My Mk1 Uno 70 SX..

[uk_senator]

I`ve never done a thread about my shite as far as I rememeber, & I`m not about to start, but I thought some Ay-tai fanciers might like some pics to look at.

Resurrected a few weeks ago after a 2 & 1/2- 3 year lay up, a new battery saw it starting & running ok, the clutch wasn't stuck & the rear shoes released with a satisfying bang.



The exhaust was snapped in half, preventing me booking it in for an MOT, so I arranged towing to a mates lockup & got on with it:




The exhaust that came with it turned out to be a Mk2 one, so is a couple of inches too long & too low, but its an exhaust & it still throws pollutants out in roughly the right place, so it`ll do for now.

The back lights were dim & slightly earthing, cleaned up all the connections, they`d stopped earthing but were still a tad dim (most Fiats from that period are), so I "silvered" the black reflectors with 3" ally duct tape & fitted LED`s to the stop & tail lights (the stop lights I knocked up, 4x 48 SMD panels soldered to 382 bases, placed 2 in the brake light section & another 2 in the tail light section), which made them all nice n bright:




Then booked it in for an MOT, the rusty brake discs cleaned themselves on the way there, & its passed!




The only problem there was the (X1/9) alloy finned sump hitting the deck when it went onto the rollers, due to the lowering springs, then he couldn't get the ramp jack past it..



So a 4th roadworthy Mk1 SX to add to the other 3 showing on HML!

That was 2 weeks ago, last week I decide it deserved a bit of TLC, so I proceeded to give a very thorough jetwash, top to bottom, including the engine bay, door shuts & underside:








Some areas of surface rust found, but overall, exceptionally good for a Mk1 Uno.

The shock of cleaning caused the drivers side repeater to do the off, no idea where it went, so bunged a Mk2 one in it for now:



So I then got on with giving it a G3-ing:




It came out ok:






Needs a final polish, but its not bad compared to how it was.

I decided to tackle the drivers electric window (struggled to go up without assistance), regreased the lifting cable & adjusted the runners & it is much improved, not perfect, but much improved... Then to the non-functioning central locking, turned out the wires are a combination of cut through & missing completely:



So it`ll need rewiring. Will deal with that later, I may just fit an entirely new aftermarket locking kit & connect it to the Moss alarm I`ve got ready to go in..

I also decided to attack the rusty passenger front door bottom as it was letting down the newly shiney paint. I have a pair of rust free passenger doors to go on, but they need painting & new (unavailable & not got) SX stripes fitted, so I opted to bodge it for now with filler.

Before:




90 minutes later:




I didn't have any red paint, so I just etch primed, blacked & lacquered it, then put some red vinyl over it & made some stripe from insulation tape. It's not supposed to be long term!

I cleaned the (corded beige velour!) interior, but by this point it was 2am, so pics are pretty useless..

The seat foams a bit distorted thanks to long term seat cover use:



But those covers have protected them well, including the driver's seat:



That's it for now. Plenty to do still, primarily a horrible vibration that's appeared this week & increasing, I suspect from a wheel bearing, a collapsed engine mount (they are cracked quite badly), or a suspension bush. The speedo cable also snapped a few days ago, that needs dealing with pronto or I`ll get done by one of the many speed cameras I go past every day..

The starter sounds like its about to explode, although it seems to work fine. I have a spare to bung on if I cant solve it. 

The XR2/3 Weber thats on it is running rich, mainly at low revs, causing it to choke itself, I`ll see if I can dial some of that out, if not I have a selection of 4 more DMTL carbs I can mix & match jets with, I`ll do that when I change the dizzy cap, rotor & plugs, hopefully in the next few days.

I may or may not post updates, we`ll see..

[lesapandre]

I remember these when new. I hired a few from our local hire place. Brilliant little cars. So few about now.

[uk_senator]

I`ve had them consistently for the last 25+ years. I find them fun, reliable, & strong, in fact it's one of the few cars that happily endure being thrashed on a daily basis without breaking every 5 minutes, which I appreciate contradicts everything touted online about Fiats, but there you go..
 

On 9/16/2018 at 8:24 AM, lesapandre said:

I remember these when new. I hired a few from our local hire place. Brilliant little cars. So few about now.

[Split_Pin]

That little SX is a cracker, a credit to you over the last 20 years!

[uk_senator]

I haven't had this one for 20 years, I`ve had a selection in that time! This is a fairly recent save   
 

That little SX is a cracker, a credit to you over the last 20 years!

[stripped fred]

My mate had a Uno 45. Lovely little car, nice revvy engine if I remember right and quite fun to buzz around in. Every time you switched it on it made a 'mooing' noise which we never worked out.

[theorganist]

Lovely to see these. I had a facelift G reg 60S and I will still say today it was one of the most competent cars I have ever owned. It was fun, comfortable and surprisingly refined on the motorway, far better than the 1.1 Punto I had a couple of years later, I know I have said this before but I found it better on the motorway than my Tipo 1.6 I also had at the time. Sadly a blown headgasket and the temptation of a BMW 3 series saw me sell it. I would definitely have another.

