Greetings everyone. I`m new to this forum. I am restoring a very rusty New Zealand assembled F -badged 500 Bambina here.
It is a total restore with floor repairs, new sills, front panels, RH A pillar etc etc. Fortunately I`m an experienced restorer with 6 old Alfas and can fabricate a lot.
I currently have a problem though that I`m sure someone has come across before-we have a broken stud that secures the leaf spring clamps (passenger side) which my son broke when taking the spring off-it was seized solid.
How does one remove and replace these broken studs-do they unscrew from what looks like a plate within that blind front crossmember or are they actually a bolt with captive head? I have tried cutting out the plate close to the studs but there seems to be a very thick steel bar right across that cross member-am I correct or have I been too conservative in my cutting?
Can anyone help?

Richard Jones

`65 500 Bambina, `87 126, `65 Giulia Ti, `69 GT Junior, `74 GTV 2000, `76 Alfetta GTV, `77 Alfetta GTV, `84 GTV6, `93 Mercedes W124 280E, `94 BMW E36 318i, `74 Honda C50 Scooter

Hi Richard , not sure about your problem but you may get more specific advice on the Fiat 500 club UK site or the Fiat126UK forums.
Where in NZ are you located , I might be able to point you in the direction of a few other Bambinas that are rusting away down there.

Hi Richard and welcome to the forum.

I must admit I have no personal experience of the problem you have encountered, but I am SURE someone on here will have done.

C'mon guys.........

but you may get more specific advice on the Fiat 500 club UK site or the Fiat126UK forums.

Click to expand...

Toshi, I`m in Christchurch, the classic car capital of New Zealand.

I`ve ended up welding the broken stud, adding the end of another stud to it but I`d rather replace the thing completely. As I added heat during the welding process it has loosened the stud so can be revolved so obviously isn`t a threaded stud screwed into this heavy steel plate that appears to be inside the blind cross member. I suspect the stud is actually a bolt with the head captured but impossible to get at without it appears now to cut the front piece of the driver`s floor.

Richard Jones
Christchurch, New Zealand.

`65 500 Bambina, `87 126, `65 Alfa Giulia Ti, `69 Alfa GT Junior, `74 Alfa GTV 2000, `76 Alfetta GTV 2000, `77 Alfetta GTV 2000, `84 Alfetta GTV6. `93 Mercedes W124 280E, `94 BMW E36 318i, 74 Honda C50 Cub.

QUOTE "Hi Richard , not sure about your problem but you may get more specific advice on the Fiat 500 club UK site or the Fiat126UK forums".QUOTE





Thanks for the faith in us on fiat forum Toshi975!!!!!!

Anyway, hi Richard and welcome to FF - were occasionally knowledgable on here and possibly the most active forum for classic 500. Would love to see some pictures of your project and glad to see you solved the busted stud problem.

I`ll see what I can do re photos but would love to find out about those studs, surely someone here must have encountered this problem before, especially in view of the UK`s penchant for rust.
I`ve finished floors, and boot floor and sills on lhs side and currently doing innner and outer sills of driver`s side, plus making the front part of the inner front whel arch.

Richard Jones.

Wow alfavirusnz, sound like youve been busy. Cant say i've come across the stud problem, I have changed the front spring on mine for a reverse eye type, though because my car spent most of its life in sunny italy, the studs came out with out any issues, I think all I did was spray everthing with a penetrating oil first. Look forward to the pictures of your project