Work carried out so far:

-Engine bay degrease and jet wash
-Coolant expansion tank clean
-Fit new brake fluid cap
-Fit new oil dipstick
-Fit new fiat bonnet and boot badges
-Fit new wipers
-Fit new horns
-Fit new lifetime warranty Yuasa battery

Jobs to do in next week:

-New NGK Iridium plugs
-New OE air filter
-New OE oil filter
-Mobil No1 10W60 fully synthetic oil
-New Dunlop SprtMaxx RT tyres
-New windscreen
-New cat back stainless exhaust with 3" slash cut tailpipe

Jobs booked in with Joe at FCSS:

-Fit new cam belt kit, water pump, cam, crank phase sensors and aux belts.
-Fit new three piece clutch kit including slave.
-Fit new Viper coolant hose kit, new thermostat, ecu temp sensor
-Fit new Valeo radiator.
-Fit new A/C condenser
-Remove callipers for refurbishing.
-Remove front and rear suspension, 6x brake flex lines.
-Strip front hubs and install new wheel bearings.
-Clean complete underside of vehicle including where access allows around the fuel tank, arch liners.
-Treat any surface rust with POR15 treatment.
-Refit new front and rear suspension components.
-Refit front and rear brake callipers with new discs and pads.
-Fit new hand brake cables.
-Fit new HEL brake flex lines and compensator spring.
-Bleed full brake and clutch system with DOT4 fluid.
-New oil cooler to original pipes.
-Fit new C/V gaiters to O/S and N/S drive shafts.
-Fit new steering gaiters to track rod end and possibly new rods, ends depending on there inspection.
-Install new heater matrix and seals while coolant system is drained.
-Change turbo oil return line for new OE pipe.
-Fit new rear bearing hubs units.
-fit new
-Fit service items, fuel and pollen filter.
-LED sidelight and HID headlight conversion
-polish and restore headlight plastics
-Hydrodip centre and handbrake consoles
-Refill coolant system with Parablue coolant.
-Check power steering fluid.
-Refill gearbox with 2ltrs 85/90 Mobile 1 oil.
-Under seal floor pans, front inner arches and accessible areas at rear with a light coating of under seal.
-Fit new under bonnet/wheelarch foam seals/gaskets
-Inspect rear subframe and replace bushes as required
-MOT

An enviable project!

How do you clean the coolant tank? Mine needs a fettle!

Thanks

I patiently waited for the right car to come along and last weekend it did.

I received a nod from a fellow forum member about a one keeper, 30k mile Crono grey LE for sale in London and after jumping on the train and heading south, found myself driving her home the same day with a huge grin on my face.

The car itself is sound. Not a spot of corrossion and the interior looked like it had never been sat in. The engine, turbo and gearbox seemed as tight as the day it rolled out the showroom and although the car was far from perfect, it was something I was going to make mine and only needs mechanically refreshing and a few cosmetic enhancements.

The car is 17 years old and is still running with everything original (even tyres) and time has not been kind to the rubbers or plastics and they have all perished.

Work started as soon as I got home and here is a brief rundown on what has been done and what is planned in the short and medium term future.......

Work carried out so far:

-Engine bay degrease and jet wash
-Coolant expansion tank clean
-Fit new brake fluid cap
-Fit new oil dipstick
-Fit new fiat bonnet and boot badges
-Fit new wipers
-Fit new horns
-Fit new lifetime warranty Yuasa battery

Jobs to do in next week:

-New NGK Iridium plugs
-New OE air filter
-New OE oil filter
-Mobil No1 10W60 fully synthetic oil
-New Dunlop SprtMaxx RT tyres
-New windscreen
-New cat back stainless exhaust with 3" slash cut tailpipe

Jobs booked in with Joe at FCSS:

