I had a '74 Spider that I bought for Peg. Since we lived in El Paso,
TX, at the time rust wasn't a problem. El Paso is sorta in the center
of the high desert. As I recall that Spider was a 2 litre DOHC 4
cylinder and as Rocky said you adjusted the valves by inserting the
proper shim in the cam follower. Had to have a special tool to compress
the valve spring so as to R&R the shim. The worst thing about that deal
was that the cams ran directly in the aluminum cam towers - no cam
bearings. So when the cam bearing holes hogged, out the cams would flex
and the valve clearances would change every time the engine turned over
fully. This also meant that the cam oil seals at the front of the
engine, just behind the sprockets, didn't last long and they were a real
PITA to replace. Also, if the engine was allowed to overheat in the
slightest, it would blow the head gasket in a flash.
Nonetheless, Peg loved the little car, with it's high revving engine,
great cornering and 5-spd tranny. She drove it all over the state of TX,
but it seemed like I was always working on it. Peg finally agreed with
me that it just wasn't reliable enough, and so, I sold it.
That saying: "FIAT means Fix It Again Tony" is right on. Talk your
pal out of it, Jim! Tell him to get her a Spridget.
Cheers,
CR
James Nazarian wrote:
> One of my friends is looking for a Fiat 124. Does anyone have any
> experience with them? He is looking for answers to the basic questions
> people ask when buying their first vintage car. What are the trouble points
> to look for? Rust, mechanicals, etc. How hard are parts to come by? Who
> sells them?
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