General fiat-based estate / van

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General fiat-based estate / van

I thought Citivan rung a bell! :)

The more I look at them, the more I want one! Maybe import a few....

Shame they dont have the FIRE lump in them, but it`d be easy enough to fit one, & even easier to fit the 13,14 or 1500 lump in....

Its vaguely Uno &/or Fiorino based, all the main bits you`d need are Uno. The doors are standard 3 door Uno, front panelwork a mixture of Fiorino & Uno, mechincally its standard 80`s/90`s small Fiat.

Make sure he doesnt scrap it under any circumstances for God sake! If you can, let him know she has a home with me (y)

In fact, let him know I`ll treat any rust on it for free if he`ll let me buy it when he`s finished with it!

WOW! Thanks for all your replies (once it was in the right section!) It does indeed say Citivan on the back, but googling that brought up nothing useful. I'll check the tailgate next time I'm passing to see where it ends.

I've driven past it regularly for a long time now - it does move occasionally, (well, has moved in the past) and once I thought it had gone gone, only to spot it down the fella's drive Phew! I have a soft spot for vans but atm am in no position to approach the owner.

Seeing as it's Uno based(?) would there be anything on it that's difficult to replace? Are they standard doors?

DVLA doesn't give model details but says 1116cc (petrol) engine, first reg'd August '90 &taxed til September.

Pics are before and after rain btw, a few months apart. They're just taken with the phone as I drive by.

Thanks again,
Mark
 

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You should leave a note on his windscreen saying his van has an online fan club... then give him the url of this thread! :D
 
Might be worth knowing that the 1116cc engine ISN'T the same as the Uno 1116cc engine... despite the capacity being identical, it's actually a Brazil-type OHC engine. Looks very different under the bonnet.

The 3-dr Citivan was one thing, but then there was also the 'Penny' which was a Citivan with windows and rear seats. The interior materials (hard floor covering, black vinyl seats) were much more utilitarian than even the base model Unos but, oddly, you did get bulbs (not fibre optics) to illuminate the stalk switches. Although the doors were interchangeable with the Uno, all the parts inside were different. The window regulator, for example, used cables and a metal channel for the glass. I bet that Uno parts would fit, however.

Except the transverse leaf spring rear suspension, which really is different - being based on the FIAT 127 design.

What cracked me up most was the badge on the back, which was in the same style as 'Uno 70SL', but said 'Penny'. I guess that saved hassle for all those people who needed to give a name to their car :D

-Alex
 
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Might be worth knowing that the 1116cc engine ISN'T the same as the Uno 1116cc engine... despite the capacity being identical, it's actually a Brazil-type OHC engine. Looks very different under the bonnet.

That's interesting. I thought the Brazil engine only came in 1049cc capacity as fitted to the 127 and Lancia Y10 Turbo. There was also a 1300 GT i.e. version of the Y10 that used a different engine to the 1300 Fiat lump that was used in the UK 127's (127 1300 GT), Unos, 128's, Stradas, Regattas and Lancia Deltas. Is that a Brazil engine too?
 
Hmm... :rolleyes:

Might be worth knowing that the 1116cc engine ISN'T the same as the Uno 1116cc engine... despite the capacity being identical, it's actually a Brazil-type OHC engine. Looks very different under the bonnet.

Would this pose any particular difficulties? Can anyone explain how that differs from the UK-spec engine?

I drove past it again yesterday; it does have the low floor, also a half cage behind the driver's seat (standard?) I'll certainly be keeping my eye on it in the near future as it runs out of tax in September - maybe I should start saving up now!

Thanks again for the info, guys (y)
 
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There was also a 1300 GT i.e. version of the Y10 that used a different engine to the 1300 Fiat lump that was used in the UK 127's (127 1300 GT), Unos, 128's, Stradas, Regattas and Lancia Deltas. Is that a Brazil engine too?

Yes. I use the term a bit loosely since, while it is true that FIATs in Brazil use only that engine, it is also true that some FIATs in Europe, such as the 127 Sport you mention, also use that 'different' engine. So I'm not saying that the engine was only made in Brazil (could've read that way from what I said before!) but rather that the Uno in Brazil had that engine, and elsewhere in the world, the Uno didn't have that engine.

