Star garages - The Good, the Rusty, and the Delayed - 465 updates

[IronStar]

Engine goes out leaving an empty bay

 

Two that need to become one

Sharp eyed will notice that it’s on the ramp, which allows for rust inspection. I brought drinks, and conversation went something like this

- Is it terminal doctor? 
- Well, all the usual weakspots are rusty. Rear beam is toast, rear strut towers, front strut towers. Needs works. Take off what you need and scrap the rest. 
- So terminal? 
- It can be done, but it’s…. 
- Right. Let me rephrase. If we scrap this and buy another one, will it be a better starting point? 
- They’re all fucking fucked. 
- So no? 
- No, it will be as bad, probably worse. Look, are we talking cutting out the rot here or a full blown nut and bolt resto like Cabrio? 
- Just the rot and some reinforcements. We’ll polish it to make it seem nice. 
- You are an absolute fucking nutjob. Fine, I’ll do it, make it sound on a budget. 
- So I should go buy a Bravo/a? 
- Yes. Fine. Go buy another donor car. Let’s make a stupidly fast Yugo. 

End result - another Yugo gets to live, albeit in a modified form. I saw 1.6 16v ECU has pins for check engine, so the dash light will also remain operational. 😄

Have a bonus photo of Cabrio with windscreen back on and both front fenders attached if you made it this far in the post.
 

[IronStar]

Two arrivals today:

Early this morning, on the back of the van, straight from Germany

I originally wanted this for Mini, but as we’re wiring in a stereo into Cabrio, might as well have a proper thing. To be fair, the OEM Yugo one looks cool, but leaves a lot to be desired as far as the sound quality is concerned. Maybe I’m getting one and swap it for the meets or something?

Came back home, went to the gym, then got into a car and drove to Bosnia to pick up a thing I found on their classifieds:

RSL Cult 2x 14x7J, 2x 14x8J.

They need a new coat of paint, screws (that don’t hold anything) are missing, and new tyres, but seem fine overall. I wanted set of these on the car, but couldn’t find any for sale in Serbia. As the project is close to the finish line, I started looking in the neighboring countries and found these. Some messages were exchanged, and thankfully got home without being hassled by the customs. 

 

[hairnet]

On 24/01/2025 at 00:06, IronStar said:

 

Two that need to become one - OMG spice girls lover

. We’ll polish it to make it seem nice. 
- You are an absolute fucking nutjob.

 

 

0.13

 

[IronStar]

You know how I said between 700 and 1000€ to get the 159 fully fixed? Just got the invoice.

A smidge under 1600€. 🤯😱😱😱😱This is sending it straight into top 5 mechanic bills I ever had. On a car worth 3-4 grand. Fuck me. 

They could’ve at least called me for an approval for spending this much. I would’ve probably still said yes, but fuck me! I absolutely did not plan or budget for this. 🫣

Have a rusty shock absorber.

 

[IronStar]

2 hours ago, IronStar said:

You know how I said between 700 and 1000€ to get the 159 fully fixed? Just got the invoice.

A smidge under 1600€. 🤯😱😱😱😱This is sending it straight into top 5 mechanic bills I ever had. On a car worth 3-4 grand. Fuck me. 

They could’ve at least called me for an approval for spending this much. I would’ve probably still said yes, but fuck me! I absolutely did not plan or budget for this. 🫣

Have a rusty shock absorber.

 

Well to their absolute credit, first impressions are that it’s a much nicer car now. Handling seems better, all the small knocks and rattles I’ve been hearing no longer seem to be there. The knock from the rear has disappeared. There is no longer a concerning DMF knock on shutdown with the working flap. Shifter that had an odd movement to it no longer moves. Engine is no longer greasy and they can’t find any leftover leaks. Last, but absolutely not least, the cumulative effect of all the work is - it’s no longer shaking in the 2nd gear. This is something I’ve been trying to weed out for almost 4 years now, and this alone makes any price they could’ve named worth it. Absolutely lovely!

For a small grump, insignificant to the wider satisfaction with the car, left HID shat itself in their custody and is intermittently blinking on and shutting off. 

Overall, I’m chuffed!

[grogee]

I just noticed the EFi marking on the intake - I never realised they made it that far. Incredible tech. Did they nick it from someone else or is it all Zastava's own work? 

Well done on your Alfa. I think I did similar jobs to mine (well, Mrs Grogee's) at various points. The only thing I paid A Man for was a gearbox bearing which might be related to what you were talking about - gear lever movement on/off throttle. That was a big bill. 

