I just recently purchased a '72 500L, which was unused for 3+ years. I want to get it back on the road, and hopefully drive it more often before the summer heat arrives.

Just fitted a new battery and the car now starts without hiccups. Idling is fine, but the engine starts getting very noisy after a few minutes. I guess it's time to do a valve adjustment?

Right now the brakes doesn't feel safe at all. Car doesn't start reducing speed or stop unless I have to really press HARD on the brakes, literally stomping it. As for the clutch, I don't know why the biting point is really low, almost dropping to the floor.. Is it common for classic Fiat 500s?

Things I'm planning to do to the car:
- brake overhaul
- buy new tyres (125 or 135?)
- replace mounts (engine and transmission)
- engine & ignition maintenance (belts, filters, spark plugs etc.)
- gear linkage
- suspension bushes
- possibly removing fuel tank and clean it (not sure how to though)
- get new bumpers and nudge bars; current ones are oxidised
Is there anything that I've left out? Suggestions/advice are welcomed.

I'm also hoping to get some advice on where to order parts. I'm looking at Ricambio(UK) and AG. I know Ricambio's known for its sky-high prices, but so far, I like Ricambio's customer service and easy webpage navigation. But the complete brake repair kit is much cheaper at AG! If I were to order the exact same stuff at Ricambio, it costs about £100 more.. I'm not sure whether its worth the premium, and AG seems to be a reputable supplier in this forum. I'm not prepared to break my bank yet although I plan to keep this car for long. Any thoughts?

I don't think there'll be a huge difference in shipping costs as I'm located in HK and will be ordering quite a number of parts anyway.

Thanks for reading my lengthy-ish first post Please feel free to chip in

Hi welcome.

I won't comment on the mechanical bits (there are far better experts on this site than me ). However, regarding parts (of which I have ordered plenty )- I agree Ricambio seem quite expensive but have the advantage (here in the UK) that you get delivery the next day. For more expensive parts (and when I can wait) or a larger order I have used Axel Gerstl in Germany (your AG I assume) as well as FD Ricambi and van der Laan in the Netherlands. Delivery is usually pretty quick (if I order on a Monday I usually have the parts by Thursday)...but again for the UK. I can't comment on whether they deliver to HK. I haven't had any major issues with quality and their websites are generally easy to use. I believe there are other sites around the world (US, Australia?) where delivery to HK may be easier? I think there is/was a link to suppliers around the world in the "Stickies" section of the forum.

Hi and welcome. I bought a great deal of my parts from Axel gerstl of Germany. Good quality parts and cheap too. Postage is about 15€ per box, so order quite a bit to make it worthwhile.

Hi.

From my experience...

Axel Gerstl has the cheapest shipping to Australia for large boxes of parts. ( I have even had panels shipped here). The shipping is based on box size and weight.

I have always had good email communication from them.

They are happy to quote the shipping price before processing the payment.

FD ricambi calculate shipping per item as you use the web site so the cost can rise very quickly . Their packages arrive a bit faster.

They also have good customer service.

Cheers

Geoff