Club126UK
Fiat 126 Chat => Your Restorations => Topic started by: jonny126 on May 20, 2013, 11:14:05 PM
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Hey guys. Last summer I put up a few pics of a BIS me and my girlfriend bought, with the intention of fixing him up and getting him on the road. Well, we bought it, and upon further inspection, there was MUCH more filler and other things in the body work that was hidden surprisingly well!
I knew the wings were pretty dodgy at the top, but no biggy. After taking the bumpers off, a lot of rust was hidden behind it, as well as a fair few holes. Anyway, out came the grinder to take some of the rust back. Was coming out a little to powdery for rust . . . whole front panel, up to an inch thick of filler in some places. Oh dear oh dear.
So that's where it ended for a good while with lack of money, uni, another project and work all getting in the way. We've now moved, now with space, a garage with power and time to do work. I cracked on again and started stripping the interior and old carpet. Apart from the wings and front panel, the rest isnt really that bad. It must have been in a shunt at some point, as the rear LH light was filler and bonded on. Couple of bits need doing in the interior and the boot but bar that the underside is pretty sound.
Heres some pics of the most recent tinkering. Ive tried to find the old pics but photobucket has made them disappear . . .
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/jonovlov/fiat%20126/20130516_153038_zpsc1d20093.jpg) (http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jonovlov/media/fiat%20126/20130516_153038_zpsc1d20093.jpg.html)
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/jonovlov/fiat%20126/20130516_171056_zpse39d14bd.jpg) (http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jonovlov/media/fiat%20126/20130516_171056_zpse39d14bd.jpg.html)
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/jonovlov/fiat%20126/20130516_172555_zpsf1ec08d0.jpg) (http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jonovlov/media/fiat%20126/20130516_172555_zpsf1ec08d0.jpg.html)
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/jonovlov/fiat%20126/20130516_172137_zpsed075ab6.jpg) (http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jonovlov/media/fiat%20126/20130516_172137_zpsed075ab6.jpg.html)
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/jonovlov/fiat%20126/20130516_171107_zpsfc39121b.jpg) (http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jonovlov/media/fiat%20126/20130516_171107_zpsfc39121b.jpg.html)
Tried an odd banded steel on the car, looks good!
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/jonovlov/fiat%20126/20130516_174520_zpsdd188081.jpg) (http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jonovlov/media/fiat%20126/20130516_174520_zpsdd188081.jpg.html)
So plans first and foremost are to get him roadworthy (welding, new panels and bushes). I'll then make up a front lower wishbone kit as well as sort some wheels, sort out and tidy the interior too as the seats are pretty tatty. I'll try and keep things updated! :D
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gosh it will be a lighter car ;D
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ha ha! It'll certainly be a bit lighter without all the filler!!
A little more progress today, got half the floor finished for welding, need to get a welder now . . .
Also threw some petrol in and tried to get him running. I'll put a vid up in a sec.
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this may help regarding the welder
http://club126uk.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=8045.0
id best update that thread
;D great progress
f
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Thanks for the link bud, it should prove useful!!
Well progress has halted some what again, mainly due to money but mostly due to me having a disagreement with a grinder/slitting disc, and me then needing 8 staples in my shin. Fail. Anyway, I got straight back on the horse the next day and cut the front off the fiat. Wont go any further until I manage to buy some panels, so I know where to cut/weld. I dont want to get stuck and find Ive removed too much material.
(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/jonovlov/fiat%20126/DSC_0030_zpse81f86a7.jpg) (http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/jonovlov/media/fiat%20126/DSC_0030_zpse81f86a7.jpg.html)
I need to grind back the last of the sound deadening, and once I've got some gas I'll start welding up the floor.
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:o ouch
hope your repairing well sounds bad
those spot weld drills arn't that bad for removing wings (if that's your next destruction,) once spot weld centre popped first
if the angle grinder misbehaves
nice pictures by the way
heard today from 'this morning' another heat wave coming ;D
keep safe
f
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dont give up on it I was here a while back -
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cheekos10/Photo0082.jpg)
its worth it when you drive it again!
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cheers for the support guys! Glad to see its all been done before. So for the wings just drill the spot welds eh? Just the first skin or all the way through?
Stuey, thats exactly how mine will end up. I've never driven one before though, so don't know what they're like to drive! Should be entertaining.
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Use a spot weld drill and only through the first layer. Once the bit is off grind the remaining spot weld off to fit the new part.
Ralph
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Cheers Ralph thats a great help.
Ive had a pretty hectic summer, ended up having to leave the place we'd just moved into as the landlords suddenly got a divorce. Sometimes it cant be helped but blimey we'd only been there 2 months!
Anyway, moving house sapped all the spare funds, so apart from buying and steering wheel, boss and moving him to the new place nothing has happened. Nothing will until I finish uni properly in late May. I can still buy bits here and there but I want to get the course over and done with first!!
On the up side, the new place has a double garage, so plenty of late winter nights can be spent tinkering away in the dry. Some pics.
