Is there a thread on here about mods that increase/improve the power in this car, without a motor transplant or turboing the car.
Technical Engine Upgrade for 84 Uno 70S
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Technical Engine Upgrade for 84 Uno 70S
EssexUno
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Hi, I think i've read somewhere that you can put a punto 60 camshaft in which will increase the torque output, but the only things i can think of is doing a good service i.e. new oil, oil filter, air filter, and just check all electrical connections are good.
Do you have Carb or SPI (single point injection)?
Do you have Carb or SPI (single point injection)?
OP
OP
Carb, and terrible old distributor that is hard to change the points on. So I have just filed them for now. I would like some kind of electronic distributor.
Good idea but not the Punto 60 camshaft - that would be a FIRE engine, and in NZ, hard to get. Punto 90 camshaft - perhaps, but again that would be hard to get independently of the 1.6L engine, which would be a useful upgrade in itself. Then again, the whole Punto 90 is a nice enough car 
The 1301cc motor is similar to the old FIAT 128 motor (there are some of these 1116cc/1290cc engines still knocking around in NZ).
Without a motor transplant, you could apply some tricks used for the FIAT 128. They centre around cylinder head modification, a camshaft change, and larger carburettor or twin carburettors. And, you'll want the electronic distributor (as you mentioned) off a later Uno.
The Uno would be off the road for at least a week while you change parts - is that likely to be a problem? (i.e. it's not a weekend job)
If not, you could remove the cylinder head and compare to a 1116cc head, either off an Uno 60 ('86-'90 in NZ) or off a FIAT 128 (body long since rusted-away but engines sometimes survive, check with your local FIAT specialist). I think the '1100' head has smaller combustion chambers than the 1301/1299/1290cc head, which will bump the compression ratio a useful amount. That by itself will improve the engine's efficiency. As the cost may be just about free, it's good value. (I'd do it)
Cylinder head work is an art in itself - at the very least involving smoothing the ports a little, re-grinding or re-cutting the valves if necessary, fitting larger valves if the budget allows, etc.
To get anything from cylinder head work, you need to change the camshaft for a free-er breathing alternative. A 128 Coupe camshaft may provide some improvement, ditto the X1/9 camshaft, but nothing dramatic. For $$$ you can purchase a new performance camshaft, or you can send off a 128/X1/9 camshaft for re-grinding (about $200). I don't think that re-grinding an Uno camshaft is a good idea - the standard profile doesn't have much metal to work with.
Then, having changed the camshaft, you can think about a Weber 34DMTR carburettor off a Lancia Beta, or a special manifold and twin Weber downdraft carbs. A Kiwi, 'Ladaspeed', on this forum, demonstrates the twin carb principle in the X1/9 section - see his thread and perhaps message him about the manifolds he had made.
In my opinion, these sorts of modifications are not very cost-effective in today's age of cheap cars. You'd be looking at a power increase from 68bhp to perhaps 100bhp, but you seldom get something for nothing and the engine's smoothness at idle, noise, and low-down torque are probably going to change. Costs will be pushing four figures in $NZ. (My 192bhp Alfa 164 cost $1000 to buy and there's similar cars on Trademe.)
Don't forget all the small jobs like setting the valve clearances (special tool and range of shims required), jetting the carburettors (alternative jet sizes required), and items such as air filters for twin carbs - these three items by themselves could set you back $400.
Of course, if you do go ahead, you create something special that will always be "the hot Uno"
-Alex
The 1301cc motor is similar to the old FIAT 128 motor (there are some of these 1116cc/1290cc engines still knocking around in NZ).
Without a motor transplant, you could apply some tricks used for the FIAT 128. They centre around cylinder head modification, a camshaft change, and larger carburettor or twin carburettors. And, you'll want the electronic distributor (as you mentioned) off a later Uno.
The Uno would be off the road for at least a week while you change parts - is that likely to be a problem? (i.e. it's not a weekend job
)If not, you could remove the cylinder head and compare to a 1116cc head, either off an Uno 60 ('86-'90 in NZ) or off a FIAT 128 (body long since rusted-away but engines sometimes survive, check with your local FIAT specialist). I think the '1100' head has smaller combustion chambers than the 1301/1299/1290cc head, which will bump the compression ratio a useful amount. That by itself will improve the engine's efficiency. As the cost may be just about free, it's good value. (I'd do it
)Cylinder head work is an art in itself - at the very least involving smoothing the ports a little, re-grinding or re-cutting the valves if necessary, fitting larger valves if the budget allows, etc.
