Shitbox Rally 2012 - Fiat 131 - We Did It!!!

[bnicho]

I haven't touched the Fiat for the lst week. Family visits combined with illnesses. I'm not entirely convinced the two are unrelated.

Reading through the Fiat's service books I came across two entries for "Rust cut out and respray" in 1988 and 1999. So who knows what really lurks under that mostly shiny paint...

I'm not sure I like Fiats much!! Some stuff was replaced horribly early, so either it wasnt very durable or it was driven hard.

- First brake pads at 17104km
- Muffler at 25562km (Car just 3 years old)
- Brakes (again) and new shocks at 29787km.
- Rear axle bearing at 36978km
- Front brake pads and muffler again at 45183km
- Headgasket, water pump, radiator and shocks again at 57044 (car just five years old)
- Valve lifter and a trailing arm bearing at 63320km
- Brake Master cylinder at 92960km
- New rings at 104648km
- ANOTHER Brake master cylinder at 105900km
- New differetial at 149547km
- Transmission repairs at 153849km

... and on it goes.

Now maybe my expectations are different, but I'd get really pissed if I bought a car that ate brake pads and shocks every 20,000km or so. No wonder they did not sell very many here.

[TerryG]

I go through brake pads in about 16,000 miles in my range rover so unless it was driven by a madman the dealer must supply pads made of cheese!

[SirTainleyBarking]

Sounds like short journeys, stop / start, heavy on the gas and brakes and speed bumps to me.

Oh and its an auto as well, no engine braking for you sunshine

[JPB]

....Oh and its an auto as well, no engine braking for you sunshine

Have to ask as one who covered the thick end of 250,000 miles between my two Dolomites with Borg-Warner type 65 autos; what on earth gives you that idea?
Autos provide superb levels of engine braking since the driveline is in constant engagement, far superior to that provided in a manual where, at some point, you need to disengage the clutch to change down, which will then require braking unlike lifting off and letting an auto slow you.

[bnicho]

It must have been city trafiic combined with someone driving around with their foot on the brake.

My 2500kg Pathfinder just had it's fist set of pads at 47,000km. The 2000kg Trooper before that did about 80,000km a set. Both are used for towing.

In that first 17,000km it did three documented trips to Canberra and back. Canberra is approx 700-750km each way, so that works out at roughly 4200-4500km of highway driving. The petrol stops show they took the Hume Hwy too, not the backroads. I'd be looking underneath for the holes where the towbar was if the fuel consumption looked high. But it looks pretty normal.

It doesn't really matter anyway, it just has to make it to Cairns now.

[bnicho]

Rally update!

Team "I Think We Can" are pleased to announce our first major sponsor - Bimbo Deluxe!

Located in Fitzroy, (the funky part of Melbourne) this place is a bar and resteraunt specialising in cheap gourmet Pizzas. The place has a great relaxed atmosphere. The owners have a similar business, Lucky Coq in Windsor and they are generously sponsoring one team from each location. A bit of friendly rivalry is brewing between the two venues to see which one can raise the most funds. That can only be good for raising funds for the Cancer Council.

This Sunday (Nov 27th) from midday onwards Bimbo Deluxe are throwing us a launch party. There will be a BBQ by gold coin donation, car inspired drinks, Daytona Rally machine, memorabilia and possibly some grid girls collecting donations. Our trusty and rusty Fiat will also be available for viewing.

http://www.bimbodeluxe.com.au/events/33 ... fundraiser

So if you happen to be in Melbourne, come on down, meet the car, meet us and shake your heads at our madness. Or donate online at:

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/i_think_we_can

Thanks to our friends from team Desert Sailors, sponsored by Lucky Coq, for the tip off that lead to this sponsorship.

On to the Fiat...

Saturday morning I decided that trying to fix a Marelli alternator is a bad idea as the regulator and brushes both have to come from overseas and are not cheap. So I've sent Danny out today to pick up a Bosch XF Falcon one or similar from Pinch-A-Part (self-serve wreckers) today.

The Fiat obvously did not like me abusing it's pedigree alternator. I shut the bonnet maybe a little harder than before and the previously inoperative bonnet latch decided to revive itself. I pulled the bonnet release and the cable snapped. Great! A flat battery, bonnet stuck shut, parked on the gravel driveway blocking access to the backyard and it's starting to rain. It's a reverse-opening bonnet too, so simply removing the grille wouldn't allow access to the latch.

Levering at the bonnet and swearing did not help, so I left the stupid tart to the weather and went inside.

Sunday afternoon the ground had dried out and I managed to jack the front of the Fiat up and get some axle stands under it on some firm ground. I crawled underneath and I could see the bonnet latch in my torchlight way, way up there. I reached up and managed to grip the lever with a pair of vice-grip pliers, but I still could not get it to release. By this stage I was oily from fingertip to armpit and I am not a patient man. I was ready to attack the bonnet with a grinder, or pour petrol over it and flick matches just for kicks.

A cup of calming coffee later and I realised the bonnet may need some weight pushing down on it to help the catch to release. I threw an old battery on the bonnet and crawled under again. The latch released so easily this time I though I had snapped something. A modified choke cable has now replaced the broken original.

Next step, rust repairs....

[mach1rob]

I had that with a Laguna, bloody French junk, snapped cable and TWO bonnet latches, managed to get one to pop easy enough by pulling on the joining cable, but the other just wouldn't budge, much swearing and threatening to do similar with a grinder, saw one last attempt, and for some reason I pushed it the other way and pop up it went!

[bnicho]

I have been a bit remiss with updating this thread.

With a little welding and a tin of bog the Fiat is now road legal and I am using it daily to iron out any problems. So far the issues have only been minor, thankfully!

The Fiat will receive a loud paintjob this week or next week courtesy of our major sponors. I'm not a fan of pink, but that is the colour of their logo....

Danny has visited a Fiat specialist to try and drum up sponsorship. He was shown a very rusty example of the same car that was blessed with a 2.0L twin cam, five speed box and a swag of suspension goodies. Now he is mutterning about making one good car out of the two after the rally. ::)

Cheers,

[mach1rob]

So far the issues have only been minor, thankfully!

Someone has nabbed the running gear to put in a Minor???

[bnicho]

So far the issues have only been minor, thankfully!

Someone has nabbed the running gear to put in a Minor???

No.

No Minor owner wants a 1600 pushrod anyway. They all want the DOHC motors.