[Mrcento]

 which I appreciate contradicts everything touted online about Fiats, but there you go..

 

I find them (particularly of that vintage up to late 90's) generally mechanically tough, it's the bits around the mechanicals, body and electrics that tend to be the bigger issue!, What issues mechanically do crop up with them are mostly down to neglect, there's very few problems that crop up that are show stoppers.

 

Always strikes me how much stick small Fiats take with little care, then when they brake "bloody Fiats, crap", when a Fiesta doesn't take the same abuse, breaks down earlier and gets more of an "it's had a hard life" response.

 

Very nice example!

[hennabm]

Looks good sir.

 

My ex wife had a C plate 70S. The 1.3 engine was always very willing and I remember one trip where it was doing "70" mph but sounding noisy. I then realised it was only in 4th and not 5th.

 

Had to have both bottom arms replaced by the dealer (Mackenzies of Inverness) under the recall as they had rotted out.

 

A great wee car.

[uk_senator]

On 9/16/2018 at 9:00 AM, stripped fred said:

My mate had a Uno 45. Lovely little car, nice revvy engine if I remember right and quite fun to buzz around in. Every time you switched it on it made a 'mooing' noise which we never worked out.

Mine do the random mooing noise too, it's to do with the petrol tank vent, I find it quite endearing, & funny if it does it when someones walking past it! 

On 9/16/2018 at 9:04 AM, theorganist said:

Lovely to see these. I had a facelift G reg 60S and I will still say today it was one of the most competent cars I have ever owned. It was fun, comfortable and surprisingly refined on the motorway, far better than the 1.1 Punto I had a couple of years later, I know I have said this before but I found it better on the motorway than my Tipo 1.6 I also had at the time. Sadly a blown headgasket and the temptation of a BMW 3 series saw me sell it. I would definitely have another.

I`ve got a Mk2 60S, it's been my main daily runner for the last decade, & other than me breaking its diff (due to it having no oil in the box & me wheelspinning out of a petrol station on full lock), it's been 100% reliable. Even when the diff went, it still drove me the 7 miles home, I took it indoors & I swapped the dif in my living room! 

On 9/16/2018 at 9:12 AM, Mrcento said:

I find them (particularly of that vintage up to late 90's) generally mechanically tough, it's the bits around the mechanicals, body and electrics that tend to be the bigger issue!, What issues mechanically do crop up with them are mostly down to neglect, there's very few problems that crop up that are show stoppers.

Always strikes me how much stick small Fiats take with little care, then when they brake "bloody Fiats, crap", when a Fiesta doesn't take the same abuse, breaks down earlier and gets more of an "it's had a hard life" response.

Very nice example!

I`ve never had a problem with electrics, the Uno my Dad got new had a dizzy module go when it was still under warranty, but other than that, nothing, in around 150,000 miles combined. My daily driver grey 60S hasn't even needed a bulb nor even a battery in the 10 years I`ve had it.

As for rust, that 60S only needed its first welding about a year ago (rear turret), that was at 26 years old, on a car that's always lived outdoors & suffered 26 years worth of winter salt. Cosmetically its got a bit on the drivers door & the roof, on the corner of the (dealer fit) sunroof where it wasn't painted properly, so again, not quite the rotboxes you may have been led to believe they are. 

[UltraWomble]

Very nice - these were everywhere once.

The dumped one near me is a later one so cant help with the repeater sadly

]

[Cardinal Wolseley]

Lovely to see a Mk1 again, I had a five door 70S it was a great car went along quite briskly if memory serves, some of the internals were a bit fragile and I really REALLY hated the instrument set-up regarding indicators and lights. I thought the 1L FIRE (I think) might have been a tad underpowered so forked out for the 1.3, however I had a 1L 3dr loaner from the garage and it went very well indeed and I could probably have lived with it and saved some cash.

[uk_senator]

They were, & like everything that were everywhere once, people end up being nonchalant about them & scrap them at the first hint of a £100+ bill without a second thought. Its as hard to get parts for my Mk4 Escort as it is for my Uno`s now, believe it or not. There were less than 200 Unos taxed on HML last time I looked.

Thats very late for an Uno, on the M. Looks too good to be dumped as well. I`d save that if it were near me.
 

Very nice - these were everywhere once.

The dumped one near me is a later one so cant help with the repeater sadly

]

[uk_senator]

Well, this ones actually got an X1/9 engine, so it should really be badged as an "85SX"!

Having it means its very rapid indeed for a non-Turbo..

My carbed 60S Mk2 doesn't hang about either, I`ve had many a BMW/Merc etc driver pulling up next to me after a "chase" asking if its a turbo, they dont believe me when I say "no, its a standard 57bhp 1.1", but it is... 
 

Its not what you`ve got, its what you do with it that counts!   
 

