General Not giving up.

[Pirus]

In the future i think updates will be block updates; Makes it more interesting to read than what i do day to day.
Yesterday i worked on the car but had a day off today, working in the garage does get rather warm and a little frustrating due to lack of space.

One sorry looking dashboard,
Also the only picture i have of how i made the hole in the top for the rev counter (no it wasnt very neat)
Thought there was meant to be more than 4 screws holding the entire dash in, the two in the middle at the bottom no longer existed.

Can see the rather large bar in the middle has bent nicely to absorb some of the impact.

Too bright outside to get a decent picture, it was very as straight anymore.
Again showing how lucky i am.

Spot the missing nipple.

Still have no idea how this happened. All the impact and damage was on the nearside. Though the car did slide along it's righthand side, i cant see how anything could of gotten underneath it and torn the bleed nipple off. Maybe when the car was taken out of the ditch.


Went to look at a car last night, everything i wanted. Decent condition shell for a 10 year old car, good mileage and overall in good condition, though a little bit of rust on the rear arch, in the interior.
Guy selling wouldnt move on his asking price, on what was already an overpriced car, would only haggle his asking price down by £25. Wasn't impressed with two people telling him he will have to wait a long time to get that money. Especially after giving him offers that he thought were far too low. Thought id try and haggle him down but he was having none of it.
At first he was saying he wants to get rid of the car as he needs the money. As soon as i didnt meet his 'lowest' offer he started saying that he doesnt need to get rid of the car quickly anyway.
So got in the car and left.

The hunt continues.

Pirus

 

[blu73]

this isn't far from you is it?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-FIAT...omobiles_UK&hash=item1e7084e504#ht_500wt_1413

or this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-Fiat...mobiles_UK&hash=item27c957ce81#ht_1091wt_1396

 

[Pirus]

Introducing..... Paws.

'51 Seicento Sporting Schumacher.
Picked it up today, on the 8/8, after the accident in the Shoebox on the 4/4. Four months and four days later.
52k on the clock, no rust, few minor scuffs and dings.
Might need a little work but first pictures.
The name, well you'll see.

Minor scuff im not too bothered about.

Slightly bigger scuff and some damage to the arch on the bumper, may be taken to a bodyshop eventually.

Usual rocker gasket leak, old owner gave me a new one that they had already ordered but hadn't fitted yet.


So as you can see i've called it Paws due to those god awful stickers on the bonnet and slightly up the roof.
Looks like someone had a go at trying to remove them off of the bonnet at somepoint, possibly with the car key or something similar, nice group of scrathes round each one. Not deep and can probably be polished out.
So going to get the hairdryer out tomorrow and get them off.

Drove the car home, only around 30 miles or so. All good and still get a smile out of driving a cento
Stopping in hot traffic with no service history or knowing when the car was last serviced got me worrying slightly. The coolant doesnt look too good either, so heaters up full when the cooling fan came on. Better to be safe than sorry.

Just needs more power, 1108cc isnt enough in one of these now.

So going to get cracking and order all the bits to do the 16v conversion all over again, for now im going to get this car back into shape as it has a few minor issues.


Rocker gasket leak, easy enough to deal with. Previous owner already bought one but didnt get round to fitting it.

Brakes are totally crap, very spongy pedal feel and little resistance. Though last time i braked in a cento it was slamming on fully rebuilt PGT's with Greenstuff pads but this difference is a bit too much. - So going to swap pads for the set out of my old Sei calipers until i have the PGT swap ready to go.

Clutch is nearly nonexistant at the moment and needs adjusting badly. - Quick fix with a 10mm later tonight.

The battery isnt the correct size, still have a spare from my Sei so going to swap later.

The battery isnt fixed down(!) - as im sure some of you will remember this issomething id rather not talk about..... will be fitted down with my old bracket asap.

A clifford alard has been 'professionally' installed at some point. Found this out once the car was unlocked and someone took a look under the bonnet and was deafened slightly.... The alarm is temperamental at best by the looks of it.
It's also wired into the imbolisier at the moment so i have to press the lock/unlock button once the ignition is on to prime the fuel pump. Also i think due to how its been wired in everytime the car is switched off the clock and trip counter reset. So i get to cut through the wiring spaggetti and figure out what someone has done.....

