Tuning 1.2 8v swap

[crazySnublz]

Things haven't gone to plan as usual hence the lack of updates. Certain problems have forced things to go on hold such as a broken hand whilst doing another engine swap :bang:.
The cam arrived when they said it would and it is still sitting in the bottom of my toolbox in work along with the cam cover.
The exhaust is hopefully going to be done this Wednesday, if I'm able to get my day off work.
Funds have had to be removed from the vernier pulley pot to pay for insurance, which isn't to bad, but still makes me regret changing the engine because it is 3 1/2 times what it would be standard.
Rolling road will occur when I am back in college in September ish time.
Still waiting for a gearbox mount but that's down to the idiot in work who orders parts who is either away with the fairies or out of his office.
Enough with the negatives, some positives,
The coolant leak seems to have mysteriously stopped leaking .
The oil leak isn't as profuse because as usual most of it was coming from a bad seal on the cam cover.
I have definitely been allowed the couple of days off at the end of next month to go to Stanford Hall , although I will be travelling up at stupid o'clock on the Sunday .
She is running really well, even though I have recently found out that the engine had done over 100k. I still have a slight hesitation under acceleration, not sure what it is hoping for a coil pack more than anything due to being cheap ones from ebay.
That's it for now hopefully another update before Stanford but can't guarantee it.

 

[bean]

Great work in this thread.

I've had my 1.2 8v in my cinq for many years and 70k miles, not fast but great for overtaking and the hills we have in Devon!

Does the supersprint manifold fit with the CAT?

 

[crazySnublz]

Yes and no, the cat ends up hitting the arb so it needs to be modified by cutting the flanges off and expand it over the manifold not to beat the crap out of it like I did as a temp fix

 

[bean]

Ok, it doesn't sound like it needs much modifying to fit!

 

[crazySnublz]

Suppose a bit of an update is needed.
Not a good start to the month as I thought I'd snapped a spring and decided to replace everything, but nothing had broken but 2 shocks were shot.
And whilst ordering bits decided to get a cat seeing as mine is fubar, but after several weeks of trying to get hold of the local stainless exhaust maker got through and he no longer does stainless only mild but he is booked for several months. So I am now going to Swansea tomorrow to get it done along with fitting a flexi pipe.
Sorted the several oil leaks from the cam cover, pressure switch and the plug on the oil filter housing had come loose so I now have a Sei without an oil leak until I fit the new cam and cover ?

 

[mrcinquecento]

I would have just removed the arb....

 

[crazySnublz]

I would have as well but living in the countryside with tight corners sort of means I need it + having one means I can take those corners a bit quicker than other cars can

 

[crazySnublz]

I know it's been a long time since an update so one should be done.
Well after a bit of faffing about this afternoon at lunch, I discovered it wasn't quite so easy to set the clearances up on the cam mainly due to using an old school feeler gauge measuring in imperial with a conversion. Luckily having a fiat trained mechanic on hand after work to help with that knowing the tolerances and what they should be in imperial. She's up and running on the standard pulley and perfect timing. But she is missing a bit but that's down to dodgy ht leads, but got some genuine ones coming along with some Bosch equivalent of the platinum plugs as well. Cam cover isn't on yet due to the seal not turning up yet.
The exhaust is sounding good along with passing an emissions test now as well which is a bonus.
Hopefully in the next month I will be on the dyno in college seeing as I'm back next week.
Problem now is I have a serious desire for a mk3 golf but don't have enough to run a golf and the Sei, so there's a possibility that she'll be up for sale or I will do something stupid with her and turn her into a rally car and show up those in their escorts and the boss in his golf. But it won't be for another year ish anyway or if the right golf comes up before that

 

[crazySnublz]

Bit of a long over due update.

As some of you may have seen I started a thread the other week regarding a remap, bike tb's or something else (can't remember and cba to look as on phone).

Asked the tutors in college last week can I have the bits of paperwork to go through for the rolling and got told no, because they haven't used it in so long that they've forgotten how to use it properly. So it now looks like in the new year I will get it on.
I'll be getting in contact with the remapping company to confirm that I want the remap in the next couple of days if I can remember who they were and find their number.

It looks like my valve stem oil seals are leaking as she's starting to use oil, unfortunately I didn't change them when I swapped everything over even though I have a spare set in my box in work. And I didn't change the cam seals when I swapped the cam :doh:, so it's leaking onto my timing belt as well. And I still haven't swapped my rear trailing arms and polybushes over yet, but I will have to because the boss wants my old ones for the Sei that came in part ex.

