Hey Sean,
I think I am right in saying that the 999cc FIRE engined Uno's are the most common engines available at this moment in time. The 1.1 ohc non FIRE engine was discontinued when the mk2 was released in 1989 (with the exception of a few Selecta automatic models still available). The mk2 1.1's used the 1108cc FIRE engine, same as the Cinquecento/ Seicento Sporting and the Punto 60. The 1.3 as used in the mk1 grew to a 1.4 in the mk2, and was only available as a 5 door in the UK and was generally fitted to the SX only. I think there were a few 2 door 1.4 i.e's available but they are very rare. Also there were a few two door mk1 1.3 SX's, but these were only available up to 1985 I think. The 1.3/ 1.4 engines were also used in the Turbo's, though they were substantially re-worked.
Don't forget as well the Formula models, which used the very old 899cc over head valve engine. These were discontinued when the FIRE engine was first released in 1985, but reappeared again in about 1987. Don't know why!
I've had two FIRE engined Uno's, and the engines are pretty tough units. Change the oil regularly (or put in synthetic), keep the cooling system in good shape and they seem to go on for ever. I've seen 130,000 mile 1.0 FIRE engined Uno's still running quite happily. Neglect the cooling system at your peril, as the aluminium heads then become subsceptible to warping.
If you have a 1108cc i.e. FIRE engined Uno, then all the tuning parts for the Cinq/ Sei Sporting will fit. Most of the parts available are simply bolt on goodies like air filters. They will probably fit the 1.0 i.e. as well, but I'm not sure.
The disadvantage of the FIRE engines are that there aren't many serious perfomance/ tuning parts available. I did find one company online that could take a 1.0 litre FIRE up to about 90bhp (!), but can't remember the web address. Some people have also turbo charged them, so maybe there is a kit available?
The advantage with the FIRE engine is the fact that there are bigger versions that will swap straight in. The 1242 single point injection Punto engine is a straight swap, and with a lot of work the 16 valve Punto Sporting engine will go in too, but expect a lot of hassles with fueling and electrics.
The old 1.1/ 1.3/ 1.4 ohc engines are much easier to tune. First off, the 1.5 x1/9 engine is a straight swap (I think it was also fitted to a 1.5 Lancia Delta), and apparently the 1.6 Tipo engine will go straight in too. Of course, so does the Uno Turbo engine as it is based on this family of engines.
There were also lots of tuning parts available for the non FIRE ohc engines, as they were fitted to sporty versions of the 128 (128/3P), X1/9, 127 Sport and possibly some other models. This series of engines responds well to tuning, and there used to be a lot of goodies available such as camshafts, twin carburetors, intake manifolds and exhaust manifolds/ systems. Plus simple balancing and blue printing can make it into a very revvy and fun engine.
The overhead valve engine can be tuned, but it isn't really worth it. It's a very old engine design, and you'd be far better off fitting a larger engine in it's place.
Out of all the engines, the FIRE is probably a good one to go for simply because all the others have been pretty much discontinued and the FIRE is still being made today in updated form. Therefore you'll have no problems getting parts for it. It's also reliable, simple in design, very torquey for it's size, fun to drive, simple to work on and very economical.
If you want serious performance, then the Turbo is the one to go for, but finding a nice, un-rusty, unmolested example is getting hard. They are out there, but owners tend to hang on to them!
If you want to do your own tuning then get a non FIRE ohc engined Uno.
At the end of the day, all the Uno variants are good, so it depends on exactly what you want to use it for. I would tend to steer clear of the base models as they really are very basic. The only exception being if one had a very, very solid bodyshell as it is always possible to by a scrap 'S' or 'SX' model and upgrade it.
In my opinion, the 3 door is the best looking, though the 5 door does have a charm of it's own.
The best thing though, is that there are many good Uno's out there available at bargain prices. Quite a few in scrappies too, so parts are a plenty. Check Ebay to find bargains, get a good one and have fun!
Chas
thatsean said:
Hi peeps, this is my first Uno post - I've got a Stilo, and fancy a uno as a weekend car to have a laff in, as it was my first ever car, and im feeling nostalgic.
Looking about the only ones that seem to have survived are the 999 FIREs - are there any issues with these - anyone with any experience to give me any hints?
I've worked on these engines before, but its been a few years so im sure ill have forgotten quite what a challenge these cars are.
Any comments, suggestions greatly appreciated.
Sean.
