General Torino progress - Shmokin!

[Lesnewell]

It has been a while since I last posted about my progress on the Torino. Progress has been a bit slow recently due to the weather and other commitments.

I reached an important milestone today... the type that says you have been traveling in the wrong direction for the last 50 miles :bang:

When I bought the car the tappets were very noisy and it smoked slightly. The seller explained he had poured some oil down the intake to prevent rusting while in storage. At the time I believed him as that is something I do if I am going to leave an engine for an extended period.

I decided to have a go at starting the engine today to test my new stainless exhaust. First I adjusted the tappets so I would actually be able to hear the exhaust . I started it up and the exhaust sounded fine and not too noisy - unlike the engine. The tappet noise had masked some very unpleasant rumblings from the bottom end. Also that smoke didn't go away either :bang:. Basically the engine is scrap. Why on earth did the previous owner spend time and money replacing pretty much every other moving part then fit a completely knackered engine .

I had intended to fit a 1242 Punto engine after the SVA anyway but I don't think this engine will pass emissions as it is. I can't fit the 1242 before the SVA because then I would need to fit a catalyst and there isn't room for one. Looks like I'll have to borrow a non-catalyst Panda 4x4 engine from a friend and fit it just for the SVA!

It hasn't been a good year for engines so far. I blew up the engine in my trials car a couple of months ago and getting that fixed has turned into a complete farce :bang:

 

[Alan.D]

Sorry to hear that maybe it was the last thing on his list? I'll keep a look out for a 999 if I see any going.

 

[Lesnewell]

Now I have calmed down a bit, it isn't too bad. I have a 999 in the scrap Panda. If that turns out to be a non runner (likely, considering my current run of luck with engines ), a friend has one.

I'll have to change the engine mount because the current one is a 903(?) MK1 4x4 engine. However I would have had to do that to fit the 1242 anyway. I'll end up making a total of 3 down pipes. First the 903 one then the 999 then the 1242...

Does anyone know how much taller the 1242 is? Maybe I can make the downpipe long enough to fit the 1242 correctly and just let it hang down a bit on the 999.

 

[JimMagill]

Erm... The mk1 panda 4x4 had i 956cc engine from autobianchi (forgive the spelling...) Which might make things more difficult and explanes why the last owner maybe didn't change it?
Jim

 

[Lesnewell]

Thanks for the correction Jim, I thought 903cc wasn't right

Looking through the Torino manual it appears you can fit either the FIRE or early engine. In that case I should be able to drop the 999 from the scrap car straight in. At the moment the car is in a farmer's field under a load of other stuff so it will be a while before I can excavate it.

There is still plenty to be done so it won't hold me up much.

 

[JimMagill]

Yeah, i think alan has said on here a few times that any panda engine will pretty much fit any panda gearbox... Best of luck with it!
Jim

 

[default_user]

Hey Les, haven't been on here for a while (I'm in a new relationship and have more important things to think about at the moment!) and was just browsing all the posts I missed.

The 999cc engine requires a few mounting mods to fit the Torino chassis. As far as I can see from your pics it looks almost identical under the skin to the Rat.

You'll need to use some of the gearbox mounting bits from the 999cc and fabricate a new mount for the drivers side as the 999cc alloy item just physically will not fit. Check out my old posts as there is some info and pictures on this subject. Also have a look at my web page for the Rat as I've detailed this work there too. PM me if you need any info and I'll send you my phone number if you want to talk about it.

I have no doubt you'll do this easily though as your skills are better than mine. I'm currently working on the Rat by the way. I have a few days off work so I'm trying to get as much done as I can before I sell my house and move in with my new partner. I'm going to be extremely busy for the next few months!

 

[Lesnewell]

Hi Rick,

It is good to see you are still around. Good luck with the new relationship.

Hopefully the 999 isnt too much wider than the current engine. There isn't an awful lot of room now I have centred up the drive shafts - an issue you are all to familiar with . Making engine mounts shouldn't be much of an issue.