I never did get to the bottom of it eating front tyres despite several wishbone replacements and tracking sessions. 

[IronStar]

4 hours ago, grogee said:

I just noticed the EFi marking on the intake - I never realised they made it that far. Incredible tech. Did they nick it from someone else or is it all Zastava's own work? 

Well done on your Alfa. I think I did similar jobs to mine (well, Mrs Grogee's) at various points. The only thing I paid A Man for was a gearbox bearing which might be related to what you were talking about - gear lever movement on/off throttle. That was a big bill. 

I never did get to the bottom of it eating front tyres despite several wishbone replacements and tracking sessions. 

EFI is Zastava’s work. It’s running Bosch Motronic 3.1 for the early ones and 4.6 for the later ones.

Gear lever was a bushing on the shifter cable. The original one has double bushing in the linkage allowing some play in it, so it doesn’t transfer any movement from mounts, or anything else really, onto the shifter itself. It has failed at some point, and as Alfa doesn’t sell just the linkage, in theory you need an entire shifter cable at €€€, so it was replaced with an aftermarket unit that doesn’t have the same double bushing. There was some slack in one of the gearbox mounts, and that movement was most visible in 3rd gear. What they did (other than replacing the mount) is buy a Grande Punto cable, at 1/8th of the price of 159 part, that has the same linkage, swap the linkages to an existing cable, and scrap the rest of it. 

I’m still trying to wrap my head around parts pricing, 4 years into the ownership of this car. Does FCA Stellantis think Alfa owners are made of money? Or that we just like the cars enough to shell out for anything? It’s the same quality and materials as parts that go onto Fiats, just at 5x the price. 

[IronStar]

The last time I saw both Yugo engines, they were on the back of tame Zastava mechanic's Fiat Stilo estate, and on the way to become one engine. Not before they get a full check, so I end up with a properly sorted engine, not something that goes pop in 3000 kilometers.

Just got a call they're disassembled, and it's all fucking fucked m9. There's scoring on the cylinders of the engine block that needs to stay, so depending on parts availability it will either be re-bored or re-lined. Camshaft, that is, of course, EFI-specific is missing lobes. 

Will this car ever stop resisting? Is there a single part on it that's not completely broken and/or overdue for a replacement? 

I can't wait* for a final bill in an already super-expensive month, for a project that blew its budget ages ago and is now absolutely rinsing my wallet.

[Yoss]

14 minutes ago, IronStar said:

The last time I saw both Yugo engines, they were on the back of tame Zastava mechanic's Fiat Stilo estate, and on the way to become one engine. Not before they get a full check, so I end up with a properly sorted engine, not something that goes pop in 3000 kilometers.

Just got a call they're disassembled, and it's all fucking fucked m9. There's scoring on the cylinders of the engine block that needs to stay, so depending on parts availability it will either be re-bored or re-lined. Camshaft, that is, of course, EFI-specific is missing lobes. 

Will this car ever stop resisting? Is there a single part on it that's not completely broken and/or overdue for a replacement? 

I can't wait* for a final bill in an already super-expensive month, for a project that blew its budget ages ago and is now absolutely rinsing my wallet.

Liked for the update, not the news within the update. I kind of know what you're going through but on a much smaller scale. I've only got one car giving me endless grief and to be fair it was my fault in the first place. The other three seem to be working fine. For now. 

[IronStar]

13 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Liked for the update, not the news within the update. I kind of know what you're going through but on a much smaller scale. I've only got one car giving me endless grief and to be fair it was my fault in the first place. The other three seem to be working fine. For now. 

It’s just so frustrating not having anything actually finished, in what seems like an eternity, and having thousands upon thousands of euros in bills to show for it.

I did take the Mini for a spin last night, and despite some things still being unfinished and rattling, it’s at least a proper giggle driving it. So shades of gray I suppose. 

[IronStar]

Another of these boxes arrived tonight 

 

This time destined for the Mini

The difference in the shade of orange is much more subtle in person. I think this is a perfect match for BMW orange, but it’s close enough. 
I have aphantasia so I couldn’t really picture the set in the car, and I was too lazy to Photoshop it in, but I’m happy with the result. It’s not perfect, and Blaupunkt Frankfurt would be a better match, but it’s over 500€ and they can fuck right off with that price. Sounds really good as well, much much better than cheapo Chinese special that preceded it and was ripped out due to the excessive rattling. 
Oh, and it doesn’t rattle around which is lovely.

