at the beginning of the 90s i used to run an old 280SE as an everyday car and wanted something a bit smaller as a "lifeboat" for when the Merc was in the drydock. Someone i knew had a Fiat 126 De Ville for sale for around a ton with a short MOT; i did not actually know what a 126 was at the time but later discovered someone over the road from me had a Black limited edition 126 in their back yard, which the wife thought was really cute and even said she would learn to drive if i got one aswell, so I went for it.
the car was about 40 miles from where i lived so i got a bus over there and drove it back, ufortunatly the clutch died on the way home (because of this i got the car for 50 notes). I called the AA out and got the car home, changing the clutch was a very easy job, and with a little welding the car was easily put through its MOT (again an easy job as i had my own MIG that i used to rebuild the Merc), and once i had put the davits on the back of the 280 i had my perfect lifeboat (not realy but the Fiat was so tiny it could have been mounted on davits).
the merc ended up in dry dock for a few years (the rustproofing on the merc was even worse that that of the Fiat) so the Fiat was my main transport, including a daily comute of 25 miles on high speed reads with up to 4 passengers (yes at times this little car had five adults jammed in), after a while getting there it managed to cruise happily at 70 provided there where no hills. and it was a brilliant vehicle in the snow (provided you where well dressed for the winter) with its rear egnine rear wheel drive and narrow tyres.
In fact the little blue car was so good i put the merc on classic car insurance and used the 126 as an everyday car. after about 2 years i lost 1st and reverse, so got the box off the car over the road, stripped the 2 boxes down and made a good one out of the best bits from the 2, and all was well for a while longer, later the timming chain broke and although I put a new one in the engine never ran as sweet. later i got hold of the black limited edition, and used it as a doner car (the car was rotton although it did have a new floor in it), using the engine (which was an absolute peach) this "new" engine often took the car off the clock on the way home from work. The doner car had lights with reversing lights built in to the rear light clusters and a switch on this gear changing mechanism which i put on the blue car (i did not use the seats with head rests as they where pretty roppy and the black interior in my blue car was perfect), i also got hold of a full length wabasto sunroof which i also put on the Fiat, eventually i sold the little blue car when i got hold of an X1/9 and sold the black car fitted with the old engine to a farmer for his young son to use as a field car. The x1/9 was a dog and i regreted getting rid of the 126.
Acouple of years later i was passing a showroom with my wife and there was a little white BIS for sale, "if we get that, I'll definatly learn to drive" says the wife (she did not bother to learn in the blue car as i effectivly took it over). I got it and drove it to my garrage and left it there, my wife never got the nerve to drive, and now has deceded not to. After a while the car would not start although it still turned over. After some detective work i traced the problem to a inoperative fuel pump, a trip to the loacal Fiat dealer got me a new one and the car started no problem, I now had the car for 9 years and only done a few hundred miles in it. the MOT has run out but i'll get a new one this summer and get it out of the garage where it has been all the time it has been with me. The car is vitually rust free, has had a new gearbox fitted while in my care, comes with a fully stamped FIAT service manual along with loads of history and has done 40,000 miles.
I have a full length wabasto sun foof to fit to this one aswell, and am looking to fit alloys, but need some advice here. What alloys will fit straight on without needing any body mods and do they need longer studs and/or special wheel nuts. I am looking at some X1/9 alloys and some off a 850 Coupe, will either of these wheels fit and can i use the standard tyres on them?
