One car to replace my current fleet?

One car to replace my current fleet?

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Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Thursday 31st July 2014
quotequote all
turbonutter said:
One only slightly used X19 in the same colours here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-X19-part-available-...
Poor thing. Looks salvageable. wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Thursday 31st July 2014
quotequote all
A little photographic catch up.



The new coil transformed the car's low end torque and must have added a good few broken horses but didn't cure the fuel starvation issue.



Starting with the cheapest first I have replaced the fuel filter and squirted carb' cleaner liberally around the butterflies and jets. The left bank squirted straight through and the right bank (front butterfly) filled up first time and popped and went trough the second so I'm guessing that jet may have been blocked.

I'm optimistic that the fueling may be solved this time as I took the old filter off I noticed...





...some green plastic in the end of the line and filter itself.

I think at some time in the cars past the car ran out of fuel and was filled up with petrol from a can with a cross threaded or old plastic can.
It's plausible that the as the rpm increased the plastic was pushed into the filter restricting the flow causing or contributing to the starvation. This would also explain why the car started and ran perfectly almost immediately. As the engine cut out the fuel line pressure reduced and the plastic stopped acting as a valve.

I'll find out on the way to work tonight. wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Thursday 7th August 2014
quotequote all


Mystery of the missing water has been solved. Where the water pump pipe meets the thermostat housing there is a micro fine crack that is getting bigger daily.

As you would expect this is an obsolete part so I have a few options.

1/ Find a second hand one and take a gamble.
2/ Clean it up and hope it's good enough quality Aluminium to weld.
3/ See if a new one from another model, 128, Strada, Punto 1.6 Cabriolet or Punto 1.6 Sporting will fit.


Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Thursday 7th August 2014
quotequote all
Yep. Two of the bolts sheered off. rolleyes



The housing has been off before but instead of replacing the gasket there is black silicone around the edge. This meant water could get into the bolt chambers of the housing, rust and sheer off. Nice little bodge bomb for the next guy. Thanks!



Once I peeled the silicone from the housing to waterpump neck there are two holes and hardly any metal to weld to. frown

I guess I'll be needing a new one once I've worked out how to get those studs out (hopefully without having to take the head off).

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Thursday 7th August 2014
quotequote all
Super sexy new filter arrived today...



...it's just as well because I needed the airbox out of the way so...



...can weld nuts on the ends of these studs to try and extract them.

Orangecurry

7,386 posts

205 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Love your attitude to problems - it's not a problem, it's an opportunity.

I drove an X-19 from southern England through France, over the Route Napoleon and down to Monaco to watch the Grand Prix erm a long time ago now.

Girlfriends car, I fitted a K&N and we enjoyed the induction noise over the mountains. Difficult to get the back-end out, we managed it on the hairpins where there was water running across the roads. cloud9

I don't think we had any trouble with it.... on that trip.

Is it true you can drop the Fiat 2.0 130 BHP unit in with minimal fuss?

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
The 2.0 is a Lancia shared unit and could fit but...

The Punto 1.8 HGT is the last generation of the 128 block with the 16V head. In theory I could fit an HGT head onto my original 1500 block so it wouldn't upset the DVLA or VOSA. With a quartet of bike carb's and a decent exhaust the original HGT 130bhp should be replaceable.

I'm 50/50 with the stud extraction.

1/ If I can do I won't need to remove the head.

2/ If I do have to remove the head it's a chance to dog my port polishing kit out and fit a set of unleaded valves. wink

So if I can I'll be back on the road next week.

If I can't I'll be back on the road in a few weeks but with a much healthier engine.


Hmmmmmm...

Decisions eh?

Orangecurry

7,386 posts

205 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Po-lish!

Po-lish!

Po-lish!

Po-lish!

Do the whole job properly now.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Orangecurry said:
Po-lish!

Po-lish!

Po-lish!

Po-lish!

