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Just thinking about this for a moment. If you replaced the inner and outer sills, the floor pans, the door step panels etc and even replaced the roof skin, then you'd only be "repairing" a few other bits on the car.
Surely that removes the need for an inspection?
ta,
Rich
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Dec 10, 2010 15:40:27 GMT
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This may sound silly, but is your sprocket on back to front? It looks like it needs to be closer to the centre of the bike...
Have you got a shim behind it that you can remove?
Cheers,
Rich
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Hi Violet,
Can I respectfully suggest, something a little closer to standard for your first Imp?
I've had probably about 10 Imps, when I was in the club, and the best one had the least mods, or at least the most "normal" mods..
So, here's how my ideal Imp would be specced.
1) Late L4 engine. Sport engines are too expensive these days. However, I would fit the sport exhaust or equivalent, and something like a Weber 28/36 with the appropriate inlet manifold. 2) High Efficiency Radiator and new water pump. Imp's can and will overheat if the cooling system isn't up to scratch. The High Efficiency Rad is a tried and tested item. 3) New Competition Rotoflex couplings - The dreaded donuts! If they're not in good condition then you have to replace them, as when they fail, the driveshaft will flail around destroying your rear dampers, exhaust etc depending on which side has gone. 4) Monte Carlo springs - both lower and stiffer. 5) 13" wheels - much better tyre choice than the standard 12" wheels. 6) Sport Distributor, has different advance weights/springs to take advantage of the sport cam that's in the L4 engine. 7) New points and condensor - I had no trouble starting my imp with a freshly serviced engine ever! 8) Front Disc conversion. Whilst the front drums are good, it gets annoying having to adjust them. There's some very good disc conversions out there now.
In short, an Imp doesn't need EFI etc to be reliable, just well maintained. You don't need all the go-faster bits that everyone raves about, like the R17 camshaft etc. For a road car that behaves well, I think the above spec should suit you well.
Hope this helps!
Don't forget i've been out of the loop for a few years, things might have changed on the "upgrades" front, but that'd do me for a nice Imp
Cheers,
Rich
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Last Edit: Dec 2, 2010 9:08:29 GMT by EssexRich
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Nov 25, 2010 14:27:51 GMT
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Now reduced to £1000ono
And now video! check out that noise!
Many Thanks
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Last Edit: Nov 25, 2010 14:57:58 GMT by EssexRich
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Nov 25, 2010 11:30:00 GMT
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Hi there,
I've bought a car up in derbyshire DE6 1QR and I need to collect it on Saturday (27th Nov).
Is anyone going up that way from Essex? I'll gladly chip in petrol money/ lunch etc!
Many Thanks,
Rich
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Nov 24, 2010 12:10:12 GMT
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Just a quick update: I also have the all-important Red Key!
Cheers,
Rich
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Nov 23, 2010 16:06:55 GMT
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Model: Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo Year: 1997 Mileage:124,000 approx Tax: Feb-2011 MOT: July-2011 Location: Chelmsford or Benfleet, Essex Price: £1100 Contact details: PM here, rich.benfield@gmail.com, 07816 318 264 I'm selling my Fiat Coupé 20VT because I've just found out my Wife is pregnant so I've gone and bought a Saab turbo on ebay. So, about the car: MoT'd until July 23rd 2011 Tax expires Feb 2011 approx 124,000 miles cambelt change at 105,000 miles FMIC HKS Dump Valve Coupé specific carbon fibre induction ram 2.75", oval-tipped cat-back exhaust Boost gauge Gtec chip Blue Flame 2.75" Stianless Steel Downpipe Haywood & Scott 2.75" De-cat Pipe Full Gold Service and compression test from Rog @ Power Italia in March Original Cat will be included. With all these mods, you should be looking at over 260bhp! That's all the bits and pieces listed that I can think of. It has a tan leather interior which is in pretty good condition with only a minor amount of wear. I've given it some leather food which has taken the shine off and made the leather nice and supple. All of the switches work and none of them fall through the dash! It has a kenwood CD head unit installed at the moment, I'll include what I think is the original stereo as well. The multichanger is still in the boot. Regarding the bodywork, I can only say it's not doing too badly at all. There is NO RUST that I can find. There's a couple of areas where the paint looks a little flat, but I'm sure a machine polish would work wonders. There's also a couple of minor dings and scratches as you'd expect on a 13 year old car. Overall, it's very presentable. It has the standard alloys which would really benefit from a refurb, but again aren't too bad. All in all, this car is dead reliable, excellent fun, has a long MoT and sounds very fruity indeed. I'm waiting on the DVLA to return the V5 to me, the previous owner has taken a few months to send it off! If it's not back before you collect, I'll give you £25 off the price to cover the cost of a new one.
