Ooh and don't forget to drill those holes in the wings for those little rubbers

I need to do it on mine as well, now that I know that they are missing.

Cheers Tony. I may have them bolsters off you.
I now have a selection of seats. Some better than others, but I have a good set of 126 seats & new foams. Still need to decide on seat covers & door trims. With the blue carpet & hood cover I am now thinking dark blue. Probably get them made by a guy in Italy who makes some great sets.
https://www.facebook.com/ilpiccolotappezziere.salvatore/

Yeah just read up on that one!

It was a stupid question really about the seats, asking the man who has the largest selection of engines and gearboxes in the SE. I should have guessed you were stocking up on other bits on the way.

Cheeky! But true.

I'm struggling to see your pics Sean, as I'm waiting for BT to give us a bit of that there internet. But you must be well ahead of schedule now
Surely your headlight recesses aren't going to hit water (except when you wash the car).
I took the view that if I just let the rain get in, the drying air would also get in. Any kind of seal can also trap water; it happens in the windows, sunroof and the boot seal. The problem with rust originally was caused by a lack of maintenance of drain holes and no protective wax. Both of these are easy to put right.
I think we're all as keen as you to see Franko on the road.:thumbup:

Good luck with the internet problem Peter.
I will be honest, apart from a drive in Tony's 500 I have never experienced the driving conditions of a 500. Unlike yourself who seems to be clocking up more mileage than mine has in 44 years , I have yet to find out where water comes in (not that this one will be out in the rain too much).
Just looking at the design I would have thought any driving in rain would mean water would be forced past the chrome rings and naturally be driven by the air straight into the car. So any prevention should help hopefully.
And yes, I have taken extra care to make sure the underbody is protected and there will be a generous squirting of wax oil when finished.
This one shouldn't be rusting for a while

Hoorah,
the engine and gearbox is in.


Now a question for those in the know.
Do I need to get a lowering block and uprated spring when putting a 126 engine in a 500L with the L style rear panel?

Depends on whether the exhaust clears the bottom of the car and also look to see how much clearance you have between the oil slinger and engine mount. Chances are you will need the lowering bracket. You'll also need an uprated spring and longer studs for engine mount

It's also a good idea to fit the 126 gearbox stabiliser bracket....
The lowering block comes in two sizes - I have the larger one and the exhaust sits too low under the valance for my liking - but I needed the larger one to fit the oil filter assembly

AndrewHarvey said:

It's also a good idea to fit the 126 gearbox stabiliser bracket....

Click to expand...

What's that look like?
not sure if i have seen one of those?

Cost about £10-15

I needed to lower mine by 10mm, to stop the pulleys knocking on the engine mount on bumps/drain holes etc.

Sean, if you order one, would you mind ordering me one aswell please. They were out of stock when I last placed an order, and so I'm now waiting until I need more spares.

I'll bank transfer or Paypal cost plus uk shipping.

thanks, Steve

Well maybe it was because I have gone for a standard exhaust, but I don't need a spacer. All bolted up lovely with plenty of clearance for both exhaust & pulley.

Oh so many new parts to fit now!
Where do I start...

A few more jobs completed.
Finished some wiring in the engine bay, oil pressure switch, coil & alternator.
Throttle pedal & linkage all connected.
Handbrake in & working.
Gear Linkage in and working. Little concerned as I cant seem to select 4th gear. Strange because I can select all the others and I could get 4th before fitting it in. I can only presume the gears all need turning a bit before the synchro will work.
Clutch cable in and operating nicely.
Heater tube & ducting all connected


I fitted the lock plates on the flexible driveshaft joints the other day. Just tried bolting the flanges up only to find the new springs ordered are 126 & not 500 so wont fit in the shaft ends. Also the lock plates are slightly too big and the flanges wont go over them. So I need to remove the lock plates, grind some metal off the 4 lugs and then refit & tighten the rear bearings again.


Here's a few photos of the clearance with no spacer on the engine mount.
Looks okay to me with clearance all round.
Overall its coming together nicely.

Looking good Sean. Mine didn't have as much clearance as that hence the need for a spacer. Don't forget as it's on a spring the engine will bounce up as well as down. If you hear banging when you take it for a spin it's time for a spacer. If I was being really picky those fuel lines around the filter need clips but I don't want to teach you to suck eggs!

Paolo66 said:

Looking good Sean. Mine didn't have as much clearance as that hence the need for a spacer. Don't forget as it's on a spring the engine will bounce up as well as down. If you hear banging when you take it for a spin it's time for a spacer. If I was being really picky those fuel lines around the filter need clips but I don't want to teach you to suck eggs!

Click to expand...

Cheeky,
I did buy about 10, only to find they were too big so I have yet to buy some more.
I also bought a length of fuel hose from Passionne500 for front to back, only to find its by the metre. So I have 1m of fuel hose
Just put together another list of those little items you come across when fitting the car up, or thinking well after going to all this trouble there's no point on putting a used one on! better get a new one.
I can't assemble my hood either as I forgot to order the front retaining strip.
The list goes on and on and on....

Try ebay or car builder solutions for the fuel hose and clips. I'm struggling with filler at the moment. Put filler on, sand it down, apply primer then find out I need more filler! Will get there eventually. Wife has gone to her mum's for the week so put the cylinder head in the dishwasher and it's come up a treat!

Paolo66 said:

Try ebay or car builder solutions for the fuel hose and clips. I'm struggling with filler at the moment. Put filler on, sand it down, apply primer then find out I need more filler! Will get there eventually. Wife has gone to her mum's for the week so put the cylinder head in the dishwasher and it's come up a treat!

Click to expand...

I got all clips and fuel lines from these guys.

http://www.advancedfluidsolutions.co.uk/jubilee-hose-clips--clamps-69-c.asp

They have a Ebay store as well, if I remember correctly.

I must admit the only thing I was a little unsure about was the inline filter as well. Number 1 the missing clips but I thought I am sure Sean is going to put some on.

The other is where it is placed. I personally prefer it between the pump and the carb, firstly there is already a filter inside the pump and secondly there is an argument that it can restrict the flow to the pump, being after the pump there is less chance of that as it forced to the carb by the pump. Oh no!!!!! Thirdly I am not a great fan of plastic inline filters. I have read horror stories and seen pictures of them expanding in size due to heat and bursting which is not a good idea especially in a nice hot 500 engine bay. For the sake of less than a tenner you can get a glass and metal one off of eBay. Search for 8mm glass and metal in line filter.

I am being hyper critical though.

Glad to see Eagle eyes is still watching. Yes Tony clips are to be fitted.
Not sure about placement of filter. If I remember correctly mine had it fitted there before but will check my old photos. I personally thought it would be good to place it before the pump as it will stop the crud damaging the pump. Mine was full of gunky stuff when I took it apart. Shouldn't cause too many problems as the pump should draw the fuel through the filter but I can always move it.
To be honest I fitted it because it came with the service kit. It may not stay. I used plastic filters on my minis and never had a problem with them in the past.