Well hello.

It's certainly been a while . . . and this isn't the first time I've written an 'it's been a while' message.

I've always been more of a reader than writer, lurking about in the depths of the forum.
I was just getting my coop where I wanted her when life got in the way.
First some travelling (made a camper - drove it to Syria), then pushing my band, then buying a house...
So, the pooor 20vt6 went by the wayside. It's literally been sat on my folks drive for 3 years... and probably only done 400 miles in that time... but God have I missed it!

Before the coop got neglected she had a superspool, supersprint system, k&n, billies & fcss springs, refurbed rims, resprayed roof, 'nigel lower brace', new discs, pads and lines, plus interior, colour coded console, and a list of bits waiting to go on... Forge DV, upper brace, boost gauge, sexy rocker cover etc etc.... Oh, also always held 3bar oil pressure, and only on 65k.

Anyway - I'd like to get her back on the road. But it's gonna take some work. Belts are defo going to need doing, brakes are rough (waste of time putting those new disks on there), there's an inch layer of bird c**p, the exhaust hanger is...gone..... Lord knows what state she's in corrosion-wise....
Basically I'm going to have to rent a trailer and tow the car to a garage.

My ideal situation would be to get the car back up to scratch, and then 'Flea' it up to a really drivable 300bhp.


The band is on hiatus, I've bought a house, I've been travelling, and now I have 2K to throw straight at the car.

How far do you reckon it'll get me?? Have any of you guys brought your cars back from the brink of death? There's no way I'm gonna become a breaker/scrapper, but...I'm scared....


Hope you're all in fine fettle!

Tom
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/758_50784363584_120_n.jpg

ummm.... I had nothing to do with those links by the way???!

£2k won't get you very far. Especially if it's been sat for 3 years.

Good luck though.

You'll get belts, brakes and a service for less than a grand - I'm sure the rest of it will be fine

You'll need to remove the rocker top,replace the cambelt and maybe some of the auxiliary side.
Drop the oil and filter and put some fresh in.
Then disconnect the injectors,turbo oil feed pipe,pour oil on the cams and then crank it until fresh oil is visable at the turbo pipe and at the top end.
Build it back up and then crank until 3 bar oil pressure for at least a minute.

Then run the engine upto operating temp and drop the oil And filter again.

As long as the engines fine then the rest is only consumables.

Nice to see you back on here and good luck .

Thanks guys.

JBT the engine has been run every few weeks, so it's not like it hasn't even been turned over for three years. She's had periods of use during that time - its mainly the last year that she's been stood up. Went through an MOT a year ago - so I'm kinda hoping that once she's had belts and a service it'll be more a question of elbow grease.

The place I used to live had a very slopey drive which made even an oil change a very tricky job. Once I get the coop up and running again she can come live in a garage!

Get some fresh fuel in it, it loses it's octane rating over time, so a fresh tank full of V power would help balance out the RON.

What do the brakes and tyres look like?

Best of luck getting it back on the road.

Tyres aren't looking too bad, which is good since they were new a couple years ago. I think the brakes are going to need a refurb. Weren't working very well at all the last time I moved the car. New discs and pads a year ago, but with the lack of use the discs look a bit gnarly.
A friend mentioned the fuel 'going off' issue. I'll get some in.

I forgot to mention earlier that all of the front end suspension components were renewed a little while back too. I had intended to get the rear bearings sorted too, since there was a bit of discrepancy last time I had her tracked.

If it got an MoT a year ago, surely its worth trying to get another now?

If it passes I'd then be tempted to take a nice gentle drive to Joe's or somewhere, (probably with all your limbs crossed) have the belts and other consumables done, and then give it an Italian Tune Up on the way back home.

Then start on the cosmetics and any other issues that you find along the way. You could even do the Aux Belts yourself beforehand, as a bit of risk reduction.

It's quite a treck to Joe's from where I am, but after some scary experiences with local 'specialists' I'm keen to get the car up to him for a full service at the very least.
Think I'll try looking into rental costs for a beaver tail truck. Even if she goes through the MOT I'd be pretty reluctant to drive that far.

Starting to get excited about the prospect of driving the coop again!

