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azzurro's 1966 FIAT Duamilatrecento Familiare (2300 Wagon)


azzurro

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This week,

- ive ordered some diff/axle seals from Italy, they should turn up soon

- dropped of my handbrake pads to get rebonded + new diff hard lines for the brakes

- searched but did not find a spring place to have the rear leaves reset 2" lower - better luck next time maybe

 

- fitted the brand new KYB eye-eye shocks i picked up for cheaps from the Kumeu Hot Rod show - they are perfect except for being slightly longer (~20mm) at extension and compression than the factory ones, but at least they move and they pretty much bolted up (swapped the crush wasters for the Fiat ones)

 

6onnZ9.jpg

 

also continued with fixing rust.

 

Lower valance all back together
USLTKS.jpg

 

Boot seal plugged on
inTtZX.jpg

 

Ground back
eNkAUv.jpg

 

slop some primer on
bPkWOS.jpg

 

 

So thats the boot area except for the chassis rail 'lid' which ill leave off for now - i want to install some sort of crush tube/gusset thing for the tow bar to stop it fucking out like the original set up did.

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I was able to spend a bit of time on this over this long weekend and close up the rear quarter.

 

First removed the remains of the inner skin and replace it with a single skin.

 

Like the other side, instead of recreating the factory rust trap, i replicated the existing 'shelf' but made it an extra 5mm or so wider to attach directly to the outer skin.

 

inner plate ready to bend to outer 1/4 profile
2GJ68B.jpg

 

inner bent up to outer profile. + a wee rebate for the bumper mount
sjw4tj.jpg

 

outer 1/4 from under neath (bumper rebate patch from the original just tacked on) hole which was cut from the original outer skin.
It would probably have been easier to just tap it into the nice new steel given the state of it, and the amount of faffing blowing holes in it but its done now
HbQ82Q.jpg

 

Next, make the lower panel to fit. A shrinker/stretcher would be awesome, but this tuned out ok.

 

1/4 fit looks ok
lQzvLv.jpg

 

test fit #4358754785 showing off my pie cuts and blow outs that make this shape
3flNX7.jpg

 

1/4 fit looks good, time to weld. I like to have the patch just 'fall' into place with no more than about 1.5mm gap at the most- if you have to force it it wont sit right once its welded and might warp - too big a gap and its a pain to weld and it will warp due to the amount of heat needed to bridge a big gap
js3Fo0.jpg

 

1/4 tacked in, this is about 3 passes, just closing up the gaps each time letting it cool be fore stating the next pass.
These big panels will warp very easily.
752VTK.jpg

 

1/4 welds smoothed and ready for some primer
sAAYub.jpg

 

Also fixed the rust patch in the sill, good to have a few patches on the go when welding as you can swap between them and avoid over doing it and warping the panel.

insider the sill end, not bad for 50 years. Dunno why it rusted out above?
yHr4BL.jpg

 

sill patches tacked in
g9tfLa.jpg

 

And all ground back plus smoothed with the 40 grit sander and ready for some primer
nYOpLy.jpg

 

So that leaves only the front drivers floor and fender to do now rust wise, but I cant make a start on that untill the diff is back in and on its wheels.

 

Axle seals turned up, so swapped them out, changed the pinion seal (the nut was suspiciously easy to get off so will get a new one before i put it back in) with some RTV behind the washer (to stop the leak into the flange).

 

My handbrake pads and diff hard lines need picking up, and i need to get the leaves reset over the next week or so, and meanwhile have some crusty diff/suspension parts to clean.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Trailer has been stealing most of my car time, but also been waiting on a couple of things.

 

When i went to bleed the rear brakes after taking the shots above, one of the lines that joins the caliper halves together had a leak, i though it was some grit in the threads or the flare being over tightened, but no.

 

j088YR.jpg

 

Anyway, all back together now  with new lines (shoulda got them made up first time around)

 

Mckal0.jpg

 

Also pickup up a Civic Radiator from Zebra when i picked up the trailer to try, and it JUST fits.

 

Ap5s8J.jpg

 

Dont look at my janky extened pulley! The nose of the waterpump shaft is only 45mm from the radiator and is pretty much bang in the middle of it

 

UQ9ppv.jpg

 

This is all so i could remove the noisy, hp sapping and unreliable electromagnetic fan. It also has a shroud so might even suck some air though the radiator instead of just mixing the air in the engine bay with an assortment of fingers. I may swap it out for a bigger pusher fan on the other side eventually.

 

Just need a top (and probably a bottom) hose so i can run it for longer than a few minutes, which i need to do when i use this to pull the spare car from its pit on the lawn.

 

Next job is to clean up and refit the towbar to do just that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pulled the remains of the exhuast off the parts car, wasnt expecting much, but is acutally in pretty good nick (after filling a few hioles) and has a stainless back box, so that will do for WoF.

 

Now that the towing is done, time to remove what little structual rigidity existed in the front right quarter...

