jonti said:

Its amazing they are still intact unless they were replaced due to the ding, that was a fair ding to bend the cross member

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Its great they are intact alright. I have a pair removed from a brava which I noted were bolted on.. much handier to change! decided as they were reasonably solid just to wire brush them and treat with rust primer. In relation to the front crossmember after a while I thought that the bend was making such a perfect v that it must be factory but then I realised after thinking back to a scrap tipo I have that no it definitely should be straight!

Looks like a diesel that one? Can the Tempra yield a replacement sunroof?

jonti said:

Looks like a diesel that one? Can the Tempra yield a replacement sunroof?

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No that one was a 1991 1.4 petrol, it had no engine in it when I got it. Just acquired it for random bits and pieces. I was hoping not to start raiding that 1.9TD Tempra for parts. It will be a big ask getting that back on the road so I might have a look at it. Currently stored away from where I live so it will have to wait until after lockdown.

HI STEPHEN79
IM based in Ireland myself and just noticed this post, you see those frames you just rust repaired, did you no, they are the same as ones of a fiat coupe, as basically a fiat coupe is a Fiat Tipo, most structural parts can be swapped over, i restore, own fiat coupes, and sell new old stock fiat parts, if you need any help here is my number 0863312796
Robert ,Waterford.

jockmr2 said:

HI STEPHEN79
IM based in Ireland myself and just noticed this post, you see those frames you just rust repaired, did you no, they are the same as ones of a fiat coupe, as basically a fiat coupe is a Fiat Tipo, most structural parts can be swapped over, i restore, own fiat coupes, and sell new old stock fiat parts, if you need any help here is my number 0863312796
Robert ,Waterford.

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Hi Robert, thanks for the advice. I think we did mail before but I fell off the face of the earth for a while. Will definitely get in touch and you can let me know what parts you have to suit me. I notice the brava frames are slightly different to the ones in my tipo and they were a bit of a pig to remove complete from a scrap brava I have.

More rust.. Hopefully progress soon although held up waiting for some body repair supplies at the moment.

stephen79 said:

Hi Robert, thanks for the advice. I think we did mail before but I fell off the face of the earth for a while. Will definitely get in touch and you can let me know what parts you have to suit me. I notice the brava frames are slightly different to the ones in my tipo and they were a bit of a pig to remove complete from a scrap brava I have.

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I actually have the frames of a coupe just now, its a shame there spot welded on from factory, makes removing them such a hassle,partsworld uk,have those brand new in stock sometimes,so they can be got, mail me what model Tipo, you're doing up,i will give you any new parts i have left for free,you just pay postage or collect,i wouldnt mind but dumped loads tipo parts to make room,but still bits left.

jockmr2 said:

I actually have the frames of a coupe just now, its a shame there spot welded on from factory, makes removing them such a hassle,partsworld uk,have those brand new in stock sometimes,so they can be got, mail me what model Tipo, you're doing up,i will give you any new parts i have left for free,you just pay postage or collect,i wouldnt mind but dumped loads tipo parts to make room,but still bits left.

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Sorry to hear you dumped bits Robert but I know how it is. Usually no one wants anything then all of a sudden people are looking.. I dumped loads of parts myself over the years. It's a lowly 1.4 Tipo S, so if you have any bits I won't see you stuck. I would also be interested in brava parts if you have any cheers. Will drop you a text later. Thanks again.

Keep the pics coming. Once again remarkably good but probably needs the rusty valance areas cutting out. Remaking the welded seam with 2 new strips folding and meeting to form the seam is a faff particularly if you stick with 1.2 for the floor. But perhaps in your case the floor sheet can just be cleaned up.

jonti said:

Keep the pics coming. Once again remarkably good but probably needs the rusty valance areas cutting out. Remaking the welded seam with 2 new strips folding and meeting to form the seam is a faff particularly if you stick with 1.2 for the floor. But perhaps in your case the floor sheet can just be cleaned up.