What recommendations for lowering springs would you guys say? I don't want to go too low seeing as I have to go over unnecessary speed bumps in college, but I found out that one corner is sitting 15mm lower than the other side which doesn't help with my cornering.

Had to by a new pair of tyres the other as the fronts were getting a tad low, went to see my old boss, got them at the same price I paid before, came in the next day to pick them up, he wasn't there and the other lad overcharged me,£100.80 for 2 f'ing sonars instead of about £75 .

I got a tad carried away today after coming back from meeting somebody in town today, with some green paint I had rolling around the back of the car. I shouldn't be trusted with green paint, interior parts and days off.
I understand it won't be to everyone's liking but I like it, with more going green seeing as I'm off for the week

Has anybody managed to find away to get a half decent handbrake on the standard setup, because even after I put new arms, cables and made sure everything was free it was still ****e.

Think that's it for now, any new developments and I'll keep it updated.

 

[crazySnublz]

Well, an update earlier than I expected. But it's not a happy or good one.

After posting asking about my handbrake issue, it decides to do the inevitable. Parked it up after chatting to my father and showing off the new green bits. She decides to roll away into my neighbors wall, luckily no damage to the wall. But unfortunately I need a new bumper and screwed up something else but I'm not sure what yet because it's dark and I've got college tomorrow.

So here's a few pictures of my temporary repair,

 

[crazySnublz]

.

 

[blu73]

well now you have learned to leave it in gear when its parked haven't you... As to how to get the handbrake to work, don't really know what to say about that - they were always fine on mine once all cleaned up and refitted.. Have you adjusted the actual cable under the car? Maybe you just need to take up a bit of slack there...

 

[crazySnublz]

Cheers for your input blu, that's the thing that's really pissed me off about it because I normally leave it in reverse, not the fact that it'll cost £225 to repair it.

There's no slack in the cable and the usual sticking/seized lever arms the only thing I can think of to solve this issue is to change the rear shoes, drums and things

 

[blu73]

have the drums got a lip round the edge, if so grind that off... the shoes should self adjust with several hard depressions of the brake pedal once you put it all back together but they might be catching on the lip...? Been so long since i faffed with cento rear brakes, do they even have a manual adjuster, can't remember..

 

[crazySnublz]

The lip got ground off when I changed the arms, I can't remember either. It's all stemmed since I changed the arms ready for the mot, so in the end I had to ask the tester to do a decelerometer test for it.

 

[crazySnublz]

Well turns out when I got my car resprayed a little while back I could by bumpers, but now they are no longer listed and not in stock ?. So eBay it is, I have seen a few some, of which are primed brand new ones and some are second hand ones. I'll get Christmas out the way first I think though.
But I did buy some early Christmas presents earlier though, they're a bit tatty but they have runners compared to dads no longer needed in date office chair one. Only problem is they're on escort mk1 runners which won't take long to get rid of and fabricate something up.


Next job will be to get rid of the back seats and board up what's left to make it look tidier, then it can be used a bit better as a small van, unlike the other day with 3 gas bottles in the back.

 

[Pirus]

Nice job on the build, car looks good.

I approve of this colour scheme
When it's sunny is there much glare in the windscreen though?

 

[crazySnublz]

Cheers Pirus.
So many people think I've gone 1 step too far with green interior but I couldn't care really.
I don't know about the glare issue, living in western Wales we don't see much sun really, but from I can tell there's not too much glare with a torch.

 

[purf]

Did you sort the hand brake? Mine was crap. I fitted a new 'ricambi fiat' cable and it was totally transformed. I have the Cinq one in the shed if your interested...

 

[crazySnublz]

No I haven't got the handbrake workin properly yet. I'm waiting for the boss to sort out what holidays I have left over and use the cash from that for new rear brakes because my studs are a bit long and catching the springs and I haven't changed them since I've owned the car. Cheers for the offer purf but I know the local fiat stores/parts manager so I can get it cheap.
But it's mot time in a couple of weeks so I better get my arse into gear and sort that out.

I finally got both seats and harnesses in, no pictures yet seeing as I got the last one in last nights X they are surprisingly comfortable for their age but the passenger seat will be coming out tomorrow to take brother and a friend to the local train station 30ish miles one way.