Lou and I dropped off the Fiat at Midwest Bayless on January 9th. You can re-read that travelogue by clicking here. By the time of our March visit Lou's Fiat was moved from raw exposure to the winter elements to a warm spot under a blanket inside the shop.
That's it, at the lower right in the above photograph.
As yet, in March, there was not space in the service bays to undertake the serious work that would be required to bring new life to the Spider 2000 but it's place in the queue was defined. Work is performed at Midwest Bayless on Fiats from across the country. During a later visit we spied a rebuilt engine that was crated and ready for shipment to a customer in California. The cream-colored Spider you see in the lower left corner of the first picture was from a customer in Virginia.
A shakedown run of Lou's Spider 2000 had been performed by chief mechanic Jon to better understand the extent of the job at hand and exploratory investigations had been conducted by the garage crew into the mechanical, structural and electrical state of the green barchetta. A preliminary discovery was fascinating to all parties.....
.....but first, some contextual background to better illuminate what was revealed.
Some few of you may recall that this green 1979 Fiat Spider 2000 was not Lou's first. Back in those halcyon days of the first term of the Reagan Administration, the booming Reaganomics-driven economy brought to Oxford its McDonald's restaurant. Lou, then an eager and hard-working high school teenager, got his first job (and meaty, juicy taste of bountiful capitalism) flipping burgers for minimum wage. Lou worked hard and saved up his paychecks to buy himself a car. Used cars were scouted and test driven. Lou found at a now-defunct Volkswagen dealership on Colerain Avenue, south of Northgate Mall, a low-mileage blue 1979 Fiat Spider 2000. [Prior to modal year 1979, earlier variants of the car were known as Fiat 124 Sport Spiders. An increase in engine size and other upgrades for 1979 brought about a re-branding of the car as Fiat Spider 2000.] Aside from the blue exterior paint job, that first Spider 2000 Lou had in high school would have been just about identical to his green Fiat to the untrained eye. It was a sweet car. I vividly recall with deep fondness the sunny afternoons Lou would take me - then in 5th and 6th grades - cruising around town with the top down, blasting out Moving Pictures from a Memorex tape cassette on the car stereo.
I don't know that I've ever had better, happier days than those. As good, probably, but perhaps not better.
Lou took his blue Spider 2000 with him when he went to Purdue University. It was there on the Boilermaker campus that Lou was broadsided at an intersection by a university-owned service truck. Blammo! The Fiat was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. A replacement - but green in color - 1979 Fiat Spider 2000 was located by the insurer and Lou took possession of it.
After a year or so, Lou decided the green Fiat Spider 2000 wasn't road-worthy enough to make repeated trips to and from West Lafayette, Indiana and so he garaged it at The Ranch. This is how it came to be that the Fiat was available for me to drive - and for so many of you to ride in - during my own Junior and Senior years in high school. I continued driving the Spider 2000 during my first few years at Miami until one day in the early 1990s it stopped running. There it sat in the garage at The Ranch until it's first resurrection in 2009.
We don't know what kind of life the green Spider 2000 lived before it came to Lou, but the evidence of it having been involved in an accident of some unknown description were always present. This cross member in the engine bay had some unsightly bends near the left end (at top in the photo, below).
Following a highly detailed, extensive and informative de-briefing from chief mechanic Jon about the critical elements of the job as he then saw it (Lou and I intended to spend half an hour at the skunkworks, we were there for well over an hour) he led us around to the back of the Spider to show us something which, at that early stage in the project, presented itself as a mystery to Jon.
Jon called our attention to the two small holes above the right tail light and asked us if we knew what they were. Of course we were familiar with their presence, those two holes had been there since the day Lou received the car. We'd never much considered them. My on-the-spot guess was that it was from a dealership badge drilled into the bodywork and long-since removed or fallen off. It turns out, these two holes are an example of something being hidden in plain sight. Those holes, Jon informed us, are for an "1800" badge used for 1978 model-year Fiat 124s.
Lou and I glanced at one another, perplexed looks on our faces.
Lou's Spider is a 1979 model.
Jon had a theory. Fiat artisans working in the factory in Torino, Italia, Jon told us, were known to use up whatever stock may have been left in the parts bin (such as trim pieces, switch gear, etc) from a preceding model year before using the newest parts. Lending some credence to this possible explanation for the missing "1800" badge is that Lou's green Fiat Spider 2000 rolled out of il Fabbrica di Fiat in January of 1979. Under this theory, the "1800" badge would never have been bolted onto Lou's car. Further supporting this theory is the evidence provided by the reflective red-coloured side markers found on both rear fenders:
The reflective side markers on the rear fenders are inset (above). This much Lou and I knew. However, Jon educated us, side markers for model-year 1979 Spiders are not inset but rather are flush with the bodywork..... like the amber reflective fender side markers found on the Fiat's front fenders (see below).
1974-78 model-year Fiat 124s had inset side markers.
