1977 Fiat Other

Convertible

2000

Manual

124CS10120875

Clear

Gasoline

1977 FIAT 124 SPIDER, 2000cc runs awesome. Ready for a top down summer. Preferred color combination with blue exterior and black interior. Great working 2 liter engine with a 1600 head. Electronic ignition. Electric fuel pump (Holley Red) mounted in the trunk. New custom built aluminum radiator with silicone hoses. Brakes are good with Ferodo pads. Wheels and tires are in great shape. Top and top cover are newer and in great shape. Ansa exhaust, headers, sounds awesome and runs great. Very clean, rust free roadster. Car drives like a dream. Maintenance records. VIN 124CS10120875. Also wanted to state that the car actually has 4700 miles on a ground-up restoration completed in 1989. The clear coat on the paint is crackling a bit on upper surfaces, but still looks great from a few feet away. Car has always been garaged, and is not driven in rain or snow. My loss, need to sell asap. Also have a 5 speed transmission, and extra seats available for sale. Car is available for sale locally so auction could end early. For more photos cut and paste: detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/4472231916.html Fred. 989-262-9559 Below are a few questions I just received via email that I thought would be helpful information for interested buyers. Q1) Regarding your ad for the Fiat 124 spider I wanted to ask if the engine currently in the car, the 2L, is original to it? I had thought that a '77 came with a smaller 1800cc engine. And if that's the case, then why the conversion and what was the reasoning for your selection of the 1600 head? A1) No, the 2.0L is not the original engine...and you are correct that the 1977 was originally equipped with a 1800cc. The '77 1800cc was, in the car builders* opinion, one of the nastier years of the 124...with a vacuum-actuated secondary carb, the inherently noisy, ugly & unreliable air pump, and EGR just to name a few drawbacks of the anemic original set-up. During the restoration, more on that later, it was discovered that the original engine was not worthy of a rebuild (the crank and cylinder bores were not exactly perpendicular, so the con-rods were rubbing the counterweights and the 2.0L was available). The 2.0 was obtained from a clean salvage vehicle with around 50k miles and rebuilt with new bearings and file-fit rings (the reciprocating parts may have been statically balanced, but I may be confusing this aspect with another similar build I had done). The 1600cc head was chosen for two reasons: the 1973 1600cc head lacks nasty EGR ports that the 1977 1800 had, and the 1600cc head also has slightly smaller combustion chambers that mildly, inexpensively, and reliably, increase the compression ratio by about 1-1.5 points...(I don't know the exact specs, but stock compression was around 8-8.5:1, the 2.0L with 1600 head combo yields around 9.5:1 compression ratio (tuned for 93 Shell and no ping). I believe the camshafts are also from a 1973 1600cc, but not sure. The head and block were machined such that all 6 oil passages have metal sleeves (instead of just the original 2 at opposite corners) to reduce oil leaks in these areas (dry after all these years). To clean up the engine bay and simplify the plumbing for reliability, the external coolant thermostat housing set-up was replaced with the simpler T-stat in head coolant system as used the 1973 spyder. THIS ENGINE RUNS SMOOTH & STRONG and, properly treated, has many years & miles of life remaining. Q2) Who is the electronic ignition by? Is it 123Ignition, by any chance? A2) Not sure, but I doubt it’s a "123Ignition". It is an optically-triggered unit from back in the day that has been flawless since it was installed. The name "Fireball" comes to mind...A windowed-wheel is pressed over the point-cam in the distributor and one optical pic-up replaces both sets of points. The stock advance mechanism is retained, although the advance curve may have been tuned specifically to this engine. Q3) The ground up restoration from 25 years ago, the car has only accrued 4700 miles in that time? A3) I can hardly believe it's been 25 years...4700 miles??? You must mean 47,000 Miles. The miles currently shown on the odometer represent the exact number of miles logged since the restoration and installation of the 2.0L engine because a zeroed odometer was installed at that time. Prior to the restoration, the chassis had 54k on