That's Planning Yet Another Fiat Spider Project! 
Hi all,
I've lurked around here for years (10?) always full of dreams and not a small amount of envy. I owned a 1975 Fiat Spider (5sp manual) up until 2004 and even thought back then about the possibility of converting it. Then life happened, and it had to find a new owner.
Yesterday, it turned up for sale and I'm very likely going to buy it within the next few days and set those conversion plans into motion. However, before I lay out my plans I'd like to ask for a little advice:
As I'm sure you're all aware, Fiat's and rust are like bread and butter. She had some cosmetic rust back in 2004 and inspection of photos indicate that situation has not improved. I'm not a car guy, but I'll be learning as I go in this process with copious help from very knowledgeable family and friends who will be accompanying me on this journey including when we go check out the car but they are new to conversion to electric too so....
My specific question is: What do I need to look out for in terms of body rust/damage for the FIAT 124 to be sure it will be OK to support a conversion.
Is there any specific structure or point (crossmember/bar) for supporting the motor that would not be as big an issue if we were not converting her?
It is a manual 5 speed transmission. I'm leaning toward an AC50/51 kit with enough juice to get me 150km. That's a long distance I know possibly for this car but it's a hard limit as I'm rural and I have a specific goal in mind where there is a stretch of at least 100km without hope of electric charge points. But at the same time, if the answer includes "wait for battery tech to improve" that's OK too as I can and will hold on to the vehicle.
I notice the threads with Fiat Spiders mentioned in them are pretty long in the tooth now so any advice folks could give on what may have changed in the interim would of course be greatly appreciated. I have done a lot of homework and will continue.
Thank you very much for your help. I've attached a (apparently recent) picture of her.
Hi all,
I've lurked around here for years (10?) always full of dreams and not a small amount of envy. I owned a 1975 Fiat Spider (5sp manual) up until 2004 and even thought back then about the possibility of converting it. Then life happened, and it had to find a new owner.
Yesterday, it turned up for sale and I'm very likely going to buy it within the next few days and set those conversion plans into motion. However, before I lay out my plans I'd like to ask for a little advice:
As I'm sure you're all aware, Fiat's and rust are like bread and butter. She had some cosmetic rust back in 2004 and inspection of photos indicate that situation has not improved. I'm not a car guy, but I'll be learning as I go in this process with copious help from very knowledgeable family and friends who will be accompanying me on this journey including when we go check out the car but they are new to conversion to electric too so....
My specific question is: What do I need to look out for in terms of body rust/damage for the FIAT 124 to be sure it will be OK to support a conversion.
Is there any specific structure or point (crossmember/bar) for supporting the motor that would not be as big an issue if we were not converting her?
It is a manual 5 speed transmission. I'm leaning toward an AC50/51 kit with enough juice to get me 150km. That's a long distance I know possibly for this car but it's a hard limit as I'm rural and I have a specific goal in mind where there is a stretch of at least 100km without hope of electric charge points. But at the same time, if the answer includes "wait for battery tech to improve" that's OK too as I can and will hold on to the vehicle.
I notice the threads with Fiat Spiders mentioned in them are pretty long in the tooth now so any advice folks could give on what may have changed in the interim would of course be greatly appreciated. I have done a lot of homework and will continue.
Thank you very much for your help. I've attached a (apparently recent) picture of her.
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