124 Spider (Classic) '77 Spider Restore

Iirc, there's a circular wire clip on the end of the ignition switch, that if removed, separates the electrical switch part from the lock part of the ignition switch. On the end of the (now exposed) lock barrel there may be a little metal disc stamped with the key number.

As regards finding key numbers for the doors/trunk (I think they're usually the same key) if you look carefully on the end of the lock barrel on either a door lock or trunk lock, you may see a number stamped there (iirc it's 4 digits). You might have to remove a door lock outer handle to see the end of the lock barrel. Or if you can open the trunk, just remove the lock/catch (2 x 10mm nuts) to check the end of the lock barrel for a key number.

Hth,

Al.

I'm not in the U.S. but, www.vickauto.com list some of the floor pan panels.
and www.midwest-bayless.com list some other repair panels e.g. rocker panels.
There may be other panel suppliers.

If your floor pans are not too bad, maybe just fabricate and weld in repair sections yourself - some of these repair panels can be a bit pricey...

Al.

I am just trying to finish my resto. of a '77 124. Not very mechanically adept but finding this car a Joy to work on vs. new ones.
Just installed (w/ a lot of Help from an experienced It. car Pro) one of those NEW Russian transmissions!
****Now trying to figure out which things to take out vis a vi the Pollution controls and how to cap off whatever holes result.**** Got 2 obvious ones done!
anyway happy to share my journey/wisdom gained.
A. AKA Black Spidy P.s. Mine originally was that brown color. Now moving to RED/Black.

BlackSpidy,

That sounds great, your ideas about removing elements of the smog control. Have you kept a diary on this forum, with pics? If so, include the link to the location and I'll check out at your progress.
I'm not spun up on the Russian tranny; why did you do that?

Well, we finally mounted the engine to an engine stand.

Whew. The floor pan on this car is pretty bad. We have another '77 Spider, a Black one, and now that it is here in my yard, with no tall grass all around it, it looks like it may be in better condition. Our plan is to pull the seats and carpet on the black one, and get a feel for the floor pans.

We had keys made for the ignition and the drivers door. I took the two pieces to the locksmith, and he had them made within two days. But now we discover that neither of the keys work on the trunk or the other door.

So, I may have keys made for the Black car, to see if all of the door and trunk locks are the same. Otherwise, how do I get the trunk open? I've seen some posts about drilling a hole in the back and opening the trunk somehow through the hole. But I haven't been able to find the details.

Have you tried spraying a solvent spray (Plus Gas, WD40 etc.) into the key slot a few times and working the smaller key in and out? These door/trunk locks cylinders don't use pins, they use small brass plates (with tiny springs), (I can't recall the correct term, possibly wafers?) with rectangular slots through which the key passes - sometimes these stick and prevent the correct key from opening the lock.

Re:- opening the trunk lock without the correct key?
I'm not familiar with the arrangement on the 124 Spider, but on the 124 Sport Coupe, it's possible to remove the rear seat and using a broom handle/length of pipe etc, to reach in and operate the lock catch (there's a small lever projecting upwards that just needs to be pushed to one side to release it) - or some people just attach a 10mm socket to enough socket extensions to reach back to and remove the 2 x 10mm nuts (6mm thread) that secure either the trunk lid catch or the striker plate in place. If you check out the hood catch (similar design), you'll see what I mean about a small operating lever protruding from the catch (on the hood application, the release cable is attached to this lever).

On the 124 Spider, there's obviously no rear seat, so maybe you do have to drill a hole to gain access to the trunk? (ref. the posts you recall but can't find now).

Al.

Have you tried spraying a solvent spray (Plus Gas, WD40 etc.) into the key slot a few times and working the smaller key in and out? These door/trunk locks cylinders don't use pins, they use small brass plates (with tiny springs), (I can't recall the correct term, possibly wafers?) with rectangular slots through which the key passes - sometimes these stick and prevent the correct key from opening the lock.

Re:- opening the trunk lock without the correct key?
I'm not familiar with the arrangement on the 124 Spider, but on the 124 Sport Coupe, it's possible to remove the rear seat and using a broom handle/length of pipe etc, to reach in and operate the lock catch (there's a small lever projecting upwards that just needs to be pushed to one side to release it) - or some people just attach a 10mm socket to enough socket extensions to reach back to and remove the 2 x 10mm nuts (6mm thread) that secure either the trunk lid catch or the striker plate in place. If you check out the hood catch (similar design), you'll see what I mean about a small operating lever protruding from the catch (on the hood application, the release cable is attached to this lever).

On the 124 Spider, there's obviously no rear seat, so maybe you do have to drill a hole to gain access to the trunk? (ref. the posts you recall but can't find now).

Al.

