Club126UK

Welcome to the CLUB126UK Forum => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: Eklipze3k on January 02, 2009, 01:23:54 PM

Title: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 02, 2009, 01:23:54 PM
Greetings all from Elgin! I don't own a 126 yet, but am going to look at one this weekend hopefully ... currently drive a Seicento, which will remain my daily driver. Given the condition of the 126 I'm going to view, I'm hoping to keep it as a show car in near original condition.

The 'cento:
(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/1933/DSC001387.JPG)

The 126 I'm looking to buy:
(http://file043a.bebo.com/3/large/2008/04/27/15/13917239a7574753351l.jpg)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Gordan on January 02, 2009, 01:57:04 PM
Hello Eklipze3k!  (-*

that 126 looks really nice, just wondering about the price? its just the look im after, thin bumpers, and i see it has the special rear lights too... Id say go for it... oh and dump the seicento, its soo not fun...  :D ;)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: defender90 on January 02, 2009, 02:29:17 PM

 Welcome 

Nice looking 126, I agree with Gordan why run 2 cars use the 126 as everyday transport, you can still keep it in great condition.

 Kev
Mcr. UK
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 02, 2009, 02:33:41 PM
Getting it for £400, currently not running and no tax or MOT but seller had it running fairly recently and reckons it should just be a case of new plugs/leads so I'll be replacing the oil/fuel filters too.

It's an A-reg with only 31k on the clock so the engine should still be good otherwise. From what I've read, I assume this would make it the 650cc aircooled version, as opposed to a BIS? Anything particular I should look out for when I go to view it? Cheers!

As far as "why run 2 cars" ... I can so I will   </2 :P
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Gordan on January 02, 2009, 03:07:06 PM
400 sounds a lot, but if its good....
oh and you dont change the oil filter on one of these babys, it has a centrifugal filter which you just clean and put back, fairly simple job. Im a BIS owner myself so cant be of much help with aircooled models but i can tell you to inspect the bodywork for rust in all the usual places.
Which production year is it by the way, is it an original Italian fiat or a Polish FSM? id love to see a few more pics if you have.
Cheers,,,
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: ChrisRLewis on January 02, 2009, 03:13:58 PM
Welcome to the forum!

The 126 that you have your eye on does look like a nice motor and with the alloys it sets it off nicely! Main problems are dodgy gearboxes especially 1st gear, bodywork rust and the kingpins (common fail on the mot test) so check them out!

any other advise just ask we are a friendly bunch here  ;)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 02, 2009, 03:15:04 PM
According to the DVLA, it was first registered in Dec '83.
I have seen some other pics of it but can't remember where they are just now. Good to hear the oil filter is an easy job at least :)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: dajwid on January 02, 2009, 03:23:31 PM
Good to hear the oil filter is an easy job at least :-X

Not exactly what he said ;D

Car looks nice, Price Ok. Remember rust!  Check floor, inner wings..... It will have rust, just hope for as little as poss.

As for the wheels, dump them! (in my back garden) They really look nice :)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Dom on January 02, 2009, 04:08:03 PM
From that picture, it certainly looks nice and £400 isn't bad at all. The prices are always varying, but it looks pretty solid. Those wheels and tyres alone would probably cost a good £100. Considering people are selling engines alone for over 3 times the price, scoring a whole car can't be bad  [-/

The only worry is, that is something more serious is wrong with it. General mechanicals can be solved very cheaply and avoid taking it to a mechanic, just follow some of the advice from the good people of this site  :D

Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Gordan on January 02, 2009, 05:14:53 PM
Whats so hard about cleaning the oil filter? Support the engine, remove the rear valance, unscrew, clean and put back altogether... its the easyest thing ive done on my bis, and i doubt its any harder on the aircooled. Well its not the same as modern day unscew and replace, but as far as work on a 126 is concerned its just basic screwing/unscrewing...
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 12, 2009, 10:10:15 AM
Went to view it last night and good news, the boy got it running :)

Bad news, it cost me a few more pennies because of it - agreed on £500 in the end. But it's immaculate, not a patch of rust visible anywhere and only one small bubble in the paint on the drivers door where rust may form.

