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Punto (Mk1) My exploit yellow 75 elx

Introduction

Hi.
My name is Simon and I haven't been on here in ages.
I'm a fiat nut who has owned fiats all my life as have my family. I work in a fiat dealership in dundee and have treated myself to a new car, as it's the first time in my life I have been without a fiat.

I bought the following car off ebay for 4 reasons

1. I had one as my first car
2. I just bought a house and have somewhere to keep it
3. My mum had a brand new exploit yellow 55 sx back in '95
4. Have plenty fiat techs to fix it when it breaks

So, I'm in dundee, the car was in Yorkshire, so my dad and I left 5:30am Saturday morning in his 500L to pick it up. I was worried about bringing a near 20 year old fiat 260 mile up the road, but it didn't miss a beat. It drives like a new car.

History- we'll it was sold new to a mrs crappe, at carnell fiat, she had the car garaged from new, done 70,000 miles in it. It had its original dealer plates on it which I changed, as they were tatty. Full years mot with no advisories, and a full service history. She specced it up with a drivers airbag!

The car come with a few parking dings, original scuffed wheel trims, and a couple of light scratches, otherwise it's mint.
Luckily working in a fiat dealer, I can get parts, a workshop with a 40 years served fiat technician, a dent man and body shop.

Took the car into work today to get all the dents removed, was up on the ramps for a health check- solid underneath, just needs new discs and pads and a rocker cover gasket. Underneath is solid, clean and all present and correct. It also needs a new cam belt cover as mine is burst. Then that's it mint.
Turns out the rear tyres are the factory originals, made 3rd week of 1995, so it will be getting a full set of brand new Goodyear duragrips I have in my garage.
Surprisingly every single thing works on the car, even the remote locking and being an elx it has an electric sunroof!!!

It's quite funny because all the fiat techs were all over it today, donating parts. One of them had an exploit yellow touch up pen that's been in his toolbox for 15 years, got handbrake cables and a rocker cover gasket, with more bits offered. They also went on e-sigi and printed out the complete history of my car, showing recalls for brake pipes, airbag ecu etc which is nice to keep.

Work so far done-

New genuine wheel trims
New genuine punto mats
Original fiat tape deck
Genuine fiat lineaccessorie front and rear mudflaps
General tidy up
Clay, wet sand, machine polish bodywork
New numberplates
Dents removed
Brand new badges
Full valet

I love this car, I can't believe how mint it is. Taking bad with no power steering though.
I put it in the showroom and took some piccies.
Anyway the pictures.......

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And my main/ daily car

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Now, I know a lot of you are going to be unhappy with my following decision, but it's not as if I have put a set of 18's on it and dropped it on its arse....

For ages I have been in two minds about alloys for my car. I didn't want to ruin the originality of it, but then thought, I can always put the steelies and trims back on if I don't like it.

I purchased a set of punto gt wheels which were actually a factory option on an elx when new, had them refurbed and put a set of brand new good year efficient grips on them, as well as new centre caps.

I still have the original wheels tucked safely away though if I get fed up with them.

I think the car now looks as if it's come out of a fiat lineaccesorie booklet.
It has however highlighted that now you can see the drums and caliper, they need to be stripped and painted- Matt black drums and silver caliper a me thinks....

P.s- it isn't getting lowered




 
Finishing touch- this is what I've been after for ages.
I got the parts dept in work to search all over the UK for one of these, went out of production years ago, so got some of my own reproductions made up.

My car would have wore these from the factory being a 1995 build car, but have been taken off at some point.

The vinyl isn't as clear as the original but other than that they are bang on.







So.... I think that's the car looking how I want it now.
Have new track rod ends to fit at some point, and still the drivers seat piping to sort but getting there
 
My clutch is according to the fiat techs, probably the original, and is very heavy, as well as creaky so as a favour one of them said if I got a clutch kit they would fit it for me as its a doddle.

Picked up this genuine kit £35 posted ? which is mental because the parts dept in work wee wanting £140 for one with my staff discount.

Brand new genuine clutch for £35 fitted, would be daft not to.



