General Zippy Project

[merv]

Dear Bians,

Sorry I've been a little inactive for a couple of weeks. I've been checking up with your posts, but haven't managed to contribute anything.

Anyway, I've decided to start my own Zippy mods / fixes thread that I predict will move forward very slowly. I say this because anything out of the Computer Science / Computer Hardware / Software Business domain busts my chops. Thankfully though, my big box of accessories from BarchettaParts.com has arrived relatively safe.



I received the following goods:

- Original Fiat Mat Hardtop -> This is second hand and has suffered some scrapes. It needs to be resprayed




- Console / Dash polished rings
- Colour coded floor mats
- Roll bars with windstop -> Sadly there is a scrape on the roll bars. I really don't know whether to return them or not. This was a brand new set costing the best part of 500€. You can see the scraped area in a concentrated area of reflection from the bars. To the top right of the main flash reflection... it's small, but it's still there.



- Pedal covers
- Heatshield

So, what have I done so far? Well, not much really, only basic stuff. But, ya gotta start somewhere. Zippy is now sporting:

- A new radio with handsfree, bluetooth, SD/MMC card reader, USB reader and Aux line in. I informed about this before and it was my first mod



- New mats… not too difficult to install really

- A Barchetta chrome rear badge -> unfortunately the badge is not curved like the rear, but I managed to glue it on with some effort (I'll take a picture with some light later =))



- Pedal covers -> These are just a basic set available from BarchettaParts.com and are very easy to fit. However, I must say that the under-foot feel is improved somehow



The upcoming things TODO:

1) Get the Hardtop resprayed the colour of the car
2) Fit the heatshield -> I won't attempt this alone, but it really needs changing. The original is cracked and makes a vibrating noise at ~2800 RPM.
3) Install roll bars -> I'm really not sure how to do this yet. I'll check some of the other posts on the matter to see what I come up with. Henk from BP.com said he included some instructions, but I didn't find them. I've possibly thrown it out with some of the packaging.
4) Adjust clutch -> I think the clutch needs to be adjusted by about 30mm, which is probably evident from the pic (i.e. it should travel 125mm +/- 5mm when depressed, now it's considerably more). As noted by some others, moving from neutral to 1st then to reverse presents some challenges as well as changing from 1st or 3rd to 2nd with higher revs.
5) Install console covers -> This isn't a high priority on my list at the mo, but should be easy I suppose.

Anyway, I'll update yez all again as I make some progress. Wish me luck.

Cheers,

MeRv

 

[MattB2k]

Go Merv!

Great to see someone else slinging money at their Barchetta.

I'm keen to hear how you get on with fitting those roll bars, I have always half fancied a set but never known if they are worth it.

Enjoy.

 

[LittleRedB]

Good stuff Merv, remember take lots of piccies for the benfit of those who might do the same job in the future

 

[Zem]

It looks like something to keep you busy for a while

I note that the hardtop stand is a wiesmann one.

What did you do with the original radio? If it's a Clarion, I know a couple on here might be interested in it.

And the new mats? Fiat originals? or aftermarket?

 

[merv]

Hey guys, thanks for the support. Really appreciate it.

I'll be sure to take piccies as I'll possibly need them myself to simply put things back in order. I'll document what tools I use and how I executed the job. Again, I'm a real potential for screwing up the jobs. You can trust me on that.

The mats are aftermarket. I bought them from BarchettaParts.com. They're good quality and reasonably priced. Also, they fit the cabin and boot really snug.

Anyway, here's to slinging money. Later folks.

 

[docorangepeel]

Good start keep it up. As LRB said lots of Pics.

 

[merv]

Hey guys, thanks for the support. Really appreciate it.

I'll be sure to take piccies as I'll possibly need them myself to simply put things back in order. I'll document what tools I use and how I executed the job. Again, I'm a real potential for screwing up the jobs. You can trust me on that.

The mats are aftermarket. I bought them from BarchettaParts.com. They're good quality and reasonably priced. Also, they fit the cabin and boot really snug.

Anyway, here's to slinging money. Later folks.

