1966 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

I really am having reservations about letting this little guy go. it actually has a personality.   Everyone likes him. even my "muscle-car" and hard-core "classic" car buddies.   They say keep him and put some more $$ into him and just enjoy.   I would love nothing more. if I thought I would ever get the time to enjoy him.   Besides. I'm way too detail oriented.   It would take me at least the next two years or more (with only part-time hours to afford to it) to get it just perfect. the only way I would ever be content. and I already have a dozen ahead of him. waiting for the same.   It's tough choosing.   Someone needs to do this car some justice.   I purchased it last year right here in north Phoenix just before I went on an extended vacation.   It belonged to the 91 year-old mother of the gentleman I bought it from.   It had been parked at his house  for 4 years. since the family had to have her entered into a care facility due to her progressing dementia.   He felt that they had waited long enough since her memory deteriorated to the point that she would no longer even recognize or remember the car.   I never had the opportunity to meet her but her described personality was intriguing to me.   She had purchased the car from the original owner back in the early '70's.   She was the only other owner of the car since then.   She drove it daily as her regular vehicle. even though she never had far to go (according to her son).   She always had it serviced and cared for mechanically by a trusted mechanic shop.   He (her son) had no idea where she may have kept any records as to the service work.   He thought they might be in the car's glove box.   I never found any.   He did state that she had just had the oil changed and the brakes redone and possibly a full tune-up just before they determined to have her quit driving any more.   I do believe that much to be true.   I pulled all four wheels and the brake components do appear to have been worked on.   The oil also appeared to have a recent change (even though it sat for 4 years).   The oil was clear and clean and the filter was still new.   The tune-up. well. that was just a set of plugs. Nothing more.   I just put in a new set of points.   I would still recommend a new condenser. rotor & cap.   It runs fine as it sits just now.   It revs up real quick and holds throttle perfect.   Let it idle down. step on it. right back up there with no hesitation.   Purrs at a slow idle.   I recommend a minor lifter adjustment if after so many miles they do not quiet down enough.   They're not bad or dangerous to the operation of the vehicle but I prefer extreme quiet from the engine compartment.  I've heard many Fiats make more noise than this little guy after sitting little more than a year.  I would not modify any adjustment to them until some operating time and/or miles were first attained.   They may only be "sticky" from lack of being operated for so long.   An oil additive might be helpful in the short run.  I've had the valve cover off and inspected all moving components and they are all just fine.   In fact. it was extremely clean under the cover.   The oil has been changed somewhat religiously in this little car or someone at some time has done a complete top-end refurbishing. the head is rather fresh looking on the outside as well.

I did do a compression check on this engine and it has good compression on all four cylinders.

I also managed to drive it down the street for a long block and back (approx.  1/2 mile) and it shifted through all gears just fine.   I believe the hydraulic needs to be bled on the clutch master or slave cylinder.   It catches very near the top of the pedal.  I'll also check for adjustment in the clutch linkage as well.  I'll be looking into that sometime this week.   Check back for additional status reports throughout the week.

Note:  My car was originally white but years ago the lady decided she wanted it to be "baby blue".   The white you see under the hood and around the engine compartment is the original paint. and I might add. in fantastic condition.   All I did was clean it up with some glass cleaner and degreaser by hand. no pressure washing.

Parts are readily available for these cars from several vendors on the internet and thru e-bay.

I'll make this listing short at this point by stating that I have played with Fiats and Alfas and various British cars for years (as well as the well-deserving domestic 50's and 60's cars) and this car is no different.   It does need a fair bit of restoration to be any sort of trophy winner in any car show but if you just want a cute little rare care that few people have ever seen and you just want to enjoy it on the weekends with as little effort as possible put forth. this vehicle will not break the bank and you'll be smilin'  for years to come. If you want to see what a really nice one looks like in beautiful shape check out the one now on E-bay.   It is also a '66 in white. for $23. 00 or best offer.

I have shipped cars all over the country and out of the country as well and I have good relations with various shippers that can and will get the job done right. and for a very reasonable cost.   I will assist in any way possible to help you achieve delivery of the car to your driveway if you need.

NOTE:  the wheels and tires in the picture do not go with the car.   They belong to my '88 Toyota FX16 GTS.   They just happened to fit on the Fiat when I didn't have any other wheels fitted with tires to drive the car down the street that day I took the pictures.   The car comes with the original steel wheels (5) and two hubcaps and trim rings (see pictures).