Overall verdict - chuffed with the purchase.

In other fleet news:

155’s overhaul of braking system and suspension is finished. I honestly expected a nastier bill, so that went well. Next up - engine recommissioning. They’re obviously in no rush, I’m in no rush, so it will be done at some point. I’ll take that. 🤷‍♂️

Yugo’s engine was retrieved from the machine shop, and is now being assembled back together. Back together and delivered next week maybe? Then it’s just* getting the car back together, but as a pause was made, I can imagine it will also take a while to be finished.

159’s headlight isn’t just ballast, the connector itself has oxidation on it, and the bulb seems to be on the last legs anyway. Projectors were retrofitted into the headlight, and the screw holding it all together is stuck, so I’m not touching it for the fear of breaking it. I called the shop that retrofitted it ages ago, but the guy couldn’t be arsed, and told me to call back next week. Rather stupid reason for going to a shop, but I’m really hesitant to force it and possibly break the projector and end up with a huge bill over a stupid item. 

[IronStar]

Tonight’s treat - short horror story in 5 pics

Detached from the manifold. Thankfully I had 13 spanner to gracefully remove it from the singular mount, and it detached some 500m from the garage. 
When I said I wanted a new exhaust, I didn’t mean I want to drop this one in the middle of the road FFS. 🤦‍♂️ 

[IronStar]

Mini, the annoying git, got a new exhaust, after some begging of the custom sports exhaust shop to fit it in ASAP so it can be driven again. They remade the section from exhaust manifold back, added a flexi, made center muffler and attached a placeholder original Mini rear muffler they had sitting used behind the shop for ages. DTM backbox is due to be made by them on 20th of May, which should make it look good and stop it from sounding like it has no exhaust (the one that fell off situation) or Yugo 45 (the current state of affairs). 
No photos as I didn’t get there in time to take photos while the car was on the ramp, and forgot to take any afterwards. Oh and we also found part of the reason for the gear knob rattling - rear gearbox mount failed and the nut holding it unscrewed. We’ll swap it out when it goes back on the ramp for the back box.

Remember the two engines that went away to become one and turned out to be shit? Well, it’s finally done and back together!

Brand new or machined next to everything. 🤦‍♂️ Oh and a new clutch kit, because why not while we’re at it. Price? I refuse to add it up.

Back at the bodyshop, some wiring got reconnected , and it now has a singular US spec headlight mounted. 😄

It’s waiting for a date with an electrician to get wiring for heated seats, power antenna, remote central locking and stereo added, so it can be reassembled. Trunk, bumpers and few other plastic bits need a respray, and then it’s just* a small* matter of getting it back together. But we’re almost at the finish line, and the end is in sight. 
Bodyshop guy will probably be happy to finally see the fixture out of the garage, and I couldn’t be more excited to take it for a spin.

Next car is lining up for the treatment as well. He agreed to work on the Saxo VTR next, and it will be delivered to his shop in the next few days from FoD 1.1.

Speaking of FoD 1.1, Bravo is also next up to be recommissioned. MoT place close to where it’s currently parked is happy to have it tested (with the super friendly tester willing to take a look before the test so it doesn’t get failed on something silly), so I can get it re-registered and then promptly sent off for belts, water pump and clutch cable. Watch this space! 

[IronStar]

Today was the day to send off Saxo to the bodyshop, and look at what’s going on with Bravo.
Called my brother’s friend that runs the local techncical inspection station to ask for recommendations for a tow and book an inspection. Tow truck booked for 10ish AM. Plugged the spare battery in last night to top it up for Bravo. Jumped in the car, and drove away.

Saxo wants to live. Reconnected the baterry,  turned the key, fuel pump went bzzzzzz and it fired right up. It’s absolutely filthy on the outside, but tires were still inflated and it happily drove onto a truck. 1 car down, one to do.

Onto the Bravo next. Let me get the bat…oh….no. No. I forgot the battery in the garage home. I am not fucking driving for two and half hours over a fucking battery. I’ll just buy another one. Surely everything else will be right, it was last time I saw it?

All the tires held air for ages, so it’s…oh, that’s fucking flat. Out comes the compressor! Battery in, ignition to acc, compressor works and…it’s not taking air. Fucksticks. Work the valve a bit maybe? Still no. How old is this tyre anyway? DOT 2905! Old enough to vote then, no fucking wonder it’s not taking air. I’ll just pop the spare on and take it down to the village to get this pumped up and back on. Spare is…a fucking spacesaver. Unscrew the wheel, try to take it off, and it just went and fucking welded itself to the hub. Cue a lot of swearing and wiggling:

Let’s try that tyre one more time now it’s off the car, in case it was just VERY unhappy squished flat. Compressor on, and…well fuck me, air is going in. Well ok, refitting it is reverse of putting the space saver on. Amongst the other shit that was in the trunk there is a bottle of DOT4 brake fluid. I noted this but ignored it and charted under “there’s some other spares in here as well”.

