Welcome To 124Racer.com

Since my first visit to Mosport for the VARAC fest back in 2005 I have been hooked on Vintage racing.

I consider converting my 1968 Triumph GT6 Mk1 into a vintage racer, but that just did not seem right. The costs were just too high and the car under VARAC rules would suffer. Naturally I looked at Spitfires, GT6s and other TR's, but the price was too high in most cases. Andrew Celovsky a FIAT 124 Coupe racer had long been telling me about the FIAT brand and the success he'd be having. Every few months I'd get an email from him with a race prepped FIAT looking for a new owner. So in May 2009 Andrew emailed me with a tempting link. After much debate and thought (reads begging) I took action (with permission of my wife) and bought (thank you honey) my semi-prepared 1977 FIAT 124 Spider. 1.8L, 5 speed , 4 disc brakes and so much more.

Stay tuned as I venture into the fun and frustration called vintage racing.

See the 2009 Image Gallery for all the fun.

Count down to VARAC - Vintage Racing Festival at Mosport. June 18-20 2010.

Projects

Race Oiling System - Race Fuel System
Custom Roll Cage - Kirkey 47 Series

Photos

06 June 09 My New 124	Mosport Varac 2009	11 Jan 2010 Cage Work
17 Jan 2010 Low Door Bar	20 Jan 2010 Dash	21 Jan 2010 Top Door Bar
26 Jan 2010 Harness Bar

News & Updates

26 Jan 2010 - After a long day Dad and I met and went to work on the harness bar. Turned out well. I cut the passenger side door bars and will notch and install them shortly.

24 Jan 2010 - Laura ordered me all of Burt S. Levy's four novels from Chapters this morning. What a wonderful wife. Got them on sale for $87 CND with free shipping.

23 Jan 2010 - The Last Open Road by B.S. Levy. Great stuff. I picked up his first and forth book from the Ottawa Library last week. Almost done #1, but was told by friends to read them in order. I'll have to source #2 &3. Still wonderful way to kill the 45min bus ride.

17 Jan 2010 - We started bending the lower door bar. Went very well.

11 Jan 2010 - Cut/notched the upper and lower front members. Got the driver side A pillar located. So next I'll square everything up and do some tacks then do the rear braces. Finally task will be the doors, gussets and over head protection. Right weeks of work still.

04 Jan 2010 - Sorting out the things that need to be done vs bought. Laura and I had a budget talk and I have a goal to work this a leaner budget for 2010, but I still have to get all the main things bought and installed.

- Cage, floor patches, paint cabin, race seat and harness
- Fuel cell install and exhaust welding
- Wheel studs
- Engine belt change
- Oil System with Accusump & Oil Cooler
- Hood pins
- New dash layout and wiring
- Adjust suspension. Replace suspension bolts for pass side
- Fluids changed for race prep (Engine, Trans, Diff, Brakes & Rad)

01 Jan 2010 - 2009 Summary. Its been an interesting year for sure. Buying the FIAT, bringing her home and then setting to work to bring the car up to spec. 2010 focus will be busy with all the new parts and pieces. Getting the car squared away, my race school and finally a run at Mosport in June. Maybe CMP in July.

26 Dec 2009 - MCO Race School is booked. Merry Christmas baby.

19 Dec 2009 - Steve Smith of the GT6 fame sent me a little something. With the new filter I've adjusted my oil system hose requirements. I had considered switching to -8AN, but wll stick to the recommened -10AN hoses. Even with the 1/2" filter, cooler and 3/8" engine block plate the -10AN is the way to go.

17 Dec 2009 - The cage work is under way. I hope to keep the progress going. I also have started the ground work for the new oil system. Once the cage is done I'll get the oil stuff order and also take care of the fuel cell install. Lots of hose and connectors required. Rock & roll baby.

28 Nov 2009 - Roll bar is removed and now up for sale. The cage will start once I remove all the plates and repair the areas. Can't wait to get it done. Something new. Other news Luis Losada from Portugal who races a 1968 FIAT 124 Sedan emailed me the other day. Very nice machines. Love the colour.

08 Nov 2009 - Odd day for playing. I needed the wrench time after the week I had. Sorted a few issues. Starting. It appears it was the ground cable to body connection. I cleaned it and topped the battery off. Then adjusted the dizzy. I will do a full static timing shortly and swap the belt out too. Anyhow she runs again. I'm working with the accusump too. Cleaned it the other day and put some air into it. Its holding pressure. Found out the valve control is magnetic too. I cleaned all of that up. Paint test, some crappy welding and so on.

01 Nov 2009 - Oct was a busy / $$$ month. Got the accusump and found a transponder. For Nov I need to strick off a few items on my todo list. I want to get the welding done while the weather is still decent and I can work outside. So the roll bar should be done this month. I want to sort the seat out too. Here is a none "solid" work list. I will aslo do another engine compression test. Warm it up and then pull all the plugs out and then do the test.