Look at the pictures and contact me if you have any specific questions or need any pictures of any particular area of the car.

I will be updating this listing as I discover additional pictures that should be seen or other information that I might have forgotten to mention.

Thank-you and best of luck to all who bid.

On Mar-25-14 at 00:16:35 PDT. seller added the following information:

Additional Important Notes:

First off I am not able to post any additional pictures to this auction then what you see.   I will however send any and all additional pictures to anyone who would like to request them.   Simply email me with your email address and I will shoot them off to you asap.

Further important observations about the car itself:

The lights all work. headlights. brights. turn signals. running lights. nbsp;brake lights.

The windshield wipers work.

The battery box is in excellent condition with no rust.   I will have a picture available tomorrow if you want to see it.

I believe the gages each work fine. speedo. tach. temp. oil.   I will do a second review on that again tomorrow and post any change if needed.

The trunk is exceptionally clean and rust-free and the tubs on either side show only minimal rust (mostly surface). especially considering the age of the car.   So the quarters are in pretty nice condition with only minimal work required to prep them for new paint.

The top of the rear fender on the passenger side shows extreme surface rust from the paint having chipped off long ago and no one thought to at least prime it until it could be touched up.   It will now need serious sanding before any primer or paint can be applied.

I have removed all of the carpet as it was useless and ugly. (dry-rotted). You will need a complete carpet kit or custom carpet cut and fit to the car.   It's a small space. not very expensive either way.

The seats both need reupholstered.   The frames are fine and the foam is still in good shape but the vinyl is ripped in several places with some vinyl portions missing.

The dash needs recovered.   The foam foundation is still in its proper shape but it will need a new vinyl cover.

The door panels are original and not very attractive.   They are a simple. flat. no-pattern style and the backboards are good enough only to be used as a good template for making new ones.

The driver's floor up to the very front directly beneath the clutch pedal has a hole in the floor that I can see thru. It is approximately 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inches long.   The rest of the driver's side floor looks to be pretty solid from the top side.   It actually looks better from the underside of the car.   It's a convertible.   They tend to rust from the topside down. wherever water can sit.

The passenger side floor has a sheetmetal patch covering what I assume is a hole of some larger size. however. from the underside I am not seeing it. go figure.   I will look into this in more depth tomorrow and post my findings.

I have the driver's side taillight lens but it is in pretty bad shape and will need replaced.   The top 1/3 of it is gone.

All glass (windshield. doors. vents) is in unbelievable shape for this car's age.   No replacements needed here.

In case you didn't notice the "question/answer" segment of my listing. regarding the tires/wheels.   I will saddle up the original wheels with tires so that it can either be driven out or rolled up on a transport vehicle.    And "no" they won't be a set of "baldies".   I believe I'll give you the tires that you see on the Toyota wheels as I was going to suit it up with some new wide low profiles anyway.

Since this vehicle sat for 4 years before I purchased it and I have pretty much stored it myself since last June. I have been unwilling to feed the engine fuel delivered from the cars fuel tank as yet.   I have hooked up an external fuel source. with the fuel drawn by a later model electric fuel pump.   This is the manner in which I was able to test drive the car and make adjustments to the carb. . allow it to sit and idle for ten to fifteen minutes (no overheating issues). etc.   I strongly recommend removing the fuel tank and having it dipped and sealed to avoid any contaminants from passing through to the carb and/or the engine.   This car is not "ready-to-drive" as-is with just some good gas. seat covers. and a smile.    A number of things need to be addressed first to make it a proper. safe. reliable classic.   The fundamentals are all solid and showing evidence of good mechanical history.   The cosmetics need some help. and how much you will spend will depend on what quality of fit and finish want to achieve. and for what purpose.   I could throw $10k at this car and make it the best one on the planet or I could skillfully and patiently apply $2-3. 00 and have one heck of a fun car to enjoy. For my money enjoying a car is far better than just seeing. another "trailer queen".    I don't mean to offend anyone. whatever your intentions.   I have never owned the proverbial "trailer queen" but I have enjoyed dozens of some of the most "fun" little cars out there and they've made many memories for myself and a good number of friends alike. The sun just seems to shine a little nicer on you when you're driving something like this little guy. then comes the smile (and everyone seems to be smilin' back at you). you'll know once you finish it and take it for the first spin.

I'll miss the little guy. but it's been fun sharing the dream with you.   I hope the winning bidder goes all the way to making this car proud again. as he should be.   They don't make em' like this anymore.

Also published at eBay.com

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