Author Topic: KJ's 126 BIS  (Read 12688 times)

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Flying Carpet

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2017, 10:15:26 PM »

After a few weeks of rain it's finally been dry enough to open the doors and crack on with the project again.

With the front panel done we turned our attention to the drivers wing. Once the suspect paint and filler was removed it was clear that this had met with something substantial in the past. The replacement front wings that came with the car were not as sharp as the factory wings, especially on the swage line, which was not entirely surprising, so we set to repairing what was there.

Happily, a quick search turned up a section of an OEM panel that was exactly what we needed. Ok, it was in Italy, but it turned out to be a trouble free and quick transaction (thanks to Walter at jwspares.com), and in double quick time we were looking at a genuine panel.
     

With the damaged section removed it was pleasing to see that the structural parts underneath were all in good shape, thanks to some wax injection in the past. The new panel was fitted up and stitched in...
Then we cut out the dent in the wheel arch, which had corroded through to the inner wheel arch, but fortunately had not progressed beyond there. We used a section of repro wing to make an arch repair...



It had been a while since I last did any lead loading, so I'd forgotten how satisfying it was to work with.... well, once you remember the technique that is!   It took a little while to get it right, but once the lumps had been ironed out and filed back, the wing was given a coat of etch primer to protect the bare metal until we get back to the body for paint prep.
   


Door hinges...

I knew the drivers door had a tendency to drop when opened, and there was a fair bit of play in the hinge, so with the door off for the quarter panel repair, we had a closer look at the problem. There certainly was play in the lower hinge, but it wasn't the pin, the whole hinge being loose on the door! The original spot welds had obviously let go in the past and it had been repaired with a thick bead of weld where it met the visible part of the door. Sadly, this had not been a permanent repair, and it didn't take much to pull it out of the door completely!

Don't think that's supposed to be like that!

Unfortunately the only way to reattach it was to cut an access panel into the inner door frame, but at least we would be able to get a permanent repair, and most of the area would eventually be covered by the trim panel anyway.
     
The hinge was cleaned up, removing the old weld, and after repairing the inner edge of the door we could reattach the hinge in its original position.

Tacked it in place, then checked the alignment before finally welding the hinge on for good, and then closing off the panel on top. Not exactly invisible at this stage, but we'll tidy it up later. Either way, it's been a lot easier than trying to find another good door with a good hinge, as this does seem to be a common weakness.
   

Apologies for all the photos, but I spent quite a while searching the forum (and beyond) trying to figure out what to do with what I thought was a dropped hinge, so I hope this might be of help to anyone looking at a similar problem.

Finally, with the hinge sorted, it was a fairly simple job to then fill in the square trim holes and break out the lead once again to finish the job off. Ground back a couple of suspect areas while we were there, but the door is actually very sound, thanks again to someone's judicious use of wax and bitumin in the past. Mind you, that stuff does get bl***y hot when you're welding next to it, and once it's on the move it sticks like the proverbial to a blanket, or in my case, my fingertips!



....till next time...

Flying Carpet

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #16 on: September 26, 2019, 08:12:19 PM »
Oh boy, that was a long break...   :$

I can tell the passage of time by the fact that KJ is now as tall as me and shaving too!
After a (nearly) two year hiatus due to building and projects of the two wheeled variety, we have finally got back to our little project...

First tackled the rear hatch which was basically sound but had suffered in the corner...

 

Then all the trim holes in the rear panel needed filling in...



...and new seat mounts fabricated...


 


and then finish stripping the interior and prepping for paint...

   

   



...just in time to take advantage of the late summer sunshine. Two coats of epoxy primer later, and it looks like we're getting closer!
   



Seems ages since we were at this stage - perhaps that's because it is(!), but we're slowly making progress...




Now a lot of hand flatting to do but might leave that until it's dry again, and instead make a start on stripping down the engine!  :P
 

andyzeetec

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #17 on: September 26, 2020, 06:20:42 PM »
How are you getting on with this,  very interesting restoration  :good:

Flying Carpet

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #18 on: October 03, 2020, 04:27:39 PM »
Thanks!
A bit embarrassed by the date of my last post, but we are getting there slowly...!  :$

Got the engine stripped down over winter; despite low miles the bearings and rings still need replacing so I guess lots of short trips in previous ownership. Hopefully I've now got all the parts I need to get it back together.


The big news is on the bodywork. Thanks to excellent spring weather it's now very green indeed, and now known as Kermit  :D



Now the fun bit - putting it all back together again!
Wiring is in, dash back together, and luggage bay is starting to come together.
Doors reassembled and today running new brake line front to back, hooked up to new master cylinder.





Next up (I think) will be glass in, cooling system, interior, outer panels, lights, suspension, brakes ....
oh, and get that engine rebuilt - still a long way to go!  ::)



Guldbergdk

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #19 on: October 04, 2020, 11:30:50 AM »
Woow. Im envy on that body work.

I finally put my bis engine in after it has gone though a full rebuild.