Let’s see that HID that’s not working. It’s usually the ballast, and I have another one in 159. Switch the ballast, and…nope, bulb is dead. Yes, you guessed it, not availible in the village. Meh, I’ll just put back halogens in to pass the inspection.

Turn the key, and it’s on! It’s VERY unhappy with stale fuel but works, and brake discs are completely corroded, but it just needs to drive for 2 kilometers to get some fresh petrol and I’ll brake hard a few times to clear up the corrosion. Reverse, stall, combination of shit aftermarket clutch cable and stale fuel. Took me a few attempts but I got it out of the gate.

Next up - brake corrosion. Mash the gas, brake. Mash the gas, brak…HOLY FUCK IT’S NOT STOPPING AND THE PEDAL IS ON THE FLOOR! Thankfully I didn’t hit anything while handbrake stopping it. Pop the back, I’ll just add some more brake fluid and…oh that’s empty. Of course it is. This is an existing issue and the brake hose has probably just rotten through completely whilst sat up.

I managed to limp it down to the village gas station for some fuel and brake fluid. Pour it in, mash the brake and….that puddle in front of driver side rear wheel wasn’t there seconds ago. Cue another call to brother’s friend to cancel the inspection and ask for a shop to fix this. Turns out the guy that towed Saxo also runs a car repair shop, so all I had to do is drop it off with him once he comes deliveres Saxo and comes back.

Even gave it a wash whilst waiting for the guy. This good deed was greeted by the interior mirror falling off.

I left it with this guy to get it roadworthy, do a onceover, and take it to the inspection once it’s done. I was quite happy to see the back of it. Judging by the amount of smoke belching from passenger side front wheel that caliper probably needs a rebuild as well. His eta is 2nd half of the next week.

Total score for today:

PC - 1 (brake failure almost made this 2)

Cars moved out of FoD - 2

Self service wash tokens used - 4 and the car is still filthy

Times I was wondering if I should just scrap Bravo instead - 15

Times I wished I was into birdwatching instead of cars - 5+

Cars that will live to see another day - 2, against my best judgement and Bravo’s unwillingness to live

 

[mat_the_cat]

I shouldnt laugh, but it's the way you describe the situation rather than the situation itself!

[IronStar]

23 minutes ago, mat_the_cat said:

I shouldnt laugh, but it's the way you describe the situation rather than the situation itself!

Nah, you should. It is so ridiculous we might as well laugh at the entire endeavor. 

If someone was recording it and cutting out the right bits, it would probably look like a shit Monty Python knockoff sketch. 😄

[IronStar]

Yugo Cabrio had a date (or 3) with electrician in the past few days. The wiring harness has been thoroughly checked, fixed, extended, pulled through, and all other things. Everything connected now works, and it even has a dash sitting in the car, although not necessarily bolted in.

Turns out I didn’t buy the central locking module - just the remote one. Whoops. I also got a new brake servo and master brake cylinder. Not because something was wrong with the existing one, it just looked tired, and as everything around it is shiny and new…

Not too much more to go now!

I also saw Saxo outside the shop, waiting for its turn inside, looking sad for itself parked under some tree.

Hush little Saxo, your time is coming soon. 

[IronStar]

Have you ever seen rear seat base that wasn’t left outside exposed to the elements but rusted out?

Me neither. 

You guessed it, Cabrio specific, so needs to be saved. It’s off to get sandblasted.

On the positive note, we managed to find the leather for the rear seat matches the fronts, if you ignore the fact that the fronts are a bit worn. They are off to be reupholstered before going back into the car.

 

159 is providing sterling service. We were off to Hungary for the weekend, some 600km covered in 2 days. That HID headlight bulb is still out, as I didn’t have time to deal with it. I really need to get it done, night driving is really bloody uncomfortable like this. Some 2000km left until the oil change. It dropped or burned just 300ml of oil in the past 6000km of spirited driving, so well happy with that.

[brownnova]

Not sure why I’ve not read this thread properly considering I’m a Yugo owner and fan and love an Alfa too! Great work on these cars!!