Well, we moved the red car out of the garage, and pushed the black one in. When we pulled the seats out of the Black car, we determined that it's in much better condition, overall.

F123C, thanks for taking to comment. I certainly appreciate it.

I looked for a hole in the panel behind the back seat cushion that would give access to the trunk, but did not see even a small one. Except, there is a hole at the bottom, where the battery cable runs through the wall. I don't see how I could use that hole, since the battery box on the other side is likely blocking the path to the latch.

Anyway, having keys made for the door lock is pretty inexpensive, so I might as well wait until I get the keys back before trying to take drastic measures, like cutting holes.

Yes, best avoid drastic measures until you've no other option.

A few other suggestions:-

It's possible that the new keys you're awaiting might, with a spray of penetrating fluid and a bit of jiggling, actually open your trunk.

If you have a means of transporting the car to an Auto-Locksmith, he might be able to pick or otherwise 'persuade' the lock to open without damage. Apart from lock picks, some Auto-Locksmiths have 'Lock-Out' Key sets' or 'Jiggler' key sets that can be employed.

Check out youtube videos on auto-lock picking. These old Fiat lock cylinders are not very difficult to overcome. In the absence of the correct tools, you could probably fabricate something suitable to 'rake' the lock wafers and a tool to rotate the cylinder barrel - worth a try. Being able to open the trunk would then allow you to remove the lock cylinder and take it to a Locksmith to have new keys cut.

Some might suggest just drilling out the lock cylinder or trying to yank it out using a slide hammer and self-tapping screw - but hopefully it won't come to this.
You could cut a hand-sized hole in the rear panel behind the rear licence plate, reach in, unbolt the lock/catch to open the trunk, then fix the hole (it won't have to be an especially neat repair since it will be hidden by the licence plate), but then again it would probably easier to cut a smaller hole in the panel behind the rear seat cushions and fix that later. (possibly just fit a rubber blanking plug?).

Al.

I took my door locks to 3 different locksmiths, and nobody could help. I had resigned myself to buy a new lock set. Curious to hear how yours turns out. I’ve never tried the slide hammer method, but I’ve drilled out my share of cores. It’s not difficult to do. I don’t think the slide hammer method would work on the trunk anyway, because there’s a tab screwed to the back of the core that connects to the latch. I don’t see how that would work out. You need the core intact so you can jam a screwdriver in there and turn the core. That’s how I got mine open anyway Now I just keep a screwdriver in the glove box. Looks like you and me are coming at our projects from opposite directions, but actually pretty close to the same place. Nice!

Ster1 said:

I took my door locks to 3 different locksmiths, and nobody could help. I had resigned myself to buy a new lock set. Curious to hear how yours turns out. I’ve never tried the slide hammer method, but I’ve drilled out my share of cores. It’s not difficult to do. I don’t think the slide hammer method would work on the trunk anyway, because there’s a tab screwed to the back of the core that connects to the latch. I don’t see how that would work out. You need the core intact so you can jam a screwdriver in there and turn the core. That’s how I got mine open anyway Now I just keep a screwdriver in the glove box. Looks like you and me are coming at our projects from opposite directions, but actually pretty close to the same place. Nice!

Click to expand...

I'd have to concur with Ster1, that using a slidehammer is likely not going to work. However, I did say 'Some might suggest' not that I would ever do such a thing...

A while back I came across some supplier or other that stocked new replacement sets (2 doors + trunk) of lock barrels with keys, however I can't find the link.
Midwest-Bayless have 3 types of key blanks for the doors/trunk locks if this is any help to you guys. (although probably any decent locksmith will have/can get suitable key blanks).

Edit:- Just found a link for new door lock cylinder sets, you'll need to check which model of 124 Spider you have (AS/BS/CS or DS) before ordering:-
www.riauto.ch/en/fiat-124-spider-car-body-door-parts

Hth,

Al.

I bought floor pans from Wolf Steel at www.alfaparts.net

According to reviews, they are NOT plug and play, and will require quite a bit of fiddling and trimming to fit, but they are much cheaper than OEM panels. I started a thread titled 1980 Rust Resurrection, but I haven't used any of their parts because I still have to patch the rocker panels, replace the floor below the rear crossmember, and the rear crossmember.

They were very slow to ship. They were reportedly shut down for weeks due to the Corona virus, and it was around 3 months to get the parts. I had started to think I was ripped off after being told "2 weeks" several times, and was surprised when they were delivered a few days after being told "two more weeks" the last time.

I'll report how they fit when I get to them.

Calling an autolocksmith out to the car shouldn't be to expensive and it will save you a lot of aggravation.
From the factory, spider's used the same key for doors and boot/trunk.
Silca Blank #AF7A or AF7C