Concluding our education about the variations between 1978 and 1979 Spider fenders, chief mechanic Jon returned to the two small holes above the right rear tail light. The inboard hole (at left) is crowded by the seal around the tail light assembly. '78 Fiat 124s had smaller tail lights that would not have crowded the "1800" badge.
This is the kind of information that only a mechanic truly knowledgeable about his work could provide. Lou has had a lot of work done on his Spider over the decades, some repairs conducted by good mechanics and some wrenching performed by mechanics we have since learned were not so good. None before ever gave us the kind of education we have received in our visits to the Midwest Bayless skunkworks. For example, Fiat Jedi Jon asked Lou if he knew the car was missing a left rear brake pad that had never been installed? Or if Lou knew that a control arm had never been bolted in? Lou's answer to both questions was "No." This is very surprising considering this work was performed - or would have been performed - during the 2009 Resurrection and, just as alarming, since then other mechanics have had the opportunity to perform various investigations, maintenance and/or repairs. "Frankly," Jon said to Lou, "I'm shocked you were able to drive it here from Cincinnati."
We are too. And recall that Lou may or may not have been doing 80 mph on the drive to the skunkworks.
Our visit/educational tour with Fiat Jedi Master Jon wrapped up with a look at the new engine and components that soon would replace the ancient stock.
The new engine would increase horsepower over the original engine (when new, 40 years past) by approximately 20%-25%.
New aluminum intake manifold.
New double-barrel carburetor.
We also learned from Jon that Lou's Fiat is a 49-state variant, with a freer-flowing exhaust and emissions standards that precluded it from being sold in California. Your loss, Golden State! Good thing, too, for as Jon showed us the Spider's charcoal canister was shattered. The canister's state of destruction lent an appearance of having been shot through by several .50 caliber rounds from an M2 Browning machine gun.
Once the old, stock engine was removed the suspension was upgraded:
The ride height would be lowered to give the Fiat a more aggressive, modern look.
Lou and I made a return visit to Midwest Bayless the third week of April. We were caught off guard by the unexpected sight of a Yugo GVS in the parking lot.
Soon after its introduction into the First World the Yugo developed an infamous reputation the likes of which few modern cars have shared; Trabant, Pinto and everything ever made by General Motors. For those who don't know or - perhaps more likely - don't care, the Yugo was first built in 1977 in Yugoslavia under license from Fiat. The Yugo "automobile" was based..... vaguely, esoterically..... upon the Fiat 127 and veritably screams Communist Bloc build quality. Logically, if logic may be applied to the subject of Yugos, if some fool owned a Yugo and it most assuredly required service then a Fiat garage might be the place to have it serviced.
Note the Lurgan Park Rally '96 [Northern Ireland?!] and Donegal [Republic of Ireland?!] stickers affixed to the windows. Presumably, since then, somebody paid to transport this alleged mode of transportation overseas! Note also the widespread accumulation of mold, moss and lichens covering the Yugo. There might be some anthrax sprinkled into the mix, too. This Yugo must have been fished out of the Scioto River.
Inside the skunkworks, Lou sprung a surprise on me:
Project Boilermaker! Lou was in regular contact with chief mechanic Jon all through the process and before installing the new engine Lou had the crew at Midwest Bayless paint the engine in the colors of his alma mater Purdue University; Old Gold & Black.
There were two other cars at the skunkworks that afternoon in April which seized the attention of me and Lou. First, a bright yellow Ferrari Dino 308 GT4:
There is some debate as to whether the Dino 308 GT4 is really a Ferrari or not. Of course it is a Ferrari, out-sized British commentators aside.
In the photo above Lou is trying out new seats that the skunkworks put into another customer's Spider. You may recall that the front seats in Lou's Fiat were bent, with each seatback facing inboard. Jon discovered Lou's seat frames were broken, not bent, and couldn't be repaired. The solution was to make due or have them replaced. Lou liked the aftermarket seats and so he gave the go-ahead to replace the Spider's broken seats. I used the cover of photographing Lou in the other Fiat to sneak a spy photo of the Dino 308 GT4.
Ferraris are cool yet there was a model of vintage Fiat there on that afternoon the species of which heretofore had been absolutely unknown to either me or Lou and which had us both agog.
Fiat 850 Spider.
Designed by Bertone, this Spider rolled out of the Fiat factory in 1968. Being Pininfarina loyalists, Lou and I haven't ever developed much affinity for Bertone's designs. We could be warming up to them! This car was stunning.
Automobile aficioandos may have noticed, under close scrutiny, the absence of a grill on the front end of the 850 Spider.
It's a rear-engined Fiat Spider! Our eyes were spinning like a dial telephone [credit; Marty Brennaman]. Who knew? Not us, obvs. I love that flat deck. Prior to federally-mandated crash safety standards and the so-called 5 MPH bumpers, Fiats had beautiful, streamlined, thin and flat chrome bumpers like the ones you see here. Just about perfection.