As it has no tax though I couldn't drive it away, so am going back next weekend to pick it up with the ol' Bland Rover and will get some pics once it's home :D
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 14, 2009, 11:22:08 PM
Meant to ask as well, when he was starting it he was playing with some wee levers behind the gearstick. So I don't look like a complete pleb, can anyone tell me what they're for and how to operate them?

Bear in mind that I've only been driving a few years and the only cars I've driven are modern FIAT's ;)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Dickie524 on January 15, 2009, 12:06:03 AM
One's the Choke.  You'll need it full on (ie pulled right back towards the back seat) to start from cold. 

The other lever depends on the age of the car. 

If yours is of a certain age, it will be to engage the starter solenoid.  It all happens on the key on modern cars - and indeed on later aircooled 126's.  Pull it back, turn the key, and knock it out when the engine fires up.

If it's a later aircooled, its just for the heater.  (It'll be marked with a red arrow if so...)
Keep this on full the whole time, you'll need it!
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 15, 2009, 12:16:20 AM
Cheers Dickie, it's an '83 so am gonna assume it's the solenoid since he was fiddling with both whilst starting it.

Oh, and have your first karma for that too :D
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Dickie524 on January 16, 2009, 12:15:59 AM
Cheers very much - I've never had a Karma before!!!

Good luck with it,

Rich

(PS - you're in a lovely part of the world - I was in Forres for a few months and loved it!)  Lots of nice open roads to enjoy your 126 on!
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 18, 2009, 02:53:30 PM
I'm sorry but I'm too lazy to write it all out again  :o

http://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/177110-eklipze3ks-latest-toy.html
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Paulh81 on January 18, 2009, 03:19:33 PM
hi, sweet looking car mate, whos is the scirocco in the background?? i have a 1.8 mk2 scala in my collection...

also, theres a guy on the scirocco website with the reg: FUT...  any relation??? lol

keep smiling  8)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Gordan on January 18, 2009, 03:25:11 PM
Loving the black little thing, absolutely beautiful...  [-/ [-/
A q or two: Is the color original (looks stunning  :oops:)
                What size are the tires? they look a bit "chunky" on the pics, but it could be just me...  :P

Anyway, hope shell keep you smiling for a long time...  :D :D

p.s. hope you've now realized how much fun the 126 is compared to the ever so average seicento  8) 8)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 18, 2009, 05:44:35 PM
It used to be that sort of off white, beige colour I think. But the respray has been done very well from what I can tell, only issue I now have is that I've spotted a small dent by the FIAT badge on the front so gonna have to do something about that :(

The Scirocco is my bro's, he also has a Mk2 Golf which he is in process of upgrading with various things which are far too technical for me :P

I'm not sure about the tyres, I haven't looked at the dimensions and it's too cold to go outside just now  :oops:
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Gordan on January 18, 2009, 08:06:13 PM
all is well  :D [-/
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: stuey on January 18, 2009, 09:57:25 PM
Just so we can all see it in its full glory I bring you the joys of quote then copy and paste from the fiatforum.... ;)

Quote from: Eklipze3k;1907926
Bought myself a new toy over the weekend. My phone doesn't really do it justice so will get some better pictures soon.

It's a 1983 FIAT 126 652cc Aircooled, with just shy of 31k on the clock. Not a patch of rust to be seen anywhere and the engine is beautiful. Only things needing looked at are the brakes and the choke, but she starts drives and stops which are the 3 most important things in my book :thumb:

It's provisionally named SR-71 for now. Drove it back from Strichen yesterday (about 1.5hrs) and couldn't stop smiling the full way, was getting looks from everyone!

(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/2079/DSC0000912.JPG)
(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/2079/DSC0000815.JPG)
(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/2079/DSC0001016.JPG)
(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/2079/DSC0001110.JPG)
(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/2079/DSC0001212.JPG)
(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/2079/DSC0001319.JPG)
(http://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/data/2079/DSC0001413.JPG)
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: stuey on January 18, 2009, 09:58:12 PM
oh and I likes it lots!!!!!  :D
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Eklipze3k on January 18, 2009, 10:19:00 PM
lol, thanks stuey  [-/
Title: Re: Greetings from the North
Post by: Gordan on January 19, 2009, 05:53:15 AM
love the brake lights too, i have a pair of those brand new, dk if im gunna put em on, or go transparent modern style  :P