I used July and August to drive around in the Fiat! It's amazing how many thumbs up you get, this thing attracts more attention than most expensive sports cars! It drives... fine. The steering is loose and altough the engine runs just fine there is exhaust gas coming from the dipstick which would indicate at least some worn out piston rings. Not a huge deal since it'll get a new upgraded 695cc engine, and I plan to replace all moving parts anyway. The gearbox works fine though, so that's a plus!
In September I started the disassembly of the front end: bumpers, lights, all the electrics (I will also make a custom wiring loom with relays instead of the current situation where all power goes through a 50-year old steering column switch), dashboard, etcetera. Although no rust was visible when I bought the car I did find two large rusty spots. Given the fact that it's a 50-year old Italian car this did not come as a surprise of course. Beneath the layers of rattle can paint, primer, original paint and original primer I found some sizeable rust under the window. A well known spot, due to Fiat's poor decision to make holes in the window sill to drain condensation. (Stupid design: either the holes get plugged and rust forms under the window, or the holes don't get plugged and the drainage water pools into a completely inaccessible spot in your wheelwell and starts to eat from there).
I ordered a new windshield bottom and the little body panel that houses the side indicator. The latter didn't fit at all so I made it from scratch from steel. I'm quite pleased with it! The fit and the gap between the bonnet are actually better than they were so I'd say that's a job well done. Regarding body panels: my Fiat is a 1974, so one of the earlier ones. The dies they use to stamp out body panels are apparently worn after stamping out millions of parts so fit & finish of new body panels on old cars is an issue.
I also found evidence (welds) that a new front end was mounted at one point. I suspected this since the battery tray wasn't original, but now I'm certain. I really like this kind of archeology! My guess is that it had an accident and needed a new front end, and they decided to 'upgrade' the fiat from a 1st serie to a Personal 4 while they were at it.
Now that the front end is a rust-free, epoxied blank canvas I can proceed to disassemble the interior, steering, suspension and engine. After that I will put the shell on it's side in the garage so I can get to the bare metal of the bottom of the car, fix whatever rust I may (will?) find and undercoat it. I installed a diesel heater in my garage so I won't be cold this winter!
