Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

3 posters

Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by jas_racing Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:18 am

Evening All,

After completing the restoration and rebuild of my mk1 UT last year I've been itching to get stuck into my next project - bringing my former daily-driver 1999 Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo back to former glory after retiring her from daily service in November 2014.

I bought her in December 2007 from a chap near Newark - he'd only owned her a few months but was short of cash so I swooped in and bought the car at a very favourable price. Admittedly it needed a bit of tidying up plus the turbo oil seals were starting to go (common issue) but more importantly it was the right colour and a "Plus" model. I already owned a normal 20V turbo model but had hankered after a Plus for ages - no difference in performance but the Plus came with a few extra's that to me make a huge difference i.e. 6-speed gearbox, push-button start, Recaro seats, red Brembo front calipers, different wheels, front strut brace, 180mph speedo + other stuff I can't recall right now!

I took her from 63k to 118k miles between early 2008 and late 2014 and had very few issues, even with a stage 1 remap applied that took power from 220 to 260bhp (best £200 I've ever spent!). After several months of work in 2008 to bring her up to my standard she looked (in my eyes at least) stunning:

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory DSC08538b
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory IMAGE_286a

The 5-cylinder howl on boost is highly addictive! I'd have happily carried on driving her for many years to come but sadly in early 2014 I noticed that the (all original) paint on the roof and bonnet was deteriorating big time (another common issue) plus with the list of MOT advisories from late 2013 on my mind I took the decision to retire her Sad pending a future project to bring her back to life and former glory.

This is how she looked after being retired (complete with a few cat paw prints):
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3289_zpsquvuphru
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3290_zpsnt3d5fdy
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3291_zpstkhlcxcu
Not pretty Sad

The plan was/is to do a full overhaul of all suspension & brakes, deal with any (hopefully minor) rust issues underneath then a full respray. The engine & 'box run perfectly so no need to do anything in that department. I got started in March this year - not busting a gut to get her done in double-quick time, just doing a little bit each weekend to make steady process.

First was the rear end underside...which turned out to be MUCH worse than I thought. More to follow!
jas_racing
jas_racing
5th gear
5th gear

Posts : 314
Join date : 2013-01-29
Age : 47
Location : Peterborough

Back to top Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Re: Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by jas_racing Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:19 am

So, onto the rear end...

Stripping down the rear suspension & brakes made me realise just how knackered everything was...and how corroded it all looked. At 16 I don't consider her an 'old' car but the years and miles have taken their toll. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Subframe to chassis rear mount:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3293_zpsidvtucbk

Inner arch, pop-stud hole for the arch liner:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3295_zpswt2b7ioo

Underside of the spare wheel well, where it meets the rear panel (common corrosion area):
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3297_zpsng3o8rq0

Crusty rear trailing arm (and coil spring in the background):
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3302_zpslob4s7zi

Floor pan:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3304_zpsegehghd0

Where the inner arch meets the sill, driver's side:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3309_zpsw9nc6mmp

Subframe to chassis, other side:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3311_zpszymfo8nn

Subframe, where the trailing arm pivots:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3316_zpsiosddnna

Interior still looks good though:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3306_zpsczdetsie
jas_racing
jas_racing
5th gear
5th gear

Posts : 314
Join date : 2013-01-29
Age : 47
Location : Peterborough

Back to top Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Re: Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by jas_racing Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:20 am

After a few hours with some large spanners and long breaker-bars I had the grotty looking rear subframe and trailing arms off:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3346_zpsdbntmc6k

Eew:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3358_zpseqaran9v

Trailing arm:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3348_zpsexbdm52g

This then allowed me to poke and scrape at the areas of corrosion on the chassis:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3347_zpsbunztaom
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3494_zpspa79jrev
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3496_zpsgtl1bl3z
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3497_zpsyqgmhdyf
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3499_zpsnf2gltjv
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3501_zpscjiggvpu
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3502_zps64qbpuxj
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3505_zpsri36xw1e
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3509_zpsykyfftrl

Bottom of the spare wheel well not looking good after a poke around:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3498_zpsx65by5oh

All the pop-stud holes in the inner arches had caused a lot of corrosion so I set about cutting out a few bits to see just how bad they are:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3500_zps7r3xfph2

My original thoughts of merely treating a few areas of surface corrosion went out the window at this point as clearly some welding would be required. I spent a few days in two-minds about whether to ditch the project as 'too far gone' or not but the present Mrs jas_racing convinced me to stick with it. Whilst I can weld odd patches in, some of the stuff pictured above is a bit too much for me to tackle so I decided to do what I could and leave the rest to a pro to do at some point down the line.
jas_racing
jas_racing
5th gear
5th gear

Posts : 314
Join date : 2013-01-29
Age : 47
Location : Peterborough

Back to top Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Re: Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by jas_racing Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:22 am

So, after discovering more corrosion than I'd anticipated I hatched a plan to deal with the minor/surface stuff myself courtesy of POR-15 but leave anything that needs welding to a specialist to do at a later date (prior to the full respray).

