Bravo (Classic) 1996 Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX - Ink Black

Since it's done nothing but rain for the past few days I have started something simple.

I am trying to repaint the wiper arms I had modified for my old Bravo. This time I will try Hamerite Satin Spray paint because I have some in the shed. Last time I used red oxide and normal car paints, which lasted 6 months before rust came through.

Also this time I am removing the lip that is a by product of how the arm is manufactured. That should make them look slightly better quality


I modified the passenger arm by removing one bend and creating another further up then drilling two holes. So it will take the wind deflector.

Adrian Bravo said:

Just got some of this very cheap, cant wait to try it out

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I started at 9:00am washed the car, then put super resin polish on, then at last put the High definition wax on. finished at 8:30pm. The result is truly amazing, it looks like the car has just been resprayed. High definition wax is fantastic and so easy to use. I had to go out and have a second look to make sure I was not imagining the improvement

Adrian Bravo said:

I started at 9:00am washed the car, then put super resin polish on, then at last put the High definition wax on. finished at 8:30pm. The result is truly amazing, it looks like the car has just been resprayed. High definition wax is fantastic and so easy to use. I had to go out and have a second look to make sure I was not imagining the improvement

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Get some new pictures up then.

I'll have to get me some of that, shame it doesn't cover up where you've been key'd and dents in your door from idiotic neighbours with anger management problems!

Rigby said:

Get some new pictures up then.

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I will get some new pics up soon, I just want to sort a few little bits first

ChrisUK said:

I'll have to get me some of that, shame it doesn't cover up where you've been key'd and dents in your door from idiotic neighbours with anger management problems!

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I would be heart broken chris its a shame people are like that and some just plain numb.

The wax is amazing and it has no abrasives whatsoever. I would recomend it to anyone. The result has hidden all the little imperfections like swirls, minor scratches. It really does look like the car has been resprayed.

Judging by the small amount I used this pot will last me a very long time. Now that ive got one layer on I am going to use it after every wash and see how it goes adding layers on.

I have done a lot of ground work in previous washes that might have helped the effect though. For its very first wash I used clay, T-cut metalic, rubbing compound on a couple of bad scratched. Then Ive been using Super Resin Polish and Extra Gloss Protection regularly.

Door Card Repair
Recently I have been reinforcing my door cards. The three red trim button holders are so unbelievably shoddy in both design and construction. The top edges are very rarely glued on any mk1 I have seen. This has caused my door card to bow out along that edge and catch the frame. So I reinforced them by adding L brackets and glued the tops to the card. I used Araldite and pieces of another door card.



Made a metal support where this door card had started to split. The split can not be seen now.


First support to pin the cloth trim down. The top edge has come away. Id guess too much heat was used on the original melting buttons.

Since my first run of pictures I have plodded along just tidying bits up. New number plates, fitted mud flaps, left hand drive rear cluster, dark side repeaters, and I painted a lot of the underneath of the car.

I modified my passenger wiper arm to take a wind deflector and painted them in Hammerite.



The plastic cover on the inside of each seat rubs hard against the leather making an annoying squeak! You see a lot of cloth seats worn through in that position and im sure it would have destroyed my leather if I ignored it. So I took the seats out and chopped the top edge of the trim down. No more squeak Mini Guide





Enjoy these pictures and say hello to Autoglym High Definition Wax Click for large images.

Car Images




























Interior Images














Painted edge on rear clusters




Reflection


1996 Car Of The Year sticker




I hope you enjoyed the photos. Let me know what you think! Next I will be colour coding and fitting some Fiat 500 door handles.

Looks very clean and smart. Just one question how do you get by with the standard stereo it's Tape isn't it?

ChrisUK said:

Looks very clean and smart. Just one question how do you get by with the standard stereo it's Tape isn't it?

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Thank's Chris, Yep its casset

I have a special electronic box that pretends to be the CD-Changer. At one end I plug in my ipod. Its great because the buttons on the headunit controll the ipod fully. I have velcroed the box it deep inside the dash and put the ipod in the glove box.


I am also looking for one of these, then i will have CD's and an Ipod

I like the original tidy look, but im looking to fit an ipod dock somewhere so i can see the ipod screen as well. I might even get another headunit front and try to mould the ipod into it.