To get anything from cylinder head work, you need to change the camshaft for a free-er breathing alternative. A 128 Coupe camshaft may provide some improvement, ditto the X1/9 camshaft, but nothing dramatic. For $$$ you can purchase a new performance camshaft, or you can send off a 128/X1/9 camshaft for re-grinding (about $200). I don't think that re-grinding an Uno camshaft is a good idea - the standard profile doesn't have much metal to work with.
Then, having changed the camshaft, you can think about a Weber 34DMTR carburettor off a Lancia Beta, or a special manifold and twin Weber downdraft carbs. A Kiwi, 'Ladaspeed', on this forum, demonstrates the twin carb principle in the X1/9 section - see his thread and perhaps message him about the manifolds he had made.
In my opinion, these sorts of modifications are not very cost-effective in today's age of cheap cars.
You'd be looking at a power increase from 68bhp to perhaps 100bhp, but you seldom get something for nothing and the engine's smoothness at idle, noise, and low-down torque are probably going to change. Costs will be pushing four figures in $NZ. (My 192bhp Alfa 164 cost $1000 to buy and there's similar cars on Trademe.)Don't forget all the small jobs like setting the valve clearances (special tool and range of shims required), jetting the carburettors (alternative jet sizes required), and items such as air filters for twin carbs - these three items by themselves could set you back $400.
Of course, if you do go ahead, you create something special that will always be "the hot Uno"
-Alex
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OP
OP
Thanks Alex
I hoped you would reply. You have told me what I suspected, that is that it is not really worth it. But I will keep looking for options and reading up. And no, it doesn't matter how long it is off the road. It is a hobby car for me.
I hoped you would reply. You have told me what I suspected, that is that it is not really worth it. But I will keep looking for options and reading up. And no, it doesn't matter how long it is off the road. It is a hobby car for me.
OP
OP
OK. Thinking again, probably wasting time so if no answers ok but, I've been looking through the most powerful turbo thread. What is the most usable and cost effective turbo mod that could be added to my car above. Just thinking about playing around with the car again, as I do from time to time. It is completely standard. It simply has no "grunt" in 5th. It seems happy to run along on the flat at 100-110km, any hills kill it. Mostly it is used for shortish runs but just about to go 660km in it.
Uno 70S should be better than that. Check the air filter and spark plugs are in good condition.
Modding for a turbo is a bigger job than most people think. You would need: turbo, cam, head, pistons, con-rods, ecu, exhaust... (essentially the entire engine).
A guy in our club (Bevan) has an uno with 1301cc engine and its bloody fast. He has a good exhaust, cam shaft, twin 36mm IDF carbs. Gives my 1600cc Uno a good run (admittedly he's a good driver).
If I was you and just wanted to make it a bit better I would get the carb and cam shaft off a 1500 X1/9 or 105TC Strada. Then get the dizzy off an Uno 70SL. I had this setup on my Uno for a while and it was awsome.
In my opinion low end torque is more important than outright horsepower (Uno gets scary to drive over 180kph) so the cylinder head off a 1100cc Uno or 128 is good because the decreased combustion chamber and port size actually improves torque.
Modding for a turbo is a bigger job than most people think. You would need: turbo, cam, head, pistons, con-rods, ecu, exhaust... (essentially the entire engine).
A guy in our club (Bevan) has an uno with 1301cc engine and its bloody fast. He has a good exhaust, cam shaft, twin 36mm IDF carbs. Gives my 1600cc Uno a good run (admittedly he's a good driver).
If I was you and just wanted to make it a bit better I would get the carb and cam shaft off a 1500 X1/9 or 105TC Strada. Then get the dizzy off an Uno 70SL. I had this setup on my Uno for a while and it was awsome.
In my opinion low end torque is more important than outright horsepower (Uno gets scary to drive over 180kph) so the cylinder head off a 1100cc Uno or 128 is good because the decreased combustion chamber and port size actually improves torque.
OP
OP
Thank you, JJHepburn, you and Alex have given good pointers. I think I will start on replacing the dizzy. I think I am on the track of one off a 908 engine, hope it fits.
No it wont fit. You need one off another 1301cc engine about the only place you can get one is an Uno 70SL. The 903cc engine is an entirely different engine. Maybe the dizzy from an X1/9 will fit, but they are probably harder to get hold of. More modern cars like Tipos are no good because they use a different system.
