rebuilding the fiat

[wannabfast]

well i knew i had to do this sometime, but i need to get the tranny fixed on it when i bought it, as it has no reverse

but i figure might as well rebuild the engine while i was at it

and i found some startling finds, i found a set of pistons that are 87mm bore, instead of the stock 86mm, but it will also raise the compression ratio to 11:1

but they cost a lot.. $650 without shipping... i know a good machine shop, but i digress, ill probablly regrind the cam, lightly port the head and intake manifold, and put in new bearings, gaskets, and seals, timing belt, water pump, basically overhaul the engine, clean the sludge off the side of it, and tune it up

now i got someone that will already tackle the tranny for me, but im sure i can do the engine myself but i would like some help, i want to get this ready before the autox season, but it will get pretty tight on schedule, i shoulda started sooner, but my garage isnt heated and i have no air tools to remove 30 year old rusted bolts that probablly havent been touched in a while, maybe have to replace the clutch too

[Lancimus]

umm...let me know when...i can prolly supply air tools too.

[wannabfast]

well my uncle has offered to let me use his garage to tinker with the car

[flea]

git R did!!!!

[naustin]

Sounds cool! DOn't forget to take pictures!

[wannabfast]

i ordered the parts for the fiat...

175 shipped for:
rings
bearings, rod and main
seals
intake, carb, water outlet, exhaust, head, valve cover gaskets
valve guide seals

im gonna totally rebuild the engine, hone the block, make sure everything is working

[Splat]

sounds good dood!

[andrewpgt]

when? i'm in!

andrew

[wannabfast]

what do you know about fiats?!

i was gonna do this solo

[naustin]

what do you know about fiats?!

i was gonna do this solo

DENIED!

:lol:

[andrewpgt]

I know it is a car that has a motor. a motor is a motor.

andrew

[wannabfast]

yea.. it may all be basically the same, but im sure its got many MANY more bitch bolts and in different spaces...

[wannabfast]

i had a little bit of time today, so i decided to tinker with the carb so i can get it to where i can work on it...

it took me about an hour to get the mixture screw just right.. and another 15 min backing out of my driveway(no reverse) but once i did get it out, OH MAN it was SOOOO worth it, it felt stronger than i last remember it, and the handling is still really nice, even though the struts are SHOT!

now i just cant wait to get it on the road again.. altho im debating on waiting til the fall to start working on it, and installing a winch in my garage to pull the fiat into it from the end of the driveway

fun times

[wannabfast]

well i took off the smog pump, and found the first.. of probablly many bitch bolts..

the bolt was too long for me to pull out because of the shock tower... i had to pull out the cutting wheel and cut the bolt enough for me to take out the smog pump, i plugged the inlet on the head too

which is really nice cause it weighed like 30 lbs... woot more weight redux:D

then since i had the airbox out and the cutting wheel out.. i decided to cut the sides off.. i got about 2/3rds around before i gave up.. because it was really REALLY tough metal... for those not familiar, my fiat uses a carburetor style air box, where its basically a short cylinder with a small inlet with a small cylindrical filter... basically i wanted to sandwich the filter between 2 pieces of sheet metal.. almost done with the one side.. hehe

it sounds mean under WOT it revs up pretty quickly too.. altho once it gets shifted into 3rd.. it really slows down.. it would probablly trap about 75mph in the 1/4th mile.. not sure what time taht would be.. probablly close to 20 seconds.. but hey, its not too shabby for 60hp... hehe

RWD ROX:thup:

[wannabfast]

heres an update...
the bad:
my alternator/water pump belt started squealing the other day so i decided to get a new belt to replace it... but alas.. it did not fit because the one they gave me was a tad too short.. so ill go back in the morning and fiddle around with it
while it was up in the air i also noticed i need to replace the brake hoses
also the struts need to be replaced.. i knew that they needed to be replaced when i bought the car

the good:
i finally got around to doing the brown wire mod...
the brown wire mod basically gives the ignition harness an extra boost of voltage so all the interior electrics work better.. before i did this, when i would be cruising at night, with the headlights, blower motor, and rear defroster going, it would suck up the voltage and drop it down to around 10v... and the "battery" light would light up.. its basically when it drops below 10v a light would turn on to tell you to turn off something

