Technical Tipo/Tempra shock upgrades

[a73uk]

Hi all,

I`ve just inherited my parents 71000 mile 1993 Fiat Tempra 2.0ie SX estate with the twink 8v engine which they`ve had from new as they`ve just got a`new`55 reg 1.6 Stilo SW(which I`m very disapointed in), Its externally mint, but is pretty tired all round which is why they decided to change it.

I`m intending modifying coz I think it`d be a funny street sleeper! I`ve heard of people fitting Delta integrale running gear(including 4x4 gear) into the Tempra! Apparently there were 4x4 turbo models in Europe too!

Eventually I`d like to fit either nitrous or a Delta`s turbo system....

But 1st things 1st... I want to do the suspension ASAP as its the worsed & most worn area on her. Its had new standard gas shocks & still find them too soft, being high it rolls wayyyy too much (I`ve had the rear end drifting at motorway speeds with 5 people inside).

It also wheelspins rediculously easily in the dry, let alone in the wet.

Now I know the Tempra shares its chassis with the Tipo, Landia Dedra & Alfa 155.

I also understand it shares some major suspension components with all those, plus the Bravo/Brava, Lancia Delta/Prisma & the Alfa 145/146 ranges.

I was wondering if any of the harder shocks from those other models would physically fit my Tempra`s fixing points & if so, which do you recomend.

Also, roll bars, would the thicker roll bars from the other cars fit, again, has anyone tried it.

Also polybushes, are there Tipo ones available? they should be a straight swap.

Brakes arent too hot either, I`ve got a feeling the servo isnt working properly, its a pre-ABS model. Has anyone got a new Sei one? is it bigger?

Has anyone attempted this kind of thing before on their Tipo?

Cheers!

Paolo

 

[Renegade_8]

I put some KYBs on my Tempra. I got them from Demon Tweaks. They transformed the car making it very fast across country without making the ride intolerable, it was bit "sporting " though. The wife preffered it as the car felt more controlled. I looked at Koni adjusatbles but the price was just stupid.

 

[a73uk]

I put some KYBs on my Tempra. I got them from Demon Tweaks. They transformed the car making it very fast across country without making the ride intolerable, it was bit "sporting " though. The wife preffered it as the car felt more controlled. I looked at Koni adjusatbles but the price was just stupid.

Interesting! I see yours is a facelift saloon model.

"sportings" fine, it`ll need to be very sporting eventually...

I`ve got other cars between from an Uno SX up to a Ferrari 308 QV(which I`m selling if anyones got £20k spare), I just want this one to be a street sleeper that looks standard (maybe with spaced out standard 14" alloys or wider Tipo Sei 15" alloys as the standard ones look lost under the wheelarches), that can move a bit of furnature now & then & that my parents can have back for a weekend now & again for a laugh!

See I was wondering if I could pick up adjustables as the car will be getting more powerful in stages, obviously sport type accessories come up rarely directly for the Tempra, but you do see that kind of thing coming up at bargain prices for the other models based on that floorpan... you see my thinking?

Cheers!

 

[a73uk]

Heres a pic I just took



(Click to enlarge)

 

[sediciRich]

Hello, if I were to ever embark upon a street sleeper then it would be a Tempra SW 4wd 16v turbo. In europe they were sold in a 4wd variant 2.0 8v. This running gear similar to the integrale but not the rear diff is also the same as the 155 q4 and Dedra Integrale - as you state all the same floor pan (165/6 nuevo delta, 155, tip, tempra, coupe , bravo, brava, marea - all identical underneath).

For shocks off an oe range you would hope the coupe 20v rears or 155 q4 rears would be the best, also their rear springs. I would make a fairly sure guess your front strut bolt spacing would be narrower then the coupe turbo's thus look to 145 clover or tipo 16v, coupe 16v NA for front shocks. What is varied across all the cars is the track with F and R. If I equate the tempra the same as the tipo 16v then the coupe and alfa 145/6 are both wider (155 too), with the rear arms having more lateral length and the front wish bones also longer along with drive shaft and steering rack (yes the rack as opposed to the rod ends - shame makes it a little more complicated). Thus to steal a better OE setup it would be worth taking all the parts from a faster spec version to avoid complaction, I think perhaps the bravo HGT 20v will also have the narrow spaced front bolts on the struts. Front and rear subframs are the same in all cases. In terms of ARB's look to the rear for improving the handling dont worry about the front, there is a chance that your SW may already have a thicker rear then the tipo, aside from that the coupe 16vt/20vt had thinker then std tipo 16v did. white line arb's are only 90GBP ish so fairly cheap. You cant go wrong with a Koni sport kit - but get one for a wider set up and get the rest to accomplish the wider track - the track widt affects the wheel camber thus a wide track suspension kit on a narrow wish bone will end up with postive camber which you dont want.

Adjustable kits are available but cheap FK kits are just that, next step is quite large to something decents over 1000GBP.

I hope you keep the project up, keeping the 8v would have great retro appeal but maybe if you get a 4wd tempra sw then that would be a cool donor car. http://www.bolha.com/oglas2489102

Rich

 

[jonti]

Having refitted with standard shocks (which are supposed to be stiffer for the 2.0) and been still disapppointed what has made the car stiffer and handle better is a set of Michelin Pilot Exalto P62s.

