I have a 1981 Fiat Spider. I recently found a set of nice mag wheels that fit fiats rare 4x98 bolt pattern. However, the wheels are wide. 6 x13. wheel off set is 1.5 inches or 4.5 inches from inside rim edge to the wheel mount. Will the tires rub on the inside when i turn the steering wheel? what size spacers will i need to use? There is no problem putting them on the back.

Great car i saw it on top gear lol. To change a tire, you will need a car jack, lug wrench, and a spare tire. Just put the lug wrench on the bolts and spin away. Make sure that you undo the bolts in a "x" pattern.

Flywheel bolts (always use new bolts)
15Nm / 11 lbf/ft
Then a further 40 degrees of bolt head rotation..

if it is a leaf spring set up check for loose "U" bolts or broken centre bolt in the spring pad
if it is an independent rear end take it to an accredited wheel aligner shop and have them align the rear end
mounting points will have en centric washers under the bolts and when they are turned the wheels will align.

Answer barbo(fiat mechanic) Fiat do not issue torque settings for a punto they use angles so that you can snap your stretch bolts! after contacting fiat and haynes neither of them would give proper torque settings, so i delved into my many tech manuals on fiat fire engines which is what is in your punto and i have successfully changed many fiat punto head gaskets using the following torque settings: stage 1 starting from the centre head bolts tighten to 33nm: stage 2:65nm and finally stage 3: 96nm these torque settings work fine and will probably save you buying new head bolts.

Should be able to. Look at them ad see if the are the same or look close. Nay difference would be in the bolt pattern.

Make sure the rims are the correct bot pattern (4 X 98) and hubcentric. As for tire size, goin from a 13 to 14 inch rim is called plus one. The key is tio maintian the same tire diameter so the gear ratio and speedometer arenlt affected.

A stock 13 take a 195SR- 13 tire, wirth the 'SR' being a 75 series tire with a diameter of 24.52 inches. The closest match in 14 inch tires is 215x60-14 with a diamter of 24.16. As close as possible match.

That would as much tire as youi wouls ever need.

Assuming that you have a fully charged battery then you should check/replace the ignition points and condenser. This should ideally have been checked before investing in a new coil.

If in any doubt then just replace them as it's cheap and easy. Note that most Fiat 124 Spiders are a little more complicated than normal cars as they're often fitted with two sets of points instead of the usual single set. One set is used purely for starting and the engine switches over to the other set once it's running at full oil pressure.

Assuming you have a 1600cc dual point 124 Spider then look at the following web address to see how to replace and adjust your points:-
http://www.mirafiori.com/~thad/points.html

Note that although the points can be set roughly using a feeler gauge it's vital to adjust them correctly using a dwell meter.

The next web address gives you the specs for the US specification Fiat 124 Spider which usually had a single points distributor (points specs on page 21):-
http://homepage.mac.com/tmckaskle/fiat/images/specs/index.html#page1

When doing this job also check and replace both the distributor cap and rotor arm if they show signs of damage, burning or excessive wear.

This is not a difficult job, but it is fiddly. I usually found it easiest to remove the distributor from the engine to work on it but that does mean that you need to mark the position of the rotor arm as the distributor is withdrawn to ensure that you don't completely lose the ignition timing when you've finished. You'll need to recheck and adjust the timing afterwards whether the distributor is removed or not anyway.

Finally, for lots of detailed help and assistance, I strongly suggest that you register on the Fiat Forum at the address below:-

http://www.fiatforum.com/

Check the clearance with your current tires. Turn your wheels as far as they will go and measure the gap between the rim and frame. Then measure the inside offset from your regular rims and subtract that from the inside offset on the mags.Compare that to the gap between your current rim and frame. If it is the same or bigger, the new rims will likely hit.
The best way to know for sure is to mount one rim and turn the wheel and see what happens. Hope this helps.

All of my FIAT spiders had a petcock on the lower part of the radiator. I think it was the driver's side.

When my 79 fiat spider did this it turned out to be the ignition module located in the distributor. My fiat would die when it got hot. Let it sit for a little while it would fire right back up. Have you tried that yet? Here is a parts supplier for FIATs if you do not already know about these guys:
http://www.international-auto.com/