My 1978 Fiat 900T van. And the rest of my fleet...(3 years later!!! ...Updated 11/12/23)

[dollywobbler]

Thanks. I've been wanting to do a feature on that van for a while now!

[MorrisItalSLX]

Loving the facial hair, Vin!

 

Ditto.

[wuvvum]

The video of the driving experience kind of reminded me of that daft little Subaru van I had - slow but so comically low geared that it actually felt quite nippy off the line, and noisy despite the engine being at the far end.  Fiat is more stylish though.

[JimH]

Only just seen this thread. Smashing bit of work that and well done on saving the old bird. 

 

There has been some discussion elsewhere about how dangerous old cars are but these vans serve to remind you just how small, light and efficient it is possible to make something if you don't fret at all about killing the occupants in a crash. All that space in something so tiny.

[Vin]

It was a nice day that, meeting up with Dollywobbler, doing the photoshoot for CV&PU. Great article too...

 

I thought I'd put a small update as I haven't added anything for ages...

 

Fiorino underside is all finished and painted in POR15. Also had to fabricate a couple of new brake hose mounts for the wheel arches. Exhaust all now fitted.

 

So, I put it back on its wheels and got round to actually try and start it. It's a replacement engine, although the original engine came with the van and as far as I remember being told, it hadn't been started...Whilst I was fitting the downpipe to the manifold I noticed a bit of brown staining on the front of the block, which made me wonder...

 

Anyway, my mate and I got it turning, got oil pressure and we got a good spark. There was no fuel connected, so put a bit of easy start down the carb and nowt happened. We tried a bit of petrol and turned it over. Nothing. It was hunting and seemed like something wanted to happen, but nothing...

 

So we took the rocker cover off...

 

Yeah that'll be it then... :?

 

[dollywobbler]

Yikes. Not a nice discovery!

[Burnside]

Agreed that's a bit of a blow, what state is the original engine in?

 

Like for the 900T article though. Hopefully get to see it at a Auto Italia event if your attending with it this year.

[Asimo]

Unlike for rusty mess under cam cover. You will overcome.........

[Vin]

Yeah, win some, you lose some...I've already made a start of hoiking it all out...

 

The original engine is in my lock-up, I'll retrieve it at the weekend...as to it's state, no idea. We shall see...

 

Hopefully, it's OK and a strip down and general refurb is the order of the day. Hopefully...

 

If not, then I'll have to see if there are enough good bits for two to become one, as per the 900T engine...

[vulgalour]

That's not where gravy lives.

[LightBulbFun]

is that water?! is it from a HGF or something?

 

sorry to see things broke, tis a nice van

[Vin]

Yeah, it's oil and water. I'll get the head off at the weekend...have a proper look...

 

Seems they fitted a replacement engine and did actually have it running. But not for very long by the look of it....

[Vin]

So, I retrieved the other engine from the lock up this morning. I also collected my engine stand at the same time, so I can strip it down.

 

I set it up on the stand and whipped the rocker cover off. It all looks OK. It all moves too, so it's not seized or anything...

 

It was strapped to this trolley, so it was fairly easy to lift it between two of us, into the back of the Marea.

 

 

Got it on the stand.

 

 

A lot prettier than the other camshaft...

 

 

I then took the head off the engine in the van. I removed qite a few bits during the evenings last week and took the inlet and exhaust manifolds off yesterday. I also removed the radiator to give me more room.

 

Water in number 2 cylinder, although no obvious problem with the headgasket.

 

 

 

[Vin]

Bit of an update...

 

Original engine is now stripped down into it's components...

 

The block and the gearbox have now been removed from the van...

 

Original engine...

 

 

All bit's stripped off and cleaned. Block soaked in paraffin to remove congealed oil and gunge. I then jetwashed it and it is now sat in a dustbin of DEOX-C rust remover...

 

 

I've checked the cylinders with my dial bore gauge and the crankshaft and pistons with the calipers. Everything appears to be standard and also still within the specified tolerances. The plan is to hone the bores, fit new piston rings, crankshaft main bearings and con rod bearings...

 

Removing the box and block...

 

 

I put the 'failed' engine on the stand and started to strip that down as well...

 

 

The dizzy was a right PITA to remove, stuck solid, I had to drift it out with a section of 15mm copper pipe...