 

[a73uk]

Hello, if I were to ever embark upon a street sleeper then it would be a Tempra SW 4wd 16v turbo. In europe they were sold in a 4wd variant 2.0 8v. This running gear similar to the integrale but not the rear diff is also the same as the 155 q4 and Dedra Integrale - as you state all the same floor pan (165/6 nuevo delta, 155, tip, tempra, coupe , bravo, brava, marea - all identical underneath).

For shocks off an oe range you would hope the coupe 20v rears or 155 q4 rears would be the best, also their rear springs. I would make a fairly sure guess your front strut bolt spacing would be narrower then the coupe turbo's thus look to 145 clover or tipo 16v, coupe 16v NA for front shocks. What is varied across all the cars is the track with F and R. If I equate the tempra the same as the tipo 16v then the coupe and alfa 145/6 are both wider (155 too), with the rear arms having more lateral length and the front wish bones also longer along with drive shaft and steering rack (yes the rack as opposed to the rod ends - shame makes it a little more complicated). Thus to steal a better OE setup it would be worth taking all the parts from a faster spec version to avoid complaction, I think perhaps the bravo HGT 20v will also have the narrow spaced front bolts on the struts. Front and rear subframs are the same in all cases. In terms of ARB's look to the rear for improving the handling dont worry about the front, there is a chance that your SW may already have a thicker rear then the tipo, aside from that the coupe 16vt/20vt had thinker then std tipo 16v did. white line arb's are only 90GBP ish so fairly cheap. You cant go wrong with a Koni sport kit - but get one for a wider set up and get the rest to accomplish the wider track - the track widt affects the wheel camber thus a wide track suspension kit on a narrow wish bone will end up with postive camber which you dont want.

Adjustable kits are available but cheap FK kits are just that, next step is quite large to something decents over 1000GBP.

I hope you keep the project up, keeping the 8v would have great retro appeal but maybe if you get a 4wd tempra sw then that would be a cool donor car. http://www.bolha.com/oglas2489102

Rich

Thanks for the info Rich!

I didnt realise the Coupe/Bravo/va/eya had the same floorpans too... maybe I should graft a coupe front end on too!

I`m not going to go the 4x4 route though, not at this stage anyway!

Its pretty complicated working out which components to use, especially as mine is non ABS which to my knowledge most of the `sportier` models like the 155 / Dedra etc all have.

Things like driveshafts, do they have the same number of splines etc as the Tempra gearbox? I`d imagine they vary model to model, are the outboard ends compatible with the hubs etc..

The Tipo Seidici seems to fill its arches better than the Tempra, is this just down to the alloys then? if it is, it`d be far simpler to just get a set of those or space mine out 10-20mm.

The actual project has been put on hold as I`ve given it back to them temporarily (they only kept the Stilo replacement 24 hours before it started playing up, so I got them a refund), but I`m still on the lookout for parts or even a complete parts car to experiment with because I still fully intend to do it! (rear end/cosmetic damage Dedra or 155 maybe? I would like to put the alacantra seats & wood veneers in from the Dedra!) Anyone know of any going cheap or any in a breaker local to London?

On Sunday I changed the front shocks with some new Monroe ones I brought years ago as the lack of front end grip was getting way too alarming(I`m picking a friend up from the airport tomorrow too!), especially in the wet. Its very much improved now, surer footed & less roll, but its still not as improved as much as I want

I couldnt believe how huge the springs were when I took them out of the struts... about 3 foot! they were a right pain in the arse to get back in on my strut machine!

Other things noted were a seeping PAS rack(may be from elsewhere), perished roll bar bushes, worn wishbone bushes & perished trailing arm mount bushes, none of which are helping the handling obviously....

Engine wise, there seems to be 2 slight leaks, 1 from the crank oil seal(or maybe gearbox input seal) & 1 on the corner of the cambox.

After peeling off some of the underseal I also found alot of surface rust along where the floorpans join the inner sills, mainly on the drivers side, up to 3" in & 1 small hole 4cm x 5mm on the edge of the drivers floorpan), so it`ll be completely stripped, welded up, re-painted & re-rustproofed, probably next weekend.

To be honest the tyres are mostly budget rubbish Jonti, I`ll be changing them or getting for a set of Sei 15" replacements.

I really need to get a Fiat/Alfa/Lancia EPC CD ROM & go through the options properly.

I`ll give you an update soon.

 

[sediciRich]

Mail me and I'll give you my number you can call if you want to chat about the options - all dictated by your DIY skills. Dont worry about wiring or driveshafts it all comes together quite simply once you get the idea of what your looking at.

Rich

 

[Hellcat]

Mail me and I'll give you my number you can call if you want to chat about the options - all dictated by your DIY skills. Dont worry about wiring or driveshafts it all comes together quite simply once you get the idea of what your looking at.

Rich

DIY skills and budget... Driveshafts always put me off starting any sort of project... surely getting them to fit the outboard CVs must be a pain or do people get custom ones made once the gearbox and hubs are in place?

 

[sediciRich]

Its not actually that complicated, just need to see how much length is available for the suspension position. They expand/collapse a fair way. The splines I have seen virtually no difference in the fiat range, and the bolt PCD's on the gear box end seem to be the same as well.

 

[Hellcat]

I'd have thought the splines differ a lot depending on engine power... Just thinking of the huge difference between hub nuts on 1.4 and 2.0 tipos... be strange if inboard from the hub there wasn't much difference in the splines size.

 

[sediciRich]

admittedly I have only looked at 2.0 cars and diesels