(http://i.imgur.com/qNAjxDp.jpg) (http://imgur.com/qNAjxDp)
(http://i.imgur.com/QsumkuM.jpg) (http://imgur.com/QsumkuM)
(http://i.imgur.com/xjk9Ecy.jpg) (http://imgur.com/xjk9Ecy)
Oh before I forget. Ages ago I bought a new switch column as the original had all the stalks snapped off. I bought the replacement of a G reg BIS but the wires were cut, and are different to the ones in my car. Are there different wiring looms for different BIS? Or is it just an early/late thing? I only ask as supposedly they were both G reg cars. . .
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Nice project car, glad to see you've got somewhere dry to work on it. Don't give up, it's worth it in the end I've rebuilt VW beetles way worse than that. Gd luck :)
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Small small update, made a pool ball gear knob for the fiat and the volvo.
(http://i.imgur.com/HCFgTBe.jpg) (http://imgur.com/HCFgTBe)
Nothing on the bodywork yet. Come April I should be free to really get cracking on it. Can't wait.
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Well I'm bordering hand ins for uni so I've started ordering lots of bits for the 126. Engine parts, panels, king pin kit, bushes, all ready for when I finish uni so I can get cracking. Got a friend coming round with 2 welders in April, and the girlfriend is away for the weekend so weldathon ahoy!! Only needed front wings and front panel. The bonnet is in dire need of being thrown away but I couldn't stretch to get a replacement at this point. It'll hold its shape for an MOT ha ha. If anyone knows of one going please let me know!
I popped some 13x8 ET -10 wellers on, which when lowered, will suit the car something awesome, though some arches will be needed! I will of course be going for a smaller profile and width tyre, probably 165/55. It'll be quite a stretch but will fit under the arches fine with modification. I'm ok with with modifying the body as its far from mint condition!
(http://i.imgur.com/g4aJNMS.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/dH5FqMy.jpg)
Needs the jacking points done and a patch on the sill and rear RH quarter, as well as replacement metal behind the front panel, and a battery box. Got that ordered too.
I literally cannot wait to begin work properly. I'd love to get it going for the gathering, but we'll see. I'm not aiming for any sort of time, as I dont get on well with deadlines. Looking forward to driving it, no idea how it'll drive!
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Oh one other thing, does anyone know how to stop the whole gear lever rotating around? Nothing is undoing, but it just keeps spinning.
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Oh one other thing, does anyone know how to stop the whole gear lever rotating around? Nothing is undoing, but it just keeps spinning.
Snap!
My gearknob has Abarth printed on it and OCD comes into full force when everytime I change gear it spins round a bit! Grrr ;D
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Ha ha! Well at least I'm not the only one.
I might see if I can weld a tab or put a locating pin in it somewhere to stop it doing it. Yeah, its really annoying.
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Guh, front panel I ordered ended up being an EL one. Not the one in the picture! Hopefully I can get a refund and sort another one out in time for april.
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What is the difference in Front Panel?
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Second ridge, halfway up the headlights on the original. The one I received is an EL (?) With a flatter front. I'll get a pic up in a bit to show the difference.
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Oh one other thing, does anyone know how to stop the whole gear lever rotating around? Nothing is undoing, but it just keeps spinning.
Same here...
i've given up on it being aligned :)
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Ha! A common problem I see.
I've decided to keep the front panel now. It didnt cost too much and after offering it up to the car, seems good without the bumper on. It'll need some work itself though, quality is a little iffy.
Parts are turning up thick and fast now. Got new points and condenser, rubber bushes, king pin kit, wings, plugs, leads, filters, all to go on. Not much else to do other than wait until I'm free to begin work on the beast.
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Made a list of everything that needs to be done. Nearly ran out of room!
(http://i.imgur.com/5XTLL5W.jpg)
Fitted most of the service bits like plugs and leads. I'll do the points and condenser once I have the thing running and can get it to my mate who's a wiz at older ignition bits. It does run ok at the moment so don't want to ruin it by fitting something I'm not familiar with.
Ordered some other bits just, breather filter for the oil cap section, new fuel hose, perishables mostly.
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Im 3 years down the line and my list is still that long- but keep going you'll get there.. ;D
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...gotta love cars with big lists 8)
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yeah just keep chipping away. Like everything there'll always be something else to sort. Got a good week to just work on this thing none stop, so in THEORY a lot of it should be sorted. Ha ha we'll see.
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Gave in two dissertation reports today, treated myself to some time on the BIS. Whipped the rear panel off and gave the oil filter a good clean. Real simple job to be honest, so long as you ignore the sheared bolts, ha ha . . .
(http://i.imgur.com/axHNMpT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/M7BP3Sd.jpg)
Mmmm mucky. The oil must have been in the engine since it was hauled up. Its a good few years old, but surprisingly still oil like. A good sign I guess. A good dose of engine flush wont go a miss when I get round to changing the oil.
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(http://i.imgur.com/t3aOqLM.jpg) (http://imgur.com/t3aOqLM)
Replaced the gearbox mounts, as, well, they didnt hold anything any more.
