Hi all,
I have a 1997 mk1 punto 55 s (1.1L)
it dosen't have any fog lights, AC or power steering

Does anyone know if the wiring loom is ready for the new kit or do i need a new loom?

The ford feista seems to use the same loom in every model with plastic plugs at the dead ends, meaning if you wanted to fit the fog lights you simply buy them and plug them in (Lights, switch and fuse) without any differcult work, does the punto have this also?

Thanks in advance

Fog light will be the easiest but I don't think the loom will be 'plug and play', I know there are differences between the different Cinq/Sei variants. Aircon involves a lot more than just plugging something in though as the condensor is usually belt driven (as far as I know). Power steering, I think kritip would be the man to speak to, I'm sure he retrofitted it to his Sei from a later model so the principle would be the same.

Fog lights should be easy, the loom exists, you just need a button in the car and the lights on the outside. As for air conditioning and power steering, forget about it. For the steering, you would need a new rack, column, reservoir, pump, pipework, auxillary drivebelt, three-way auxillary drivebelt pulley and an engineer's report to keep your insurance company happy. Air conditioning is just another minefield due to the handling of refridgerants. Plus, with the steering and air-con being driven by the engine, you could well lose up to 5 HP, not something you can afford when you only had 55 to begin with.

The 55 is a wonderful car, I have driven one for nearly six years and over 90,000 miles. Respect it for what it is, a simple, reliable car. Adding this complexity is just too much.

Aircon also needs its own radiator and a condensor in the car's heater case plus all the piping. Forget it & wait until you get a smarter spec car.

Power steering might be handy but you need a different steering rack, the power column and maybe the computer. When its done the steering might be too light.

I'm not sure that the mk1 power steering (fitted to GT and heavier TD) had a computer, it was purely controlled by hydraulic valves on the column. That's why I estimate the power losses to be quite high since the hydraulic systems tend to be pretty inefficient even when not actually providing any effort.

Besides, the 55's steering is not too heavy anyway. It's a lightweight engine in the front with a high steering gear ratio (4.0 turns lock-to-lock rather than 2.7 in the assisted models).

Ah sorry didnt read it properly

You could fit a power steering pump You will also need all the pipes, hoses, brackets, different "fan" belt with pulleys and the different rack. It shouldn't affect the mpg too much.

You will have to find a breakers with a the right car and take the stuff off yourself because their yard blokes wont be too careful with the pipes (no-one wants them - do they?).

Is it really worth the bother?

cheers guys

The power steering i was think of making my own unit and fitting possible seperate power supply - recharage thingy perhaps? - a big job but i thought the exp would be nice

The fog lights where somthing i was thinking about a bit more about, so do you think its just plug in and go?

The AC again i was going custom with the aid of light super chager - computer sim suggests +10bhp (Max) - fitted to flywheel (hense the light to avoid slowing engine down to much.

Back to the Fogs Genuine fiat parts here or replacement parts / second hand?

Was also thinking of making my own body kit from fiber glass? just a plastic sheet over current orginal bumber then 1cm think bumber?

Many of these modifications will require an engineer's report. If your engineering and fabrication skills are good, then this is not an issue, except that the number of insurance companies willing to insure the car may be very limited.

What exactly is wrong with the steering? As long as you are moving, it should not be too stiff at all. When parking I can just place the palm of one hand against it and turn lock to lock no problem.

The steering is good, very light. my bros got a new car with AC, power steering, 6 cd multi changer, fogs, 1.25L engine - very quick, all for £800, just £50 more than mine so i wanted to know what i can do to the 55 s.

Insurance wise, for me it's STUPID Excess of £2,800 a year on 1.1L
I tried going to every company direct from confused.com

direct line etc every place i'd ever heard of.

Stupid thing is, if i was born just 2 days eailer i would be paying 1.5k less!!! Star signs change 2 days before my b-day so i guess the insurance comp take these into consideration or something? :bang:

Don't even consider these modifications if your insurance is that expensive. Crikey, it could be another £1000 on top of what you are paying already after engineer reports and premium excess.

Save keeping up with your brother until you have some no-claims discount. Thankfully my brother and I have completely different taste in women and cars so there has never really been a competitive clash.

ha ha, cool.

Its not really competitive between us. i've fixed his car quite a few times now. he used to have a panda, now a ford feista Zetec

I've madaged to fix the panda to perfect working order after he trashed it on the motorway weekly

My cars been maintained in perfect working order, recently fixed a rusting issue on mine, its been a little rough after the red key was used by parents - seems quite rich still, gradually retuing it's self to a leaner mix though

Car looks in lovely condition anyway!

MikeSalt said:

Car looks in lovely condition anyway!

Click to expand...

Thank You

some mk1's have the wireing for fogs so you may be lucky.
for lighter steering pump tyres up.
for cooler air open a window

dave said:

some mk1's have the wireing for fogs so you may be lucky.
for lighter steering pump tyres up.
for cooler air open a window

Click to expand...

Ha, ha - i parked in the shade so when i opened my window Hotter air came in :bang: Doh!

Dont waste money on power steering it will make the car skittish to drive. The heavy parking is a small price to pay.

If you were determined to get aircon then there are companies who fit it but it will cost a fortune, more than the car is worth.

Just open the window or buy a chiller unit which is basically a plug in icebox with a fan powered from the cigarette lighter to blow air a box of ice. It works very well..except you end up with a box of water and need to re-fill it every couple of hours.