Also got new track rid ends fitted, driver side was shot and was knocking. Had fears of it being the steering rack but that's healthy.
 
Last edited:
Not a very interesting update, but an update none the less.
Since I put the GT wheels on, you were able to see the 20 year old rusty brakes through the spokes.
It didn't bother me when I did the discs and pads as you couldn't see them through the wheel trims.

So. Armed with a wire brush and two tins of hammerite, I set to work.

I used satin black on the drums and discs, and smooth silver on the calipers just as it would have come from the factory. No chavvy Reds/ yellows here.
**note- the excess paint on the discs were cleaned up before the wheels were refitted**

Not very exciting pictures sorry

New clutch next Sunday ?



 
expensive couple of days at work-

When I was installing the CD changer, i cracked the trim on the sill on the passenger side, tried breakers to find an elx as the s/sx colour is different with no joy.

decided to see if fiat still list it, and found the last one available in the world, so ordered it and it arrived this morning, brand new in packaging.

Only thing is, it was £30.00 for a bit of plasic.

Whilst it was on, i ordered myself a full set of pillar vinyls, as the drivers door one is creased, and the rest are discoloured.
Again, the last set available, another £40.00, but will make the exterior of the car look brand new again.
 
What an amazing find, cracking little car !, cant wait to get to work on sorting the exterior on mine, I have a small dent in the front edge of the bonnet to remove, and a not so small dent in the n/s door that I think im going to have to get the local dent man to sort for me.
The chap I bought the car off went mental with the red T cut and its every where, all in the shuts and the return edges of the panel work, I intend mopping the car after the dents have been sorted and then ill be going at it with the air line to remove any excess farecla dust and then finally detailing the door / boot / bonnet shuts and return edges.
Once I've done all that I have some lovely shiny new emblems / badges to put on to replace the faded originals, Lots to do !
Love your GT wheels !, would like some for mine !, also where did you obtain your mud flaps.
Cheers
Tristan
 
It looks bloody brilliant :) Love all the original details like the re-produced number plates & the 'Car of the Year' sticker. My 1996 Punto had that sticker in it & I know most people would've removed it but I couldn't. Wouldn't even replace the slightly faded original Thames Fiat number plates or the tax disc holder that was hanging on by a thread, so I know how you feel!

I had a little stamped Quality Check certificate slid into the drivers side sun visor on mine when I got it, so that stayed in place too - kind of wish I'd kept the car now!

All the Mk1's I see now (which aren't many) are beaten up as hell, so yours is just ace, especially in Exploit Yellow - Love that colour (mine was Midnight Blue) :)
 
I got the mudflaps off eBay, they were quite expensive as they were new old stock.
I'm going into work tomorrow to borrow a ramp and put my new clutch in it.
I'm looking forward to that being done as its so heavy just now. I've got used to the heavy steering but hopefully the new clutch will lighten up a bit.

It's all coming together nicely
 
Clutch change today.
Went into work and one of the fiat techs gave me a hand.



Gearbox out......




New clutch in.....


Drives like a brand new car again.
I also done a few wee things under the car whilst it was up on the ramps.
The handbrake cable was hanging down like all mk1's do so that was reattached, and I also have the underneath of the car another coat of stone chip to protect it.

It's coming on.
 
Yeh I did. Been cleaning everything as I go/ replace parts.

Latest jobs have included replacing the black vinyls on the door pillars- pig of a job, and given a full machine polish.

It's now swirl free yippee!
Only a couple of month before it comes off the road for winter :(

I have however done 1800 miles in it since I got it :)
 
Today I spent a bit of time tidying up the underneath of the car.
It is in very good condition with no rust at all, so when I was changing the clutch a few weeks ago, I took the opportunity to give it a once over with underseal to protect it.
Today, I returned and made sure all the nooks and crannies were covered/filled and also gave the exhaust and gearbox a quick freshen up with high temp paint.

I am in two minds whether or not to paint the underside of the car yellow again? I know if I do this, I won't use the car because I'd be paranoid about the underneath getting dirty, and don't really want to go down the route of a full underbody restoration........
Sorry about the poor pics......






 
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