it. Therefore, only the chassis and differential have 101k (47 + 54) on them. The trans was rebuilt with the installation of the heavy duty clutch (stock flywheel was machined at that time). Q4) Do you know why it needed to be restored 12 years after purchase, and is that when the different engine was put in? A4) The best way to answer this question: It was a 12 year-old FIAT from Michigan that needed a lot of TLC..! Yes, the 2.0L was installed at the same time. The entire rear section both fenders, rear trunk lock panel, lower rear panel with metal-worked extra exhaust opening, and both rocker panels were replaced with new sheet metal. Both doors were obtained from salvage in rust-free condition. The front fenders are original and have some filler over welded patches. The doors & chassis were sprayed internally with a thin chassis lube (like Cosmoline) to prevent corrosion. Since the restoration, the vehicle has always been garaged and never seen a winter. Unfortunately, the lacquer paint on the horizontal surfaces is showing crazing after 25 years, but no bubbling that would indicate corrosion. Q5) Was is an accident? Track racing? A5) No accident, No Track Racing (or street racing for that matter)...only respectfully-enthusiastic motoring on public roads. Q6) What maintenance records are on hand, and where was the car serviced per the records? A6) A detailed spread-sheet is available and the same person who built the car has lovingly maintained it since the restoration. Q7) When was the timing belt changed, if you know? A7) The Rubber Band only was replaced at the same time the aluminum radiator was installed (2013). The pulleys and water pump had very few miles on them, but due to age and convenience (the radiator was out after all), the belt was changed to insure reliability. Q8) Do the lights, blinkers, stop/reverse, wipers, heater/AC, door chime, seatbelt light, etc function as they should? A8) All Lights, Blinkers, Wipers, Heater Blower (and heater valve) function as they should. AC! You must be kidding! This car never had AC (yes some did, but it made a disaster of the interior and engine bay)...use the window vents, the under-dash vents and/or put the top down! No Door Chime. No Seatbelt Light. The key-in contact switch for the door chime is now used (via a relay) to allow radio-on with key in, but ignition-off (very cool and practical). Q9) What would you suggest having done or looked at, to make this a better car? A9) The car really needs nothing mechanically...it is an awesome driver; carefully sorted by a master to utilize the better, simpler aspects of the early 124 with a more powerful "warmed-over" 2.0L. using stock FIAT parts in an optimal combination. The engine oil (Mobil 1 15/50 since 5,000 mile break-in) has only 2k on it, but is 2 seasons old, coolant, and brake fluid were fresh last year with few miles since. The Trans and Differential had fresh synthetic 5-7 years ago (see spreadsheet). The tires and wheels are only a few years old. Minor, expected normal seepage, but no majorly leaking fluids. The Ferodo pads on drilled rotors stop fantastically...the master cylinder was replaced in 2013), all the brake hoses were replaced within the last 5-7 years. All bushings, ball-joints tire rod ends were replaced at the time of restoration and are still tight (I think there are zirk fittings everywhere). The steering box fluid was even drained, flushed, filled and lash adjusted at the time of restoration (probably topped-off and adjusted since, too). A9b) If I was to be really, really picky, the engine & trans mounts are a little soft, but not torn. If you really want the car mechanically "perfect", these could be replaced for $2-300 parts & labor. Q10) Would you drive this ride 600 miles home? or rather, would it make it, in your opinion. A10) Unlike practically any other FIAT out there, YES, this one is ready to be driven and worthy of the drive. Yes, it would make it, in my opinion...and also in the opinion of the guy who built it and maintained it. It was built and maintained by the owner to be kept forever...25 years is almost forever in car years...garage space is limited, and priorities change. *The builder of this car is an ASE licensed Master Technician who worked at Pietro's Sport's Car Service in Royal Oak / Clawson for many years (Pietro, now semi-retired / business closed years ago, is still well known in FIAT circles such as FLU Fiat Lancia Unlimited.