Fiat 500 - what to look for?
Discussion
Go for it !! I had a J reg one back in the late 80s, loved it, should never have sold it.
As I pulled up at a set of lights in Stoke Newington in my company Orion, a scrap lorry drew up alongside with a white 500 perched on the back !
I wound my window down and said how £ much ? The driver said "£30 and a fiver to deliver" done, says I !!
Rot will be your biggest worry, floors, sills, arches etc etc. Back then I bought 2 new outer sills from Fiat, but I don't know now what repair sections and Genuine panels are available ?
As I pulled up at a set of lights in Stoke Newington in my company Orion, a scrap lorry drew up alongside with a white 500 perched on the back !
I wound my window down and said how £ much ? The driver said "£30 and a fiver to deliver" done, says I !!
Rot will be your biggest worry, floors, sills, arches etc etc. Back then I bought 2 new outer sills from Fiat, but I don't know now what repair sections and Genuine panels are available ?
Yep, rust is the biggy. All the body panels and especially underneath.
Nearly everything is available for them - check Ricambio for an idea of prices.
A 650 engine makes a big difference to everyday usability and you can still get late model Fiat 126 engines for a few hundred quid from Poland via eBay. Dynamos and control boxes have turned out to be a nightmare on ours so in the end we gave up and went the alternator route.
They really are very simple so go for one that is properly solid with everything in good working nick, rust proof the life out of it, and have some fun with it :-)
Nearly everything is available for them - check Ricambio for an idea of prices.
A 650 engine makes a big difference to everyday usability and you can still get late model Fiat 126 engines for a few hundred quid from Poland via eBay. Dynamos and control boxes have turned out to be a nightmare on ours so in the end we gave up and went the alternator route.
They really are very simple so go for one that is properly solid with everything in good working nick, rust proof the life out of it, and have some fun with it :-)
Damn excellent cars! I've had a few over the years and really regretted selling a particular blue low miler with red seats.
After hunting for another good'n (RHD UK unrestored) for some years up popped this piece of hay in an enormous stack of needles!
11k miles from new. Garaged from new '72. 100% rust free and smells like a 70's Fiat should. Has had a bit of crappy 70's paint via scrape but I've not found better. It's done 300 miles since 1979!
You can't beat proper low miles on these cars. They're not German so get a bit "loose" over the years. The engines if maintained are bomb-proof. The build quality is/was surprisingly good. To illustrate, compare a new pattern part to an original Fiat part and see the difference.
Mine was a pretty good deal too and will not be sold. Can't be many left in the UK in original condition.
They are lovely to drive once mastered and it's nice to let the world go by in an Italian princess!!
After hunting for another good'n (RHD UK unrestored) for some years up popped this piece of hay in an enormous stack of needles!
11k miles from new. Garaged from new '72. 100% rust free and smells like a 70's Fiat should. Has had a bit of crappy 70's paint via scrape but I've not found better. It's done 300 miles since 1979!
You can't beat proper low miles on these cars. They're not German so get a bit "loose" over the years. The engines if maintained are bomb-proof. The build quality is/was surprisingly good. To illustrate, compare a new pattern part to an original Fiat part and see the difference.
Mine was a pretty good deal too and will not be sold. Can't be many left in the UK in original condition.
They are lovely to drive once mastered and it's nice to let the world go by in an Italian princess!!
Edited by P50 on Friday 23 January 15:22
Edited by P50 on Friday 23 January 17:09
Best Wishes with that! A friend had one years ago, reg. was OSO 500L- can you believe that! I preferred my 2CV Citroen, but I did some repairs on the Fiat - they'll rust pretty much anywhere but set against that is the simplicity of construction. He obtained a pattern rear wing which was a very good fit and I mended the inner sill and floor on the passenger side with home made sections, again easy to make using cardboard for patterns. ( though since the cardboard fitted so well I was tempted to leave it and just paint it on the grounds that it was probably stronger than the lace I'd cut out!)
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