Trouble is i've swapped the insurance over and i've said i have a thatcham cat 1, got a receipt for someone buying it but they havent filled in the fitting certificate in the paperwork, so going to see if i can find someone who will say they fitted it for me.

Other than that what the car really needs is a good clean and a full service, smelling quite oily under that bonnet and the coolant looks like its seen better days. So off to buy all the servicing bits tomorrow and then off for a drive.


So after a pause from driving a cento, im back again.
Paws for thought eh?


Pirus

(sorry for the terriblr puns, couldnt resist)

 

[andys cinq]

Nice to see you back on the road mate and looking forward to seeing the progress with the 16v conversion.....again and please make this the last time

 

[blu73]

great stuff matey.. It looks quite a reasonable find. How much if you don't mind me asking..

 

[cc1]

Welcome to the Shuey club.

 

[Pirus]

andys_cinq
The last time? nah 1368 may go in eventually
blu73
How much do you think? Also had 6 months MOT but no tax.
cc1
Thanks. Probably going to remove the tramp stamp off of the boot soon though.


Thought id give a reply once ive done a few things:
I went out and bought a few service parts from halfords, there's no motor factors nearby and i didnt want to travel nearly double the distance to get parts cheaper.

Pretty sure the oil hadn't been changed in a long time.
The lack of service history, no rust and low mileage - dont think this has been driven much, maybe since last year. Tax had run out for over 5 months as well.

Bought some new Bosch Super plugs as well.
Swapped 4, 3 & 2 easy peasy. Number 1 i had a little more fun with....

Started undoing with the spark plug socket. Suddenly went loose... Took it out to find i had snapped it in half at the ceramic.
Apply some WD-40 and get the socket back on it. Still wouldnt move.
One foot breaker bar and normal socket (last resort) - just started spinning.
Started to get really worried.
Rouned the head. Got out the imperial sockets and a hammer.
Hammered a smaller size on, it would turn clockwise and tighten but when turning counter-clockwise it would just spin and spin.
Starting thinking i would have to take the head off and swap for the one off my old 1108 engine.
Long handled needle nose pliers, lots of jiggling, some man-genuity; finally removed it. Not looking in a good state.
Put all the old plugs in number 1 to try and clean the threads to remove some of slivers of old thread.
Put the new plug in and tightend them all up.

Flushed and changed the coolant as well. Let the hosepipe run through and back up the system as some nasty looking crap came out it. Topped up with some fresh coolant and looking a little better (if still a little murky).

This was the state of the battery.
The battery was not the correct size, sticking out of the battery tray at the front. Didnt have a strap fastening it down and the terminals werent even tight - i managed to pull them off by hand.Dont know how it didnt come disconnected or even slide out of the tray on my journey home.
Had a spare standard battery, so swapped it over and found my old strap to fasten it down. Nice and safe now.

Always handy when youve got lots of spare parts
Also dug out my old crappy K&N filter, just for a laugh. I know i'd probably be better off with a standard or even drilling one of the airboxes i have.

Put my old momo steering wheel on it. didnt put it on straight and tried to put it right when i went to get fuel at local supermarket. Got some funny looks sitting with these tools and pulling the steering wheel off. Think some people thought i was stealing it.

Got the hairdryer out and took the paws off.

Was left with a little glue left behind. Can also see the scratches in the bonnet where it looks like someone tried to remove it, though the scratches were under the decal, seems an odd place for scratches to be otherwise.

Bit of fine cut and got rid any traces of glue.

The old meets the new.
The Shoebox is being taken away by the end of this week
Found someone who will pay me to take it for scrap. Probably going to get rid of the old gearbox and P75 block (unless anyone wants either for free?)