 

Somebody couldn't fit the water pump gasket properly...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vin]

Bit of an update. Original block has been degreased, soaked in Deox-C and then jetwashed. As I am fitting new piston rings I have honed the bores using a honing tool and a drill.

I then masked off the block and painted it grey. Grey is the correct colour as the cleaning and jetwashing revealed patches of the original grey. I used a VHT enamel from a rattle can.

I then put a cleaned up crankshaft back in. This had been cleaned up by submerging it in paraffin for a week and cleaning with a toothbrush. I fitted new big end bearings and thrust washers. I checked the end float using my dial gauge and all is OK...

[Minimad5]

Spot on.

Keep up the good work

[Kringle]

I'm very impressed with this thread, it's a cracking looking van. Did you salvage a lot from the gravy engine?

[Vin]

Bit of an update....

All quiet on the Fiorino front...I've put it on the back-burner for know on the basis it is in the garage, thus is not dependant on good weather conditions...

I have projects outside that will take precedence when the weather is better, namely the Fergie and now the Panda 750L...

The 750L was out of MOT last November. I thought I would leave it til the Spring/summer as I knew it would need a tickle with the MIG on the end of the sill. I did get hold of a pair of genuine sills from a lad in Halifax last summer and they have been in storage. I decided to bite the bullet and rather than patch the end sill, just cut the whole lot off and repair what was inevitably going to be there.

As expected, the inner sill and edge of the floor was crusty and needs repair sections letting in before I replace any outer panels. I have also been able to get an inner wheelarch panel, which means I don't have to do a load of awkward metal shaping and bashing. Obtaining this, prompted me to get a rear wing too, as there is a load of rot in the wheelarch...I will probably end up taking the rear window out and cutting accross and drilling out the spotwelds. Less visible weld area to clear up too...

 

Here it is when it appeared at Shitefest in 2012, when I kipped in it...

Also, in other Panda news I got the 45CL out of the lock-up where it has been for the past two years and got it MOT'd. I let the MOT lapse in 2017 as I had loads of other stuff on, but I started it regularly. It's now road legal again and I really do enjoy driving it. It's great.

Here are some pics, including the ICE..

I've also got the cylinder head back for the Fergie, so I've been lapping the new valves in and have assembled them into the head...

That's all for now...

[Spottedlaurel]

Looks like you're doing a thorough job on it, nice work.

[Skut]

Great work. Like reading the Panda section on FF in days of yore. Tumbleweed over there now. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Richard would be proud of you?

[Sudsprint]

Great work.

Love the early shape Panda - a rare sight now.

 

[Ben_O]

Really intrigued to see inside the Panda/Tent combo

[Vin]

On 6/27/2019 at 8:20 PM, Skut said:

Great work. Like reading the Panda section on FF in days of yore. Tumbleweed over there now. 

Yep it is, it's all on the Panda Classic Facebook page now....

[Vin]

On 6/27/2019 at 9:52 PM, sheffcortinacentre said:

Richard would be proud of you?

Cheers Craig...He certainly loved his Pandas and 126...I'm sure he's cheering me on in spirit...

On 6/27/2019 at 10:34 PM, Ben_O said:

Really intrigued to see inside the Panda/Tent combo

I haven't got any pics of the inside. I will be using it in middle of July, so I'll take some then...

[Vin]

Hottest day of the year, so I spend it outside welding. I am utterly fucked....??

Rear inner wheelarch arrived during the week too...

Floorpan and inner sill now repaired.

 

 

[Parky]

Pandas of any age rock.  Phakt

[Cavcraft]

Love how it's coming on, hat truly doffed.

[Vin]

I thought I'd update this thread with recent shenanigans, but realised I hadn't updated it for ages...

Panda bodywork...

| had lots of little repairs to do to all the common Panda grot spots, before I could even comtemplate replacing the outer panels...

 

 

I've tried deleting the last picture (below) as it's out of sequence and doesn't add much, but it's not havin it...

[Vin]

There is also a little update on the Fiorino engine...

I don't have any pictures, but the cleaned up pistons are now back in the block. They were fitted with new piston rings and new end bearings.

I also fitted the new crankshaft seals. I cleaned and refiited the oil pump and oil pick-up pipe.

Cleaned and painted the sump with POR-15 and assembled with a new gasket...