Also replaced the tie rods, and considering they were a good 25 years old with half that time being spent outside in a garden, they were pretty bloody easy to get off! I allowed a good hour to do one side, ended up doing the pair in 30 minutes ha ha!
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Well coursework is over, so I went to town on the BIS.
Mounted a gauge and kill switch in place of the ashtray. The gauge was 70% off, and was water temp so figured it'd be handy!
(http://i.imgur.com/QpMEL2w.jpg)
Had a fight with the bearings, they lost
(http://i.imgur.com/ROwxeHV.jpg)
painted and fitted the disc conversion brackets up front
(http://i.imgur.com/kXHaO32.jpg)
Had a fight with the ali mounting blocks, only got one off. Spring is off though ready for cleaning and greasing. I might try the polish technique of lowering too.
Ive done a lot of other faffy bits too, annoyingly can't afford any welding gas until the end of the month, so no welding, which is pretty much "all" it needs now. Ha yeah right.
(http://i.imgur.com/10izlqf.jpg)
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Mounted a gauge and kill switch in place of the ashtray. The gauge was 70% off, and was water temp so figured it'd be handy!
(http://i.imgur.com/QpMEL2w.jpg)
Very clever work there. :good:
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Cheers Kowalski!
Managed to do a load more work on the fiat today.
Got the other side's ali mounting block off ok, I'll skim them down on monday. Rebuilt the leaf spring too, greased it all and swapped leaf 12 to the bottom to see how it looks/feels.
Also managed to fit some speakers in the door cards, the quality will no doubt be pretty poor, but they were 3 quid car boot sales ones, and I was a big fan of the 80's look! Shame the door cards are utterly buggered. It'll be simple enough to make some replacements though.
(http://i.imgur.com/EsORccJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/jWARMNA.jpg)
Also started taking the LH wing off. I have no idea what I'm doing. I've tried the spot weld drill bit and nothing seems to want to give. I'm going to put the body work off until I can get a mate round who's far more familiar with the stuff!
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With regards to the leaf spring and lowering, I've managed to get some measurements to start fabbing up a lower wishbone conversion, which should be pretty easy to put together. Only costly bit will be the coilovers. I'm looking into existing short pin-pin coilovers but can't find any yet.
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start fabbing up a lower wishbone conversion, which should be pretty easy to put together.
I am looking onto viable solutions for my 126 too.
I'm not in a hurry as I don't want to rush things.
I'd consider reinforcing the suspension domes before gathering up the parts.
I plan to attend some 500-126 events on track this year. I will try to spot interesting setups there, then maybe post some interesting photos here. It's going to be in september though; the majority of races are a long way from where i live.
Personally i wouldn't touch a nicely set up leaf spring without chassis mods.
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Would be cool to see other methods. I've had a look around on what other people have done, and they all seem relatively similar in set up. I was planning on putting some triangulation onto the top struts like someone did on here, I think it was the lad who was doing the alfa engine swap. Other than that, the conversion is more for aesthetics and getting it suitably low for what I want. Its an excuse to make something up too!
Let me know if/what you find out. I can always change design if it doesn't work, it's all about testing!
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If you just want to lower it check out stuey's car. He has the original suspension set up but has managed a three and a half inch drop. We put his nose to nose with mine and measured it. He has a photo somewhere. They are so light at the front that it is hard to get springs soft enough. I think the unsprung weight of the front is less than 200kg's so only around 90kg's a corner. Honda c50 rear springs would probably do.
Marc
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Thanks Marc I'll give stuey a shout. I was thinking if I did go for coilies I wouldnt need anything too hard!
I managed to faf around a bit today, nothing much happened other than mocking stuff up. Threw the wellers on the front without the front leaf on it it looks pretty rad! The panel and lights are just resting at the moment.
(http://i.imgur.com/mL5t9LI.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1woXt54.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/5CAGnVG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/h2FLl3J.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/II9wJc2.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/rENhtj6.jpg)
Here's a shot of the old wing's underside. Crusty crusty!
(http://i.imgur.com/ykawo0B.jpg)
Oh I got it running too. I'll pop a vid up of that soon, but its not too interesting. It just sort of works. Needs a bit of work on the idle as it seems to struggle a but. Either way, its got oil pressure, fuel, a clean fuel filter and charge. The only downside is either the stat is stuck or the rad's blocked. Hot top pipes with pressure and naf all in the bottom ones. I'll investigate that tomorrow.
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Managed to machine down the leaf spring mounting blocks today and re-mount the spring, which I re-arranged as I re-greased it. It's lower but not much, as I expected to be honest. It looks like a coilover conversion is the only way to go!
(http://i.imgur.com/OYEnW1n.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/egjsFkK.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/NOiCwVa.jpg)
I copper greased them just to be safe and try and prevent them corroding to the steel again!
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Nice work on the blocks, I'm thinking of a coil over job on mine too, making my own lower control arms and bar to fit across the middle, like it's been mentioned it's finding sprtings soft enough, will the rear 500 coilovers work on the front maybe :/
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How much did you shave off the blocks? I'm thinking of doing this to mine. I've already fitted the reverse eye spring which has brought it down a wee bit but not as much as I thought.
