Grande Punto My Grande Punto T-Jet 120

So, all planets have aligned, and the Punto is pretty much done. I had a lot of work done on it, I'll have a short list here:

-> I've changed the problematic right side drive shaft, unfortunately, this was a lot more work than anticipated. The new driveshaft was made for a Fiat Doblo mk2, and was too long (930 mm vs 921 mm). I had the outer shaft shortened, machined and TIG welded. The vibrations are a lot less upsetting right now. We'll see how long it's going to last.
-> New clutch, release bearing and flywheel.
-> New timing belt and water pump.
-> New steering arms with new rods and links.
-> New alternator belt.
-> New coolant expansion tank.
-> New drilled Brembo XTRA line disks on the front, and Brembo OEM in the rear.
-> Added a K&N drop in filter
-> Mounted new Eibach 12 mm wheel spacers with longer bolts front and rear.
-> Added a metallic engine splash shield (car is quite low and I don't want to damage the oilpan).
-> Oil and filters. Motul Abarth spec 10W50 + Liqui Moly Ceratec, and Motul 80W90 with Liqui Moly Gear additive.
-> Lots of details, used some rust converter on any suspension, thing that was showing even a tiny bit of rust, oiled the shifter linkages as they stick a bit (they'll need replacing).
-> Alignment

I managed to buy a new set of identical rims, but in a lot better shape, without any curb rashes.

I'm very happy on how this car turned out. I love it, and every time I go for a ride, it puts a smile on my face. It's an undercover Abarth Grande Punto SS. With this new K&N filter, and especially the new flywheel (it's OEM Luk, but apparently it's a bit lighter even though it's dual mass), the throttle it's a lot more snappy and crisp.

It's not perfect (there are places where the car shows it's age) but for me it's good enough. I've yet to see a Punto in a better shape than this one .

Can't wait to do some trackdays.

Winter is here, and due to holidays, I managed to get some work done on the GP.

-> H&R CupKit Komfort dampers + springs
-> EBC Yellowstuff brakepads
-> New rear suspension bushings
-> New damper bushings
-> Front calipers rebuilt and painted

So far so good. There are a few things needing taking care of (an alignment is next) but these really transformed the car.

Managed to have a custom 60 mm stainless steel cat-back exhaust system done, and a remap. Painted the rear bumper, side skirts, and polished a bit all the scuffs on the rims. Changed the filters and put some Abarth spec'd Motul 10W50.
I've kept the "stock" exhaust configuration, with a mid muffler and a baffled rear one, as I don't want it to be too loud. I'm looking for the stock Abarth Grande Punto experience .

The stock configuration was producing 150 hp and 243 N/m of torque. The remap changed the whole car, now it's producing 183 hp and 296 N/m of torque on 100 octane fuel. The acceleration curve is a lot more linear, the car is running a lot smoother, and the fuel consumption went down quite a bit. It's quite fast and rowdy now without being too obnoxious. Now I'm running 102 octane fuel as a test, a bit expensive, I reckon it's adding 2-3 hp max, but the throttle response seems a bit more tight.

Now I just need some Bilstein B6 shocks, new front brake calipers, EBC Yellowstuff pads and rear trailing arm bushings, and this hot hatch is pretty much done.