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| Articles Meeting in Norman Ron's Spider |
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Information: What's Next |
March 2000
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| Articles Meeting in Norman Ron's Spider |
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Information: What's Next |
Meet in Norman
On Saturday the group met in Norman to get
aquainted and have lunch. We couldn't ask for nicer weather and
tops were dropped all around. We met at Delmer's house for coffee
and generally figured out who's who since many were meeting for
the first time. We chatted and told stories of cars and things.
Toby entertained us with how to roll a Volkswagen and pictures
were passed around. Last to arrive was Csaba who probably left
Stillwater before the coffee started to brew and arrived just
after we poured. They are still wondering about the red and black
cruise missile on I-35.
After meeting we went to a restaurant called the Service Station
that put on a special for us and has an automobile décor
and menu with burgers named for VW, Alfa, Edsel and others. There
we met Richard with his XI/9 into which he had recently installed
a timing belt to get it going. He works at O'Reillys auto parts
and will be a good man to have around the club. We then visited
Jim Chandler and his projects. He was working on the Jag at the
time installing rear speakers. He has an impressive array of exotic
cars.
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| Ron - the red Spider was gleaming in new polish and
surprising lack of oil leaks. Delmer- of both a Spider that is running well after putting in a coil that finally worked and the Scorpion that John and Toby, who will never be the same, drove. Csaba his Spider roared into town at mach speed. |
Erling brought Susan and a digital camera. His
tan Spider is being replaced by another that is getting the full
treatment and we look forward to seeing it. He will look into
getting us a website with the Fiat Forum folks. Toby of Multipla fame got to drive the Scorpion. I wonder how the truck felt on the way home. Yuval dropped in to see us and join. He has an Alfa Romeo sedan and has others to show us. We welcome him to the crew. |
John
helped Delmer drive the Scorpion and Spider since Delmer
isn't allowed to drive both at once anymore. Richard from Norman joined us for lunch with his family. He got his XI/9 into a new timing belt for this. This kept the Spiders from thinking they are the only ones out there. Happy birthday Richard and welcome. Jim Showed us a few of his projects. He has a Jensen, Lancia, two Jaguars, Ferrari and two Spiders at his home. And that is not all he has. |
 Owners: Ron, Csaba, Delmer, Erling, Delmer |
 This
is where we were all looking at the XI/9 as Csaba's rocket cools
down and Delmer's brown and gold looks good. Ron is asking about
the secondary cover inside the trunk to hold luggage down
it was the targa top, doh. |
 The Scorpion |
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Feature Article
This is a brief history of my '79
Fiat Spider 124 VIN # 124CS20155881. Last summer I found myself
in Norman and mild winters and decided to indulge myself in a
sports car. We already had a family car and I was looking for
something to fill in the gaps around town. Thus began a search
that could not have happened 15 years ago.
I began to browse the Internet for ideas and possible choices.
First was price range and type of car. I found a bunch of 944
Porsches that intrigued me. They had A/C and all the bells of
a super sports car but research indicated that they were unreliable
and very expensive to keep up. The ones that I saw were pretty
rough, too, and mechanics did not like them. Del Sols were still
expensive and British cars did not turn my crank as my buddies
in Canada went that route. I had owned a Fiat 850 sedan in 1973
and still had fond thoughts of getting the 850 spider. I like
the idea of pushing the little engine just to stay up to traffic
and to be honest wanted something to replace the motorcycles that
I no longer drive. These Fiats are a bit rare and I was still
in the look around stage. Trader on line was a regular visit to
find pricing and to my astonishment I found a few 124 Spiders
that caught my eye. One in particular in Ada with a photo looked
ok. I had always felt that these cars were somehow modern and
not collectable but that was 20 years ago and now they looked
rather quaint. I liked what I saw.
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So that weekend Paula and I drove out to Ada for a look see. The body/top looked good and it wasn't a huge project car or cost at $2250. The seller seemed fair but happy to see it gone. Their son had discovered horsepower, it seemed, in a Mustang. So a test drive sold me and I had a convertible. If I had known how well this replaced the bike this would have happened about the time this car was built. It drove the 100 miles to Norman without mishap in the heat of summer and I began the task of bringing the car back into shape. I had decided to put $100/month towards this project/hobby. I guess that this would buy a new Kia - $2000 down and $100/ month but that was too practical for me.
The first job was thrust on me when on the maiden voyage to work
I found that the brakes were non-existent. The master cylinder
was shot and with no emergency brakes I limped home via the back
lanes pumping like a madman all the way. It was here that I decided
that I would do as much of my own repairs as I could and began
to frequent the Fiat Page Mirafiori for help. This kept me within
budget. The floors wanted attention as well but just patchwork
was needed. So, in the initial weeks of ownership, the car sat
as I fixed the brakes and all the little things that happen to
a car that has sat a while. At least the car got me to work and
Ferrari comments came thick and fast. Meanwhile each week the
polish improved and rattles got quieted. Bulbs were fixed and
the brakes would spring a new leak at the calipers but all in
all it kept on the road. The tires and brakes have eaten the better
of $1000 but they are sound now. Everywhere it leaked fluid like
a true Fiat but these were mostly adjustments and tightening and
now it is a pretty tight motor. The motor is sound and quick enough
and short of the leaks caused no trouble aside from a sticky choke.
First gear jumps out when it is hot so there are no big starts
and I often just use 2nd. So I ended up with a pretty decent little
car that looks flamboyant and will get me to Roamin' Chariots
meets that have spontaneously ignited around other Fiat/Lancia
owners.
Next the top cables will get some attention since I do not have
any and some speakers for the front and rear since the wiring
is there. There are still a few switches to replace and the ignition
switch fails sometimes needing a poke. A bigger job will be to
redo the shocks, which show all the signs of age as do the suspension
bushes. Brakes still need more bleeding and the horn needs help.
It wouldn't alert fly on the hood. Also the backup lights are
always on unless in neutral and that is the switch, I guess. So
far the car has been a blast and both kids are expressing interest
in it as it rides better and better. That dilemma will be solved
when it happens. So far, the car has cost me about $1.50/mile
to own and this is going down. I hope to complete most repairs
by summer's end and start saving for tranny work.
What is next:
The next meeting will be in Stillwater. More on that as it
evolves.
Some of us will go to the "Taste of Adisson" or Euro
2000 meet outside Dallas on May 20, 2000 and are looking for other
members to join.
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