Lovely to see a Mk1 again, I had a five door 70S it was a great car went along quite briskly if memory serves, some of the internals were a bit fragile and I really REALLY hated the instrument set-up regarding indicators and lights. I thought the 1L FIRE (I think) might have been a tad underpowered so forked out for the 1.3, however I had a 1L 3dr loaner from the garage and it went very well indeed and I could probably have lived with it and saved some cash.

[mk2_craig]

Love the SX with those fog lamps and side stripes, I really wanted my dad to upgrade his 55S to one of those back in the late eighties. Needs more ashtrays though!

[crapcarcollector]

I love a decent fiat. These are decent. Well saved.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[theorganist]

Well, this ones actually got an X1/9 engine, so it should really be badged as an "85SX"!

 

Having it means its very rapid indeed for a non-Turbo..

 

My carbed 60S Mk2 doesn't hang about either, I`ve had many a BMW/Merc etc driver pulling up next to me after a "chase" asking if its a turbo, they dont believe me when I say "no, its a standard 57bhp 1.1", but it is... 

 

Its not what you`ve got, its what you do with it that counts!   

 

The guy at the garage I used to take mine to refused to believe it was only a 1.1.

 

That M reg is the same colour mine was, wonder what the story with it is?!

[drivewaymyway]

My second car was a 60s in red but poverty spec, no electric windows or sun roof or central locking but I loved it. Was a mechanic in a FIAT garage called Jack Hill at the time.. He did a runner and sold the business to Target Motors of Swindon.. The car was a 'C' plate ( late reg 1986 ) and I Bought it in 1988 on an apprentice wage £24.50 per week for £3k as a trade sale.. We moan at the young for doing stupid things today but I did the same back then..

 

 I still have the cassette holder thing that goes between the seats if anyone ( with a mk1 Uno ) wants it for a few beer tokens ?

 

I too rebuilt the gearbox in my parents kitchen when the diff bearing started whining, standard in these gearboxes but a very easy job, on the side of the road the gearbox was out on the Friday night, bearings done on Saturday and refitted Sunday.. Didn't stop the whining though, it was doing it again within 1k miles..

[Cardinal Wolseley]

^^^^^^ Not even a radio in the S either, just an 'ole in the dash.

[uk_senator]

The S was middle of the range, it was Base, S, SX (formally SL or Super) & Turbo, in that order. There were quite a few limited editions too, but not as many as the French churned out.

The S had split rear seats, a clock, 2 speed wipers with delay, 3 speed heater, fag lighter, basic radio cassette (no rewind!), passenger vanity mirror in the sunvisor, door top & interior C-Pillar plastic covers to cover the exposed painted bits of the base model, centre console, & on the outside, clear front indicators.

SX added front fogs, Turbo style arch & sill extensions, SX side graphics, remote central locking, leccy front windows, auto reverse digital radio cassette, rev counter, corded velour trim, colour matched carpets, map light, initially sunroof (which then became an option, was reinstated again as a NCO on the Mk2), auto climate control was standard on the Mk2 SX too (but without A/C).

 

In the UK you could only have an SX spec with a non-FIRE 1.3 engine (1.4 in the Mk2, which was injected), & only in 5 door flavor, in Europe, you could have a 1.0 or 1.1 FIRE SX, with 3 or 5 doors (they also had an A/C option which we never got, & some markets also had rear headrests).
 

My second car was a 60s in red but poverty spec, no electric windows or sun roof or central locking but I loved it. Was a mechanic in a FIAT garage called Jack Hill at the time.. He did a runner and sold the business to Target Motors of Swindon.. The car was a 'C' plate ( late reg 1986 ) and I Bought it in 1988 on an apprentice wage £24.50 per week for £3k as a trade sale.. We moan at the young for doing stupid things today but I did the same back then..

 

 I still have the cassette holder thing that goes between the seats if anyone ( with a mk1 Uno ) wants it for a few beer tokens ?

 

I too rebuilt the gearbox in my parents kitchen when the diff bearing started whining, standard in these gearboxes but a very easy job, on the side of the road the gearbox was out on the Friday night, bearings done on Saturday and refitted Sunday.. Didn't stop the whining though, it was doing it again within 1k miles..

 

 

^^^^^^ Not even a radio in the S either, just an 'ole in the dash.

[drivewaymyway]

My 'S' didn't have a radio but it was a 'trade in' so  it could have been removed for some reason. and no centre console, I had to 'acquire' one from the parts dept.. My proudest moment was being the first in my family to have a car with proper fabric padded head rests, my brother had a mk3 escort van with horrible plastic ones, my dad had an old 'Y' reg ex Diplomatic services XJ6 3.2 that had crappy head rest too, very thin and weedy looking, strange car, had lights in weird places.. anti puncture tyres that cost £500 a corner in 1990 !!

[face]

Lovely to see a Mk1 again, I had a five door 70S it was a great car went along quite briskly if memory serves, some of the internals were a bit fragile and I really REALLY hated the instrument set-up regarding indicators and lights. 

 

Are you me?