Chief mechanic Jon sent a photo-laden email after the first of May to let Lou know that the Fiat was ready to be picked up.
All-new Boilermaker power plant! Boiler up!
New front seats! And by the way, didn't steering wheels look so much better before the advent of airbags?
New, lowered suspension for a more athletic stance!
The major work was complete and so on May 10th we returned to Midwest Bayless to pick up the Spider 2000.
Fiat Jedi Master Jon can be seen at left making a final adjustment to the throttle. The red car at left is a Lancia Zagato. Because of the fiendishly designed engine architecture, Jon referred to the Zagato as "a nightmare" to repair [read; don't ever buy one!]. Targa-topped with a convertible-like read window that can be lowered, it has a kind of Knight Rider (television show) interior.
Jon gave us a final rundown on the work that was completed and had some recommendations for further, minor points that may need to be addressed in the future. There may still be an electrical issue with the fuel gauge. The bumper and luggage rack could use some new chrome. The seat belts may need to be replaced at some point. A radio might be a nice feature.
With that, Lou accompanied Jon to the vault in order to settle up the bill. I took the opportunity to shoot some more spy photos of the skunkworks.
The Dino 308 GT4 looked like it was just about finished.
I snapped more photos of the sweet Fiat 850 Spider.
The black car (below) next to the 850 is a Fiat Abarth 124 Rally from the mid-1970s:
Visible to the naked eye were meatier tires, beefed-up suspension, bumpers removed, rally lights, elevated ride height. Looks more than a little alien. Don't know what's lurking under the bonnet.
A white 850 Spider was tucked into one corner of the skunkworks. The dusty Lancia Zagato is owned by the same customer with the other Zagato and is serving as a parts car for that project.
Returning now to the mystery discussed earlier, chief mechanic Jon thinks he has resolved the issue as to the mismatched rear fenders. Once the Fiat was disassembled, engine pulled, transmission removed and the car was put on a lift, Jon discovered that the undersides of the two rear fenders as well as the front driver's side fender do not have factory paint on them. Instead, all three were roughly finished only with the period-correct reddish-orange rustproofing which unfinished new stock in the 1970s would have had applied before being painted and fitted onto a new car. This suggests to Jon two critical points:
1) The Fiat was wrecked early enough in its young life - long before Lou took possession - and so catastrophically as to have required the replacement of three of its four fenders (ergo, the Spider 2000 has just a single original fender and that being the passenger-side front [pictured, below]) with "new-old stock," then still widely available.
2) The Spider's current paint job is not the car's original paint (yet it was originally green).
Settled up, Lou was in the cockpit like a flash and the Fiat roared to life! Yes, again!
Go ahead, name a better looking car! You can't! No, you really can't! Stop trying.
As always, our visits to the skunkworks last far longer than we anticipate (that's a good thing, we learn a lot each visit) and so afterward we were pressed for time. I punched up on the Jeep Main Battle Tank's on-board GPS machine the coordinates for lunch at Der Dutchman - because why wouldn't you? - and led the ferocious charge.
Now that's some good (photograph) shootin', Tex! Two hands on the wheel, one hand [sic] on the 35mm Nikon camera.
Onto the back roads of central Ohio we hurtled! Up hill and down dale!
Winding our way over sinuous blacktop of rural roads:
These empty back roads on a sunny, warm afternoon proved to be an ideal setting for Lou's first drive of Project Boilermaker.
After lunch, Lou generously offered to let me drive the Spider 2000 but that didn't seem right to me so I declined. I knew my day would come soon enough....
The Fiat back home, Lou's oldest daughter Anna had the idea that she wanted to drive the Spider 2000 to her final day of Junior year at school which also just happened to coincide with her birthday. Anna had never before driven a manual transmission and so in the evenings, after Lou got home from a long day at work in the Genco Pura olive oil orchards, Lou would take Anna to a parking lot to practice the sublime and richly satisfying art of shifting. Anna mastered the basics pretty quickly but wasn't yet confident enough to make the drive completely on her own. Lou followed Anna to school that morning to provide cover and maybe a dash of moral support.
Having triumphantly made the drive to school that morning, Anna felt brave enough to make the drive home after school by herself!
Later that evening, before Anna's birthday party, I got my opportunity to drive the Spider 2000. My youngest niece Maria jumped into the car with me and we made a grand tour around Lou's neighborhood.
Bright sunshine, blue sky, top down. Maria thinks the Spider 2000 is just about the perfect car. She's right, of course. Maria also got a lot of great photos of the back of my head:
I know what you're thinking. That's a young Harrison Ford driving the Fiat! I assure you that is in fact Mr Heavy Artillery.
I am able to report that the Fiat has noticeably, viscerally, more power and the torque ramps up at lower RPM than before. The ride is a lot smoother. There is a new, lighter flywheel that's been installed but the clutch has the same heavy feel and looooong pedal travel for engagement. The Fiat will give you a solid left leg, right arm workout.
Gold old/new Fiat. Back in action!
Roll the credits!