- Exhaust weld - Nov
- Suspension bolts for pass side - Nov
- Fluid swap - Nov (Engine, Trans, Diff, Brakes)
- Roll Bar - Nov
- Weld patches - Nov
- Seat - Nov
- Fuel cell - Dec
- Wheel studs - Dec
- Belt change - Dec
- Accusump - Jan
- Oil Cooler - Jan
- Hood pins - Jan
- Finish wiring - Feb
- Adjust suspension - Mar
- Seat Belts - Mar

25 Oct 2009 - Did a quick cold compression test. I will do a warm test next time I get her out.

Cylinder 1 = 175
Cylinder 2 = 175
Cylinder 3 = 170
Cylinder 4 = 165 (Not certain the gauge was 100% tight so I think it would closer to 170)

I got the car running too. Replaced the fuel filter.

15 Oct 2009 - New video gallery page added. Also a little engine reving with the new webers.

14 Oct 2009 - Well it was a hectic weekend. My install job was wrong for the carbs. The gasket stuff was not proper and the coolant leaked into the intake. A mess. Removed everything. Flushed the rad and engine. Andrew dropped off a gasket and some proper compound. Tonight I installed the intake manifold with the improved gasket and better sealant. She ran. Oil looks clean. Ditto for the coolant. I'll do a filter and oil swap in a few days. While I was in there last night I patched up a firewall port. And today I took the saw too the fuel pipe. It was pinched. I am removing the alternator as well. The system is too unreliable. So I will get a new belt shortly for the water pump. I will have to buy a new battery before my first race. Or borrow the one from the GT6.

Today I stopped in at NAPA and order 2 timing belts. $25 a piece. I also grabbed 4 hood pins. Mr Gasket 1017's. Nothing special, but they will do the job.

10 Oct 2009 - Got outside and finished off the new carb install. Bolts on intake and water tight. New fuel in line and clamps (longer hose). New brake booster hose and clamps (longer) hose. Fuel return and manifold pressure out capped with screw 1/4" hose with sealant and clamps. Throttle linkage bent to fit. New plus .021 with anti seize. Overflow and coolant done. And guess what she fired right up. More work to follow.

09 Oct 2009 - We're moving forward. Fuel cell from ATL arrived. Now working towards the install. Roll bar is also being welded in. Working to present info in a better format so hang on. I am keeping on the budget mine. Hence me doing the roll bar. I will do a cage in the future. Still have so many items to buy. Transponder, neck device and the school in May. We are talking about an open trailer. Closed would be ideal for storage, but thinking small. And the tow vehicle will be just the same. Small simple, but powerful enough to handle hauling. Oh Andrew passed me something really nice.

30 Aug 2009 - August has been a hard month. Ups and downs. Not sure if I will be able to run in 2010. Still trying, but being very realistic. Issues I've found. Studs and wheels. Looks like the PO "bored" out a set of 100mm wheels to work with the FIAT's 98mm wheels. Only the holes are oval and not circles. Tossing them and will pull the studs out. Their replacements will longer (2.5") and I will go with open lugs. Roll bar. I bought plates and will run the bar for season one. Crunching the #'s I need a fuel cell and that's about it. I figure I could run 1 weekend in June 2010 including purchase of the fuel cell, race school and what not for around $2500. Fingers crossed.

31 July 2009 - News and thoughts. So roll bar is coming out. Doing a cage. The plates for the current setup are not to spec. Roll bar is too narrow anyhow. Talked to a friend from the MCO we will do the job this fall. I will also be buying a seat from Kirkey in Cornwall. 47 Series - Intermediate Road Race 18". I don't like the idea of spending all this money because it could affect me reaching my goal of racing in 2010, but safety is key 1.

09 July 2009 - Race clothing arrived today. And VARAC approved my number request. The FIAT is now recognized as car # 515. 515 stands for May 15th. The date Laura and I got married on. All in all a great day.

01 July 2009 - I guess I better update this page. I've been busy with the FIAT going over the work and making improvements. Currently working on the electrical system. Total redo to include a master cut off switch and the removal of the MSD box. I've been drilling and altering the dash to support the new hardware. I had Stu over to look at my roll bar. He is suggesting a whole new setup for my cage. That will have to wait. His quote was more then what I paid for the car. Been working hard to keep the costs down, but today I found a huge deal on my safety clothing. More about that when its in my hands.

08 June 2009 - A little internet attention today.

The Garage Blog by Gary Grant posted this awesome little article about the FIAT.

Then I was shown this one on Bring A Trailer.com. Cheapest Racer Around: 1977 Fiat 124. Very cool day.

06 June 2009 - Video of engine start.

06 June 2009 - FIAT Owner. Made it home with the FIAT. Andrew really helped me on this one. We had to drive hard and race between the US borders to make it on time, but did it. Thank you so much Andrew. You truely enbody the spirt of vintage racing. I OWE YOU BIG TIME. I need to recover from the experince and prep the car for storage. But its a start of something cool.

03 June 2009 - Border authorities shut down Akwesasne crossing. Well I hope this is fixed fast! I did speak with the US border side and they said if the border was closed they would help by getting my docs in order, but I would have to cross elsewhere.

29 May 2009 - Title FedEx. Got confirmation the docs arrived at the border export office. I will call later in the week to confirm. Can't wait to see the FIAT in person.

25 May 2009 - Title Arrives. I will fill it all out and fire it off for EXPORT.

23 May 2009 - Bought a new domain and launched a new site to accompany the racing dream/journey.