General Free spider

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General Free spider

pcracer1

New member
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
4
Points
1
Location
carolina
hi guys,,,i have a 1972 spider that was giving to me, just to remove from storage...this car is awesome...it will need some work but looks like its well worth fixing up, the car hasnt been cranked in 5 years...so this past weekend i replaced the oil,oil filter,, drained the gas, new gas filter,,changed the water which looked good as far as the color of antifreeze in it,,,put a new battery in... put new splugs and put a new set of points...all the lights work and gauges, tryed to start it would turn over but wouldnt start...had fire going to the #1 plug but was a weak fire, as in hard to see a spark...the points are firing great with a good spark,,iam going to restore it this winter but would love to fire it up for now and take a short spin in it:slayer: bye the way i did pour some gas in the carb trying to get it to fire. ill post a pic of the car in my profile...thanks
 
never rode in 1...hope to get mine fired soon...iam from the east coast of usa...north carolina
 
i have been doing allot of reading on the car, rust seems to be a problem ,,,,just minor issues that can be fixed....mostly cosmetics. there seems to be a good supply of parts to make this spider crawl again. ben just got this car never seen or heard about 1 until a few days ago...i have been to europe a few times, never paid to much attention to car models , they all looked like the ford escorts we had over here a few yrs back lol..
 
well lost compression on#2 cyclinder, going to pull eng and rebuild, also pulling the transmission. probley needs new clutch and bearing..free spider needs food:bang:
 
I'm looking at buying one that I think is about a '72. It has the locking steering column but sadly (no key)....the vin # is 0127219 but I can't seem to find the FAQ page that would help me identify it. I need some parts for this like a windshield and drivers door glass. I'm in North Dakota, USA for all the Brits out there. I see words like tyre and phrasing like: respray the bonnet...etc. Over here we say tire and repaint the hood. How many fiat spider 850's are out there stateside? Good question.
 
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My engine (if I do make the purchase) seemed to have been throwing alot of oil. Did these little engines have issues with oil leaking? like the VW's were notorious for leaking...some British cars as well. I'm positive it will need a complete rebuild as I've seen old crank seals as hard as a rock. My inspiration in getting this car is uniqueness and sporty styling/handling and can also turn some good fuel economy figures. Any input on how cheap these are to drive? Also the lack of a key in the car....does the steering column unbolt easily enuf to take it in to a locksmith? I am totally green on these cars....and in the past if I saw one, I probably mistook it for an MG or something (else).
 
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