it was an easy fix, i basically ran a 10ga wire from the battery to the brown wire on the ignition harness... hence brown wire mod, this was fairly simple due to the rather large holes in the existing firewall.. i need to seal those up.. hehe but thats for another day
now the voltage is very very constant now! wooot..
while it was up in the air, i took a hammer and banged the front lip so it looked somewhat straight...
i also fixed the glove box mechanism



the plan:
next ill do the headlight relay mod.. which will up the voltage applied to the lights.. right now its around 10-11.5v im hoping to get it up to 13...
altho i want to still rebuild everything and make it nice and clean

ill post some pics in the morning.. its too dark to take any pics

[wannabfast]

did some photoshopping and played with some colors...
before
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/projectxstart.jpg
after
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/projectx.jpg

[naustin]

I think you should paint it a sleeper color. Dark gunmetal maybe.... Strip all the badges, and get a custom "isabella" chrome name plate for the tail in Ferrari script.

Rather than puting it back, you should pull all the rest of the bumper strips off the side, and that chrome accent strip too. Make the body as smooth and un-interupted as possible.

And drop the front suspension half an inch so it looks level with the back...

Don't put a wing on it, but maybe a lip spoiler.

The stock antenna is kickass. Have it rechromed.

[wannabfast]

I think you should paint it a sleeper color. Dark gunmetal maybe.... Strip all the badges, and get a custom "isabella" chrome name plate for the tail in Ferrari script.


The stock antenna is kickass. Have it rechromed.

meh.. why would i do a sleeper color when its slow

and the stock antenna is going.. since it doesnt have a radio:thup:
the side moulding is going too

[naustin]

Sweet.... :tup:

That's like street legal go cart man. It might not be fast but I bet it is quick and still fun as hell to drive and ride in...

Get the motor purring and concentrate on the suspension setup. :thup:

Are you planning to make it Orange. Check out the 05 Focus factory color "Copper".

I don't know if factory colors are cheaper when you have a car painted or not - maybe its the same $$ to have a custom color created. :shrug: It'd be easier to get anyway.

[wannabfast]

well its farther down the line yet.. and i think that color is the same one on some of the mazda 6's.. that looks like a good shade too and i agree, factory colors are teh way to go.. i was thinking of the color they use on some of the elises.. hehe

[wannabfast]

well heres what i did to the x..

front lip straightened out
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/frontlip.jpg

brown wire mod
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/brownwiremod.jpg

[naustin]

What are you planning on doing for a front bumper? It looks dead sexy without it...

[Shrep]

Yeah, but you need to get rid of those supports...they look kinda odd there all by themselves...

[wannabfast]

im gonna keep the one for the front license plate.. but the other one is going
the rear bumper is going too

[naustin]

That will be the sturdiest mother of a plate mount in all of automotive history. :lol:

[wannabfast]

That will be the sturdiest mother of a plate mount in all of automotive history. :lol:

next to the one that ben makes..

[wannabfast]

so i was doing a little brainstorming and i came up with a crazy idea...

the old round headlights that pop up are sort of an old design.. given the car is older than i am.. but what if i put in a square sealed bulb and had it pop up not as far?

so im on a hunt for some cheap materials and stuff to put some small headlights in there... it HAS to have a high and low beam, and fit an h4 plug..

i think the probes have relatively small bulbs.. altho i was looking at the fd's and they are expensive... altho they are glass assemblies with h4 bulbs..

shrep if you know anyone switching to a fixed light setup.. LMK!!!!

edit* however i may consider a driving light conversion if the price is right

[wannabfast]

well more work on the fiat happened today.. got my seat from the civic in there..

http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/seat1.jpg
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/seat2.jpg

[wannabfast]

harness bar installed!!

http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/bar.jpg

[naustin]

sweet! :tup:

[wannabfast]

well i wired these up the other night.. but i gotta go back in and redo some of it so i can clean up the spagetti of wires coming out of my relays..

picture of the foglights and stuff
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/lightsoff.jpg

lights on
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/lightson.jpg

closer shot of the lighting
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/lightsclose.jpg

stock headlights with the relay mod, i had to brighten up the pictures because my camera sucks and doesnt do night shots that well
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/foglightsoff.jpg

headlights and foglights
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/foglightson.jpg

[naustin]

Too bad they wouldn't fit in those square box holes where the bumper used to attach.

