Fiat 850 California car (Posting for a friend)

bpimm

Brian Pimm
Looks a little rough, I don't know the story other than the owner wants it gone, asking price for the forum is $200.00 OBO.

Looks like it has a hard top on it.

I'm posting this for a friend who is the Nephew of the owner so everything I know is second hand, contact the owner via email if you're interested.

dlbray@email.com

The car is located near the town of Ridgecrest which is near Mojave.

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The owner is getting emails requesting parts, he's not interested in parting the car out it's all or nothing. I don't think he's even responding to part requests. Just FYI.
 
A California "blue plate special".

Cars that have spent their entire lives in a desert region can be a mixed result. Although Ridgecrest isn't as harsh as some deserts, time will have taken its toll. On one hand there is much less rain/snow/etc, but on the other hand the sun does tremendous damage. So you will likely find lots of surface rust from the breakdown of the paint, but not a lot of cancer rot. You will find that EVERY non-metal item has baked into "dust" and will need replacement; rubber, plastic, cloth, foam, carpet, paint, wood, coatings, insulation, seals, gaskets, tires, hydraulics, etc, etc. So I'd guess it is a solid car that needs a complete restoration. This looks to be very complete and undamaged, so should be worth restoring. And you can't beat the price, especially with decent wheels and a hardtop. Frankly I'm surprised one of you 850 guys hasn't jumped on this. Or am I missing something?
 
A California "blue plate special".

Cars that have spent their entire lives in a desert region can be a mixed result. Although Ridgecrest isn't as harsh as some deserts, time will have taken its toll. On one hand there is much less rain/snow/etc, but on the other hand the sun does tremendous damage. So you will likely find lots of surface rust from the breakdown of the paint, but not a lot of cancer rot. You will find that EVERY non-metal item has baked into "dust" and will need replacement; rubber, plastic, cloth, foam, carpet, paint, wood, coatings, insulation, seals, gaskets, tires, hydraulics, etc, etc. So I'd guess it is a solid car that needs a complete restoration. This looks to be very complete and undamaged, so should be worth restoring. And you can't beat the price, especially with decent wheels and a hardtop. Frankly I'm surprised one of you 850 guys hasn't jumped on this. Or am I missing something?

Makes it a good candidate for someone with a pretty good car that's all rotted out, just swap the shell. Plus it has a hardtop, I don't know if they are like the Miata's where the hard top doubles the value of a lot of them. lol
 
A California "blue plate special".

Cars that have spent their entire lives in a desert region can be a mixed result. Although Ridgecrest isn't as harsh as some deserts, time will have taken its toll. On one hand there is much less rain/snow/etc, but on the other hand the sun does tremendous damage. So you will likely find lots of surface rust from the breakdown of the paint, but not a lot of cancer rot. You will find that EVERY non-metal item has baked into "dust" and will need replacement; rubber, plastic, cloth, foam, carpet, paint, wood, coatings, insulation, seals, gaskets, tires, hydraulics, etc, etc. So I'd guess it is a solid car that needs a complete restoration. This looks to be very complete and undamaged, so should be worth restoring. And you can't beat the price, especially with decent wheels and a hardtop. Frankly I'm surprised one of you 850 guys hasn't jumped on this. Or am I missing something?

Dr. Jeff is absolutely right about the desert sun causing a "different" type of damage!!!! My 1967 850 Spider project race car was sitting on a semi-covered trailer for 12 years west of Las Vegas. The usual engine oil covering the engine was BAKED ON to the point that a pressure washer would not touch it!!!! Much better than powder coating or ceramic coatings I've removed. A heavy wire wheel on a 4" grinder was needed to make an impression.
Without a title the body has to be cut into 4 pieces to GIVE to a scrap dealer. I know this is to slow down chop shops but it goes a long way toward explaining why so many people never "clean up" the back 40. Getting a title for an abandoned car used to be straight forward 25 years ago but California has become "enlightened" since then. I live in a gated area with an HOA so even bringing it here to cut up is impossible for me. IF SOMEONE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THE "ADVENTURE" AND WANTS THE BODY/WHEELS contact me. I'm interested in the longblock, front brakes and bump stops.
 
The thing about desert sun damage that surprised me the most was how badly it deteriorates the paint, to the point it no longer offers any protection and the underlying sheet metal rusts. The sun rot on rubber, upholstery, etc, is no real surprise by comparison, but the results on a old car are severe. When the rubber body seals dry up, shrink, crack, break apart and open up large gaps around all the doors, windows, etc, it allows water to pour directly inside. And when it does rain in the desert, it floods. With rain being a infrequent occurrence it is easy to leave things sitting unprotected outside, so the flooding is allowed to attack the unprotected body panels and fill the floor boards. So the common thinking that a desert car has no rust is not necessarily true.

Another odd occurrence in the desert is wind damage. Imagine what the frequent 50-70 MPH wind and desert sand will do - it acts as a very effective sand blaster. I've seen cars that were completely stripped to the bare metal on one side only (the side facing the wind). Not to mention pitted/frosted windows. So desert cars have their own unique set of problems. Though I'm sure it is still better than the rusted rot that happens in other parts of the country.
 
Jeff, so what you're saying is you need to get the body from the desert and a car from the NW where the rest is good and build a car....LOL Maybe a third location that has a different decomposing strategy could be used for some of the parts degraded in both of the aforementioned locations....
 
Not to hijack the thread, but if anyone is looking for a set of the American Racing wheels on this car, I have a set available. Earlier comments suggest the owner of this 850 is not willing to sell his wheels separately. PM me for more.
 
A good bodied car can be titled in many states, they do not have to be cut up. It may be inconvenient but can certainly be done for a car that is worth it.
 
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