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Last Edit: Nov 25, 2010 14:59:25 GMT by EssexRich
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Nov 22, 2010 10:51:10 GMT
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Hi Grizz,
How about a 90's Saab 9-3? Comfortable, reliable, fairly good on insurance, but also you won't be embarrassed to park up at your next interview? They're massively underrated and therefore cheap.
Just a thought.
Cheers,
Rich
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Nov 22, 2010 10:46:46 GMT
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This might seem like a bit of an odd choice, but how about a Saab 9-3 auto? They're comfy, not too big, well screwed together and well appointed in terms of creature comforts.
I found that I could insure my 9-3 turbo pretty cheaply, I bet you'll find a non-turbo auto for sub £700 around 10 years old.
I just checked ebay, there's loads, most of which look like they're in good condition.
Also a non-turbo auto should be the cheapest of the bunch!
Cheers,
Rich
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Nov 16, 2010 16:13:59 GMT
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For £500, I reckon you could get a reasonable Fiat Coupe turbo. It would win two prizes for sure. Fastest lap and most awesome breakdown. Probably in that order and within 5 minutes of eachother!
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Hi there, got any more pics?
Cheers,
Rich
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I used to own the black one F102 LGU in the pictures towards the top of this thread.
Ace cars these B12 Sunny ZX's. They don't have the LSD that the N13 Sunny hatchback ZX's had for some unexplained reason, despite them being a direct fit.
Now go and get a CA18DET from an S13 and put it in!
Cheers,
Rich
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How on earth is that on a K-plate? the Mk3 Fiesta came in around 1989/F-reg.
If it hung around in a dealer for a few years I guess it's possible. Either way, on that plate, it's a rarity!
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I'm not sure if my car is modern or not, I sold a perfectly reliable Saab 9-3 turbo, only to replace it with a 1997 Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo!
Now, whilst it's a 1997 car, it's floorpan is Fiat Tipo (I think), and lets be honest, Fiat have a reputation for unreliability to rival any 40 year old car!
However, I love it to bits. 5 cylinder characterful engine, modern-retro design, and around 260 horses-worth of mischief.
Cheers,
Rich
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Oct 16, 2010 10:10:38 GMT
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why not just replace the vaves and put a new cambelt on because it's cheaper this way. I don't had the tools or the skills any more. If I was going to do anything, it would be done by a mechanic and therefore chargeable. So even if I had a mechanic take the head off, that would cost me £100-£200 just to have a look. Factor in the price of new valves, gasket sets, etc and that's before we find it we need new tensioners, or have a bent camshaft or a holed piston. Pretty soon, you quickly realise that a new engine is the way forward. If I was going to DIY it, then yes I'd be able to do it cheaper. As for a megan engine. I can't. This car has to remain bog standard. Many thanks, rich
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Oct 15, 2010 14:00:08 GMT
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Hi there,
My Wife's Cambelt has gone on her Clio. It's a 2000/W 1.4 16V.
I would like to swap my Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo with someone in exchange for them supplying and fitting a replacement engine to the Clio.
The Clio is in Chelmsford, Essex, where I live. If you bring tools/engine crane etc then you could do it on the driveway, or you can take the Clio away with you.
As part of the deal, I'd expect the Clio engine to have paperwork (ie receipt of purchase/mileage verification from wherever you get it from), a new cambelt and auxiliary belts, fresh oil and filter etc. In effect, ready to drive.
The Fiat Coupe is MoT'd until Jan 2011 and Taxed until Feb 2011. It has a stainless exhaust, De-Cat, modded ECU, FMIC and is running approximately 260bhp.
Cheers,
Rich
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Oct 15, 2010 10:19:56 GMT
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I should imagine that you'd change the headlights as already mentioned, then take the french reg plates off and MoT it based on the Chassis Number. Then you send that off with the relevent DVLA forms and the cheque for UK registration and they send you through a log book with a UK number plate. You can then get your plates made up, tax it and away you go!
I've never done this but a friend did this with a dutch car and this is about all I can remember.
Cheers,
Rich
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Good luck!!! and don't forget the camera! :-)
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Sept 23, 2010 11:01:57 GMT
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How's this for a nice yellow/gold?
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Sept 23, 2010 9:42:19 GMT
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Just a quick thought to save you some pennies/effort...
Don't be fooled into thinking drum brakes are terrible. Yes they might have cooling issues, but you can get brake shoes with race linings for better performance. Also i'd guess the dutton is a fair bit lighter than the donor escort so they might be surprisingly good! They don't dissipate heat as well as disc brakes but still, you might be ok!
Also change your brake fluid for good measure, I should imagine that nice modern brake fluid will have a lower chance of boiling on track.
Cheers,
Rich
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