rest of the red later this week. (right click, open in new tab to view)

Painted and pretty much done. 5 months and ~3k total. Really gets a stupid amount of attention. Cool stuff. (right click open in new tab to see)

Looks good

Looks great! I like the offsetting black hood. If you are so inclined, you can slightly lower the 2 front hood hinges to bring the top grille chrome trim into alignment. Loosen the bolts and reposition the hinge base downwards.