General Bin Bags....

[JimMagill]

Your really wondering about his one now, aren't you?

I'm thinking that it would be fun to take a big roll of bin bags and some tape for the run thou Death Valley in the Nevada desert..

I can see the headline in AutoExpress now!

British Registered Fiat 500 Prototype caught in Hot Weather testing
We seen thou their disguise and know it's the new hamster powered Hybrid 500!

Do you think they'd melt on to the paintwork?

Anyway, we went out for some lunch and took the maps with us to do some planning as it's about time I did some....

That's my worried look!

The US didn't seem that big in 2006 when we did the whole lot by panda! We gotta cram in sooo much that this was the first thing that I wrote on top of my list of things to do!

It's really starting to worry me that the car is going to have to cover 1000 miles a day for 2 or 3 days on some stages and we're along way from the nearest FIAT dealer or anything resembling a Halfords and as far as I know this is the first 500 ever to be imported into the US.... I always feel a bit like this before we take off on any of the trips but this time there is the slight problem that the car is worth $20,000 and I can't just leave it behind if it all goes horribly wrong

eek...

Jim

 

[T14086]

If supermarkets are to stop using plastic bags because of the enviroment.....why are black bin bags still allowed

 

[JimMagill]

Cause car manufacturers need to still be able to disguise their cars....

Jim

 

[T14086]

is that a strawberry milkshake?

 

[Simon Bell]

It'll be fine.........



What are you doing about support......when we went we were with 40 other cars so we had a support crew, in fact we had 2-3 of them. A lot of the guys had rover k series engines which aren't available in usa......we took a load of spares including a spare engine.......which we used....

If you don't have support then you will be limited to carry a few essential spares......belts, cables (are there any), sensors perhaps, brake pads.

You should arrange with someone back home, preferabbly close to a fiat dealer to be able to fedex parts out to you overnight......at least if you break suspension or something like that ou can get parts out, assuming parts are held in stock......if Mervyn Stewart are sponsoring you then perhaps they will be able to supply the parts as quickly as possible should you need them.

There is a good chain of auto stores in usa which stock loads of stuff, NAPA I think they are called.

1000 miles in a day is a tall order, I presume you are not doing all the driving..........in that heat you wold be knackered. Even halving it to 500 will be tiring.

One other thing to e mindful of is fueling, we were nearly caught out a couple of times where we were runnning low in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway you've done it before so you probably know all that.

 

[Hellcat]

That would be proper ROFL style laughter if they did snap your 500 and publish it in auto-express or some equally low-brow car mag.

 

[JimMagill]

It'll be fine..........

Famous last words.... hehe!

What are you doing about support.......

Erm.... You've never really been in the classic panda section have you? LOL I don't really do 'support'! I usually end up knocking on someones door going 'Im a stupid Irishman and this is my stupid Italian car and would you help us?' You've no idea how many times thats worked!

If you don't have support then you will be limited to carry a few essential spares......belts, cables (are there any), sensors perhaps, brake pads..

Good idea! Old Mervyn Stewarts may want to 'lend' me a few items....

You should arrange with someone back home, preferabbly close to a fiat dealer to be able to fedex parts out to you overnight......at least if you break suspension or something like that ou can get parts out, assuming parts are held in stock......if Mervyn Stewart are sponsoring you then perhaps they will be able to supply the parts as quickly as possible should you need them..

I think I'll have a meeting with them this week.... I'll ask about borrowing a few bits and bobs for the 500 and about FED EX and if they'd cover that till i got back.

There is a good chain of auto stores in usa which stock loads of stuff, NAPA I think they are called..

Oh there are loads of things like that... I had to buy a coil for the panda off one of them and they even went to the trouble to find out that one from a 68 chevy was the same as the panda!

1000 miles in a day is a tall order, I presume you are not doing all the driving..........in that heat you wold be knackered. Even halving it to 500 will be tiring..

See thread, 'Is the air con any good' LOL

We're in the New York Area from the Thursday to the Sunday and then we gotta be in San Francisco by the Thursday cause we're trying to do a press thing in Golden Gate park with BARF (BAY AREA RACING FIAT). It gives us Mon/Tue/Wed to do 2800 miles... It's the worst thing about not being able to say no to stuff sometimes

One other thing to e mindful of is fueling, we were nearly caught out a couple of times where we were runnning low in the middle of nowhere..

And the 500's got a tiny tank!

Anyway you've done it before so you probably know all that.

We found out the hard way last time but on the whole it went well and we'd so much support from the USA Italian Motor Club (FLU.ORG) but this somewhat different. I think more people will be interested in what I'm doing with Fiat's brand new baby than they were with the old panda....

Jim

 

[Simon Bell]

We found playing the irish card gets you out of most situations in america

They just love us.........

 

[JimMagill]

Yeah, and we're in an iconic Italian car!

Like how many basis does that touch! LOL

Jim

 

[Nuova500]

Loving the idea of the bin bags Jim... go on be a devil

 

[JimMagill]

Loving the idea of the bin bags Jim... go on be a devil

We were going to do it with the panda in 2006 but forgot to buy the bags before we went into the Valley

That and we were too busy taking pics of all the real prototypes....

Jim

 

[ubizzle]

Loving the idea of the bin bags Jim... go on be a devil

To be honest, i'd say do it. It sounds like a right laugh and it would be awesome to see if it's in anyone's magazine.

 

[Ffoxy]

To be honest, i'd say do it. It sounds like a right laugh and it would be awesome to see if it's in anyone's magazine.

Is Death Valley full of Automotive journo's just waiting to snap a car on hot weather trialling then? IMO it would make the car unbearably hot and no-one would know WTF ur driving....

 

[JimMagill]

Is Death Valley full of Automotive journo's just waiting to snap a car on hot weather trialling then? IMO it would make the car unbearably hot and no-one would know WTF ur driving....

Oh, you'd only cover up the front bits and the back bits to make it look like a face lift or something... LOL

Like the Rolls we seen just had some tape all over it.. Like that was going to make us think it was a mercedes or something! :bang:

Jim