 

this is what i looked like before:

 

dxJ1m1.jpg

 

After

 

91b2aX.jpg

 

4MnXIh.jpg

 

my treasure

oBRZFP.jpg

 

more than a couple of spot welds to drill then i will start adding new steel back in. Like a complicated jigsaw puzzle where you get toi make the pieces.

 

Im going to rebuild the sill  to strengthen it up again before removing the floor panel and heater cross member itself.

 

The jack is under one of the cross members to ensure the door still closes nicely!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Prodding away at this, couple hours here and there instead of watching dribble on TV adds up,

havnt taken many photos tho.

front end of the inner sill back in place. Small section in the bottom corner of the firewall too

- i will pull the floor panel out in the next stage and replace it, thats why its still haggard
g06x7d.jpg

Outer on to the lower kick panel, and lower A-Pillar/strenghtner and a bit in between them you cant see to join them and stop crap going into the sill proper. \

You would never know 8)
CVvQiu.jpg

Now thats done and stronger than its been for years, I have removed the door (still closes, no worse than it was :) ) to finish off the outer sill area and then make a start on the floor.



Also got some new tyres and rims for my model (1:43 Campagnolos are for winners) so i painted them and slammed them on.

qp4aMW.jpg

Just needs a roof rack, monsoons and a visor and it will be perfect :)

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Another angle of the sill closing shenaigans, also showing the outer sill less the end cap.

No wonder they rust out here.

 

3 knife edge plug welded seams (triple thickness) all facing the rear of the tyre with a couple of pockets to collect grime.

 

Just like it lest the factory...

gtUSSd.jpg

 

With the door off i can remove the rest of the sill and clean up everthing a bit

dSs1fz.jpg

 

sill outer test fitted to size up the end cap (i forgot to allow for the lip that plugs to the inner sill!  :rolleyes: )

vZj7E1.jpg

 

a bit extra added to the patch including the end cap, mostly buzzed on and first grind back

EHJQBX.jpg

not bad!

The fender on this side is a replacement , im guessing a fender bender based on the gobs of leading i melted from the repairs in the bottom  front valance

8Adlmq.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Havnt updated for a while but havnt been doing nothing.

 

sigh. nothing or it but to keep cutting till its clean steel.

 

miitS2.jpg

 

KDCZnm.jpg

 

Cut it all out

RECYoC.jpg

 

Floor panel pattern. Pretty sure this is the first panel installed on the chassis, it is under all the other panels and was a pain to get out and install

E30jW6.jpg

spotted in

LfDbT1.jpg

and primered

0sFbBL.jpg

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Patch work quilted up the original down pipe with a section of pipe with a joint already in it, welded the other joiner end (and some patches) into the parts car exhaust, and installed it.

 

QK4T0A.jpg

 

i installed the fuel tank from the parts car after a clean out and the sender from the original tank the other day so as its now down off the stands and away from the wall, I also connected up the fuel tank/pump piping in the engine bay incl with a filter but i have to get some gas and remember to prime it to see how slow and boring it sounds now :(

 

*/*/*/*

 

Also cut my very first rust section out of the parts car for the very* last** rusty area on the project car.

 

8hTbKN.jpg

 

Rust traps!

rGXAXR.jpg

 

 

hohGD2.jpg

 

j19cTs.jpg

 

I wish i could say thats all done but ive got a few fiddly patches to make one good one out of two and a lot of careful measuring to do yet!

Check out this area in behind the valance/bumper mount/radiator support. One bonus is its going to be easy to sort this properly with all the other bits out of the way.

 

Guess which one is the parts car   :shock:

 

IjDb6x.jpg

 

rzow24.jpg

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This weekend I got as far as tacking the rust cut on ater remaking the lower half of the headlight bucket.

vsTbJu.jpg

3AkZ2W.jpg

Valance is also back together but my potato couldnt get a good shot after pushing it back into its spot.

/*/*/

I went and picked up these or the 125 yesterday from up north, had a good yarn to the seller who is about to get his 125 back on the road.

2FKPxv.jpg

While i was up there I also pickup up another couple of projects :rolleyes: :

This Rat-leigh 20 (to go with the Mrs' mint Healing Cruiser) from a guy who might also buy a few of my surboards, 

Qj5AYD.jpg

and this which I found in a pile of rubbish by the road

LhLZxn.jpg

Which is now sorted with new brake pads and a tidy up for some as yet unknown little charger to do some mean skids.

X8r9Xj.jpg

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Just a quicky,

 

Valance quilting, DONE

hiOvPh.jpg

 

Rust Cut stitching and indicator/park light bracket installed, CHECK.

R4OY5U.jpg

 

So,  I have now finished all* the welding on this.

 

In the tradition of my 125 build, "take that, you rusty f@&ker!"  :drunk:

 

*Obviously i mean 'mostly', other than a few touch ups (and the inevitable forgotten or missed bit) including a couple i can see in these shots   :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Next job, filler :(

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