To be honest the points dizzy isnt too bad. If your points are shot and you are having access issues try removing the dizzy and changing them. You can add an electronic ignition module to a points dizzy. I think Dick Smith, Jaycar, Supercheap autos, and Repco probably all have the kit. This kit improves spark quality and eliminates the need to have the gap set perfectly.
I had a points dizzy on my race car for a whole season and the only problem I had was points bounce above 9000rpm.
To be honest the points dizzy isnt too bad. If your points are shot and you are having access issues try removing the dizzy and changing them. You can add an electronic ignition module to a points dizzy. I think Dick Smith, Jaycar, Supercheap autos, and Repco probably all have the kit. This kit improves spark quality and eliminates the need to have the gap set perfectly.
I had a points dizzy on my race car for a whole season and the only problem I had was points bounce above 9000rpm.
OP
OP
Thanks again. What about the distributor from a 91 70SX. Will that work? Taking the dist out to service it is no problem. It is just the points are part of the carrier plate. Marelli. Can I still get those points?
And, where do I get the kit for improving the gear linkages. Far too much movement, and sometimes it is very hard to find the gears. It doesn't always go back to 3rd/4th gate, sometimes moving from 4th to 3rd you have to move the lever slightly to the left. Sometimes you just have to go back to 2nd and start again.
And, where do I get the kit for improving the gear linkages. Far too much movement, and sometimes it is very hard to find the gears. It doesn't always go back to 3rd/4th gate, sometimes moving from 4th to 3rd you have to move the lever slightly to the left. Sometimes you just have to go back to 2nd and start again.
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No, because the mk2 70SX dizzy runs off the camshaft/ head whereas the mk1 70 engine runs its dizzy off the auxillary pulley at the lower front of the engine. It may be possible to fit the mk2 dizzy but it's not a bolt in swap.
To be honest, the only way you're really going to get much extra power is by doing head work, which will require head removal. The amount of work that requires you might as well swap the engine. If you could find a 1500 X1/9 engine you'll have an instant power and torque upgrade with no other work required.
As for struggling with hills at 100 - 110kph in 5th, that's definitely not right. It sounds very much as if your 70S needs a good service? My 70SX happily cruises at 130kph (80mph) and can normally cope with hills at that speed too. Given the right conditions it can really fly as the picture below can prove :devil:
Attachments
try www.fiatparts.co.nz, hope I don't get in trouble for that...!
I'm pleased you got some other good advice, as my word shouldn't be the final word on these things
I suppose I was being a bit over-cautious on how much you can spend in the pursuit of horsepower. It's true that torque is more useful.Bevan and the french-blue Uno 45 with 1301cc engine had the benefit of a great deal of help from a veteran FIAT 128 enthusiast.
The 70SX or Tipo distributor will work fine if it's the block-mounted type (front of the engine). If it's mounted on the camshaft end, forget it
Not only because you would have to transfer the cambox and camshaft (and re-set valve clearances), but also because you need a flywheel sensor in the gearbox, the ignition ECU, and all wiring... might as well change the whole engine while you're at it! -Alex
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I think that particular 70SX must be a particularly good Tuesday Afternoon car. I've ridden in it at about 100mph (160kph in our language
) and I couldn't believe it. It was like something in a dream, or maybe in a Harry Potter movie. The engine was making a strange strobing, throbbing noise and the scenery was blurred. My 80bhp Punto Sporting can't go anywhere near that fast!The 70SL of my Mum's was, like Rawill's, a Monday Morning car, with generally lacklustre performance... more like a quieter version of an Uno 45
-Alex
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I think that particular 70SX must be a particularly good Tuesday Afternoon car. I've ridden in it at about 100mph (160kph in our language
And I didn't even use the second choke on the Weber
OP
OP
Again, great information. I will check with the guy, in Waitakere, with the SX distributor and see where it fits.
You guys have got me thinking. Always a challenging process!~!.
I have always thought my 70s didn't go as well as it should. I could never stop it knocking with setting it to the right timing, according to the marks, even on 96. So I have set the timing by hand to stop the knock.
Maybe I have some kind of issue there and should do some more investigation.
You guys have got me thinking. Always a challenging process!~!.
I have always thought my 70s didn't go as well as it should. I could never stop it knocking with setting it to the right timing, according to the marks, even on 96. So I have set the timing by hand to stop the knock.