Mind you, every other car I've had has rocketed in value after I sold it (mk1 scirocco and saab 900t16 etc) so it'd probably be in your best interests to talk me out of keeping her =D

If you decide to try for the MOT clean up the rear calipers first. After my first consecutive two years of failing the MOT on rear brakes I now do this the week before the MOT as a matter of course.

Thanks for the heads up Gunzi. You're right - the rear brakes are next to useless. The coop is in gear with the wheels chocked at the moment.
Even after I'd had new discs and pads fitted for the last MOT the brakes were flamin rubbish!
I'm away this weekend, but hopefully after that I'll be able to start finding some low loader prices, and give Joe a call!

My advice don't drive it not worth the risk of a new engine when that belt snaps or any for that matter , first port of call in my eyes after its been checked first for corrosion ect good luck

I'd check for serious rust before spending any REAL money on the engine

Yes, sound advice. I live in a coastal area so rust could be a b**ch. saying that, at the time of the last mot it wasn't looking too bad.

I'm with you Burbum. The belts are well overdue. It's waaaay to ropey to go driving any real distance. A trailer/truck is really the only sensible way to go.

Thanks again for the input guys!

Clearly its up to you - you know the car, and I don't, but a trailer will cost, what, £150? A second hand engine about £1000 if the belts go.

So do you prefer the chance of £1000, or a certain £150? The answer to that is the answer to whether you trailer it or not.

Also, the engine has been run during its lay-up. You take pretty much the same chance every time you turn the key. When were the belts last changed?

On the rust, I think you have to satisfy yourself there first.

Well, I suppose it's time for a bit of an update.

I ended up using a website called 'Shiply' to get the coop transported from Devon to Joe at F.C.S.S. up in Herefordshire!
Shiply is well worth a look if you need a car (or anything else large) transported. Works like a backward ebay - you say what you need transported, along with where from and too.
Transport companies / one man bands etc then bid for the job, and you get to pick one based on cost and feedback reviews. I went mainly on cost.... not one of my better ideas since the fellas who turned up had more than a hint of muppet about them. We only just managed to get the coop onto their (not so) low loader. I watched it leave with great trepidation - and everything crossed.
Next time I pay the extra for the guys with lots of feedback!

Anyway, she arrived at Joe's the next day, and with some help from Joe and Dan they managed to get her back off the truck.
So now my coop's fate lies with Joe. He's drawing up a list of the most pressing jobs so we can figure out a plan of action..... and budget

If anyone is interested, Joe has started a wee photo album over on his FCSS Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/fiatcoupes?fref=ts

Fingers crossed!

Tom

Good to hear that the resurrection of your coupe is underway and good to hear of another local one! By the sound of it you have been doing the right thing by starting the car occasionally, etc, so hopefully the work to bring it back to fine fettle will be limited.

You're right about it being a bit of a trek from down here to Joe's. I took mine up there in June and the train journeys were long and not particularly cheap, but it was good to know that it was in good hands. Interesting to hear you mention your experience with local "specialists". I'd be keen to hear more (by PM if you were willing).

My coupe will be heading back up to FCSS sometime for some diagnostic work and a new clutch. Perhaps sometime we could a lift share up or back if the timings coincide?

Good to see someone not afraid to spend some time and money to keep another coupe alive. Good luck with it.

Pete

Well done and good luck!

Keep us in touch,

Tim

Cheers Chaps!

So Pete, how many coupe owners do you know of in our area? I suppose we should try and meet up some time! What have you got?
It is prohibitive, the cost of getting cars to specialists like Joe. I went down the 'shiply' route because it was cheaper than transporting it myself. I would love to go and visit Joe's myself though.

As far as local specialists go I'll PM you if you want. I'm reluctant to name names though. Anyone can make a mistake, but at the end of the day I just think it's false economy not to use a true specialist who deals with these cars day in day out - hence FCSS.

Back when I first joined the forum there seemed to be barely any coupés in the south west. Maybe numbers are on the up?

Hi ActionHank,

I'm also Pete and live in Teignmouth. There's a few more of us around Devon, so maybe a meet would be a good idea. Mine's a red 20VT6, by the way, though this might change soon.

Another Devon member here - seems the number is always increasing!

hopefully it will increase the demand for both Coupes & parts - and do something about the devastatingly low prices for both at the moment!.

I suppose this will happen naturally eventually, as they become older & more rare!