Drove Bertie from Suffolk to Lincolnshire and back via the A1 today. He didn't miss a beat and pulled like a train. I was being followed by a young lad in a Fiesta up a long hill near Stamford at about 60mph when the car in front pulled over. I put my foot down in 5th and he just pulled away from the Fiesta and I soon had to lift to avoid exceeding the speed limit by too much. I know a lot of people are not fans of the 1.6 engine, but I find it has plenty of grunt across the whole rev range and is not phased by hills.

Bertie is spending the winter in the garage, but I start him occasionally and move out onto the driveway to keep everything moving. I intend to take him out of hibernation in March and smarten him up. This will include a respray for the bonnet and minor dent removal. The big job however, is the hood. The hood itself is in excellent condition, but I damaged the rear window a couple of years ago and although it is weathertight, it doesn't look so good. Being a replacement roof, the window is plastic welded to the roof rather than zipped like the original and this means that window replacement is not possible. Looking at replacement roofs it seems that they all have welded in windows which means the same problem could occur again. I haven't contacted Fiat, but doubt they would have original stock.
Bit of a long shot, but has anyone else had this problem, or found a means of replacing the window?

I got a new window stitched into the hood, It doesn't leak and is bonded as well as stitched. Do you want a pic? It cost me €100. BTW I had to take the whole lot off and separate the hood from the frame so he could stitch it.

That would be great if you could, thank you. Did you remove the cover yourself? If so, how difficult a job was it? I suspect that if I have to get a trimmer to do the whole job, the labour cost might be similar to that of replacing the hood. However, if I get a new hood, it may be worth keeping the old one, fitting a new window and have a spare.

Ah. I didn't realise you were on here. If there are any other parts you need let me know. I'm stripping the 1242 today and tomorrow.

Rob from eBay.

Hi Rob. Now you know my interest! I hope to be in touch again very soon.

The rear window cracked when I opened the roof to take it off just now.

Let me know if you want it by lunch time or it'll be scrapped with the rest of the car.

....aaaannnnddd forget that idea. The roof had been stuck down with some industrial silicone and ripped apart when I tried to take it off.

Sorry.

I have saved the rams, lines and pump if you need it.

Thanks for letting me know. It was about this time of year that I cracked my window, as it gets brittle when cold. Just as well you discovered it now rather than after the sale.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PUNTO-90-1600cc-8v-ELX-CABRIO-NOT-GT-TURBO-SPARES-OR-REPAIRS-/222798821774?

Mention the Fiat Forum and it's yours to tow away for £100

Yes, I've seen that one and even have a spare ECU, so could probably get it to work. Problem is, I don't really have the facilities to store it. Also seems a shame to break it, although it has the same interior as mine. Don't know whether it has an MOT.

nope.

Thank you, that means I would have to factor in the cost of transporting it from South London to Suffolk.

Having recently had my original ecu rebuilt I thought it was time to change the heater matrix as the ecu sits directly beneath it. I am now nearly halfway through the job and can't say I am enjoying it. After 25 years on the road many parts are unwilling to come apart. Having removed the dash I am now trying to remove the heater assembly, but it will not budge. I suspect it has bonded itself to the bulkhead with the soundproofing and I have yet to find a way of releasing it. The manual is very helpful; it says remove the two bolts in the engine compartment and the three in the passenger compartment then you can remove the heater assembly. Oh no you can't!


Assuming I manage to complete the job, I am going to take precautions to prevent future problems. Instead of replacing the ecu in its cradle, I will be placing it in a sealed plastic box to protect it from future leaks.

Job complete and new matrix is in place, pumping out heat, not steam. Not a job I wish to repeat in a hurry! Next task is to fabricate my new waterproof box for the ECU.

Pleased to report that Bertie now has a new MOT and is back on the road. Had an initial fail due to the headlight levelling not working and a loose front outer anti roll bar mounting. The headlights were fixed by reconnecting the levelling switch (doh) and new bolts for the roll bar. Interestingly I went to my local Fiat garage for the bolts and they needed the car registration to find a part number and then tell me the part was obsolete. I suggested that it was a bolt which was probably still used on current cars, but they couldn't help without a part number (I had taken an original to compare). A trip to my local ironmongers and I soon had new bolts and furthermore, they wouldn't charge me for them!

Just found this saga on Bertie! Prompts me to ask (off thread- sorry) Does anyone have a drivers door mirror or shell for a '98 Cabrio? It has a lip and although I thought the Sporting was the same - it isn't! Lots of new ones available allegedly for the Cabrio, but they aren't like our original!

Will these do? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Pun...286266?hash=item4b61f977ba:g:XT0AAOSw2EJcij5x

renaultvation said:

Will these do? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Punto-Cabriolet-door-mirrors-Pair/323766286266?hash=item4b61f977ba:g:XT0AAOSw2EJcij5x

Click to expand...

Thanks very much! They are not the exact pattern, but if they came off a Cabrio as it says then the "triangle" should fit! I will have a "punt"(!).
Everyone keep off! I'm out of the country tomorrow so will have to bid tonight & hope it gets there!
David

Punto1cab said:

Thanks very much! They are not the exact pattern, but if they came off a Cabrio as it says then the "triangle" should fit! I will have a "punt"(!).
Everyone keep off! I'm out of the country tomorrow so will have to bid tonight & hope it gets there!
David

Click to expand...

Well I won them....no other bidders! Thanks!!
Waiting for them to arrive & then see if they ARE right!
Decided to spend a bit on smartening up the Cabrio...Mrs H has had it from new & only done ~ 3000 miles a year. A few scrapes & one tatty bottom(!) to the OSF wing is all the rust I can see (unless I look Really hard ). New wing is about £35! Wonder what the sills look like under the plastic.....?
Hood works & no splits, pulls like a train. No point in spending loads on something newer & unknown!
Keep you posted!
David