Maybe I have some kind of issue there and should do some more investigation.
OP
OP
Ah well that SX dist comes out from the camshaft, so no good for me.
Thanks Alex, I've got new points and gear linkage kit coming.
Now re my timing, I have found the timing mark, when I put the strobe on 2or3. I finally got frustrated trying to find the timing mark after I had cleaned it and put white paint in the round hole and still couldn't see it. After static timing, I decided to put the timing light lead on all the plugs to see what happened. Finally set on 10 deg after about 10 years!!
Thanks Alex, I've got new points and gear linkage kit coming.
Now re my timing, I have found the timing mark, when I put the strobe on 2or3. I finally got frustrated trying to find the timing mark after I had cleaned it and put white paint in the round hole and still couldn't see it. After static timing, I decided to put the timing light lead on all the plugs to see what happened. Finally set on 10 deg after about 10 years!!
...should be going better soon, then
Ignition timing should be on cylinder 4 (or 1) with the engine running, and statically, the distributor rotor should point to 4 when the timing marks are aligned.
Where is Waimatuku, anyway I'm going to have to look on a map.
Looking back through this thread, it's possible that our definition of 'hills' is not the same as the English definition of 'hills', though of course it's really flat where I live. I know that much of NZ has steep, winding roads. I grew up in Paraparaumu and we used to go on holiday to the far north, Paihia, Oakura Bay, etc. That took us through a variety of driving conditions. Towing a boat on a trailer with the 1116cc FIAT 128 was perhaps a little adventurous of my father. It used to get vapour-lock problems on the hills at the end of the Desert Rd.
Perhaps a better measure of performance would be a timed 0-100km/h run... I'm not sure what the Uno 70 should do that in, but we could get Chas to time it in his hot-rod 70SX and compare findings...!
-Alex
Ignition timing should be on cylinder 4 (or 1) with the engine running, and statically, the distributor rotor should point to 4 when the timing marks are aligned.
Where is Waimatuku, anyway
I'm going to have to look on a map.Looking back through this thread, it's possible that our definition of 'hills' is not the same as the English definition of 'hills', though of course it's really flat where I live. I know that much of NZ has steep, winding roads. I grew up in Paraparaumu and we used to go on holiday to the far north, Paihia, Oakura Bay, etc. That took us through a variety of driving conditions. Towing a boat on a trailer with the 1116cc FIAT 128 was perhaps a little adventurous of my father. It used to get vapour-lock problems on the hills at the end of the Desert Rd.
Perhaps a better measure of performance would be a timed 0-100km/h run... I'm not sure what the Uno 70 should do that in, but we could get Chas to time it in his hot-rod 70SX and compare findings...!
-Alex
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OP
OP
Sounds good the 0-100 idea. 140 kph in 5th then had to lift off or run out of road, after timing done on 2 or 3! Redlines in 3rd, but not 4th.
Between Riverton and Invercargill.
Between Riverton and Invercargill.
OP
OP
I was wondering why my car wouldn't keep going over 100kph in 5th, I was going over Porters Pass, to Arthurs Pass - then I discovered we had climbed up to 944 meters!
Actually it is going quite well now the dwell/timing are set properly, 37 mpg.
Thanks for all the pointersbut I will look out for 60 head and a better cam.
Actually it is going quite well now the dwell/timing are set properly, 37 mpg.
Thanks for all the pointers
but I will look out for 60 head and a better cam.
OP
OP
Ah well guess, what, if you read my other thread you know. I got a complete 60s for $200.00. The reg is now on hold, doors are better than mine, and with electric windows. So now I have an 1100 head for my 1300, so we will see if that helps.
And I think I will try the head off my 1300, 1600 Tipo motor and maybe put it in my 3 door Sting.
Who knows it should be fun.
On the Tipo motor, the dist comes out the end of the cam but there is a hole with a plate over it for the dist in the block. Same place as where it is in my 1300. I am hoping this is the right motor. However it came with the electronic dist and digiplex stuff. All this is new to me so I am in for a time of learning.
And I think I will try the head off my 1300, 1600 Tipo motor and maybe put it in my 3 door Sting.
Who knows it should be fun.
On the Tipo motor, the dist comes out the end of the cam but there is a hole with a plate over it for the dist in the block. Same place as where it is in my 1300. I am hoping this is the right motor. However it came with the electronic dist and digiplex stuff. All this is new to me so I am in for a time of learning.