[IronStar]

As reported in the news thread, Easter started with a big screw in RR tyre of the 307CC. After musing on new tyre options, I ordered my go-to reasonably priced rubber - Sava Intensa UHP2. I got a delivery today!

They could’ve put them in those tyre bags so I don’t dirty up my car. Nevermind, it’s leather, it’ll clean up.

and back on brand new matching rubber. 

Today was also a glorious day - the day where Serbian tax authority finally decided, after 16 days (and self imposed deadline of 7) to produce a paper that I needed to get the Bravo registered. Turns out, to no one’s surprise, that there’s no outstanding tax on inheritance. 🙄

So into the 307CC I went to give the new rubber a test drive. It is much, much, much more sure-footed than on what was there previously - a mix of completely worn and dated Firestone Roadhawks and completely worn down Uniroyal RainSport. Looking at the remaining thread on them, I got every penny out of them. 😄 Wouldn’t recommend running them for this long though, as I nearly rear-ended Audi A4 when the car skidded at 20km/h. 

Insurance policy with the start date of 20 days ago swapped out for a one starting today, and after driving back to Belgrade and waiting in a queue for 2 hours (and explaining my paperwork for another 5 minutes) I was finally granted a pair of these:

A friend of mine was going in the same direction as me, so I hopped into his car, and back to Titel where Bravo was resting in front of brother’s friend’s place. Take the key from him, turn it….that’s fucking dead then. Booster pack connected, turn the key, it starts, but stalls as soon as you take it off the booster. That’s THOROUGHLY flat then. Lovely, I bought that battery when this Bravo endeavor started s bit over a month ago. All the rest of my appointments today canceled as well. Thankfully, he had a fast battery charger, so as we chatted for an hour battery charged up to a state where it actually starts the car. 
Say thanks and goodbye, jump in the car, the windscreen is filthy, pull the sprayer, wiper completely delaminates. What about demister? Oh, that’s doesn’t seem to be working, and why did my lights get dim? Lovely start, but I can just wipe it with a handkerchief. Stop by the village shop and that’s not sounding good oh it stalled. Bonnet up, positive terminal doesn’t look properly tightened. That’s it right, it’ll be fine no…oh. Booster pack, starts up. Nevermind, it’ll charge up by the time I get back home.

10 kilometers down the road, the car starts misfiring. Symptoms match what the guy working on it said he saw, but solved with reconnecting the sparkplug cables. Should’ve swapped them for a new set as I told him after all. Magically, it clears up after a couple kilometers. I revved the tits out of it  aiming to charge up the battery. 40 kilometers in, there was a new thumping noise. I think it’s one of the rear brakes, as it disappeared when I pressed on the brakes. File under ignore, let’s just get it home. One of the tyres looked suspiciously deflated, so I pulled into the services. Rolling down the window to ask where the compressor is, the car stalls. And won’t start again under its own power. Ah, so that’s the alternator not alternating anymore then! Explains why it wouldn’t keep running after it got jump started. Hello booster pack again!

By this point , the battery was getting really really flat again with errors popping on the dash under 2000rpm. But. I was back in Belgrade, and as the street lights are bright and omnipresent, I decided that running on parking lights as opposed to full lights is a better idea in terms of getting me home. So on I soldered! There was also this weird hissing sound in the background that I kinda ignored, and charted down to a vacuum leak.

I was very lucky with the night traffic , as there were no queues anywhere, and worst thing I encountered was a few sets of red lights. After what seemed like way too long, finally, I was home. Before I set off, I left 307CC in front of my flat to keep the parking spot. I get out of Bravo to move the Peugeot and…what’s that smoke in front of the headlights? I can’t see it anywhere else? There’s also a sweet smell of something wrong with the cooling system. The temperature was stable 90 all the way though? 

Swap the cars, turn it off, why is it still hissing? Pop the hood and…

Yeah, that does it. Coolant expansion tank has pinholed, and is now seeping steam and water in turns. 

Anyhow, the Itialian Joy Machine has been successfully limped home. Both battery and the booster pack are now on charge, and I’ll be calling my trusty mechanic first thing in the morning to get everything checked over and fixed. 

Impressions? 
Despite alternator playing up, pattern clutch cable being absolutely shit, misfiring fits, pinholed expansion tank, tyres old enough to vote and buy alcohol, and probably umpteen other things - It’s an absolute hoot to drive! There’s something about small Italian cars that no one else seems to get quite right. What an absolute joy of the machine! A quintessential proof that you don’t need a lot of money, horsepower or top speed to have spectacular amounts of fun while driving. An absolutely brilliant car, completely underrated and unfairly disregarded. Umpteen times more fun than contemporary Golf IMO.