Quick clean and looks a lot better.
Few minor chips in the paint on the bonnet but going to order my bonnet bra i wanted with the shoebox
Fitted my old Abarth alloys as well, as they are in better condition than the ones that came with the car

As i said earlier i had an issue with the trip counter, clock constantly resetting itself when the car was switched off, no interior light and no radio.
well thanks to this thread and finding wiring diagram E2510 in the tech manual, they're all routed through fuse 15. So i looked in the fusebox and 15 had blown. Swapped it and now have interior light, clock and trip counter. Not tried the radio as ive currently removed it to fit a better one. Though how the old radio was wired it could have caused it to short, some loose connectors on the back.


Things to do on Paws:
- Hang my SS backbox. Current exhaust is looking a little rotten
- Nearside front bearing is on its way out. Lots of whiring when going over forty and even worse when in a righthand bend. I know i need ABS bearings but think i might just bin it all off, not really worth it. Plus i already have new front bearings in the old hubs from the shoebox.
- Swap rear side windows from shoebox into paws. Already tinted and have FF stickers on still, even if one does say 'Fa tFor m.com' (thanks Todger ).
- Buy tint film and have a go at doing the rear window.
- Remove studs from hubs. Rather have bolts as i already have lots of spares, locking and wobble's.
- Swap springs and shocks. When swapping wheels gave it all a once over but pretty sure they're all standard, though one rear spring has been replace at sometime. Ordered some new shocks and some spring compressors. Accident in the Shoebox damaged the nearside shock cup that holds the spring. Going to put my old Apex springs on. Don't have enough £ for anything better at the moment.
- Try and reuse old front seats. MK1 sporting seats have a different feel to these mk2 one's. Alot more comfortable.
- Remove rear wiper.
-Debadge
- Give it a full detail.


Can even list a to-do list for whats left to order before i can carry out the swap again if anyone really wants to know some of the work and parts needed to complete one.

Pirus

 

[cc1]

Front bearing:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Seic...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item43ab537bfe
Rear bearing:
http://www.unto.pl/piasta-kola-seicento-abs-tyl-p-1423.html £36

 

[blu73]

MMm not really looked at sei prices recently so wouldn't have a clue tbh..

And you have PM young sir

 

[Pirus]

After nearly four years of ownership, i have finally said goodbye to the Shoebox.

Stripped of everything, just a bare shell.
Served me well. However it does mean i now have space in my garage....

Pirus

 

[allgood]

As i said earlier i had an issue with the trip counter, clock constantly resetting itself when the car was switched off, no interior light and no radio.
well thanks to this thread and finding wiring diagram E2510 in the tech manual, they're all routed through fuse 15. So i looked in the fusebox and 15 had blown. Swapped it and now have interior light, clock and trip counter. Not tried the radio as ive currently removed it to fit a better one. Though how the old radio was wired it could have caused it to short, some loose connectors on the back.

Glad you found my thread useful, my fuse kept blowing so had to rewire a new one in the end

Michael

 

[andys cinq]

After nearly four years of ownership, i have finally said goodbye to the Shoebox.

Stripped of everything, just a bare shell.
Served me well. However it does mean i now have space in my garage....

Pirus

Im going to posting similar pictures very soon when mine gets dragged away.How long before u start getting the new one converted

 

[randomizered]

eekks, you chased a spark plug thread with the head still on....who knows what little bits of metal are sat on the piston waiting to score **** up?

Good too see u coming along though. I did get your Facebook message yesterday adn wil reply soon (a few days)....life is hectic at the mo

 

[Pirus]

For those who wondered in i paid £750 for Paws and though it needed a little work is in better condition than all the other cars i went to see.

Well the to-do list for paws is a little less than before.



Swapped the old ABS bearing for a standard one that was in the shoebox.
The bearings were replaced when i did the conversion so have only covered 300 miles or so, didnt want to splash out and buy the ABS ones. Especially as the brakes will soon be swapped for PGT ones again anyway.
Tbf if im hitting the brakes hard enough to lock them up im in trouble.

Bushes are all original by the looks of them, going to be ordering some replacement more yellow strongflex ones in the next week or so. Though they were all replaced on the previous swap, the accident caused even the some of the bushes to be deformed.

