ROB'S RESTORATION

Right inner rocker repair. To repair this section, I did not limit the job to just welding a couple of metal patches. I actually cut the entire piece out. Central to a good repair job is the use of good gauge steel. I could have saved myself a bit of money, time and effort using a thinner gauge but here I kept it consistent with the factory metal.

Right fender removed. This is a critical point on the car. The lower fender attachment at the rocker panel provides rigidity and strength. It bears the weight of the doors and also serves as reinforcement for your jacking point.

About a year after purchasing the car, I had to change a flat tire on the side of the road one night. I remember the confusion of watching the original Fiat jack extend without so much as lifting the wheel a millimeter off the ground. When I looked under the car, I was more than little surprised to see that the entire section, weakened by rust, had crumbled under the weight of the car while I was jacking. That was really the moment I knew I would have to restore this car completely.

Right fender inner structure repaired. You get an idea here of what it took to restore this section back to spec. The box section was carefully cut out as one whole unit and then copied to the millimeter on the workbench. Much easier.

Right front jack support repaired. Frame and jacking point done. The left side of the car was in the same shape and required the same work. Unfortunately, the pictures on this work were not very good but the previous photos will give you the right idea of what was involved. From here it was on to the front end which required the most work.

Under hood rust. The engine bay was a rusty mess with the majority of the rust having worked its way in from the outside and underneath. The problem stems from the fact that the AC and BC Coupes had no protective inner fender as on the CCs. So exposure to the elements was unavoidable. It's not such a problem if you live in So Cal or Arizona, but I lived in the rust belt of British Columbia's lower mainland where the damp weather and the liberally salted roads during the winter months nearly sealed my Fiat's fate. I almost gave up on her here, but I just couldn't bear the thought of sending my Coupe to the crusher. It was a true test of my enthusiasm but I'm glad I stuck it out.

Under the hood, repaired. Removing all the rust from this section was hard work but I had to be meticulous, I wanted a flawless finish. To me, the thought of showing the car meant that first impressions under the hood were just as important as those outside. And that means going beyond just shiny chrome.

Under the hood, red support and fender rails. Have a good look. There was actually a lot more work done here than is readily visible. You’ll notice the edges where the upper fenders attach; the rails on each side had to be hand made. In addition to facilitating the fender attachment, the rails serve to create the water drainage channel between the hood and fenders, really important! The upper radiator support was also removed by drilling out the countless spot welds. Once removed, I was able to rework it and eliminate the waviness in the sheet metal. This also allowed better access to the headlight housings, their mounting brackets and the bulkheads immediately behind them. The housings needed complete re-fabrication. The brackets and bulkheads were cleaned and reinforced.

Fire wall, clutch cable support repaired. You’re looking at the section of firewall where the brake booster mounts and through which the clutch cable is routed. This is a soft spot on 124s, especially Spiders. This section of metal is thin and it weakens and flexes over time through repetitive clutch operation. Most city driven Coupes and Spiders (as there are simply more of them), given the many gear changes, will likely require this work once in their lifetime.

Fig. 2-1

Fig. 2-1 You’re looking at a section of floorboard from beneath the car. Specifically, it is the mounting surface for the center bearing support bracket. This is a weak point on 124s and I strongly recommend that you inspect and assess this area before starting any restoration. It’s easily overlooked. This area carries the wait of the driver’s seat and it tends to weaken over time, not just from the driver’s weight but also as a result of the loads exerted on the center bearing.

Fig. 2-2

Fig. 2-2 Since the AC and BC Coupes did not have the plastic inner liners like the CC, the inner fenders rusted out easily and faster in these areas. My car was no exception being that it lived traveled on salty roads during the winter months. The repairs needed under the hood were not fun at all. All of the soft metal and rust holes were cut out in sections. Additionally, as part of the repairs to the upper radiator support, I had to remove the top sheet metal plate. This enabled me to get at all the extra rust on the hidden surfaces and it facilitated the repairs to the side angle plates which must be done PROPERLY. Notice the inner edge of the far angle plate; it is bent at 90 degrees and integrates with the upper radiator support.

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