fiat 124 questions

I think your best bet would be a site like turbo124, specifically their forums, or maybe fiatforum.com or mirafiori.com. While I've not owned one I did look into getting one and I've heard things from various FIAT people about the 124s. As far as the weekend driver/autocross question goes, the 124s actually have a fair amount of aftermarket parts options, much more of a market than X1/9s, 850s, 128s etc. People do in fact build successful 124s for autocrossing and there are good upgrades available. Part suppliers that come to mind are
international-auto.com, vickauto.com, fiatplus.com, allisonsautomotive.com, and
midwest-bayless.com. All of these sites carry some performance and stock parts. While there are more performance parts available for the dohc than sohc Fiat engines, you may not get a whole lot out of the regular engine with "bolt-ons", I don't know what you would consider fast/powerful. These cars are very much cars for handling over straight line performance IMO. A 124 expert can tell you about what are good investments i.e. best bang for buck etc. and some of the vendors I think can back up their parts with dyno readings, too. Anyway, good luck on your search and if you have any specific questions, I'll try to help if I can. I was looking at 124 spiders and ended up buying an X1/9, so I at least know a little FIAT stuff.

 

124s make excellent weekend drivers. I've owned 5 of them. They are not incredibly slow but they are not that fast either, especially by modern standards. The car was first sold in 1967 and was years ahead of the competition in the same price range (MG, Triumph). Bolt on horsepower comes commonly by the addition of twin webers, hotter cams and free flow exhaust.

These cars offer a lot of fun for the money. Not fast, but very fun.

 

I owned one for at least 6 years and it was a great car. Very reliable and ALWAYS put a smile on your face. Handling was OK but it was a lot closer to balanced in the wet or snow than in the dry. Then again, that can be fixed and parts aren't expensive. I say go get one and have a fun time.

 

I've owned a '79 Spider for a couple years now and have enjoyed it. I have also made a few modifications along the way. My car is the first year of the 2.0L engine which provides excellent torque, but the carb is very restrictive and the compression ratio is lower. I had a set of performance cams installed along with a larger Weber carb (34 ADF), 4-2-1 header/downpipe, and Stebro stainless rear exhaust and I am very happy with the power and sound it produces now. I estimate a gain from about 75hp (stock) to roughly 95hp now. More could be had by shaving the cylinder head to gain compression, but I probably won't get that far.

Handlingwise, these cars understeer tremendously in stock form, being nose-heavy and only equipped with a front anti-sway bar. I recently had my springs shortened and installed Koni Yellow (sport) shocks, along with an IAP rear anti-sway bar. I haven't had the chance to drive it much with the suspension modifications, but it does feel more planted at highway speeds and hopefully will be more receptive to hanging its tail out in the turns now.

I've also owned an X1/9 and I have to say, the mid-engined X is a much more modern car in both ride/driveability and handling, though with its little 1300 or 1500 cc engines, not quite as fast. The SOHC engines are quite fun though, able to rev to just over 8k rpm in stock configuration without worry (nevermind the redline... it's conservative).

Very different cars. If I had to choose one for auto-x, backroads, and daily commuting, it would be the X. If I wanted something to cruise down to the local Italian restaurant in on a warm summer evening or run at real race tracks or vintage road rally events, it would be the 124. I plan to keep my 124 for quite a while and am always on the lookout for another X1/9 to replace the one I sold years ago.

 

I've got a 78 that my son and I are resurrecting and building it for autox and fun driving. So far we have replaced all the suspension bushings and ball joints, fitted gas shocks, lowered it 1" and fitted a larger front sway bar. Handling is good now. Next step is to remove the inop A/C, pull the radiator and condenser, re-core the radiator. Performance will be upped with a larger single weber and header. Beyond that either hotter cams or a full rebuild with 10:1 pistons, larger valves, and the aforementioned cams. We will keep it street legal.

 

I bought one in 1976.......it was a 1974 model........and it was a rust bucket one year later.

FWIW.......

 

My 74 X1/9 looked like it was a barn find when i bought it in 1980. But what fun!