The Restoration of a Vintage Fiat 124 Spider: Part II

So you now have your Fiat 124 Spider in the spot where all that junk once stood in the garage; a basic set of tools, including a standard and metric socket set, a heart full of ambition and a head full of common sense. Is common sense at the top of the list before you're new found discovery takes center stage and causes your heart full of ambition to cloud said common sense? I beg that you put common sense at the top of your list first. Common sense and forethought before actions allows us to make rational decisions henceforth acquiring practical life experiences that will deter turmoil later on.

First off, if you have made the Fiat 124 Spider your choice as a restoration project you already have some knowledge about the model at hand, know of someone who owns one, or as I who simply hooked-up with a honey of a deal and could not pass her up, yet not knowing jack about this car I had to learn about the Fiat Spider by reading which would be common sense to most.

My first suggestion is to get your hands on a Haynes Manual, they carry manuals all the back to the 1949 Jeep CJ to the present day models from the many manufacturer's. Read it front to back and over again.

The Haynes Manual on the Fiat Spider covers both the 124 Sport Coupe and the Spider models, covering the years from 1968 to 1978. Acquiring a Haynes Manual will cost you around $25 dollars and allows you to conduct basic repairs to scheduled maintenance. This manual is written and photographed to show you a complete tear-down of your Fiat inside and out.

When I mention a tear-down, I do mean a tear down, starting right with the removal of your Fiats engine, the extraction of the transmission and many other key components that will be of service in your Fiats restoration project. The manual also covers; step-by-step instructions, including photos, a troubleshooting section with valuable short cuts and even a photographed quick-diagnosis guide as to what your spark plugs may look like on a case to case basis on an ill running Fiat.

What I felt was a wealth of information was the detailed wiring diagrams that provided for a Fiat in both EU as well as the imported US version. This is where my logic comes in and my excuse to preach about reading and learning. When you consider a Fiat or any other car for restoration you have to ask yourself, to what degree are you going to restore this vehicle back to. Another words will it be a collector car which will never see a mile of road underneath her, a trailer-queen for show exhibitions or a daily driver? Take into account that your time, money and level of ambition will serve as a beacon.

Regardless of what road you choose and lead your restoration project down using common sense is crucial. Let's take the matter of common sense and the vehicles wiring as mentioned above into a culminated account. The prospect of dicking around with an automobile's wiring is frightening indeed. It scared me sideways when I removed the dash and saw the multicolored wiring harness twisting and turning around a multitude of other dashboard components. If you're going to restore a vintage 124 Fiat Spider, which have a history of wiring gremlins due to an uneven distribution of power because of undersized gauge wire being used in some parts of the harness in the first place, getting to know your wiring harness intimately as I became with mine will serve you best.

Removing and examining my wiring harness inch by inch gave me an opportunity to repair broke or loose connections within said wiring harness and also allowed me to modify and upgrade it as well. Had I not removed the dash to reveal this labyrinth of wires and say for example; ordered and installed a new dash or other interior cosmetic components and was then plagued with a wiring bug thereafter I would have to remove said newly installed parts all over again and maybe damage them.

A close examination and the act of preventive medicine on a wiring harness does not free you completely of problems later but it will definitely serve you well as as a helpful headache determent exercise and practice. I will be exclusively writing more about the wiring harness, including tips and tricks amongst the issue's that may ensue while conducting a Fiat restoration project.