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The rears should work so long as they're threaded both ends. I've found that the ones available are pretty pricey. I was looking at AVO shocks and their universal ones come in at about 90-100 each, which isnt bad. I reckon a 150lb spring would be ok. still pretty stiff though, but seeing as the wheel width im going for is a bit extreme i'll need less body roll. They must be able to do softer spring rates too, just depends on length. For everyday use something softer would be a lot more usable!
The block measures 33.5mm height, I got it down to 20mm so a drop of 13.5mm. Not huge, and doing that swapping leafs around saw very little change.
I'll ring AVO tomorrow if I remember and ask about the coilies.
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How did you get your lights to sit like that? Looks good
Marc
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Looking Gooood. :good:
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Cheers guys! Marc, the lights I just rested on the front panel, didnt fasten them to anything so thats how they sat. I may well see if I can mount them that way, it looks quite cool! Could go the other way and slightly angle the inside down, bozo style.
We'll see.
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A little more work done on the fiat, a nice payday spending spree saw me with a good few bits needed for sorting stuff out as well as prepping for welding. Got a good size welding rented welding bottle, but couldnt find a regulator or shrouds around my area. I'll get some tomorrow and start welding when I can.
I managed to sort some brake discs out, studs, and new rear wheel cylinders and shoes. Brake lines where understandably seized so chopped them off. I'll make some new lines at some point. The fluid smelled really weird, understandable when its been in there for years, never smelt anything like it though. Got some wobble bolts and spigot rings for the wellers too.
(http://i.imgur.com/AZaSOyD.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ja1qbsI.jpg)
Also got some pressed ali plates made up
(http://i.imgur.com/AjLrH72.jpg)
Oh, managed to snap my vice after a few months of use. I'll be welding it back together, good bit of practice!
(http://i.imgur.com/l7dy67H.jpg)
Cinq calipers and pads should be turning up soon, have talked to AVO about coilover shocks for the front and they say 80 quid + VAT so not bad really. A damn sight cheaper than the other sets I've seen!
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Hi any more info on the front AVO shocks, I am thinking on changing over as well.
Ralph
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If you just want to lower it check out stuey's car. He has the original suspension set up but has managed a three and a half inch drop. We put his nose to nose with mine and measured it. He has a photo somewhere. They are so light at the front that it is hard to get springs soft enough. I think the unsprung weight of the front is less than 200kg's so only around 90kg's a corner. Honda c50 rear springs would probably do.
Marc
this pic :D
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/cheekos10/ba7fac74.jpg) (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/cheekos10/media/ba7fac74.jpg.html)
nice work by the way- its looking awesome- ive cut my blocks since this pic as well so its lower at the front..
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Hey Ralph nothing yet as just wanted a price at first. I'll let you know as soon as things develop.
Cheers Stuey, not sure at that point its low enough though ha ha!
A little more progress on the fiat. I wired in a rain light to act as a fog light, which I reckon looks pretty cool. I didn't like the standard one and the LEDs are very bright.
Fashioned up a bracket from sheet which'll be neatened up and sprayed, but it seems to work well.
(http://i.imgur.com/tvQF2Dk.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/C9MRNoY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/dhnSyiO.jpg)
Hoping to do more body work now the welder is all sorted this week and at the weekend. Ive got the doors off in prep for the rest of the wing removal, and then its all buzzy buzzy.
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Did a bit of welding on the jacking points (the only mid chassis sections needing it, surprisingly)
(http://i.imgur.com/3JalnW5.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/b4ExyRk.jpg)
I got the other wing off, nearly chopped off my fingers in the process though. Looks like it was crashed in a previous life, a little wibbly wobbly on the inner panel. It'll need beating back or replacing.
(http://i.imgur.com/E6xgCUs.jpg)
Fanned out the inner wings to get more clearance for the wider wheels. I'll be running smaller lower profile tyres so clearance will increase even more. I'll weld them up once I've sorted the front suspension and put the smaller tyres on.
(http://i.imgur.com/bZkgRkll.jpg)
Also managed to get the rad out and thermostat off. Safe to say the stat is buggered, and the water pump propeller isnt looking great . . .
(http://i.imgur.com/jBvjiSt.jpg)
It still spins though, but its never coming off in one piece, thats for sure!
Managed to snap one of the spades on the back of the fan housing attached to the resistor pack. I assume its to control fan speed? The one to the top left looks like its been missing for a while.
(http://i.imgur.com/obYttgr.jpg)
I got the rear plate on with some light up mounting bolts I bought off ebay, as I'm running the car bumperless, so dont have anywhere to mount a number plate light. Also had to cut off some old jubilee clips so will be getting some t-bar clips to replace those.
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Good progress! If you take out the fan resistor out of the housing all will become clear. You can easily solder direct to the resistor and feed the wire out through a new drilled hole. Its what I did before I rewired mine completely. Basically the fan runs through this resistor when it first trips in (ie low speed) so you need it working
Keith
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Nice work :D that thing with the rad fan connector is a common thing. It's happened on all of mine. I have a spare but that's the same except only one has snapped. It's a 2 stage switch to let the fan turn at two speeds via the little coil behind it which acts like a ballast resistor zapping power so it turns slower. I don't use mine fortunately the last owner bypassed it with his own switch with just one speed.
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Awesome guys thanks for the tips.
What's the third top left one for then? (the old broken one).
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That's the connection that goes to the fan relay at the front. The fan is permanently live and the earth line from the fan connects to one of the two connections on the other side of the resistor. The second connector on that side goes to the fan switch. When the "low" side of the fan switch activates it fires the relay at the front so the fan earths via the resistor. When the "high" side of the fan switch it earths the fan directly so the fan goes faster. Its a odd design and I rewired mine with twin relays and a fan switch that kicks in about 10 degrees lower!
Keith
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Right, well it should be high time I resurrected this. I finished uni and started a new job, sorted life out etc blah blah and NOW I have bought some replacement panels for the 126. Its been a good year since I touched the Fiat, managed to dig it out beneath the spare parts I've acquired over time. :$
Not long ago I won a boot, 2 doors and a bonnet off of ebay for a total of 40 quid. Not too shabby and it'll save me a lot of welding etc. Plans have changed slightly, and I've removed the "fanning" I did and I'm going for far less ridiculous wheels. The wellers were egg shaped, and so are awful to drive on. I'll band the standard steels to 6j I think or try and find some uno turbo wheels. I'll re-weld the innner arch back in (kicking myself as I should have just left it!). Oh well, lesson learned.
I've managed to source a re-tempered spring from Poland which is on, and have started to weld the wings on (tacked at the moment so I can align things first).
Hopefully there'll be a far shorter time between posts now!
In the meantime I'm trying to find replacement bushes for the upper wishbones. I found some which supposedly were correct but they don't fit. The pivot bolt is a good 13.8mm diameter, and all the BIS bushes state 13mm diameter. Also, they have ridges like the 500 versions, but those state an ID of 12mm. I also can't get the sodding bushes out of the wishbone. Any ideas?
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nice to see this resurrected!
the bushes are a pig- I used a drill bit to drill the rubber then pulled out the steel centre then hacksawed the outer's until they were weak enough to be chiseled out (without cutting the arms themselves...) the real bitch is getting the new ones back in!
welcome back!
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Hi Jonny welcome back ;D there's certainly a lesson in cutting panels then rethinking the plan - think first then think again lol. I've done it before in the past. Not sure why your having bush issues? I didn't know there was different sizes. I've just done mine and I bought the ribbed ones you speak of (see below). I'm lucky in that I own a hydraulic press so pushing them out wasn't to much of a problem. The lower ones however are a different story :o
(http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o272/gadge1/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-10/691FB41E-4F35-4894-A7E4-C9BAFFECA199_zps4r96bohs.jpg) (http://s122.photobucket.com/user/gadge1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-10/691FB41E-4F35-4894-A7E4-C9BAFFECA199_zps4r96bohs.jpg.html)
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Cheers for the reply guys. Glad to see it's not just me then. Yeah I don't know why I'm having trouble sourcing them. If you don't mind Gadge what do your new ones measure up as? Have you got a link of where you got them from?
I have a mate who has a press so might see if I can pop round and use it. Otherwise it'l be a lot of fire, hammering and swearing.
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Well, took me until 2017 to actually get something done! Me and a few friends spent today getting all the panels sorted for the front end. I really have missed a lot out! This is mainly thanks to James as he's persuaded me to drive it around Spain in May! Gave me the kick up the arse needed.
Managed to do the best we could with the cheap re-pro panels. It's not too bad, from a distance. Things need some fetling but that'll be for tomorrow.
You can see how much dust has fallen on the thing since . . .
Happy days. A few things have been done in between too, I've re-built some calipers for the front brake conversion and got some flexi brake lines for the front and rear. I need to make up a short bit of hard line from the RH rear cylinder, but that should be it. New master cylinder is on too.
I found some wheels on ebay which turned out to be Dunlop D1 Style B. Put some tyres on and it's a nice wheel/tyre ratio. I'm surprised how high the front is though considering its a flattened spring and it has chopped down blocks. I'm sure it'll settle so we shall see. Need to chop the rear springs to match too of course. The headlights a loosely in just for the pictures but once I've finished the welding I'll chuck everything on after a quick spray job. For now I just want to get it on the road and use it. I'll spray the wheels too, I'm thinking a gold colour, but that may change. Proper chuffed it has a front end again though. Awesome.
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Where have you been!! :D I thought you'd given up :P
That's excellent work nice to hear your back on it. I know the feeling of things getting on top of you but keep at it, it's worth it. Tell us more about the drive around Spain! ;)
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I've already said it on RR but fantastic work I had to put a new front end on mine and it's a lot to do!
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Cheers guys. Yeah it feels great to actually make some progress. A little miffed though at the moment as the bonnet doesn't want to line up at all. It seems like one side is lower/shorter than the other now throwing things out. Ergh. I'll have to just fit it the best I can.
On the plus side, the brakes are all bled up with the front disc conversion and new hardlines, and it runs! Had to fiddle with the choke on the carb as it had popped off, couldn't start it for ages then I found it had all come apart. Starts real nice now actually.
Helper wife. This was my view of bleeding the front right brake ha ha!Getting there! Note super scene dog guard in the left window I got from a charity shop!
I've got headlights and tail lights too now, and I've converted the fronts to take H4 bulbs. The front has settled a lot more now, and it's too low, so I've ordered some replacement mounting blocks to get it back to a driveable height for me and the missus. I've spaced out the steering wheel by 50mm too as I'm 6ft2" and clout my knees on the steering wheel without the spacer! Perilously close to MOT now. :o
I'm after as well, if anyone has them, the rear parcel shelf rests. I thought I still had the old ones but they've gone walk abouts. . .
Update about the spain trip to follow.
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The brakes are all bled up but there's still some air in there somewhere as it does NOT stop at the moment. Took it for a little spin, just up and down the lane to see how it is. Lovely to drive, bloody tiny! It'll need a new clutch cable, as it's pretty notchy, but it selects all the gears fine and drives good.
I found the parcel shelf trim bits too so a full interior once again. Some pics below of when I took it out of the garage for the first time in god knows how long! Check out how some of the panels actually seem vaguely shiny after a wash. . .
Cute ain't it? Excuse the ductape on the RH headlight, I'm waiting on some plastic clips told it in, as the old ones have crumbled
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Great work and good luck with the trip!
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This is turning out to be a fantastic project :) you have the stance just right with those wheels, is it the tried and tested Abarth Spring and 165/55/13 set up or something new?
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Thanks guys! Yeah it sits well. The front spring is a re-tempered one I bought off ebay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-126-Classic-500-Modified-Lowerering-Front-Leaf-Spring-LOW-/172184834012?fits=Car+Make%3AFiat%7CModel%3A126&hash=item2817040fdc:g:iRgAAOSwgQ9V6-YI
It obviously didn't cost that much of course! But the tyres are 165/55 R13 on a 5J. Really nice profile to be honest. The wheels are going to be a gunmetal grey. It'll just be a rattle can for now, until I can afford to powder coat them properly.
I'll be re-bleeding the brakes at the weekend, and then another test drive. I'v booked the 10th off in anticipation of imminent MOT ha ha! We shall see. I did notice when I did a short drive by vid, that the rear brake lights light up one after the other, so I'll clean up the contacts/check the bulbs etc too.
And I need to sort paint out. Again it'll be rattle can for now, just to get it vaguely presentable, but it might come out ok.
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Cars looking awesome! Was going to go for the same front lowering spring but they seem to be out of stock. Will have to go for the medium one instead. How's the drivability now? And did it settle much lower at all? 😁
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Cars looking awesome! Was going to go for the same front lowering spring but they seem to be out of stock. Will have to go for the medium one instead. How's the drivability now? And did it settle much lower at all? 😁
Hey thanks! Drivability seems fine to be honest. It hasn't settled anymore, so it sits well. I need to put some shorter bump stops in it though!
I only know how it drives as I went to go to the MOT today. I got a few miles away, and then coolant went absolutely everywhere. Still, it did drive quite well!
On the hard shoulder of the M48. Waiting for the 4th emergency service . . .
It's sooooo tiny. Got to kill time somehow. Take pictures!
A friend of mine I hadn't seen in around 4 years spotted me the other way, turned round and came back to see if I was ok. He approved of the BIS despite the breakdown.
Sad car is sad
So, upon diagnosis, it seems the head gasket has gone. Upon reflection, it may well have been "gone" for some time, given as every time I've tried to start him up, it takes a good while, I just thought it was an "hasn't started in a while" thing. The coolant bellows out of the filler cap when running, and it smelt very fumy so yeah. Oh well, not too bad a job to do. I searched on here about head gaskets and oddly a post I put on Gadge's thread said that I'd replace the HG so serves me right for not doing so!
I'm on Axel Gerstl now ordering new seals and gaskets for everything. Seeing as the engine now has to come out I may as well sort everything out. I'll also get some de-scaler and run it through the rad to eliminate all potential problems.
For head torques, I've found a post that states 2 stages: 25nm then 49 nm. Is this correct? Also, is this the "wait a few minutes, re-torque" or is this a "run engine until warm, loosen and re-torque"? With a head skim, is it necessary for me to remove the valves?
On the up side, I bought some NOS shelf speakers for it, and I'll put in a cassette head unit with a hidden aux for period correct look, with added modern flare. They are VERY nice.
Anyway once I've got everything together, plus some time free I'll fix him up.
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Got the engine out at the weekend. Not good news, I'm amazed it ran as happy as it did to be honest! Proper gunky inside. All of the water ways were blocked, and the outlet from the head though the carb mount and to the rad was blocked from start to end. No wonder it overheated. Oh well. I've ordered a new head with the bigger inlet valves, as judging by the original head, it's toast. I'm not even going to bother skimming it, lord knows what the water ways I can't see are like.