Do the whole job properly now.
I have a Punto Sporting 1.6 (gen II 128 engine) and the had complete with unleaded valves should be a straight swap. I'm looking for a Punto 90 Cabriolet though as the compression ratio is a little lower. wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
Well the head has got to come off. I still do not think in the 60,000,000 years or so of human evolution a stucd has ever been successfully extracted after a bolt has sheared. furious



Edited by Liquid Knight on Saturday 9th August 15:17

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
Found a ten bolt head for sale on eBay in West Midlandshire but a little further south there's an Uno Turbo based Onyx Firecat project that could donate it's engine to my X1/9 quite happily. wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
Time for some "Man Maths"

The eBay chap wants £140 for his head.
Collection or delivery from West Midlandshire £35-£50
Head bolts. £20
Head gasket set. £25-£40
Skim - £25
Porting and polishing - a few hours work.
New belts and tensioner bearing - £25
Retrofitting the head - an hour or so.
Beer and Pizza - £30

Total = £330


Basically take £190 off that if I use my own head and add a few hours of work and more beer to get the studs out.

Onyx Firecat £395
Collection £150
Uno Turbo engine transplant - a few hours work.
Selling the chassis and bodywork - +£200 (ish)
Beer and Pizza £30-£50 (depending if I get help or not)

Total = £375 (depending on how much I get for the Uno and Onyx bits)

So that's an Uno turbo conversion for £45 (+ or - £190 if I can use my own head).

WinstonWolf

72,857 posts

238 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
Have you tried getting the studs out with a centre punch? Works surprisingly well once you've got the knack.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
WinstonWolf said:
Have you tried getting the studs out with a centre punch? Works surprisingly well once you've got the knack.
I wouldn't want to risk damaging the head.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/fiat-punto-17tdsx-/16138...

It's a Fiat 128 block and has a turbo...





...hmmmm...




Nah. wink

WinstonWolf

72,857 posts

238 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
quotequote all
Liquid Knight said:
WinstonWolf said:
Have you tried getting the studs out with a centre punch? Works surprisingly well once you've got the knack.
I wouldn't want to risk damaging the head.
It won't damage it if you do it right. Practice on something scrap, it's a useful technique smile

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Where the bolts have sheared off my X1/9 head it is most likely due to the face they are stuck in with Tiger Seal!!!

The three 10mm bolts on the new/old thermostat housing also sheared off so I am millimeters away from scrapping the pile of bodged together crap!!!!!


Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
I knew it would be too good to be true.



The £35 housing looked to be much better than mine with just a little pit to deal with.

Then...



...all three 10mm thermostat bolts sheared off.

Me said:
In the recorded history of man there has never been an instant where a stud has been successfully removed with an extractor.


Well that's a nice £35 bit of scrap. Still that the gamble when you buy second hand parts.

From the looks of the previous damaged to the side of the engine...



...it's fairly save to say I've bought a £1250 pile of scrap as well.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

182 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Hmmmmm...

Okay I was a little annoyed earlier. Partly due to finding myself in a rut of a dead end, but mostly due to putting half a drill bit trough my finger trying to get the stud extractor out.

After a cup of tea I had an idea...



...I cut the neck off the new(er) housing and ground the old one back until the metal was good enough to...



...wedge an off cut of Aluminium pipe in there and...



...bond in place with a bit of Steel Stick.



Inside as well. I know it's a bodge but it's a damn sight better than silicon sealant. wink

irocfan

40,152 posts

189 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
Liquid Knight said:
Time for some "Man Maths"

The eBay chap wants £140 for his head.
Collection or delivery from West Midlandshire £35-£50
Head bolts. £20
Head gasket set. £25-£40
Skim - £25
Porting and polishing - a few hours work.
New belts and tensioner bearing - £25
Retrofitting the head - an hour or so.
Beer and Pizza - £30

Total = £330


Basically take £190 off that if I use my own head and add a few hours of work and more beer to get the studs out.

Onyx Firecat £395
Collection £150
Uno Turbo engine transplant - a few hours work.
Selling the chassis and bodywork - +£200 (ish)
Beer and Pizza £30-£50 (depending if I get help or not)

Total = £375 (depending on how much I get for the Uno and Onyx bits)

So that's an Uno turbo conversion for £45 (+ or - £190 if I can use my own head).
do the Uno conversion - it really does transform the car, well worth it (then loose the 1500 bumpers and you'll have quite a nippy little mowtah!)