Fiat 126 -73 restoration [ Now: It's ALIVE...!!! :) ]

[Tate]

So I desided to publish my 126 project. I have been dreaming about Fiat 126 many years and finally I bought my first orange 126 -85 "polski".



I bought the car when it was dark and when I got home very soon I found out that its pretty rusty.. So I desided that I won't build a car from that individual. Then I saw an advertisement from internet that there is a -73 126 for sold. Price was only 100euros so I went to see what there is waiting for me.

Well there was waiting a car which hasn't been in traffic since 1988. It has been stored in a warm garage. Kids had been playing with colors but it wasn't too rusty. So I bought the car:

[Tate]

I got home and started working. I made a schedule that all the metal work has to be done before winter. Usually winter comes here in november/december.

Started to work around the car. First little bit of dismantling:







New sheet metal parts:

[Tate]

Started from the front:







Then moved to the front fenders (too bad that I didn't have the inner front fender so I had to make them from scratch):

[Tate]

New right side floorpan:



New sheet metal parts in front:



Right side:

[Tate]

Then yesterday I started to work on the rear right fender:

[Tate]

I bought one 126 -74 which cost me 100euros including transportation. I think it was a bargain because I will get so many parts from that car:

[Aaron]

Wow! that's quite a bit of welding you've done.  Starting to look good!

Where was the rust in the orange one?  From the picture it looks OK.

What's the planned colour for the project when completed?

[Tate]

Wow! that's quite a bit of welding you've done.  Starting to look good!

Where was the rust in the orange one?  From the picture it looks OK.

What's the planned colour for the project when completed?

Why I didn't build the car from the orange one? Yes.. It seems ok, but actually it's worse than this -73-. Basically there is rust everywhere. It looks good because the previus owner has painted it two years a ago, but under the nice paint it's so rusty..

The other reason is that "polski" 126's are not so collectable/valuable/popular at least here in Finland. People don't like those so much. Third reason is that it's easier to do MOT every year for -73 than -85 because for -73 you don't need to test the exhaust emissions. So basically there can come anything from the exhaust system if your car is so old in Finland

I haven't really desided the color of the car yet.

[Emin]

Keep up the good work and pics coming. Good luck with the resto. All three look very nice!..

[Tate]

Finished today welding the right side outer sill panel.









I have also made some purchases.



I also managed to find "new" doors for this car. They have been hanging in the wall of Fiat dealer in 80's. They have been stored in cold place so they are all over little bit of rust in the surface. However they are very solid.. Need only some kind of surface threatment.

[nrg19uk]

You've been busy 

Any surface rust I would recommend http://www.retro-uk.com/fertan.htm

It's the only stuff that I have found that actually works I have treated spots of rust and left to the elements has not come back 

[Tate]

Today I installed right side door because it needed little bit of adjusting. I also welded the front fender and side flasher sheet metal support. There has been a lot of work with some new metal parts because the Polish quality is so bad.. Even now I'm not fully satisfied to the side flasher sheet metal which I installed today, but what can you do when the quality is just so rubbish..  Well... no stress.. 

[Amateb8]

Your doing great! I can't wait to see the car finished. Will you do some modifications to it or will you keep the car original. Have you thought of the colour of the car?

[Tate]

Your doing great! I can't wait to see the car finished. Will you do some modifications to it or will you keep the car original. Have you thought of the colour of the car?

Thanks! Yes.. I will do some modifications to it, but now I'm just trying to get all the sheet metal work done before winter comes. Last year this time snow came and it lasted for the whole winter.

I haven't yet desided the color. One choise is the orginal "green lime". Hopefully this car will be painted at the latest in the end of this year.

[Tate]

Few days went with my other car bacause one Finnish tuning magazine wanted to make an article about it... Everytime I show pictures of it, people ask me why I wan't to build an Fiat even though I have already such a nice BMW. Well, I'm nuts and I know it  

Back to Fiat 126. Today I started to work with the left side of the car. Nothing special... It went pretty easily because I already had experience from the other side.

Orginal floor..



And we have a hole!



Then I welded the nuts for attaching seat belts to the new floor pan



And magic.. We have a new floor..