If you dont insist on keeping it stock, have a look at this filter. I 3D printed a mount for it to fit the carb.

https://da.classiccarbs.co.uk/produkt/los-ramflo-luft-filter-classic-Stromberg-zenith-cd150-carbs

andyzeetec

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #20 on: October 04, 2020, 06:30:25 PM »
Kermit is certainly looking the Bizz. :good:

It's good to see it all coming together. For me the giveaway on the time between posts was the pics of your son, getting taller.

These things take an awfull lot of time and effort, but if a jobs worth doing.......

Keep it coming.



« Last Edit: October 04, 2020, 09:06:46 PM by andyzeetec »

shielsy

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #21 on: October 04, 2020, 09:35:16 PM »
SAME COLOUR AS THE BORN FIND

Flying Carpet

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #22 on: January 04, 2021, 12:34:06 PM »
So, made some progress with a few days off over Xmas (Happy New Year btw), and after getting the doors back on last night thought I would avoid the subzero windchill and instead provide an update...

Got a new master cylinder fitted and ran Kunifer pipe throughout. A set of nice new handbrake cables came with the car so they were going on, along with new rear wheel cylinders. Front is now running discs with Cinq callipers.


At the back the refurbished tripods went on with some new Fiat Coupe bump stops, the old ones had turned to dust!


On the engine front, a set of new main bearings, new con rod bearings and new rings brought all the clearances back within factory specification...



...topped off with a copper head gasket and new thermostat as part of the overheating insurance policy.


Back to the body, added a layer of sound deadening before refitting the carpets,


then in with the seats, headlining and funky new seat belts (thank you Santa!)


Wheels were prepped and painted earlier while the weather was a bit warmer!


Got the panels on and glass in, then noticed a nasty chip in the windscreen  :o) - fortunately found a replacement screen within striking distance of home (thanks Pete) so swapped them over. So doors on and latches fitted brings us up to date for now...


...so next up is finding the gearbox, hook up to the engine and throw it in! Shouldn't take too long should it?  :$  :lol:


andyzeetec

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #23 on: January 04, 2021, 12:58:26 PM »
wow, great write up  :good:

Flying Carpet

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #24 on: January 04, 2022, 08:52:18 PM »
So, thought I would provide a long overdue update and noticed it’s been exactly a year since my last one!

In short, pleased to report mission accomplished – car completed in time, ready for son to drive having passed his test…

… but there’s been a bit more to it than that, so to pick up where I last finished off…




With the running gear in place, I found the new petrol tank was a complete pig to install. It was fine on a trial fit before the rear tripod installed and needed a bit of adjustment to the flange to get it in place. Otherwise, it was all fairly straightforward to get the engine and box reunited (with a new clutch plate) and bolted up with a pair of new gearbox mounts (another bonus that came with the car).







A bit of fiddling then ensued with distributor (tracked down to dodgy condenser), but still didn’t want to start until I eventually realised I’d got the timing wrong. Finally got it running for the first time in over a decade!



Electrics were a bit problematic after years of inactivity and corrosion, but after replacing all the fuses and most of the relays, including the intermittent wiper relay (from a Lancia Beta) managed to get most of the electric and warning lights functioning properly – amazing for an Italian car!



Chucked the DIM/DIP relay in the bin and fitted some LED running lights for better visibility – doesn’t help the driver as still have the same rubbish headlights. Also discovered my new headlights (another gift with the car) were LHD so will maybe look to swap lenses in the future. Also on the LED theme, fitted an LED reverse / fog light under the rear bumper since the original plastic ones have been replaced with chrome.

It needed a new wiper motor and the starter motor had to come out again to replace the brushes and bush but now operates like new.

Was conscious that cooling was the weak spot on these engines so wanted to make sure the fan was operating properly – the original resistor fell to bits and the one in my spares box was no better, so managed to find a good alternative – Fiat Punto two speed resistor now gives us two fan speeds and have fitted a dash indicator light to show when fan is operating (which is reassuring).

So finally got the MoT in May 2021, over twenty years since its last one! Time for a few shakedown miles and then fast-forward to July and son passes his driving test, so finally able to go out and enjoy it!






All going to plan until our first big trip up to RetroRides two weeks later when we got rear ended at a roundabout.

Subsequently, a VERY long wait for insurance bodyshop to repair the damage (good job though), but at long last here we are at the start of 2022 and we have our car back again good as new (well as new as a thirty year old car gets!).



It was a bit of an unknown at first but totally love this little car. Ok, it’s not going to set the road alight but the handling is brilliant and it never fails to raise a smile! 








« Last Edit: January 04, 2022, 10:29:58 PM by Flying Carpet »

Bar Vitelli

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #25 on: January 05, 2022, 09:09:47 PM »
Stunning work, well done!
Every cloud has one...

pietschokkenbroek

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Re: KJ's 126 BIS
« Reply #26 on: January 11, 2022, 11:58:43 AM »
Wow, very nice. great work! :good: