I presume that is what we are intending to persue John. As you rightly say its the parts no longer in production that we need to act on. I am sure we are all thinking the same.

There is rather a difference in scale and resources between this club and The MG owners club.
The MG owners club is a purely commercial multi million pound enterprise catering to the tens of thousands of MG owners throughout the world with cars going back to the 1930's.

We are all volunteers working for no financial reward dealing with variants of one niche model which was produced in small numbers.

It is unrealistic to compare the two.

edit And yes Joe78 has been asked to look at parts supply since joining the board, we simply did not have sufficient time to devote to it before. That is not to say that it was ignored.

So will we be trying to get rare parts manufactured?

First we need to identify the parts. Once they're identified, we need to see what we can do about them - but to be honest, I can't see major castings or pressings being affordable. We are simply too small a group to be efficient in purchasing.

It's a very good point. I feel resource would be better served finding opportunity to secure repair/refurbishment options for the consumables. The radiators, for example could be re-cored if the plastic is okay.

I think the time has come to be realistic about standard cars. They're a dying breed. Providing mechanical consumables can be sourced the car can live on.

The MG owners club is a commercial entity with salaried people running the club. The FCCUK board get nothing for their time except a lot of grief from people who should know better, and that is not a dig at you JBT. If FCCUK really wants to go down the road of storing and supplying such things then they will need to pay someone to do so. With circa 400 members there are just not the number of coupes around to justify this I fear. If you add that to the fact that residual values of coupe are so low it means they will only become classics when there are a handful left. the club is not rich enough to buy this stuff let alone organise and store it. What we can do is try and find companies who will make replacement parts and advise the members about these. That way the owners deal direct with companies and the Club does not have a lot of admin and accounting to deal with.

For what it's worth we contacted FIAT UK a number of times years ago about parts and other agreements (Club Fiat Discount for example). They did not offer an exclusive on any parts and they had contact details for the club and knew we were interested. It's a shame they did not as I am sure a group buy thread would have cleared a lot of the surplus very easily. Failing that I am surprised that Steve at AA did not know about these parts as he has been badgering Fiat for years.

Thanks John. So we are on our own then! From what i read.

It is not that simple is it. Can 400 people paying £25 a year really afford to start a production and sales company. The parts produced in such small numbers would be hideously expensive anyway. It is just a shame the coupe did not sell in more numbers and/or become a classic that commanded prices akin to classic Alfas. This is a dilemma may clubs must encounter.

For every MGOC there are hundreds of other owners clubs with dwindling members and few cars left on the road. FCCUK and this forum is a better example but we still don't have the numbers to afford to do much else. It would take a pan European club to do that I think.

We can ensure serviceable parts are still available or that there are alternatives or conversion kits (Oil cooler kits being a good example). But Pressing large panels such as the bonnet will always be out of the reach of the average purse.

If the the club can ensure servicable parts will still be availiable etc, then that is a good start.
Bonnets ,panels etc are already being produced by our euro cousins.
Yes they cost at the moment,but its our choice to own a Fiat coupe. So if we want to put money into our coupes it will cost. I think we all know thats a given for the future.

Like i said before,we need to pull together on this future problem.

Indeed, this is why the majority of modern classic cars are kept on the roads when corrosion takes its toll by repairing the original panels using repair sections for vulnerable areas made by low volume manufacturing methods.

We have probably been spoilt, as until now a lot of coupes had escaped the ravages of rust and there was no real need for such stuff.
It is not rocket science welding in new metal, just time consuming and needing skill.

With low values for the cars, unfortunately many owners have been considering them a disposable item and have not been prepared to spend time and more money than the market value keeping then in good condition.

I think if you consider the AGM an example of pulling together you can see the very problem. And I am speaking as one that did not go.

Indeed. Approximately two-three thousand coupes remain on the road. Approximately ten percent of owners care enough to join the club. Approximately two percent of club members turned up to the AGM...

This is the problem we face, as a club: people don't care enough, or can't find the time, or the money, or *something*. Everyone's got an opinion, but nobody bothers expressing it at the one event a year when it can be discussed and the club board guided by that discussion.

We simply do not have the finance to get major parts built, and bodywork is a part which can be repaired, by an expert, in situ. Some parts are available - floor pan front and rear, for example, will cost you around seven hundred quid the pair - but how much labour to remove the existing, with all the interior and exterior parts which must be removed and replaced? Simpler and cheaper to cut in new metal.

What we need to identify are those parts without which the coupe will not work, the parts that take it off the road and are no longer available. It may be that there are parts which can be adapted (e.g. generic oil coolers, recored or new radiators) but some parts may need manufacturing.

And the big problem is that manufacturing in small volumes costs big money...

For the 20VT:
Oil pump?
Oil cooler piping?
Pierburg valve
The rubber covers, brand "AMP". In various sizes.
Are all the gaskets and sealings still available?

May I point out the opening statement on the fccuk website
And I quote



If the club refuses to cooperate then it must make its position clear,remove the highlighted incorrect quotation above and allow a thread to be opened for the members who don't mind spending money on the cars where needed to source the parts.

A little enthusiasm and positivity goes a long way,but this post is a clear indication as to the declining interest for club events.

No one is asking the club to store 50k worth of parts,but at the least with the help of members offer an alternative supplier for this problem.

An obsolete list is a waste of time as very few parts are available now.

Um.....i have accepted my coop is never going to be worth anything but i like it and really don't want to spend the £'s to get something of an alternative. Other than going to a Porch911 or Maserati i don't think there is an alternative car either...i wouldn't fancy playing/changing parts on those either.

This forum and very helpful members are also a massive part of me keeping the car and learning about it.

What can forum users do to keep the coop and forum going?

Should we join or donate to it? I don't really have time to go to many meets but do want to see the car and forum supported.

Tom.

We did that. By bringing owners together some guys including yourself saw there was potential and started up a business making sure the cars are kept on the road at a fraction of Fiat prices and with a lot more knowledge. Without the club, you guys wouldn't have been servicing Coupe's over the last few years and people would be on the lookout for 'old skool, high quality'... OFFICIAL AND EXPENSIVE Fiat garages.



You actually quoted the context you ignored.


... but in short... are you asking the club board to - apart from heaps of time - invest hundreds of thousands of pounds to get parts produced?

As far as I know, these are all available - places like Farnell's and RS Electronics stock them, as well as auto electrical specialists.

However... the covers are intended to be applied to the cable before the connector is crimped on. Once inserted, the pins can't be removed from the connector, and have to be cut off the cable. That makes the cable a couple of centimetres shorter, and requires in total new covers, connector housing, seals, and pins.

Bit of an aside, but with a bit of fiddling you can get the pins out of the connector....

Very tricky... they are supposed to be single use. If you can, then you can change the boot.

Another approach is to slit the boot, wrap it around, and superglue it back together.

I quite clearly said no one expects the club to keep 50k's worth of parts.

Before you get on the offensive as your clearly trying to do my intentions aren't criticism but that you recognise this is a worldwide problem.
Being one of the bigger fiat coupe clubs I think its essential that this problem is addressed and quickly.
There's a lot of members active that could maybe provide insight through there experiences or there occupation.

Personally I don't have the time to remanufacture or assist with this but I'm sure someone would be happy to cooperate with the bigger picture In mind.

I still have almost one of all new body panels which were purchased for the sole purpose of copying.
By all means I'm happy for someone to borrow these.
Rear 1/4 panels or repair panels are becoming very sought after.

I have a supplier local currently replicating the oil cooler pipes but not the coolers.

I'm keen to assist if others follow.

JBT, just who is stopping members sourcing parts The board would be only too happy if someone wanted to do so, we were trying for years to get this going. Now Joe is tring again and all that can be thrown at the board is negativity.

I served on the board for over 3 years and spent in excess of 20hrs a week on club work, all done in my own time. this is the sort of comittment needed just to run the club, let alone sourcing parts and selling them, that would require full time job commitment. To expect volunteers to do so it not just unrealistic but grossly unfair.

In my time on the board the vast amount of time was spent sorting out spats between those making money from owners.

The sad truth is there are just not enough Coupes around to ever warrant this on a large scale. But we can try and ensure supply of the most replaced parts.

If the club starts to make money it will also need to provide taxes, pay an accountant and consider all the other legal stuff that goes with that. If we were to pay for that sort of work then the club would be in debt within a year.

As I said earlier - the emphasis has to be identifying and where possible providing remanufactured parts or usable alternatives *where that part takes the car off the road*.

Bodywork is the least of the priorities, I feel.

For the want of a nail...

List updated

Fiat coupe mats with the 20v logo
Number plate light units
Bonnet struts.
Standard cat back exhaust systems for the 20v and 16v models.
16v n/a thermostats
Rear bumper reflectors
Bonnet cables
New turbo heat shields, a stainless option would be great!
Door seal
Boot seal
Front Grill
Coolant bottle
Interior carpets
Throttle cable kit
Gearstick bushes.
Handbrake cables, quality ones.
Under trays (Part number 46316194)
Bonnet pull handles
16vt & n/a ICV
16vt cam shaft sensor
Water pipes for the 16v models
16v n/a and turbo radiators
20v n/a radiators
LE B-pillar badges
Chrome B-pillar Turbo badges
Stabiliser arm cast mount bush
20vt downpipe support brackets. Or just the bush
Fuel tank straps
Radiator Supports (part number 46306520)
Drop Legs (part numbers 46304097 and 46304098)
Slam Panel (Part number 46317254 and 46317255)
Bonnet Sponges

If anyone has a dead 16V ICV, please let me have it; I may be able to get something organised.

@Barnacle: I tested the removal with some spare connectors with an assortment of special pliers/pins. This seems to work fine. Works differently on different kinds of connectors. However, didn't try it "live" on my car yet.
If you have a link where I can purchase the parts, please let us know. I recently noticed some of the same rubbers covers were in my '99 Brava also.

@All: great post. I use this to inquire scrapped cars before they get remelted. And to decide in which investments of the main suppliers to participate to get parts in my own stock. I allready have several of the "hard to get" parts new in private stock.

Neil I have a spare live 16vt one you can borrow, but John Snijders (CSP on the forum)in Holland had a batch of new ones made a year or so back so they may still be available from him.
In March this year I saw a message from him "We have now, 16v oilpump all engine mounts, etc"

I have contacted him to see what he can offer.

Not a live one thanks, Pete - I want to see how the solenoid comes out; I seem to recall it's crimped. But if it can be removed and replaced, it can be rewound...

Jaap - seals, pins, and sockets: http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/level5/module.jsp?moduleId=en/209256.xml

connectors female: http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/level5/module.jsp?moduleId=en/209255.xml

connectors male: http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/level5/module.jsp?moduleId=en/209254.xml

4-way boot: http://uk.farnell.com/te-connectivity/493581-1/boot-housing-4-way/dp/1822178

2-way boot: http://uk.farnell.com/te-connectivity-amp/880810-1/boot-2-pos-polyamide/dp/1872621

but no three way boots or the larger boots.

Here's the maker's page - it looks like they may have only a few boots now... http://www.te.com/catalog/products/en?q=superseal+1.5+boot

Damn.

Fiat coupe mats with the 20v logo
Number plate light units
Bonnet struts.
Standard cat back exhaust systems for the 20v and 16v models.
16v n/a thermostats
Rear bumper reflectors
Bonnet cables
New turbo heat shields, a stainless option would be great!
Door seal
Boot seal
Front Grill
Coolant bottle
Interior carpets
Throttle cable kit
Gearstick bushes.
Handbrake cables, quality ones.
Under trays (Part number 46316194)
Bonnet pull handles
16vt & n/a ICV
16vt cam shaft sensor
Water pipes for the 16v models
16v n/a and turbo radiators
20v n/a radiators
LE B-pillar badges
Chrome B-pillar Turbo badges
Stabiliser arm cast mount bush
20vt downpipe support brackets. Or just the bush
Fuel tank straps
Radiator Supports (part number 46306520)
Drop Legs (part numbers 46304097 and 46304098)
Slam Panel (Part number 46317254 and 46317255)
Bonnet Sponges

Bump