Looking under the car whilst changing the bearing. Previous owners never did use the lashing points to jack the car up (quite unusual). Instead they used they have badly deformed part of the sill. Even taking some chunks out of the floorpan down the car.
Going to Waxoyl it all very soon, not too fussed at the moment as the car is in dry storage again.

Window tints are back on the side windows, complete with my old stickers.
Just need to know the level of tint that was applied to my old bootlid. Know a friendly police officer so might try and borrow a light tester and find out the tint level.


Went to pick a mate of mine up the other night just as it was getting dark. First time i had actually driven in the dark in this car.
Hit a bump in the road and nearly lost my headlights. The reflectors inside the headlamps are no longer connected to the adjusters, so as i hit the bump i had about 3 foot of light in front of the car on full beam :/
Luckily i know the road well and just dropped my speed. Picked my mate up and popped the bonnet to flip the lights back into position, then i hit another bump in the road on the way back.....

Going to pick up some new lights next week, as both are currently like this.
Can tell someone has ripped the adjusters off the lights before when trying to change a bulb presumably.

Fitted my old Cinq SuperSprint backbox as the old exhaust was rather rotten and full of leaks. Didnt take a picture of the old flexi and front section but it was so flexible due to all the holes in it i'd say.
Used to have a few problems with this leaking when it used to be fitted. Went out and bought plenty of exhaust paste. Once fitted it was all leak tested and then further paste applied.
Good thing is about this exhaust is that its not really that loud but adds a nice subtle tone, looks nice too.

New shocks have arrived as the old ones on the nearside were damaged, i could of heated this and bent it back but decided not to for safety reasons. Also due to the damage to the front of the car i ordered a new pair.

Going to get an Acetylene torch on it later this week, as you can see in the picture above the spring doesnt sit right and needs to be bent slightly.
This has always been the case due to the fact that they are crappy Apex springs and never used to sit in the shock cup correctly but i never noticed until they were off the car. A garage fitted them originally and i doubt they damaged them trying to get them to sit correctly and looks as its just the way the springs have been manufactured.
I've owned them for two years now and though ive only covered about 7000 miles in them i want to reuse them. I just dont have the budget for decent springs at the moment. I would like to really go to coilovers but will have to wait until i have more funds.


Also been stripping my old seats as i find the foam to be comfier and i prefer the red and black check to the grey.

Always wondered the offside side of the drivers seat was a little soft.

Passenger seat will be stripped down next wanted to show how bent the frame was

Took my Superturismo wheels to be checked today, wanted to see if the tyre on the destroyed rim could be removed and if the tyre has been damaged and cannot be used again.

Took a large hammer and a bit of jiggling but managed to get it on the machine to get the tyre off.
The tyre looked slighty rounded, the wire inside the rim looked as though it had been bent out of shape and wouldnt seal properly anymore.
Checked the offside rim and its too bent to be used.

Though the offside tyre looked in better condition it obviously wasnt due to the large split above.
Put the nearside tyre on the offside rim.
Tyre from the destroyed wheel was placed on the other bent wheel to test the tyre seal. Even though the tyre is oval it could still be used.
So i have kept that tyre for now but only for an emergency situation needing a spare tyre and i have a wheel.

So i now need another 2 14" superturismo's, so will save my money and probably buy another 2 next year as my Abarth's really need to be straightend and the lacquer is starting to come off.

How long before u start getting the new one converted?

Well i have written myself a nice to-do list for parts for the new car:

Engine & Management
Megasquirt II v 3.0 - looked at running an MS system and been doing plenty of reading/research. Future plan and would build it myself.
18FD ECU - Probably pick one up next week and wire it in for early management till i have built up an MS system.
Engine lifters - need to check and clean as head was quite rattly before, engine was sat for unknown amount of time and just wanna give it a general clean
Service items - check everything, buy new oil etc
Induction - Got a new CDA
6 Speed Gearbox - Got a 6 speed box and ready to slot on
HT Leads - Probably pick some K1 leads up next week
TB - was using the marea 1.6 tb but might use a smaller TB as unsure if too big. May just test both on a nearby RR when all sorted.
Inlet mani - check for damage due to heater matrix