Its appearance is significantly tarnished by the peeling lacquer on the roof and dented bonnet , and I’m looking forward to sorting that out, although it’s not on top of the list. 

Can’t wait to have it fully functional again. 

Italian Joy Machine is back ladies and gentlemen! 

[Supernaut]

I totally agree.

There's just something about small Italian (and French) cars that make you forgive them for breaking because they're so fun to drive.

My parents had a Brava when I was just learning to drive. It feels like Bravos and Bravas just vanished overnight here in the UK, sometime in the mid-late 2000s.

[loserone]

A bravo like that was our wedding car ten years ago.  Loved it.

[IronStar]

4 hours ago, Supernaut said:

I totally agree.

There's just something about small Italian (and French) cars that make you forgive them for breaking because they're so fun to drive.

My parents had a Brava when I was just learning to drive. It feels like Bravos and Bravas just vanished overnight here in the UK, sometime in the mid-late 2000s.

They are not particularly popular here either, and are well into 500E car you drive until it breaks or reg runs out status.

I can't for the life of me figure out why , though. They are well put together, there's that story that the then-CEO of Fiat threatened to enact violence if car rattles or squeaks, and it really doesn't. Fiat figured out rust protection by the time this car was out. I don't think I've ever seen a particularly rusty one unless it was damaged. They had a wide range of simple to work on engines. Electrics are simple and not all that prone to breaking. Bits are cheap. It's really fun to drive. It's a nice place to sit in. It was cheaper than the competition. It looks really good and different IMO. It launched to rave reviews. 

Where did it go wrong? Why did it fall by the sidelines? Badge snobbery?  

[Verysleepyboy]

1 hour ago, IronStar said:

They are not particularly popular here either, and are well into 500E car you drive until it breaks or reg runs out status.

I can't for the life of me figure out why , though. They are well put together, and there's that story that the then-CEO of Fiat threatened to enact violence if car rattles or squeaks, and it really doesn't. Fiat figured out rust protection by the time this car was out, I don't think I've ever seen a particularly rusty one unless it was damaged. They had a wide range of simple to work on engines. Electrics are simple and not all that prone to breaking. Bits are cheap. It's really fun to drive. It's a nice place to sit in. It was cheaper than the competition. It looks really good and different IMO. It launched to rave reviews. 

Where did it go wrong? Why did it fall by the sidelines? Badge snobbery?  

You just don't see them on the roads here in the UK anymore - shame, as you said, they were a decent looking, easy to live with car that was relatively cheap to purchase when new, remember seeing some proper giveaway price FIAT  PCP deals on the forecourts, - £500 down and £150 a month kind of thing.

I personally think they were overlooked for two reasons - firstly because the Tipo that preceded whilst it was a fabulous car had a poor electrical reliability and secondly they weren't a Golf or a Focus - people don't associate a FIAT anymore with a mid range family car, just small city things like a Panda or 500

[IronStar]

So, with Bravo against all odds being limped home last night, I now had a bit of time to have a thinker after work.

I went and bought some fresh wiper blades while the shops were still open.

As per the Italian tradition, rear wiper is not a normal wiper blade, but part of a wiper arm, and instead of being able to buy it anywhere and swap it, you need a part made for the car. Thankfully, it's still a wiper with normal wiper rubber and metal bits holding them in place, so an Alca blade was taken apart to donate the rubber.

Random rant, not directly related to this car per se, but - why do people cheap out on wiper blades and don't replace them when they're worn? keep seeing cars with completely destroyed wiper blades, especially on the rear. Shit plastic chinesium ones are still being sold, so someone is buying those as well - Florida came with something branded Skycar and it was predictably terrible. It costs less than a tenner for all 3 in decent quality, and unless you have a car that demands something stupid, it's highly unlikely to cost more. It's the bit that removes water from your windscreen so you can see where you're going, why on earth would you skimp on that, especially as it's stupidly cheap to get decent quality?

But I digress. This car was sitting for ages, it's entirely possible they were still good when it was parked up. Rubber bits perish fast.

Tonight I went to rearrange the bits in the boot, as I got a bag of small goodies for the car - bag for the stuff you keep in the trunk, air fresheners, new HID lights, phone mount, first aid, that sort of thing. See if I can sort out the power window switches, maybe put the HIDs back on, replace the broken air filter housing, and throw out the trash. 