Once the new head turns up I'll lob it back together, in the meantime I can strip the rest of the engine and replace the gaskets on everything.
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Whoa! :o that's well gunked up! That red crusty stuff is a result of the incorrect anti freeze mixture (or no antifreeze at all!) corroding the steel liners and the head studs. You'll need to really flush the whole system out, I mean the block, radiator and heater matrix should really by back flushed out with a hose. Even remove the radiator if need be as you'll need to get it ALL out or it'll happen again. Also remove the thermostat as that'll be gunked up too. A BIS cooling system needs to be tip top or it'll blow again :(
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I've never used it myself (yet, but giving it serious consideration) but wonder if once this engine has had the thorough clean through that Gadge rightly strongly recommends, it might benefit from being cooled with Evans Waterless coolant? AIUI this is a blend of glycols, so in crude terms it's wholly anti-freeze without any water. Has anyone on here any experience of it? And how much does it cost?
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I use it in mine drcdb15 :D and it's fantastic stuff (if a little pricey) you first need to drain your old water out and fill the system with prep fluid and run it for a week or so with this in. Prep fluid has chemicals in it that water some how "sticks" to so in theory when you drain in out it removes all traces of water from the system (waterless coolant needs to be 98% water free to work properly I believe) once this has been drained you then pour in the waterless.
It takes a little faffing about to do cleaning all the old stuff out but it's well worth it. It runs up to temp perfectly as water would be because it doesn't boil or expand at 100 degrees there's absolutely NO pressure in the system so when you squeeze the hoses they are soft as if they were cool so there's no pressure on the seals and gaskets again because it doesn't contain oxygen you won't get pockets of steam building up in the system if the temp gets up to 100 degrees.
Price for 5 litres of prep is around £45 and the same for 5 litres of waterless so nearly £100 for a coolant change but it has a lifetime date on it so you can drain it out and re use it again - indeed that's all I do if I drain the system I just pour it back in. It's fantastic stuff :thumbup
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I liked your project and Im waiting for more ;)
But front panel from Elegant :cry:
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Whoa! :o that's well gunked up! That red crusty stuff is a result of the incorrect anti freeze mixture (or no antifreeze at all!) corroding the steel liners and the head studs. You'll need to really flush the whole system out, I mean the block, radiator and heater matrix should really by back flushed out with a hose. Even remove the radiator if need be as you'll need to get it ALL out or it'll happen again. Also remove the thermostat as that'll be gunked up too. A BIS cooling system needs to be tip top or it'll blow again :(
Yeah, thought I'd done a good enough job flushing stuff out, but I was so wring! I wonder if the new coolant circulating round has dislodged gunk and subsequently blocked some paths, but I'll be sure to check every one of them now! I'll be soaking what I can in a descaler so hopefully that'll help. I'll remove the heater matrix too and flush that out and the heater pipes. It hasn't had coolant in it since we got the car, as I knew it shouldn't sit in there for too long. Obviously that's what's happened before we got it and we just didn't know. I'll certainly try the waterless coolant, sounds very beneficial, not just for the Fiat!
And Madd, yeah the front end is wrong I know. This was all I could find though! It looks ok to me, and once it's painted it'll look fine.
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Great interesting read. :good: If you haven't done already you might want to check the 3 way water junction as they block aswell. Checkout pic of mine which I had to replace in the end, thanks to Gadge who had a new one spare.
http://club126uk.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8961.msg65922#msg65922
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Great interesting read. :good: If you haven't done already you might want to check the 3 way water junction as they block aswell. Checkout pic of mine which I had to replace in the end, thanks to Gadge who had a new one spare.
http://club126uk.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8961.msg65922#msg65922
Yeash! I'm lucky enough that mine isn't anywhere near like that. Not really gunked up at all. The thermostat I replaced before I ran the engine so that's fine. I will check it opens though first, or I'll just take it out.
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The new head turned up a little while ago so I built that up with the new valves, valve springs etc. Got the gasket kit too so popped the copper gasket on. Massive thanks to dadandlad for the torque specs for the head bolts!
I didn't spruce anything up mainly because I wanted to get it running again! Note the replacement outlet for the head on the carb mount, as the 90 degree bend out of that to the Y junction on the engine was utterly borked. Fresh engine and gearbox oil, and it runs again. Still takes a while to start up, so I'm wondering if the carb is leaking air somewhere, new gasket kit on it's way to hopefully solve that. I also need to get the rad re-cored, as its weeping from somewhere. Once that's done, then it's MOT attempt 2.
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Me and the missus spent a weekend in London, and I spotted this 650 air cooled popping and banging round London's central streets. Very loud! I was a bit enthusiastic, and very supportive, which apparently isn't "done" in London. Oh well who cares, it was awesome!
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That's something I've always wanted to do! I'ld like to get some photos of Luigi next to some famous landmarks :D
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Got the MOT done today, first stepping stone was making it there, which he did fine! Me and my mechanic friend fiddled with the idle and mixture screws and he idles a lot better now, though he still takes a while to start when warm, and there's an intermittent high idle too? Either way, he runs well, is really drivable and is an absolute blast!
