Extreme makeover at home 126 edition

[Ruggero58]

First...   My dear Uncle here only ever owned 1 car, this 87 126 FSM, that he bought late in life.  It was his pride and joy.   I nagged him often that I would buy the car any time he was ready to sell it for whatever price he wanted (within reason)...   He finally relented one day as his health had turned for the worse (Parkinson's) and he no longer drove.   He gave me the car.   I took possession shortly after his funeral.   This car is now very precious to us...

Well...   The young lad down at the "Revisione" garage has complained about the rust on Zio's (Uncle's) 126 to the point that he flunked it the last time and I had to do a quick (and ugly) chip, putty, and primer around the quarter window so he would let it slide through and pass it.  In Italy here you must have the car inspected for road worthiness every 2 years.   I'm due this September so last June I started the extreme makeover.

[Ruggero58]

This is big work!!!   I took my angle grinder and ground down about 400 rust spots and previous poor putty repairs.   Then I treated it with a rust inhibitor that turns iron black.   Seems to work great.  I just paint right over it with sandable primer.   

On the other side of the family here we have an Aunt who also owned an older 126,  Shrek green and rust coloured (too rusty to restore).  We acquired it when she needed more garage space and it has become our donor car.   I used quite a few parts off of it including a boot hinge, a headlight assembly and the windscreen among other parts.

[Ruggero58]

As you can see, I'm not working in a real garage.   My "garage" is a rock wall box cut into the hillside with a tin roof, all open to the elements.   The panel parts are spread all over the yard.

I decided to wire brush down the rims, rust treat them, and paint them to match the car.

[Ruggero58]

Decision time...  I don't particularly care for the original "Azzurro" blue.   Too dull and grey like.   We still wanted to stay with blue but something a bit more vibrant.   Whenever we would see a blue car that we liked we took note of the make and model and guess the year.  Then we went to http://www.vernicispray.com/index.jsp?&lang=en and would search for the colour and the code.

We found a FIAT/Alfa Romeo colour "Digione Blu" code 264A.  Found on a 2006-7 Alfa Romeo 147.  What do you think?

I bought a too small compressor and a cheap spray paint kit and decided to try this myself.  I should have practised a lot more than I did.   The local mechanic's joke was that the car was crying as in tears running down...  You get the picture...

[Ruggero58]

Painting with cheap equipment and no experience is just asking for problems.  At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...   The local Body shop supply store was great.  Good advice and and excellent products.   I've included a photo of the clear coat products I used to get the glossy finish.   All the black trim was touched up with opaque black, spray can, paint.   Took about 5 cans.   Another thing I did was to buff the front turn signal and rear turn/stop lenses with really fine sand paper then I clear coated them.  They look like new.   

Before I attempt this again I need to add a filter/dryer to the compressor and find a more dust proof environment to spray in (with fewer flying bugs!)  Lastly, treat myself to a better quality, gravity feed spray gun with a finer nozzle.

I'm done...   Just in time to visit the lad down at the Ufficio Revisione.   Wish me luck... 

[Rusty's Uncle]

Well done & good luck with the test. You have worked hard and it looks like you have saved a great little car 

[stuey]

great work- loving it! 

[Ruggero58]

A few more Thoughts on this:  A better look at how the tail light lens's look like new...   
See what you can do with a blue jean trouser leg and an old shoe string.  Thanks to a mouse that chewed out the original...   
The driver's seat does not match the rest of the car.   I don't know the reason but I got these seat covers in the local Saturday market for about €12 a few years back.   The sun really bleaches stuff down here.  Just about time for a new set... 

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.   

Ciao for now...   

[Ruggero58]

Yea!!!    Bella Blu passed revisione inspection today with flying colours....  literally...

The last flying colour was black as the stupid thing dribbled out about 1/8 cup of motor oil onto the floor as the kid was revving the heck out of it to check the exhaust emissions.   Italy is the only place in the world where an under ground garage can have a beige marble tiled floor...   We snuck out of there with our fresh papers as soon as we could.  Wheeeww...      Good for another 2 years.

Ciao for now as I go looking for that oil leak...

Ruggero