Switches first - in the finest FIAT's fashion, in an act that British Leyland would be proud of, power window switches off a Brava don't fit on Bravo. Connectors fit, plastic shrouds click, but the switch itself is a tiny bit different and doesn't work when you put it back into the mount. Switches off a Bravo needed then.

As I started sorting out the trunk, it started raining in bucktefulls, so I ran into the car to wait it out. While I was in, why not do a bit of archaeology around the car? What does a car, that's been off the road since 2021 and not particularly cared for in the last few years of it being on the road hold? For starters, there's an old clutch kit and a defective clutch cable. Not sure why they are still there, but they are, and should be thrown out unless the clutch is somehow still good. I did a first pass of throwing out the trash a month ago, but it was now time for a pass #2 as it was raining and I didn't want to get wet.

Other than a long-expired first aid kit, wrapper for a Dino toy, icecream stick wrapped in a plastic bag, a bunch of old insurance policies that were never tossed out, faded bills, broken lighter, few boxes of matches(?!) and other assorted trash that's probably good for that other trash ion the car thread, was some insight about the car's previous life.

Starting with

Didn't expect to see this in a car that's turning 25 next year! 

Other paperwork revealed some of its history as well.

It was imported from Switzerland in 2008, so presumably that's where it was first sold. The owner prior to import was a Serbian-born chap who lives there. It was sold to the importers for 2800CHF. Because Switzerland seemingly doesn't do inflation, it's equivalent to 2,986CHF today. The more you know! It was then sold in Kragujevac to a guy from Belgrade, who owned it until cousin-Star bought it off him. There's a service booklet with some service history from 2012 from a reputable FIAT group specialist, so it was well taken care of at some point. 

The mechanic couldn't take it in tonight, so we pushed that back to tomorrow. I need to pick some decent tyres as well, but that's a job for after it gets back from the mechanic. Hopefully, it will be back on the road in full glory soon - watch this space.

Also, if anyone has a period-correct //// FIAT logo keychain they'd be willing to part ways with for some beer tokens, do let me know. 

[IronStar]

Forgot to take photos because I was too excited but - ENGINE IS IN THE ENGINE BAY OF THE YUGO! 🎉 🎉🎉

Not that fast with celebrations though. It’s cranking over, but check engine light is not lighting up as it should when on ACC and there’s no spark. They couldn’t figure it out so sparky that wired up entirety of the car is called back in to check what’s wrong. Probably something dull and stupid. I sent over the diagrams of Motronic 3.1 I have to help them out. He’ll probably drop by tomorrow. It certainly did work and run before it got removed from the donor car, so, errr 🤷‍♂️

Air filter housing is completely mangled so I need to find another one. Insulation that goes onto the firewall from the cabin side was also completely rotten, so a new one was promptly sourced from the scrappy which miraculously had one intact.

Seats also came back from retrim. It looks a bit meh IMO, but they match up with 147 fronts so that’s fine I guess.

I also got a call today from the guy that is working on 155. He’s finally happy with it, and thinks it’s good to go to get the LPG removal certified and removed from registration certificate. Next stop - some matched up tyres/wheels so it can get through the technical inspection, shakedown, and a date with bodyshop to get it resprayed. Let’s see how that goes.

I also picked up a spare key that needs to be paired to Bravo, power window switches, coolant overflow tank and an antenna from the scrappy. Refitting is reverse of removal and all that. It should’ve been sent off to be looked at by the tame mechanic, but he pushed it back to Tuesday. 

Multiple cars getting operationalized in the next week or two. Watch this space. 😄

[IronStar]

Today was Alfa 155 LPG-free certification day!

I woke up way too early for me to go pick up the car from the shop, and drive it get it towed to another shop nearby that had folks from the certification body over to inspect a bunch of cars.  We needed to remove a shedload of car parts from the car, and after cleaning that up, it started first turn of the key.  A+ effort. 

It's looking rather sorry for itself, and is absolutely filthy, but seems to be working right. 

First speed bump  loading it onto the truck revealed that something's not right with the driver's side front suspension. Felt very crashy and completely unsprung. I spoke to the chap who worked on it before I headed off, and he said that shocks were bone dry, so it must have failed ages ago. Nevermind, failed shock has nothing to do with the fuel car runs on, so meh.

Delivered it to the shop, and a bit under 2 hours and 80 euros later, I was presented with a certificate stating the obvious - LPG was removed from the car. 