Exhaust
Check CAT
Reseal - due to some earlier leaks
Rewrap Exhaust Manifold

Suspension & Steering
Bushes - check and reorder any that are damaged. Quick glance appears it's just the ARB bushes that need to be replaced. Possibly one wishbone as well due to one splitting.
Wishbones - One in half and needs replacing. Probably replace both with ones from poland.
Front shocks - all sorted just need to fit springs
Rear shocks - check for no leaks
Steering lock reducers

Brakes
Brake pipes - all need replacing
Master cylinder - rip out ABS system and replace with old one.
Fittings - all replace and check
Caliper nipple - replace. will do this professionally as i dont want to mess around with brakes
Repaint - paint is rather chipped

Cooling
New radiator - not happy with condition of one used in accident
Oil cooler - no longer exists in a useable state
Oil stat - snapped in half, needs replacing
Oil pipes - Some badly damaged but most fittings ok


Parts are being ordered and slowly building everything back together.
Got plenty of spares and quite a bit of time so in no rush the only thing stopping me is lack of funds.


Will update in large chunks as i go again or ask the odd question if im really stuck.

Pirus

 

[randomizered]

Those wheels made me a bit upset lol.....proper mangled! Def don't re-use the tyres!!!

Just tint the rear uber dark.....no legal limits past c-pillar....sides look like a dark smoke if you want to match it

Sure you can sort the bleed nipple yourself as its a cast caliper? lots of heat after cutting a notch for the screwdriver, or a mini stud extractor....getting it removed may be more expensive than another caliper...it you want 257mm non vented, grab mine for free

 

[Pirus]

Those wheels made me a bit upset lol.....proper mangled! Def don't re-use the tyres!!!

Dont be upset, still got the rears in ok condition and will buy another pair soon enough

eekks, you chased a spark plug thread with the head still on....who knows what little bits of metal are sat on the piston waiting to score **** up?
Good too see u coming along though. I did get your Facebook message yesterday adn wil reply soon (a few days)....life is hectic at the mo

I like to live dangerously and ive got a spare 1108 engine in the garage if this one decides to throw a hissy fit.
No rush to reply to the message

Just tint the rear uber dark.....no legal limits past c-pillar....sides look like a dark smoke if you want to match it

Probably go for a dark smoke, dont want to go limo dark as i think it just looks like a van/chav (no offence to anyone who likes limo tints)

Sure you can sort the bleed nipple yourself as its a cast caliper? lots of heat after cutting a notch for the screwdriver, or a mini stud extractor....getting it removed may be more expensive than another caliper...it you want 257mm non vented, grab mine for free

I think i'll probably use a mini stud extractor, got another set of rear calipers as well so can just use a nipple of the spare set.
Always handy to have lots of spares lying around, either that or im becoming a cento part hoarder

Pirus

 

[Pirus]

The project is still underway, for those who have been wondering.
Just waiting on a few parts from Fiat, which are being sent from Italy, before it'll be finished.
Currently looks like christmas at my house with boxes of new parts all over the place.

Car has been worked on and i could do an update upto its current state but i think ill wait until the finished project

Few little extra bits than were on it last time and more pictures have been taken.

Pirus

 

[centoproject]

updates ?

 

[fingers99]

Went to pick a mate of mine up the other night just as it was getting dark. First time i had actually driven in the dark in this car.
Hit a bump in the road and nearly lost my headlights. The reflectors inside the headlamps are no longer connected to the adjusters, so as i hit the bump i had about 3 foot of light in front of the car on full beam :/
Luckily i know the road well and just dropped my speed. Picked my mate up and popped the bonnet to flip the lights back into position, then i hit another bump in the road on the way back.....

Post somewhere by J333EVO on how to fix. Deals with Cinq, but same will apply for Sei. I think I may have the prototype fixed lights on Imola Blue, in which case, they're fine, so it's a good fix.

 

[Pirus]

Plastic clip the adjuster fits into the light broke.
New set of lights from Poland and have swapped the lenses over from another pair of lights i had.

Pirus