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Yes I shall probably cut them out and patch as best I can but its somewhat beyond my skill set especially given my rudimentary facilities! I would be inclined to just clean up the floor. I will be cutting out the bare minimum for sure! I am more concerned about the slightly more complex shapes in the corners.. Fiat definitely did not make things easy for the restorer.

To get away from the boredom of rust I took down these sedicivalvole front seats from the loft and gave them a good clean.. should have taken before and after shots as they were in dire condition!

Fitted this evening. Big improvement over what came out of the car!

Excellent. They look very smart and supportive. Sometimes in the face of difficulty, it is necessary to engage in other more amenable tasks.

jonti said:

Excellent. They look very smart and supportive. Sometimes in the face of difficulty, it is necessary to engage in other more amenable tasks.

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I had enough of scratching my head over repair panels so this fitted the bill perfectly. They weren't an exact fit as some issues with the runners and plastic trim pieces but a big improvement over the ripped seats that were in it.

Due to a budget crisis I am held up at the rear end of the Tipo so decided to strip out the driver side front plastic wheel arch liner and tackle a crusty brake line.. it looks spotless in there barring some surface rust.. the car might look like a shed but is definitely solid in the right places! I also put some underseal on the rear underside. Burnt my budget for the moment on parts.. so close as all I need now are the 4 rear subframe bushes and to get the subframe either sandblasted and paint it myself with epoxy mastic chassis paint or see if I can save up and get it powder coated.. thought about tackling it with the wire brush in the grinder but looks tedious. amazing how every part is worn out though certainly at the rear. Rear brakes, subframe bushes, brake pressure regulator, brake lines, exhaust all shot! Aiming to at least have the car back on 4 wheels by the autumn. Really need to start the engine as it now hasn't run in 3 years.. where did those years go! Also seriously tempted if budget allows in the autumn just to get the rust repairs at the rear end farmed out as I just haven't the time or patience for it.. also getting grief from neighbours re noise of the grinder so having to tread carefully.

STEPHEN, Hold on until you visit me, might have new brake hoses and brake lines for your car, no need for you to spend any more money as I most likely have everything you need will show and advice you on the bodywork also, we will go through my stock and you can have the extra bits, at no extra cost

jockmr2 said:

STEPHEN, Hold on until you visit me, might have new brake hoses and brake lines for your car, no need for you to spend any more money as I most likely have everything you need will show and advice you on the bodywork also, we will go through my stock and you can have the extra bits, at no extra cost

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Thanks for that Robert. Much appreciated! Hopefully the mileage restrictions here are lifted before June 29th and I will get down to you.

stephen79 said:

is definitely solid in the right places!

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Certainly is in good nick that. Many a Tipo and Alfa can develop a complicated hole there. There are some access holes on the bottom and other side of that inner wing you could spray some wax in there to keep it like that. I would have thought epoxy mastic would do the job for the subframe and fill it full of wax.

jonti said:

Certainly is in good nick that. Many a Tipo and Alfa can develop a complicated hole there. There are some access holes on the bottom and other side of that inner wing you could spray some wax in there to keep it like that. I would have thought epoxy mastic would do the job for the subframe and fill it full of wax.

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Unfortunately there was some very pitted steel around the jacking point but I just cleaned it off and applied epoxy mastic.. good enough! Perhaps you are right Jonti.. I might just wire brush the subframe and apply epoxy mastic. It looks good on the trailing arms (painted today). Photos to follow. It's good stuff but very messy!

stephen79 said:

Unfortunately there was some very pitted steel around the jacking point but I just cleaned it off and applied epoxy mastic.. good enough! Perhaps you are right Jonti.. I might just wire brush the subframe and apply epoxy mastic. It looks good on the trailing arms (painted today). Photos to follow. It's good stuff but very messy!

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Front drivers side jacking point and one of the newly painted rear trailing arms. The epoxy mastic chassis paint is good stuff.. I am wearing a lot of it too though!