I manged to get some pictures of the first fully road legal drive since 2001. To say I'm ecstatic is an understatement. I'll take the missus out in it later to see what she thinks. I'll swap the front leaf for a slightly higher one, as I didn't think it'd be THAT low at the front, and it should look a bit more balanced once the front is raised a little bit.
(http://i.imgur.com/iDEl5KBh.jpg) (http://imgur.com/iDEl5KB)
(http://i.imgur.com/xHmwRtRh.jpg) (http://imgur.com/xHmwRtR)
(http://i.imgur.com/9ZAeJcwh.jpg) (http://imgur.com/9ZAeJcw)
So a few little things to sort out, and a headunit/speaker wiring, but I'm glad I can drive it daily now. Great timing considering the improving weather.
But I am a happy man!
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Outstanding work Jonny you've done very well indeed there - it wasn't that long ago that it was just gathering dust in your garage which is something that a lot of us can relate to :$ and you've also finished it in time for the show season :P
Good work :thumbup
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Great Result Jonny ;D
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Cheers guys.
Did the timing at the weekend, but it STILL struggles to start when warm. I'm yet to check the plugs, and I'll have another play with the mixture and idle screws. A bit lost though as the carb was rebuilt and it runs lovely when cold. I'll do a compression check too, but I'm running out of options. Timing wise, am I right in thinking the 10 deg BTDC marker is the left most one?
Got a full day on it tomorrow so we'll see what that turns up.
But, have some pics of a cat helping, and the car with different backgrounds. ;D
(http://i.imgur.com/9v4kj68l.jpg) (http://imgur.com/9v4kj68)
(http://i.imgur.com/FHqNeaul.jpg) (http://imgur.com/FHqNeau)
(http://i.imgur.com/56GaseOl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/56GaseO)
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Hi jonny yes 10 BTDC is the first of the three from the left. Remember if your checking your timing with a strobe gun then you'll need to disconnect the vacuum hose and plug it up with something (I use a small Philips screwdriver ) then adjust your timing
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Hi jonny yes 10 BTDC is the first of the three from the left. Remember if your checking your timing with a strobe gun then you'll need to disconnect the vacuum hose and plug it up with something (I use a small Philips screwdriver ) then adjust your timing
Cheers Gadge, will do. We didn't do that last time. So the 10 deg BTDC is a base line, and you adjust from that then? Any idea what you are running?
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It's not so much a base line, 10 degrees BTDC is the actual recommended timing mark in the manual. This is what I run mine to (with the vacuum off of course)
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Had a HUGE explosion from the exhaust trying to get it to start when hot. Advanced the timing to about 15 Deg and it seems to start fine when hot now. We'll see. No bloody idea what to do though, that's pretty advanced. Searching at idle too. Tried checking for leaks around the carb and nothing, so I'm stumped really. Argh. :$
Gadget, are you running leaded additive or anything like that at 10 Deg BTDC?
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What about your valves? timing chain?
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Head is all new, so lapped those ok, did the clearances and thought they were ok too. Timing chain i didn't touch, but it's another thing to add the the list. I'll just check everything ha ha!
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No additive for me just basic unleaded. You'll need to make sure your points gap is spot on as if they are incorrect you'll have too weak a spark. They do have a habit of moving not long after you've set them up :$
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Thanks Gadge, all useful info, I'm just trying to eliminate things! Funnily enough I thought I'd swap the plugs, they were new, but NOS. Swapped them for some brand new ones and he seems fine when hot now. A good few cranks to get him going but he's started every time. Could be just luck but time will tell. I'll bring back the timing to 10 deg BTDC and see what affect that has.
Drove to Ledbury and back, as well as Tickmorend and back, only hiccup being the plastic link that attaches the cable to the carb throttle gave up the ghost (thread had gone), so had to bodge it with cable ties! Got us to our destination, and back again so I was happy with how it all worked out! I fixed that properly with a bolt and a few nuts welded together to extend the linkage to some of the plastic thread that was still ok.
About 110 miles to a tank with little journeys too so approx. 120-130 miles tops, which seems pretty consistent with what others say on here, I had my doubts about the fuel gauge but for now it seems to be telling an approximate truth!
I'll post some pictures up once I'm back home.
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Well we're on our way to Spain! Just got on the ferry. In between now and last I posted not a lots happened. Just been using the car as much as we can, though I replaced the condenser, and checked and adjusted the timing and plug gaps and starts fine when warm now. Ive Alos put in some sound deadening.
Running well on the way down, but gets a little hot on inclines with 2 1/2 weeks worth of camping gear. Below is a stop just before the top of a hill on the way, just for a cool off.
Sods law we're leaving the nice weather of Britain behind, due to be really nice this week! That's the way it works. We'll see how well the Fiat deals with the warmer Spanish weather. We made the ferry no problem though. That's the first hurdle!
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Have a save trip, enjoy! :thumbup