 

[barchetta_97]

NICE start!..

 

[merv]

Dear Bians,

You'll be proud of me. I've managed to do the following since my previous post. I'll post pictures, etc., as soon as I get them transfered from my phone to PC/Laptop.

1) Change the heat shield
- I had some help from my friend on this one, thankfully, but must admit that it's a rather simple job. It took about 1hr total. I've got some pics on my phone camera of the new and old heat shields and the new one fitted.

2) Adjusted the clutch
- Thanks to everyone for the advice on this one. My clutch, according to the manual, was about 5 - 6cm off the recommended alignment (which is ~125mm travel from resting to fully pressed). My pedal was way too high. Anyway, this was again a simple job. The most difficult part was removing the battery housing as the bolt on the inner and lower corner was a little difficult to get at and with very little room to play with. Anyway, it felt really good to hear the "clunk" sound disappear from the pedal. Now, Zippy feels like a much more in shape B than previous to this fix. My gears no longer crunch when traveling between 1st and 2nd with high revs. Again, thanks to you all for the advice. I have before and after pictures that I'll post. Oh, and I had a 10mm and 17mm nut set. I recall that there was a lot of dialog taking place on this topic on the other thread that Matt started.

3) New Battery
- I went away on a business trip and discovered upon returning that I'd left the cabin light on. Thankfully Zippy started, but with a little strain. Anyway, I decided that it would be a nice gesture to buy Zippy a new power source. Especially when I consider that the Finnish Winter is likely just around the corner. The original battery was 46Ah (is this original??) and the new one is 55Ah. I could have gotten a more powerful battery, but decided against it considering that the original was "so small". Obviously, this was a very easy job, but the main fixing bolt did need some CRCing to get it to move.

4) Roll Bars
- I was in the process of fitting the roll bars when I discovered one oversight on my part. As my car has the built in "woofer" of sorts, I obviously need to remove the Woofer first. However, I decided against taking on this project for the moment. Maybe I'll do this for next Summer and also upgrade the stereo speaker set in the mean time. Any recommendations for speakers? Oh, and I decided to keep the roll bars (or to sell them on myself at some point) instead of returning them. As you recall they were scraped upon arrival. Anyway, I agreed with Henk from BarchettaParts.com that I'll take an extra special discount on my next purchase.

5) Hardtop
- I assembled all the fitting parts for the Hardtop, mounted it on Zippy with a little help from my neighbour, and then took it to a garage for spraying. I need to give a BIG shout out to Barchetta_97 as I had to call him to figure out where on the body the paint number was located. Cheers B_97, as promised, you'll drink a B EER on me.:yum: There were, of course, two different shades of the paint available, standard and green<somethingOrOther>, and we went with standard. It seemed to match up better with sample cards. The newly sprayed hardtop should be ready for pick-up by Friday.

I must say that I'm really getting into this car modifying business. This is the first time I've ever indulged in this type of activity, but I really enjoy it (well, while it's working out for the best).

The next jobs I'll take on are:

1) Changing the spark plugs and cables
- I've already purchased the spark plugs, but would be happy to receive any hints, tips or general advice on this topic and particularly when it comes to selecting the cables

2) Block heater
- I'm going to install a block heater. I've already priced it at 120€ that includes the power-in connector, block cables and extension for an internal socket (which is useful for installing an internal heater). B_97, have you done this?

3) Fix whatever is making that blooming noise
- I thought that by fixing the heat shield I'd also be fixing this annoying whirring or clattering sound that appears around 2500 - 3000RPMs and particularly when the throttle is released. It stops when I start accelerating again. It could be the case that I have not tightened the heat shield enough (?). Any other ideas what to check?

Stay tuned for pics. I'll insert them later.

Cheers,

MeRv =):slayer:

 

[LittleRedB]

Any recommendations for speakers?
The next jobs I'll take on are:

1) Changing the spark plugs and cables
- I've already purchased the spark plugs, but would be happy to receive any hints, tips or general advice on this topic and particularly when it comes to selecting the cables

3) Fix whatever is making that blooming noise
- I thought that by fixing the heat shield I'd also be fixing this annoying whirring or clattering sound that appears around 2500 - 3000RPMs and particularly when the throttle is released. It stops when I start accelerating again. It could be the case that I have not tightened the heat shield enough (?). Any other ideas what to check?

