My exploit yellow punto 75elx

Currently reading:
My exploit yellow punto 75elx

I prefer the steelies tbh. Don't get me wrong, It looks very, very good on the alloys but there's just a wee part of me that thinks it almost makes the car look like it's kinda approaching the "over-specced" area with all the other little official accessories as well as them.

The charm of the steelies and trims was it added to the stunning originality of it but also kept it almost "understated", natural. I reckon it's now just a bit "look at all my options", as you said, like it's off the cover of the accessories catalogue.

It's not a "bad" thing, just, in my personal opinion not quite as perfect as the understated stunning timewarp effect.
 
I know what you both mean. I'm not 100% on them, but it drives a lot better now, and the steels and trims are safely away should I want to put them back on
 
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
 
Christ this is due a major update....
I have been busy
Copied from fiat forum so it'll prob make no sense some of it.....
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




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.
 
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......







The fiat assistance sticker didn't stay on for long before it peeled off, so today I set about trying to restore it.

I rubbed off all the glue with white spirit, washed all the crap that had accumulated over the years and re- attached with clear double sided tape. I think it's worked really well. The heat gun has made the picket at the back shrink back to original size.

In other news, I brought in an old seicento as a p/x so robbed it of the window security stickers that the car would have worn when it was new. The car now has all its original window stickers on it that it should have.


 
Bugger it!
I now have a 3 month old baby girl, and whilst taking the car seat out the kuga, managed to dent my beloved punto.

So today I took the car into work and got my dent guy to work his magic on both sides as there were a couple of tiny wee ripples.
This is now one of the straightest punto's on the planet.....



Spent this evening building back up the door mirrors which have been painted exploit yellow.
The body shop at work took a week as they were doing them in downtime for me as a favour but I am more than happy with the results.
Fitted them and went to tesco for munch to celebrate......




Seeing as I was on a roll today, I tackled another couple of jobs on the car, which were both a pain in the arse.

I painted my new exhaust with VHT aluminium paint to 1. Help protect it and 2. Make the u deride look nicer as it was covered in marker pen part numbers.
It's not a genuine exhaust and is a slightly different shape to the one that was on before, but it works, even though it has a small dent in the backbox.
It's been sitting on a shelf in my work for around 5 years and for what it cost I don't mind.

Whilst I had the paint out, I decided to freshen up the engine bay, as show season/ good weather is coming up.

Third pic is me with a coffee at the front door admiring the view while the engine is running curing the paint.






 
Day of today and with the Scottish Italian car day creeping up, I thought I'd crack on with a job that's been letting the car down, the bubbling window wiper arms.

Rubbed them smooth and black hammerite to keep the rust away, sorry for the crap iPhone pics.







That's the exterior pretty much perfect now, I has considered getting the bonnet painted as there are a few chips but that's part of the cars life.
Happy Simon

Got my oil leak sorted today so it's back to 100% health.
This afternoon, I done a bit of engine bay detailing, painting and cleaning, as the garage had made a mess of taking it apart.



 
Bit of a result today that's saved myself around £70

Was casually having a rake about the parts dept at work as you do and come across some battery stickers
There was nothing wrong with the AA battery in the car but it annoyed me how it wasn't a genuine Fiat one, so I peeled the stickers off it and applied the fiat ones, so at least it looks like a genuine one.
A wee detail that makes me happy.....

If anyone needs one, I have a few left over....



Brake overhaul parts starting to arrive.

Maybe it's just me but there is something about new old stock parts......

It's
 
Unfortunately the pictures haven't transferred over from FF. I may try and fix it for you at the weekend if that's ok with you as it's too good a write-up not to have them
 
Balls!
It took me ages to transfer over as well as i did it on my phone.
It's weird cos they were working last night. :(
 
Through Photobucket.
Been using the same method for donkeys years, just last night it failed me
 
Been buying more new old stock shite that I don't need- just incase.
Need another punto to screw it all onto....
 
Stashing random parts and accessories is pretty mandatory behaviour for car enthusiasts isn't it? Even I've got a wee collection of things I'll probably never use but I have just in case y'know, one day I might need them :lol:
 
I am actually thinking of getting rid of the car. Just a waste as I don't use it much, scared of it breaking etc and don't want to use it in bad weather.
 
I was out with my pals last night and the conversation got into my car.
One of them said to me, if my car wasn't so rare and original, what would you do to it?

I'd love a set of mk1 Tipo 16v wheels in the factory diamond cut finish.
I'd been actually considering these for a while for the car now, and there is a set on eBay just now but they are bad car condition, and £300!!!
By the time I get them diamond cut and put a decent set of tyres on them, it'll be not far off a grand!

But- they are my dream wheel and as soon as a much cheaper set come up I'm having them.


I'd also have to lower it a bit, but leave the mudflaps on.

I've always liked the look of the morrette headlamp conversion on the mk1 with the standard bumpers and bonnet badge kept on, so I think I'd put a set of them on colour coded to the car.



Other than that I'd keep the bodywork, engine and interior as is.

Someone fee free to photoshop my car how I'd want it to look
 
Back
Top