Fiat 131 Abarth
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Fiat 131 Abarth
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| MY (EX) FIAT 600 D AND MY OTHER FIATS....
STORY OF IT. I work as paramedic/ambulance driver here in Finland. One time we were going to patient in country, I noticed familiar glaze in bushes. I saw little piece of chrome and as old Fiatist I recognized it to be... FIAT 600!!! Next time I had day off I went to look for it. It looked quite nice, almost no rust, and almost every part was on. I was little Sherlock and found the owner. I called and he wanted 2000,-FIM for it, I thought it was little too much and waited one year before the fever was bad enough! Finally at this June I bough it. Its model -71, driven only 70 000 km. Only one owner, old lady who worked as post officer. It was fourteen years in forest!! -86 she thought that Fiat has done its job. What a fool!! As in every project, It was lot worse than I first looked. Lot of welding and electric job to do. I had same kind 600 earlier but it got little too big project and I sold it last summer. So, I have done this once earlier, didnt remember it good enough!! Its big job!!
Right after I bought it, lights were on, now taken of for wash. Lucky me, only only rotor cap was so poor it didnt get running. I changed it, voila! it got running!! Of course I changed oils, filters, plugs, wires, distributor cover and cooler fluids. I also washed gasoline tank, and checked brakes. Brakes got only little air in lines!!
Welding, welding, welding,,, here is only 2/10 holes.
In Finland we must take cars to inspection to get plates. Only thing they wanted to be made was front brake hoses, rubber was little bad. Also silencer was like it had been shot with shotgun! I found new silencer for 20,-FIM (3 USD), not much? But with brake hoses I got in trouble. Not available anymore by normal dealers! Shit happens I thought and bought Lada hoses. Only thing was that they do have different type of nut to line. Old was short new was long. So I made new pipes too. After little problems with airing brakelines I took it to inspection again. Now no problem. I used my new 600 till my girlfriend got pregnant (good), but he told me that he wont drive with baby in 600 (bad). So I needed to change girlfriend or car... Hard choise (joke joke joke...), but then I sold 600. Guy who bought it, drove one km from his home, very first kilometer!! And young lady drove to its left door!!!!! Totally shit!! He sold it to someone who had courage to start rebuild. Some story, huh?
MY OTHER FIATS My first Fiat was -82 model 131 Racing. I bought it -91. It had been driven off road so I had to do lot work to make it work. Little after that I bought 131 Panorama, drove it a little and dismantled it for spare parts.
Then I bought -71 600 D, that one I owned from 1992 to 1999. It got little too big project with 903cc engine and abarth fenders. I sold it away. At -92 I also bought my first race car, Fiat 850. I took it from woods and used 2,0TC engine and VW transaxle. Great acceleration, no driveability at all!! I sold it to friend of mine who has now that yellow EVO 850. For some reason he sold it forwards too...
I thought this is project.... But it only looks better now, terrible to drive ! Little before I sold that 850 away I bought another 850 to restore. No time for that either, that body is now EVO 850. I also bought one 600 for spares, but sold that too for project. Now its ready, I have heard.
I sold that race 850 because I had bought race 131. I did a some job with it!! I moved engine 20 cm to backwards, also drivers place went backwards. I did put cooler to trunk, all because weight balance. After those movements I had 52 % of weight at rear axle. It was quite nice to drive, but I started looking to rallying...
In that time I was grown out of my Racing (got too noicy 1995) and I changed it to -88 Regata 100S (1,6 TC engine) I drove that one to -97. I sold it away and bought -84 Uno 70 because I had to drive 300km to school every week.
Mid-summer party 1996, comfortable sleeping....
1996 I started building my rally car. That yellow I use now, did it one year. I sold my 131 race car away october -96 and drove first rally with my latest car in 3/971998 I got my school finished and sold that lousy Uno away (NO UNO EVER AGAIN!!!!!! shouted my girlfriend! after 20km driving she had to rest because it was so terrible to drive! he he..) and bought -89 Tipo 1,6 DGT. That was other wise good but it had too much rust. Changed it -99 to my rally service car (Ford Transit!!!)..
On our summer holiday in Norway, few km to Narvik. Fiat is very reliable... Note road service car coming.
Then 2000 summer I bought that beige 600, sold It January 2001 and bought my latest Fiat -89 1,4 Tipo Media. Very nice car for daily use. I think Tipo is very reasonably priced compared its skills. Some time ago I also bought another 131 race body. Just for spare because if I drive off sometime, its good to have allmost ready body!! Well, now I sold it, needed money for new brakes to race 131. May 2003 I bought this Marea 1,8 16V Weekend for our family. Just got another baby and Tipo got too small. Colour is Tivoli Verde, looks black/green/dark blue compared to light and watch angle. Nice, huh?? :)
I have also had one 127 little time and some other cars too. Here listed; 3x Fiat 600 2 in daily use 2x Fiat 850 1 in race use 1x Fiat 127 5x Fiat 131 2d 1 in daily use, 2 in active rally use 1x Fiat 131 Panorama 1x Fiat Uno 70 1x Fiat Regata 100S 1x Fiat Tipo 1,6 DGT 1x Fiat Tipo 1,4 MEDIA 1x Fiat Marea 1,8 16V Weekend (-98 model)
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