-Fit new cam belt kit, water pump, cam, crank phase sensors and aux belts.
-Fit new three piece clutch kit including slave.
-Fit new Viper coolant hose kit, new thermostat, ecu temp sensor
-Fit new Valeo radiator.
-Fit new A/C condenser
-Remove callipers for refurbishing.
-Remove front and rear suspension, 6x brake flex lines.
-Strip front hubs and install new wheel bearings.
-Clean complete underside of vehicle including where access allows around the fuel tank, arch liners.
-Treat any surface rust with POR15 treatment.
-Refit new front and rear suspension components.
-Refit front and rear brake callipers with new discs and pads.
-Fit new hand brake cables.
-Fit new HEL brake flex lines and compensator spring.
-Bleed full brake and clutch system with DOT4 fluid.
-New oil cooler to original pipes.
-Fit new C/V gaiters to O/S and N/S drive shafts.
-Fit new steering gaiters to track rod end and possibly new rods, ends depending on there inspection.
-Install new heater matrix and seals while coolant system is drained.
-Change turbo oil return line for new OE pipe.
-Fit new rear bearing hubs units.
-fit new
-Fit service items, fuel and pollen filter.
-LED sidelight and HID headlight conversion
-polish and restore headlight plastics
-Hydrodip centre and handbrake consoles
-Refill coolant system with Parablue coolant.
-Check power steering fluid.
-Refill gearbox with 2ltrs 85/90 Mobile 1 oil.
-Under seal floor pans, front inner arches and accessible areas at rear with a light coating of under seal.
-Fit new under bonnet/wheelarch foam seals/gaskets
-Inspect rear subframe and replace bushes as required
-MOT

A full Windows out respray is also planned for Autumn 2016

Before engine clean



After engine clean


Before coolant expansion tank clean


After cleaning expansion tank and fitting new horns



New Yuasa battery

The day I bought the car....

Looks superb, a real find!
Congratulations on finding it and the work all ready completed.
A credit to former owner and yourself on taking it further.

New tyres fitted this morning and now halfway through its oil change service. New plugs and air filter too

Tomorrow brings a new windscreen and being measured up for a custom stainless cat back exhaust too

New tyres fitted this morning and now halfway through its oil change service. New plugs and air filter too

Tomorrow brings a new windscreen and being measured up for a custom stainless cat back exhaust too

Really superb looking LE you've got yourself there. I am amazed there are such low mileage examples out there still, although there really can't be many now.

That's quite a list of jobs there for Joe to get his teeth into. Such a cracking coupe deserves no less though and it's good to know this one is going to be given everything it deserves.

Cheers mate!

Fiat part number for dipstick is second one down on the left and I got it from fiat dealer

Service complete. Air filter, plugs and oil didn't look too clever but now holding 3 bar cold and around 2.8 bar at max temperature after a little play. Oh what a sweet sweet sound that 5 pot turbo makes when being driven how it likes it

Be even better with the custom cat-back Clintos
Almost criminal to run a Coupe with a standard exhaust.

It's not even standard at the moment as the OEM one tailpipe fell off and a 1" rusty pipe has been clamped on it

Great looking car, love the interior in particular

Fandabbidozi!

Thanks Clintos, really very helpful.

Blimey. That is some serious refurbishment. Make my efforts look like polishing a turd...

What is wrong with the windscreen and paintwork? Just interested to know given the low mileage.

Windscreen got a chip in the middle and has been an advisory for last two years and now can't be repaired as it was left too long. I'm anal and don't want any advisories when its MOT is due. Paintwork is still 17 years old, regardless of mileage and I want it to shine like new if not better. However, not getting paintwork done till winter as there is nothing wrong with it, just me being anal again

Clintos

I know money is no object for coupe owners it's the live love of driving
real car, but interested in your spend so far ?

Clintos,

Meant to ask did you get the matching jacket with it? If not worth asking previous owner if he still has it, he may have forgotten about it.
Just nice to have, not something to wear!!
I can be a bit anal too and was one of the questions I asked when buying mine!

I texted the previous owner and he didn't even know there was one available.

Once the work has been completed with Joe, total cost including the car will be around £17k and around £21k with the windows out respray

Thought it would have been more considering the amount
of work being done. It will be like a new the enjoyment to
drive rather than own it will be worth every penny.

Paint job planned for Autumn/winter as the car will be away for a few month and I want the summer use out of her

When you get her back from Joe if you're visiting events in London
Let's us know would love to see the Coupe .

The terminals to battery look brand new ......

On the hydrodiip are you keeping the original colour

If I can't hydrodip due to the curves on the handbrake console, I'll probably be looking at a vinyl wrap. As it is just the plastics and they can be changed back to standard pretty easily, I will be customising them to my taste and then trying to get hold of a spare set of consoles that I can return to OE.

As far as pattern goes, I'm trying to get a Matt satin carbon fibre twill weave like in the attached photo to compliment the LE interior.

Won't be doing much this year as my fiancé is still recovering from a bad bike crash and has various hospital appointments and therapies during the week, every week. She can't sit in a car too long either as she broke her back so fingers crossed hopefully one day in the near future we might be able to plan an ACE Cafe meet or something similar

New windscreen fitted and looking fantastic I must say. One less MOT advisory next month to worry about. My aim is to have an MOT without a single advisory