I've just bought a new Uno 1.0 start and it's pinking terribly when going uphill! I've checked for emultion under the filler cap and the dipstick but there's none there, I haven't checked the carb yet though as it's dark so there's not much point. It looks like it's probably not a head gasket so I'm a bit stuck as to what it could be, while it's possible that it's me being a bit heavy footed due to the driving style of my old car I'm pretty sure there's something actually wrong with it, any ideas other than the head gasket? Also, how much hassle is it to change a head gasket in an Uno, I heard that it was a recognised problem and had easier access than most cars due to this but the guy who told me this is a bit of a blagger so I haven't taken him too seriously.

Also, what kind of damage will pinking do to the engine, or is it just an annoying noise?

I am not sure of meaning of word "pinking on". It's my fault... I don't know English enough to understand specifical words!!!
Are you meaning that car starts to "hop" during a climb, like if you hardly push and relase push and relase (fast) the accelerator pedal?
It can mean a carb/filter problem (for example not enough fuel to alimentate engine if you push hard). Or also a fuel pump weak which does not support all the fue request during a hill (both for the major fuel request and for the inclination of the car which takes fuel back on the fuel tank in the back of the car).
Or it can also be a spark advance problem: if your engine is too much advanced, you can reach engine problems which cause "hopping" when you push hard from low engine RPM. This fact can also damage head, pressure rings and similar. But advance is difficult to change by itself.
It is supposed to NOT change id anyone move it, so this is a remote possibility.
Changing head gasket is not a complex operation if you are all the necessary mechanical material. However it' s not a simple work because you'd need also to "smooth" the head before to put a new gasket. Then you have to re-lock head with the right torque to all its bolts!

Thanks for that Andre.

I went to a garage in my lunch break to get a compression test done so I could be sure that it wasn't the head gasket and sure enough it wasn't. This was a good garage though as after me asking about how much they'd charge for a service they spotted a repeat customer and adjusted the timing for me, my little Uno now runns perfectly (with slight compression loss on cylinder three which I'll have to look into at some point but it's not urgent) and the garage will get me coming back for a service in a few months time.