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Haven't touched the Chevette for since last November although I'm still slowly collecting parts. TBH what I really need to do is invest in a better MIG welder and some metal forming tools, feels like a struggle every time I want to make a repair panel. Hopefully I'll find some time and mojo soon, although I'm concentrating on the Micra until the Gathering is out the way. At least I'll having something half fun and respectable to roll in don't want to turn up in a standard 205 again I'm looking at 165/55's for the 8x13" wellers on the Micra, as you said it's quite a bit of stretch but clearance is the issue!
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Sierra - here we go again! He has an illness, it's not his fault.
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Ah fair enough, I haven't worked on the fiat for a few years so doing better than me at the moment. Glad you'll have something sweet to go to RRG in. If the powers that be are kind I might just make it in the fiat, but who knows. Would be awesome too, but don't want a deadline!
Ive seen the 165/55s go on wellers with ease by hand, no lighter fluid in sight, so it can be done easy. Was on the volvo 360 that was at lydden hill when we went. Quite a nice stretch to be honest. Not too silly but enough not to have to tub arches!
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So coursework is finished, so had a good night tinkering away. Fitted a new water gauge and killswitch Had a fight with some wheel bearings, they lost Fitted the front disc conversion brackets Had a fight with the ali leaf spring mounting blocks, I lost Got the spring off and taken apart, ready for re-greasing and I'll experiment with lowering. I cant afford welding gas until the end of the month, so the body work will have to wait. I've nearly done everything I can do in terms of bushes n ting so it should just be more cosmetic stuff now. I can sort some speakers out etc so I'll get on with that tomorrow.
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Apr 11, 2014 21:28:37 GMT
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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. 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! 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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Cool project this, love the retro feel to it, them speakers are a nice find!
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Thanks for the kind words fella!
Elwoody, yeah ha ha that was my "success look what I did . . . oh curse word" moment. I'm replacing winder anyway, but the standards do clear. If the new ones don't I'll make a spacer to space the off the card a bit.
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duncancento
Part of things
Posts: 117
Club RR Member Number: 20
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What calipers and discs are you using for that front disc conversion? Speakers look cool, spose you could always fit newer speakers with the old school grills?
Looks like a great project, can't wait to see it with the arches. Now I can't decide if I should buy a 126 or classic Panda next!
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Apr 12, 2014 11:09:19 GMT
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Cheers man! The disc are fiat cinquecento, same with the calipers. I'll replace the lines as I go too. They seem ok but it's been hauled up for a while so don't want any nasty surprises! With the speakers, so ong as I find some the same size yeah. We'll see how they are first, I've never been too into speakers so long as sound comes out of them and I can make out music I too cant wait to see it with arches, but it wont be for a little while yet. I get a pay bonus end of may so I'll just throw it at the car and see if some of it sticks.
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Last Edit: Apr 12, 2014 11:10:35 GMT by jonovlov
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duncancento
Part of things
Posts: 117
Club RR Member Number: 20
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Apr 12, 2014 11:57:29 GMT
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Cheers man! The disc are fiat cinquecento, same with the calipers. I'll replace the lines as I go too. They seem ok but it's been hauled up for a while so don't want any nasty surprises! With the speakers, so ong as I find some the same size yeah. We'll see how they are first, I've never been too into speakers so long as sound comes out of them and I can make out music I too cant wait to see it with arches, but it wont be for a little while yet. I get a pay bonus end of may so I'll just throw it at the car and see if some of it sticks. Cool, I'll be hanging on to my Cinq calipers just in case I end up with a 126 then! So in theory you could run 257mm vented Punto GT turbo discs and calipers? My small Fiats have always had "that'll do" stereos, most with no radio reception!
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Apr 12, 2014 12:01:35 GMT
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Probably, so long as they fit under 13s. All that'd be needed is the bracket dimensions finding out, disc offset and where it sits on the hub and them being made up.
This one came with an aerial and speaker, but no head unit. Looks like the components for sound were installed as standard but a radio was an option.
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duncancento
Part of things
Posts: 117
Club RR Member Number: 20
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Apr 12, 2014 12:06:02 GMT
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Probably, so long as they fit under 13s. All that'd be needed is the bracket dimensions finding out, disc offset and where it sits on the hub and them being made up. This one came with an aerial and speaker, but no head unit. Looks like the components for sound were installed as standard but a radio was an option. My Cinq is now running that setup, it's quite a common mod and it's all bolt on. My 13" Revolution wheels just fit over the brakes. Where did you get the olio sticker?
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Apr 12, 2014 12:08:16 GMT
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Apr 12, 2014 12:12:01 GMT
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Sorry, just read your conversion is bolt on? That means it has the same carrier spacing as a cinq or did you have to make an adaptor? You've got me thinking now ha ha!
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Last Edit: Apr 12, 2014 12:12:31 GMT by jonovlov
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duncancento
Part of things
Posts: 117
Club RR Member Number: 20
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Apr 12, 2014 14:08:22 GMT
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Sorry, just read your conversion is bolt on? That means it has the same carrier spacing as a cinq or did you have to make an adaptor? You've got me thinking now ha ha! Yep, I love the Fiat parts bin! You also have the option of Uno Turbo calipers. I was going to use these with a Panda multijet 240mm vented disc before my 257mm setup became available.
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Apr 12, 2014 18:57:05 GMT
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The more I read this the more I want one!!
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Apr 13, 2014 14:37:43 GMT
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Last Edit: Apr 13, 2014 14:48:10 GMT by jonovlov
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Apr 13, 2014 14:43:16 GMT
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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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Apr 13, 2014 14:55:01 GMT
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Loving the look of that? I have over looked these cars for years and look at what I been missing!! Lol My old man went to buy one of these when I was younger off some old guy it had something like 20,000 miles on it and was mint, can't remember why we didn't buy it. Keep up the good work it's looking brill.
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Apr 13, 2014 22:27:42 GMT
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Thanks man. This one has only done 25k but was stood in an old guys garden for years! Hence the rust. Would explain why it runs quite well though still! I have this as the girlfriend really liked them, but then I got let loose on it and now its another of my projects. Should have been both of our but our views of what the car should be differed a lot!
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Apr 14, 2014 19:54:39 GMT
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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! I copper greased them just to be safe and try and prevent them corroding to the steel again!
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