In the meantime, shop managed to book a technical inspection some 500m away from where I was. Now, importantly, I wanted to buy an Eibach Pro Kit for this car. In the same way I wanted new tyres for 307CC. In the same way I wanted new exhaust for the Mini.

Jumped back in, and there was a very loud BANG on one of the speed bumps next to the technical inspection center as the car was unloaded in front of the technical inspection center. The front right was looking very sorry for itself and completely collapsed. Guys from the inspection center confirmed what we all knew happened - the coil snapped. That's 3/3 times this year my hand was forced to buy bits I wanted for my cars. 

So this got ordered

I also told the guys from the shop to order new shocks as well, because if I'm doing this, might as well do a full refresh. They are all probably ancient anyway.

Filing this endeavor under task failed successfully. At least I now have the paperwork stating LPG is removed.

In other today's fleet news, Yugo Cabrio has spark! Relay controlling the ECU has failed, and a replacement relay got everything working as it should. Note to self - carry a spare ECU relay in the boot.

Onwards and upwards! 😄

[Rustyrotavator]

 

Hey this might interest those keen to experience the Yugo without having the joys of ownership.

From todays The Guardian Newspaper: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/apr/29/tour-serbia-worst-car-in-history-belgrade-yugoslavia

'Young Serbians are keen to celebrate the Yugoslav era, and offering tours of their country in vintage Yugos is a fun way of doing it....'

[IronStar]

Very, very short update for today.

ENGINE IN THE CABRIO STARTED AND RUNS RIGHT! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Straight after the relay, the coil pack failed as well. Swapped over, and we have a liftoff!

Bravo went to a shop last night. The mechanic picked it up, and it didn't FTP on him, so taking that as a huge win as well.

Kumho Ecstas for Bravo have arrived at the tyre shop today as well, so picking them up after work. 

[IronStar]

Wanted to go pick up the Mini from cousin-Star, buy some oil for it and shove it back into the garage. 

Step 1 - Oil. Get into 307CC and…what’s that rattling from the back? What did I leave in the boot? Nothing rattly, why is it not closing properly now?

Oh bollocks. Surely it’s easy to put it back in, it’s just two screws?

Oh bollocks. Good job Peugeot. Not fixable in the parking lot, is it?

So I drove over to cousin-Star’s place, with the stupid interior light blinking all the way.  Good decision as it started raining by the bucketloads. Through sheer mechanical ingenuity, he came up with a solution that included a piece of wire holding the bolt, screwing them in with a pair of pliers, then tightening them with a normal wrench. Four additional screws needed to be loosened and the bar pushed so the bolt heads could go through, but he made the entire screwing them back in  seem like a walk in the park. It wasn’t even a PITA to adjust it afterwards!

No photos of the process, but one boot latch, firmly back in place.

I also got one of the flaps holding the bottom of the rear bumper screwed back in. Initial try had me breaking of the already very brittle plastic flap, so plastic welding gun made an appearance. What an absolute pain welding that plastic back together under the car. Forgot to take the photos, looks shit, but it’s holding the tab in place, so I’ll take that.

It appears that roof is no longer watertight either, as there was a small leak on the roof to windscreen join on the driver’s side. I haven’t seen that amount of rainfall in ages, so probably not something that would show up any other day. Still, a good reminder that seals need to be lubed and water passages unclogged. Both are overdue.

Mini also had a small tinkering session as well. Sunroof was rattling incessantly as the two tabs holding it were metal-on-metal. A few layers of insulation later, it’s no longer metal on metal, or rattling. Forgot to take the photos of this as well.

Didn’t manage to get the oil today, the one motorfactors I did get to today didn’t have Valvoline VR1 20W50 in stock. I think I know who stocks it though, so should be fine. It’s also been over 1000km since the engine work was done, so it’s time to adjust the valve clearances and tighten the head bolts. Not something I’m comfortable doing, so it will be making a visit to the specialist one of these days. 

It also seems I won a round of cambelt roulette on Bravo, with moments to spare.

Thankfully no snapage, so we’re good.

I also ordered a quality* SIK OTOMOTIV boss kit for 155 to go with the steering wheel I got for it. Should be here tomorrow or Monday. Eibach Pro Kit for it is still sitting somewhere in Germany with DHL. 

Yugo Cabrio’s fuel tank and a bootfull of mostly bumper bars and similar hardware was also carted off to sandblasting. 

This will also be making a (re)appearance on the car soon. 

Thanks for reading this far, I love you if you did, and I hope you found it at least remotely interesting read.