Cinquecento Hello everybody from a Spanish guy in France

[maxinou]

Hello everybody.

First of all, excuse me for my bad English because I didn't practice it since 1992

My name is Luis, 46 years old, Spanish, living in France since 2012 and looking for a new job in Belgium.

I have some Renault youngtimers and oltimers cars, two Vespa scooters (one PK 75 Spanish upgraded and one P2), and a n-hand yellow 1996 Fiat Cinquecento Sporting with air cond.

The Fiat it was my wife's car and both love it a lot!!!

I write "was" because last February 15th 2019 she had an accident in an iced road (the Cinque has Uniroyal winter tyres, but it slips into an ice plate) so it's actually damaged.

As we love it a lot, I will restore it myself, it will be a some years work because actually I'm unemployed and our finances aren't in their best moment, and my garage has not enough room to work in, but in the future that should change in a better way.

Member of Fiat Forum from some years ago, but only reader member, now it's time to make my presentation and to open a new thread in Cinquecento/Seicento forum to show step by step the restoration. Fortunately, the damages, even severs are less than the pictures seems to show, but anyway it will be a big work to do.

As I haven't 5 messages I'm not able to link images please take a loot at my member's gallery to see the pictures I'll linked below (between red text) as soon as I have 5 messages

"Now it's time to show you some pictures, in summer 2010 as we bought it with 91.250 miles (146.000 kilometres):


Pictures from my gallery ASAP


Last February, 15th were the accident happens, fortunately my wife had only some haematoma and no other injuries... our Sporting had 115.761 miles (185.219 kilometres) that day


Pictures from my gallery ASAP"

I'm sorry it's not the happiest presentation you've ever seen but I hope in some years the result of my work will change this post with a nice before / after.

Have a nice day every Fiat Forum member

 

[dante giacosa]

Hey Luis-

welcome along!

did you say you have a cinquecento with air conditioning??

I'd be very interested to see any pictures of that detail under the bonnet...

and any of your pictures generally!

 

[maxinou]

Hello Dante,

Thanks for your welcome!

I'll try to post the pictures ASAP, it's seems I need 5 post before I can link the pictures from my gallery. I'll write 2 post more here to try it.

 

[maxinou]

Hello again dante,

This is my 5th post, I'll try to show you some picture in next post.

The air cond has the compressor under the alternator with a double pulley, crankshaft pulley moves the compressor pulley, and compressor pulley (twin pulley) moves alternator pulley with a second belt inside the first one.

It's so I think alternator fix in a different way of non air cond versions because it's pulley it's not in line with crankshaft pulley but some centimetres inside.

The condenser it's in the left side beside the canister. Fan it's a SPAL, and bumper it's open to let the air pass into the condenser.

The evaporator it's in the heating bloc that I think it's different of non air cond versions.


There are one of two relay for the air cond beside the ECU and two switches (air cond and recycling air) in the dashboard, up the 4 central switches.

I'll look into my old pictures for some detailed pictures (I think I haven't a lot) if not, I'll try to make new ones but actually the car it's into my garage with not enough room to make good pictures, and very damaged after it's crash.

Anyway as soon as I restored it I'll get out completely the engine so I'll be able to make a lot of detailed pictures and even to take some measures (axes between pulleys par example) if you need but you must wait still for some years unfortunately...

An now, I'll try to post some pictures...

 

[maxinou]

Now it's time to show you some pictures, in summer 2010 as we bought it with 91.250 miles (146.000 kilometres):



Last February, 15th were the accident happens, fortunately my wife had only some haematoma and no other injuries... our Sporting had 115.761 miles (185.219 kilometres) that day












Now as finally I can post my pictures I'll try to look for some pictures of air cond system for dante giacosa ASAP (this afternoon at least), and I'll open a new thread about my Cinque restoring.

 

[dante giacosa]

Good heavens, Luis-

That's shocking! What a relief your wife came out of that- it must have been horrifying both to live through and for you both afterwards.

A testament, in some respect, to the 'safety-cell' of the core of the vehicle.


That's a lot of detail on the a/c, thank you - at your convenience I'd be very interested to see any pictures of the switches, relays, compressor & belt setup.

It looks like you've really got a bit of work ahead of you on the restoration. Can the roofline be straightened again? Would the car be 'as safe' again afterwards?

 

[maxinou]

Good heavens, Luis-

That's shocking! What a relief your wife came out of that- it must have been horrifying both to live through and for you both afterwards.

A testament, in some respect, to the 'safety-cell' of the core of the vehicle.

Hello dante!

Yes, it's amazing that she had only some haematoma because she had even completely broke driver's seat. Really these little car are very well make, I had put the dashboard off to evaluate the damages and I've been very surprised because the structural compounds of the car are completely OK. She was very lucky because last 5 weeks before the accident was raining everyday and ground at our corner it's almost sand, so ground was very wet and saturate in water so the crash has been lighter than it would be in summer in dry terrain.

That's a lot of detail on the a/c, thank you - at your convenience I'd be very interested to see any pictures of the switches, relays, compressor & belt setup.

I have not enough pictures in my HDD of the air cond system, anyway, I could find those that will help you to have an idea (click on the pictures to enlarge them):

First of all, air cond has it's radiator beside the canister in driver's side (passenger side for you in the UK ):



So the bumper it's factory opened and tow hook it's screwed like modern cars:



You can see the tow hook in place in those picture:



Belts are like this: Outer bell moves the AC compressor (the idle tensioner pulley it's very expensive at Fiat an it's seems to be specific to air cond Cinquecentos, if bearing it's dead, you will pay almost 180 € at Fiat Service (like I paid in 2010). I read somewhere that some Fiat Marea has one idle tensioner pulley that would fit with some mods...

Inner belt moves the alternator by the AC compressor, so if you need to replace your alternator you must be remove your compressor first... :bang:

Both belts are the smallest belts I've never seen



Finally, between the steering wheel (in the good side, please ) and the watch you can see the two switches to start / stop the air cond and recycling of the air.



I'm sorry for bad quality of the pictures, but they will serve to make you a first idea while I find the way to make better ones.

It looks like you've really got a bit of work ahead of you on the restoration. Can the roofline be straightened again? Would the car be 'as safe' again afterwards?

Yes, I'll have a lot of work, but we loved this car a lot (more enough after it's saved my wife's life) and all structural compounds are OK.

I'll change a lot of pieces for NOS ones like windscreen frame, the roof, the right side A pillar and even right side rear fender, both front fenders, front beam, both bumpers, both radiators with their fans, doors, rear door, windscreen and even driver's seat....

I have almost all skills and tools to make it myself (I have a gas semi automatic MIG welding machine able to weld by points), I haven't actually no money (unemployed at these moment) and no room to work (my garage it's only 40 centimetres larger than the car at the lateral sides and only 20 centimetres longer than the car in rear side) so resurrection will start only when I'll find a new job and move to a new house (I want to go out of France and move into Belgium, so I'm looking for a new job there, I'm a civil engineer).

I'll open a new thread in next days where you can see the resurrection process that will be a some years work. I'll invite you and everybody at this forum to read it as soon as I'll create it. You're welcome!

Greetings.

Luis