General Mitchio the 500F

[fiat500]

having seen the quality of your work I am sure you will find this one a doddle.from a selfish point of view I hope you do as I need to see the repair of the rear seat area due to leaking rear window !enjoyed the murphio rebuild and eagerly await the sequel. . . . was tempted to bid on that myself and now rather glad I didn't as my wife would have left me. good luck- with both the car and the wife

Thanks for that Pete...too much positivity round here....it's wearing me down
I toddled along to the Axel Gerstl site, priced up the panels, pepped myself up with some of the mindblowing bodywork restorations on that site and I am now wondering if the fact that the "car" has got variable height suspension and steers like a bendy-bus is no handicap to it being restored.

 

[Bambino]

I just love these types of stories - husband & wife have a major project (house) to finish, husband buys an old car and doesn't tell wife, wife notices bank account balances mysteriously decreasing, she gets suspicious, he confesses, the house gets finished, the car gets repaired and everyone lives happily ever after - until the next rustbucket arrives on the back of a flatbed

Go for it Peter - you only live once.

Chris

PS: I'm currently eyeing off a Lancia Fulvia 1600HF that needs a bit of TLC and I still have an unfinished Alfa Spider in the shed. Missus doesn't know yet

 

[fiat500]

Oh-oh
DSC_5182 by peterthompson, on Flickr
You did used to be able to get the panel for the other side though! Amazingly.
https://www.fiat500ricambi.com/fiat500/Body+panels/PW1162

This is the funky mirror...needs some work but I think I'll use it. Bloomin' expensive mirror
DSC_5186 by peterthompson, on Flickr

 

[Bambino]

When I was rebuilding mine, the two pop-rivets up there on each side had me a bit amused.

Chris

 

[fiat500]

They're the only thing amusing about this car.

I couldn't resist having a further look at the beast and was able to remove the front end without using any mechanic's tools

So I have now identified that as well as the serious rear end rusting of the suspension mounting area, the lack of connections between that and the sides and the suspected corrosion in the rear bulkhead, the thin layer of steel at the front pedal bulkhead is also almost non-existent.
This would be a very challenging body to restore. It's a shame as everything is there and mostly looking to be unmodified. So it's useful as a reference and as a source of spares but maybe not much else.
I will continue stripping and boxing the parts and when I have a "shell" we'll have one last considered look at it....but it's not looking good.

 

[Franko500]

Sad to say, I think you may be looking at a funeral for this poor neglected 500.
I was lucky that all the main suspension mounts were in perfect condition and apart from the inner wing, all the panels on mine were the usual replacement panels. I have seen a few rot in funny places, Sheilsies from Ireland (what happened to him? ) had heavy rust on the rear spring plates and also around the front suspension mounts.
I think certain areas need to be sound before undergoing a restoration, hopefully I won't be eating my one words when I start my 500d.
Question is do you want a project to rebuild a nice 500 or a Frankenstein?

 

[fiat500]

I think that a good number of 500s out there, including Murphio, are slightly patchwork, but I wouldn't want one with badly fitting panels and certainly not one that wouldn't drive straight.
In any case, I have made a start on stripping it down.
I am surprised how many nuts aren't seized, so it doesn't take long. It is quite an education for purists like me, to see things like the correct wiring layout. This car has very tidy and well clipped wiring compared to Murphio. It also has the wipers with the tiny spindles, which surprised me with a car this late in production.
There are detail differences like the dashboard knee-pads are moulded in one piece where the 1969 model has primitive pieces of shaped steel wrapped in vinyl. Also the heater-demister vents are plastic rather than steel tubes.
I will keep dismantling a section a day until I just have the rust flakes left.

 

[dk500]

Hi Peter,
I feel like a vulture !
I have tried on a few occasions to have the rear seat hinges made, and even still pestering a guy in the UK who has a few 500s as scrap to cut them out for me.
I think it is because it is too small a job.
If by chance you have them and they are not required, would you be interested in selling the hinges and screws ?
Darryl

 

[stevehg]

The vultures are really circling now, as another one has starting circling.

Let me know if you need to find a home for a spare jack and/or toolkit.

By the way, looking at the pics, I amazed that all of the bolts came undone ok without reaching for the angle grinder.

cheers, Steve

 

[tjmra]

with all the neglect, does the steering wheel have the crack in it that seems to be so prevalent in our cars? Looks pretty good to me.

Joe R

 

[nzbobc]

Peter,

If you're looking for a project but with less work, there's this one (Plus, the price is right)

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/fiat/auction-887290548.htm

 

[looigi]

Haha, was right. He wants $50 000 for it now!

At that rate, I have nearly half a million dollars worth sitting behind my garage!

Anyone interested, you can have the lot for $400 000 plus a pack of chocolate biscuits.

Chris

 

[Damon500]

Glad there is no reserve.....! certainly that takes the optimism of the week award (if not the decade...)

 

[Bambino]

Maybe it's just a decimal point error - meant to type $500.00

Chris

 

[fiat500]

Maybe it's just a decimal point error - meant to type $500.00

Chris

That leaves just the small matter of transportation to Scotland to work out.

As for the "vultures" going for the soft, fleshy parts first Do I hear "the Circle of Life" playing in the background? Sorry, the jack etc. has gone elsewhere before I bought it.

I'm going to lighten this car's load and remove everything. At that point I will know what is salvageable and be able to confirm or otherwise, that the body can or can't be retrieved. Then I will make a very clear notification on this forum first, that anything that isn't easily available commercially is up for grabs.

The steering wheel is good as is the speedo, with a slight fading to the red numbering and very slight sun-scorch on top. One of the benefits of rotting away in Scotland?

 

[fiat500]

I had a really good root about in the car today and removed the rear seats, the speedo, steering column and wheel. Also got the steering box and idler nuts off.
the front suspension area is shot but more connected together than I thought.
The rear is the killer though. The panel directly under the rear seats has been pulled down at its front end to the extent that it has a slight bend in it.
Another development in the form of another insane but very exciting potential acquisition means that the project is now definitely dead in the water so expect Ebay listings soon. I will need to do a lot of selling to get back anywhere near my investment.:bang:
You may have to switch channels to another section of the Forum to find out what it is.

 

[Vitesse]

I reckon it's a Fiat camper van 850t ????????????????:rumour:

 

[fiat500]

Hmmm!!! I wonder??? :idea:

 

[fiat500]

With my new "baby" on the way the pressure is on to dismantle the car and stash all the bits on various places. So today I stripped most of the interior and whipped out the engine and gearbox.
Looking sorry for themselves in the garden but of course, they will live again.
With the weight out of the back the floor seems to have flipped back to within millimetres of the correct position. I wonder what will happen once I remove the rear coil springs?

 

[Vitesse]

With my new "baby" on the way the pressure is on to dismantle the car and stash all the bits on various places. So today I stripped most of the interior and whipped out the engine and gearbox.
Looking sorry for themselves in the garden but of course, they will live again.
With the weight out of the back the floor seems to have flipped back to within millimetres of the correct position. I wonder what will happen once I remove the rear coil springs?

That engine looks a bit sad! Is it seized?