Hi All,

I'm part of team 'Two men in Abarth' signed up for the 2016 Mongol Rally
any advice on preparing our Seicento for the rally or if you have any parts you could sell or donate then I would appreciate all the help offered.

My plan is to raise the suspension and fit larger tyres and to fit sump guards and anti roll bars but i thought i would get advice from you guys first.

plaese check out and like our facebook page as endeavour to prepare foe=r this adventure

Cheers
Justin

First off good luck with it, looks like fun but I wouldn't get time off for it.
Apart from the usual spares such as, aux belts, clutch cables, the plastic pivot point for the clutch cable (I don't know what they're actually called), tyres/rims, coolant hoses and coolant, I can't really suggest anything else to take with you.
But you may want to get some comfier seats for the long journey as they're alright on short-mid range distances but wouldn't like to try them on a really long journey.

Awesome stuff, please come back and update us, we have had a few people in the past say they're going to undertake the rally but never come back and tell us if they managed it.

I've sent you a PM with a book you might find interesting for prepping the car. Might find some of it useful.

Two men in Abarth said:

Plaese check out and like our facebook page as endeavour to prepare for this adventure

Click to expand...

Can we have a link for this please?

Sounds awesome! I would get some 14 inch steel wheels if you have alloys as the 13's disappear down pot holes and can get damaged quite easily IME.

It would also probably be easier to buy tyres in the field if necessary. Fit a temp gauge if you haven't got one and I would seriously consider cam belt and water pump change if not already done. So easy DIY its a pleassure, on the 1108 anyway. If the rad is old change that too and perhaps take a spare as they are very light and low cost.

Check shocks for any oil misting and replace If necessary. ☺

We are doing the rally in a Seicento as well.
Same sort of idea:
14" Wheels
Stiffen suspension using rubber inserts
Bash plate
Our facebook is facebook/whatpuncture
Like the page if you want to keep track of what we are up to.

Why put rubber on the suspension? What do you mean exactly?

If the roads are bad then I would have thought you'd need the suspension travel?

Coil Spring Assister


Stiffens up the centre of the spring. The car will be severely overloaded for the current springs. The car will sag otherwise. This also helps prevent them snapping in the middle which Mongolia seems to be proficient at.

Ah ok maybe that's a good idea then ☺

frottata said:

We are doing the rally in a Seicento as well.
Same sort of idea:
14" Wheels
Stiffen suspension using rubber inserts
Bash plate
Our facebook is facebook/whatpuncture
Like the page if you want to keep track of what we are up to.

Click to expand...

a friend did it a few years ago,
thought nowadays you had to take "useful" vehicles that could be of aid to locals after you've left it there..?? ambulances / fire trucks, etc

he said an uno was doing it in their "convoy" but holed a sump.., didn't notice and seized..:bang:

Cinqs are pretty low.., so getting the floor / sump up a few inches will be especially useful..

And it won't help if the sump is already a bit rusty ?

Fuel cost for an old fire engine might be a bit painful?

Following on from this - we have our car - a black 2003 Seicento Active 1.1L. You can check it out at facebook.com/whatpuncture

It's soooo small. I'm 6'4 so this is going to be a long trip.

We have put the bigger wheels on, after sacrificing the guard liners (for the moment until I cut bits out of them).

Engine mounts look a little worn... not sure if we should change them.

Changing pads, clutch & cable, filters, oil, timing and alternator belts.

DOES ANYONE KNOW if you can use a bigger car's springs on the Sei? :idea:

The springs look very weak and totally unsuited to what we are looking to do.

Its a leightweight car so does it need heavy duty springs? Ur probably loading up with a lot of stuff... How big are the wheels??

Cool event

purf said:

Its a leightweight car so does it need heavy duty springs? Ur probably loading up with a lot of stuff... How big are the wheels??

Cool event

Click to expand...

Wheels are 14in high profile winter tyres. Only just fit in the guards.
We will have 3 people in the car which is just ridiculous but that's the way it is.

There will be gear on the roof too. Mongolia is known to break springs in half and shocks off the cars from repeatedly bottoming out.

This is a pic of the car with the 14 on the back and 13 on the front for comparison.

The early 899 cc cars had taller springs than the sei. If yours is not a sporting?

purf said:

The early 899 cc cars had taller springs than the sei. If yours is not a sporting?

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It's an "Active". Don't know if that makes it a sporting or not

Not a sporting unless it's got a badge and a Rev counter? Not much difference with seicentos. The sorting had a different gearbox too I would hope. They stopped fitting the 899cc ohv engine and started fitting the 1108 to both about 2000 out something.

purf said:

Not a sporting unless it's got a badge and a Rev counter? Not much difference with seicentos. The sorting had a different gearbox too I would hope. They stopped fitting the 899cc ohv engine and started fitting the 1108 to both about 2000 out something.

Click to expand...

You dissapoint me Purf
You can see it's not a sporting from the wheel trims and the style of front and rear bumpers. Plus if it's an 'Active' it's definitely not a Sporting.

You could buy a new set of OEM springs that are non-sporting. (same as what is already on the car) as the sporting models were 20mm lower than the Active, SX, S, 899 etc.

Cheapest place to buy Fiat parts are direct from Poland. www.unto.pl and there's another site listed on the right on the forum (in traders section). Just send them an email in english telling them what you want and they'll tell you how much and give you a link to purchase. Takes about a week to arrive but far cheaper than anything available over here and all OEM.

I'd borrow an arch roller off someone and DIY rolling the arches. I'd also remove the bench seat in the rear and keep just the one seat in the rear. More storage space in the back for all your kit

I'd also get yourself some Tyre String (google it) - basic puncture repair and smaller and cheaper than trying to keep some tyre weld in the car. Alright it wont help you if you shred the tyre but if you're in the middle of nowhere and need a quick fix it might help. especially if you get two punctures at the same time.

My sei sporting says active on the side

Haha, well that told me
There were some Active sport models, my badeace:

Don't ask me what it means though??? Is it the cam sensor thing?