I'm thinking they could be your primary headlights and the popups would be the aux - Off Road Rally lights. ;)

Those turns aren't stock either right?

[wannabfast]

umm those "turns" are the running lights, the foglights are acting like signal lights
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/fog.jpg

[naustin]

Ah... I don't read "electro-speak."

[defiler]

Loks like Objective A should be doing some body work and/or painting....

[wannabfast]

Loks like Objective A should be doing some body work and/or painting....
gimme a break! its like 30 years old.. i gotta make sure its running well before i start any of that body work, and yes it is on my lengthy agenda!!!

[defiler]

Setlle down there.... twas was just a suggestion.......

[Lancimus]

Setlle down there.... twas was just a suggestion.......

in Thai's defense...an obvious one...

[wannabfast]

well i lowered the front about 2" today.. now the thing sits level! mwhahaha

[wannabfast]

replaced all the struts, and driving the fiat is intense, the cornering speeds are INSANE!

no more sliding.. too much grip

[naustin]

Where's the pics, meng?

[wannabfast]

http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/sideshot.jpg

http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/rearrefresh.jpg

http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/reardeck.jpg

new shoes... eventually
http://www.rimstock.co.uk/rimstockuk/wheelimages/monza.jpg

[naustin]

Are you going to fill the bumper supports and smooth that out when you eventually do the body?

I have to say, I'm not lovin the fogs-as-turns mod. Props for thinking outside the box, but it just isn't doin it for me.

Make the running lights blink, and make the fogs - fogs. Mount them tucked inside that giant grill opening so they are flush with the chin of the car. And maybe recess that plate back inside there too...

Just my opinion. The project kicks ass. Looks good lowered too...

[wannabfast]

the problem with teh running lights is that they arent nearly bright enough to be seen during the day

now i found this fender flare set online, i think i gotta do it!
http://www.socalx.com/x19/gallery/albums/userpics/10061/normal_BigRed%26FerrariChallenge.jpg

and imagine it with this rear deck!
http://www.autodesign.it/x19/abarth/images/x19_abarth_1.jpg

[naustin]

I LOVE the Flares. Skip the scoop, but the lip is nice! :tup:

As far as the running lights, you need to get completely different ones. I saw an LED blinker intended for a boat trailer that would work perfect... I'll do a quick search and edit this post if I find something...

Check these links...

http://www.pmlights.com/products.cfm?cId=1&fId=56
http://www.pmlights.com/products.cfm?cId=1&fId=63

This might be the best...

http://www.buytruckstuff.com/product.asp?selcategory=61&p_gpID=233

The advantage of LEDs is not only long live and vibration immunity, but very low current draw - a plus with your weak electrical system...

[MN Probe GT]

I say go for the ferrari mod in the first pic.

[wannabfast]

The advantage of LEDs is not only long live and vibration immunity, but very low current draw - a plus with your weak electrical system...

the problem with the LED's IS the current draw!
it doesnt draw enough current to register as a signal light.. however i have gotten around that, but those lights are a tad too big for the space i have..

[wannabfast]

Make the running lights blink, and make the fogs - fogs. Mount them tucked inside that giant grill opening so they are flush with the chin of the car. And maybe recess that plate back inside there too...


not possible, the radiator sits pretty much right behind that grill

[wannabfast]

the hamster escaped
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/somethingmissing.jpg

engine out of its 30 year old home
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/engine1.jpg

engine again
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/engine2.jpg

crud on the tranny that is coolant that spilled out of the lines after i pulled out the hoses
http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/trannycrud.jpg

tomorrow im gonna separate the transaxel from the block and send them both to the parts washer!

[wannabfast]

you thought the outside looked bad....

http://home.mn.rr.com/wannabfast/bellhousing.jpg

hopefully nothing major is wrong..

[defiler]

Damn thats ugly looking in there:wtf:

[wannabfast]

its pretty bad in there, but the inside the engine isnt too bad

instead of posting like 10 posts with pics.. heres a link to another post on a different thread i got going
http://www.network54.com/Forum/12159/message/1148626344/engine+rebuild+part+2

[naustin]

Cool! Repost that link occasionally so we can follow the progress. :thup:

[defiler]

It's nice to see projects actually go somewhere, instead of just sitting there in the planning stage...


keep up the good work