This is a very nice Bravo

Only thing that would get on my nerves are the rusty wheel bolts
Have you thought of painting the heads or getting covers or something?
My only criticism of what would be a very nice Bravo..

Nathan126 said:

This is a very nice Bravo

Only thing that would get on my nerves are the rusty wheel bolts
Have you thought of painting the heads or getting covers or something?
My only criticism of what would be a very nice Bravo..

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Thank You.
I noticed them on the pictures aswell, the camera really makes them obvious. Just so happens I have a full set of aftermarket bolts that are nice and shiny, I will fit them

Very nice indeed. Whats the plan, keep it for a while or sell it on?

Whats yours like on fuel?

Rigby said:

Very nice indeed. Whats the plan, keep it for a while or sell it on?

Whats yours like on fuel?

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I plan to keep it for a very long time. I want to renew and upgrade a lot of parts, to keep it reliable and make it a little bit better. The 1.8 has only done 46800 miles so far I am very happy with it.

I have not measuerd the fuel effiecency in anyway When I first got it I thought about selling it to try and make some cash, but any money I might have made would have been spent making another Bravo to the same spec as this one. Just seemed pointless unless I wanted something totally different.

Rigby said:

Very nice indeed. Whats the plan, keep it for a while or sell it on?

Whats yours like on fuel?

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Oh yeah and I would like to make a four wheel drive Bravo one day. The running gear from a Alfa 155 Q4 looks like a good candidate.

Adrian Bravo said:

Oh yeah and I would like to make a four wheel drive Bravo one day. The running gear from a Alfa 155 Q4 looks like a good candidate.

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Sounds like a good idea, would prefer a RWD one though, HGT prefrably though.

Im sure mine has AWD, it got up a pretty steep grass hill in the snow which i reckon most non AWD couldnt get up, was quite proud of it, untill the bumper acted as a snow plow the field and couldnt go any further

Re: 1996 Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX - Ink Black.

Coming Soon



Painted these myself, It was hard work.

Re: 1996 Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX - Ink Black.

very nice adrian, i painted mine up gloss black, but i couldnt manage the lock mechanism bit. only the handle is black and the lock part isnt

Re: 1996 Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX - Ink Black.

Bravo16VSpoonz said:

very nice adrian, i painted mine up gloss black, but i couldnt manage the lock mechanism bit. only the handle is black and the lock part isnt

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Thank You. Do you know what car these are off? Fitting right now its a dry day at last

Re: 1996 Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX - Ink Black.

This was a very miserable and difficult job, because of the lack of room when removing and refitting the Door handle rods. But its done and it was so worth the effort.

Before;




After;






The 500 door handles are stylish and quality and fit the Bravo perfectly.

New guide
https://www.fiatforum.com/bravo-bra...at-500-door-handles-1995-2001-fiat-bravo.html

Mods/Extras
-Fiat Marea Poly Elliptical Headlights With modified wiring
-Ipod/cd changer tricker interface to OEM stereo
-Leather Steering Wheel from HGT
-Vinyl Handbrake Gaiter
-K&N Panel Filter
-Mk2 Passenger air vent Black
-Cap that reads 12V rather than a lighter
-Full Leather Interior
-Leather Squeak Fix
-Aircon cabin filter
-Lockwood Stainless Steel Kick plates
-Bravo 2007 Washer Jets
-Sound proofing on the rear wheel arches
-Front Mud Flaps (Fiat original 5908473)
-Rear Mud Flaps (Fiat original)
-Dark In-Pro Side repeaters (E marked)
-New totally plane number plates
-European rear right cluster for extra symmetry
-Polished and Painted lip round rear light clusters
-De-badged boot
-2007 Fiat 500 Door Handles Colour Coded
-Shaped Grey Floor Mats
-Passenger Wiper wind deflector (Modified/Fiat original)
-Bosch AeroTwin AR551S 22"20" Wiper Blades

Re: 1996 Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX - Ink Black.

Next I am going to paint or powdercoat my two spare wing mirror mounts black. You can see I have filed off the flash/mould lines to improve thier look.

Re: 1996 Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX - Ink Black.

very nice, especially liked the color of your car in our country do not have 1.8 16v, car steering wheel on the right Is not difficult to use