Pandamark - it's hard to explain the differences - it is actually a completely different engine that just happens to come in the same capacity as the other type (by 'other type', I mean the engine fitted to the 1984-88 Uno 55/60/70 models). For a start, the inlet and exhaust are both on the front of the engine, not both on the back (as they are on the other type). All the castings are different. It has a longer stroke than the other type, so a smaller bore (different pistons). That means the engine is dimensionally smaller - the mountings will be different. Sump is a different shape. Distributor is in a different place. Different cooling system. Many, many differences... :)

Here is a link to a picture of that engine type, albeit one that's been performance-modified and is in a 127 Sport... http://www.engineforall.com/archivi.../large-fiat-127-sport-by-candela-sport-04.jpg

Here is a really bad photo showing the engine fitted to an Uno (probably, a Brazil-built Uno): http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/1684/4921/4209960065_large.jpg and http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/12/web/420000-420999/420996_66_full.jpg

Oh wait, here's the rest of the page revealing that it is, in fact, a Duna :eek: The Duna is a four-door saloon that seemed to be trying to look like a Lancia Thema...
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/420996
What a fascinating set of photos - had anyone seen the Premio before? (an 'Uno Coupe'!) - I certainly hadn't!

And for comparison, I've attached a picture of an Uno 60 1116cc engine such as you might find in the UK. It's of an Uno I used to own, since I couldn't find a single picture online of this engine! It's an especially hopeless picture (showing the repainted bonnet prop), but it's all I can find :(

The parts you need to worry about, like the electronic module on the distributor, the gearbox, and the clutch, are interchangeable with the other engines. I doubt you'll need major replacement engine parts (such as, a replacement cylinder head) but if you do, then yes, that could be a wee bit tricky.

If you're not concerned about originality, you could at that point decide to do an engine transplant with one from an Uno - as Dunc is suggesting.

-Alex
 

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Do you think the British Citivan would also have the Brazilian engine Alex?

Either way, service items will be shared with Euro models, its likely even things like main bearings & rings would be shared with a euro Fiat, same with the clutch etc...

To be honest, if it needed rings/HG etc, I`d just rip it out, bin it & stick an 1108 Fire lump & box in. In theory the mountings from the Fire would line up with the chassis mounts.

Might be worth knowing that the 1116cc engine ISN'T the same as the Uno 1116cc engine... despite the capacity being identical, it's actually a Brazil-type OHC engine. Looks very different under the bonnet.

The 3-dr Citivan was one thing, but then there was also the 'Penny' which was a Citivan with windows and rear seats. The interior materials (hard floor covering, black vinyl seats) were much more utilitarian than even the base model Unos but, oddly, you did get bulbs (not fibre optics) to illuminate the stalk switches. Although the doors were interchangeable with the Uno, all the parts inside were different. The window regulator, for example, used cables and a metal channel for the glass. I bet that Uno parts would fit, however.

Except the transverse leaf spring rear suspension, which really is different - being based on the FIAT 127 design.

What cracked me up most was the badge on the back, which was in the same style as 'Uno 70SL', but said 'Penny'. I guess that saved hassle for all those people who needed to give a name to their car :D

-Alex
 
To be honest, if it needed rings/HG etc, I`d just rip it out, bin it & stick an 1108 Fire lump & box in. In theory the mountings from the Fire would line up with the chassis mounts.

IF (and that's a big if) it came to taking out the engine, I'd put a bigger one back in! :D Need to finish building the Panda first though! :eek:
I may approach the owner in the next few weeks, just to see how things look...
 
Nah, I wouldnt want to wander too far from the original concept, plus I love the FIRE engine (apart from the lack of carb choice). I`ve got fast cars & although I sometimes wish my Uno had a bit more poke, most of the time I love her as she is.

Believe me, an 1108 lump can be shuffled along suprisingly quickly, as the modded Punto II owner who couldnt shake me off a couple of nights ago will varify :D

Well, if you do get to talk to him, try & get some more pics, especially of the engine bay & rear badging!

IF (and that's a big if) it came to taking out the engine, I'd put a bigger one back in! :D Need to finish building the Panda first though! :eek:
I may approach the owner in the next few weeks, just to see how things look...
 
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Update... :(

Despite leaving my details with the chap, he never did get in touch and now the van has gone. Last time it briefly disappeared it was down the side of his house, but not this time... I fear it has gone forever :cry:
 
Oh b*****ks (n) :cry:

Try the plate on the DVLA site again to see if its re-taxed or been SORNed Mark.

Update... :(

Despite leaving my details with the chap, he never did get in touch and now the van has gone. Last time it briefly disappeared it was down the side of his house, but not this time... I fear it has gone forever :cry:
 
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They do exist worldwide, however the Penny was never offered here & the UK spec Citivan barely sold (maybe only a couple of hundred 20 years ago), it was withdrawn quickly.

Put it like this, if someone said they`d checked with the DVLA & found out that the one Mark spotted was the last Citivan left in the UK, I wouldnt be suprised.... :(

This just popped up on our trademe site (kinda like ebay). Thought you guys might like to see that they do exist. Although the listing says city van, you can see from the tail gate that it is a Penny. As far as I know the Penny was the Cityvan with windows.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Fiat/auction-238185631.htm

$200 is probably somewhere around 80 pounds!
 
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