First off well done Merv - excellent start, before you know it you will be tackling spring upgrades and induction kits!!

As far as speakers are concerned I have a set of Infinity Reference 6010 CS component speakers, they take a bit of fitting but the sound is excellent - if you do go this route I would be happy to send you a bit of a 'how to'

The only couple of tips I would offer regarding changing the plugs is don't change the leads unless you need to, it will cost you a fortune and you won't gain anything noticeable (however if they are shorting then you need to do this). When you put the new plugs in DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THEM, as the head is alloy its easy to try to put new plugs in F/T (feckin' tight) and strip the thread on the head. You only need to 'nick' the plugs up, too tight and it will cost you a lot more to put right than a set of plugs!

Can you explain a bit more about the 'booming', usually a booming noise is exhaust or induction, if it is clattering it could be the variator or one of the lifters, it could also be the flexible section of the downpipe - difficult to tell. Try to be a bit more specific about the noise and when it happens, between us I am sure we can figure it out!

 

[Mad Matt]

Congratulations!!

The only problem with modifying is knowing when to stop (well, OK, if you're the Doc the answer is you don't stop).

The only thing I'd add about fitting plugs is that some people give a little spray of anti-humidity oil before putting the cap back on. I've met people who insist it's better to leave them dry. I've no idea which is best, I tried both and I found the oil helped a little in the long run.

 

[merv]

Hey again all,

Here's a few pictures of the heat shield operation:

1) Engine bay with the heat shield removed



2) New vs. Old Heat Shield



3) New heat shield fitted



It appears that I didn't take a picture of the new pedal alignment. I'll do that later though.

LRB, I'll try to explain the noise again later. Need to think of my wording first.

 

[nicholasb]

Well done Zippy

Not doing much in the way of mods now so its good to check other peoples out

 

[Robot]

3) Fix whatever is making that blooming noise
- I thought that by fixing the heat shield I'd also be fixing this annoying whirring or clattering sound that appears around 2500 - 3000RPMs and particularly when the throttle is released. It stops when I start accelerating again. It could be the case that I have not tightened the heat shield enough (?). Any other ideas what to check?

Does it sound like a chain rattling or something similar? I've had that sound for a year and a half on my B and I just can't locate it. I've had it in the garage with the B hoisted up and me revving it with a few mechanics running underneath it, but they couldn't locate it either :shrug: Do tell if you ever locate where the sound comes from.

Well done on the mods

 

[LittleRedB]

Does it sound like a chain rattling or something similar? I've had that sound for a year and a half on my B and I just can't locate it. I've had it in the garage with the B hoisted up and me revving it with a few mechanics running underneath it, but they couldn't locate it either :shrug:

It might be the release bearing on the clutch, mine made a similar noise before I changed the clutch earlier this year...............

 

[Robot]

So, I need to change the clutch or something? :bang: Now that you mention the clutch, it's most audible when changing gears... :bang:

 

[LittleRedB]

Does the sound go away or lessen when you put your foot on the clutch? If so then its the release bearing. To be honest when I changed mine there was nothing wrong with the bearing, it was just a bit noisy as they are made of plastic!

 

[Robot]

It becomes more audible when I depress the clutch. The sound can most easily be described as a rattling chain / something metallic hanging loose on a metal wire - in case it helps

 

[merv]

Hummm, today I've been trying to figure out some adjectives that are most suitable to describe the sound. However, today Zippy did not make this sound at all. I can only attribute this to the day being cold. So, no joy. It's just a progressive rattling sound.

LRB and Robot, in my case the sound only appears when the accelerator is not pressed i.e. decreasing in speed. I've noticed it very infrequently when waiting at traffic lights and not in gear.

Ideas??

 

[LittleRedB]

Could be the variator or one of the engine pulleys..............