A couple more shots of the corroded areas once I finished scraping & exploring:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3532_zpsi31xbbda
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3533_zpsc2p81lhd
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3534_zpsst3flce8

The grey area in this one is the factory underseal, the black on the left is the underseal I had done in 2010, so it seems they didn't drop the fuel tank to do it censored
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3531_zpsy3uzmgwx

Onto the POR process, the usual Clean > Prep > Paint stages, a few shots after Prep: (love the way the Prep stuff turns the orangy corrosion grey)
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3535_zpsbk71blvz
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3538_zpsuxcx77dd
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3536_zpsg87rfnz2
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3539_zpsnyfdtfan

Having learnt the hard way in the past just how difficult it is to get POR-15 paint off your skin I was taking no chances:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory IMAG0133_zpsw3rpct9p

Two coats of POR-15 paint were applied, took about 3 hours in total rolling around on cold gravel on my back :rolleyes:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3540_zps4lkfrwem
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3541_zpsgbnmolge
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3547_zpsyygrhlog
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3543_zpswrgt9ytk
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3544_zpst1yofgla
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3546_zpstx6z8qdx
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3548_zpsvqen79vk

Finally, two coats of Dinitrol Underbody Wax:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3569_zpsottfqbnq
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3572_zpsjxkaboiz
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3574_zpsnfke4rmr
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3575_zpsa06jvcai
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3577_zpsdq167znq
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3579_zpsiftwpu1k
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3576_zpsmxrxy261
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3573_zpsfrayes8n
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3568_zpszznuoetd
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3570_zpsk7i0zon4

Mechanicals next Smile
jas_racing
jas_racing
5th gear
5th gear

Posts : 314
Join date : 2013-01-29
Age : 47
Location : Peterborough

Back to top Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Re: Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by jas_racing Sun Dec 06, 2015 9:23 am

To get started on the mechanicals I sent a pile of parts off to the shot-blaster, several weeks later I got them back but they'd already spent some days outside in the pouring rain by the time I collected them:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3487_zpslbkol8tp
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3488_zpstmcgfo7t
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3489_zpsziwjjzxf

After POR Clean & Prep:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3490_zpsq6f0n0vp
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3491_zpshrnc7dm4

Two coats of POR paint:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3520_zpsnafm30c3
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3523_zpsl8edhcyw
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3522_zpshfntnvqq

I decided to replace the bearings in the trailing arms too as these do tend to wear on Coupé's and it's dead easy to do when the arms are already off the car.  Old bearings out and inner bore cleaned up ready to accept the new bearing:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3517_zpskijdqtr0

New bearing kit (for one side):
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3525_zps5064l3g3

Pic of one end when the kit was fitted:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3526_zpsghffsohd

For the rear beam and anti-roll bar I decided to go a different route than POR-15 as this project is more about durability than appearance, and where I work we rather fortuitously have both a galvanising plant and powder-coating line.

A reminder of how the rear beam looked when it came off the car:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3354_zpszonjhjre

Beam was shot blasted (sorry no pics of this) then galvanised along with the ARB:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory IMAG0116_zpsb4il1gsm
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory IMAG0117_zpskhr3cvyg

Rear beam after powder-coating and with new uprated mounting bushes fittted:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3515_zpsqmur8ene
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3516_zps0mr73l4q

ARB after powder-coating:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3527_zpsmewhk6rx
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3529_zpsknseobtc

Rear beam with new load-proportioning valve and brake pipes fitted:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3549_zpsj1hvpozm
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3550_zpsjkw41rc7
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3552_zpsaaxg8cxn
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3551_zpswnkdp3ys

Brake pipes are copper-nickel and I had stainless steel brake pipe nuts custom-made as I've spent too much time over the years struggling to undo corroded mild steel/zinc plated ones.

New Monroe dampers to go on the rear beam (easier to fit with the beam off the car as the bolt is only accessible through small access holes in the rear chassis rails once the beam is mounted on the car):
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3580_zpsw3lv60a1

Ready to fit:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3581_zpsigevowl5

And finally back on the car:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3584_zpspgkse7ul
Not easy to do on your own!

Trailing arm fitted on N/S:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3586_zpsrs9ob1ia

And O/S:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3583_zpskff2tgjg

Another shot of the beam in place:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3588_zpsvmcufe7c_edit_1446241968233_zpspdopiukf

You've probably noticed but all fasteners are new too, mainly stainless steel but odd ones that need to be high-tensile are 12.9 grade mild steel.

ARB is fitted behind the beam in this pic (not that it can be seen!) but this pic was to show the new spring fitted connecting it to the load-proportioning valve:
Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory SAM_3587_zpshjqo725k

That's pretty much up to date now, great to be bolting bits back on! Smile


Last edited by jas_racing on Mon Dec 07, 2015 6:21 am; edited 1 time in total
jas_racing
jas_racing
5th gear
5th gear

Posts : 314
Join date : 2013-01-29
Age : 47
Location : Peterborough

Back to top Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Re: Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by youknowturbo Sun Dec 06, 2015 1:21 pm

as usual with you jeremy, mint!!

youknowturbo
4th gear
4th gear

Posts : 102
Join date : 2013-06-10
Age : 36

Back to top Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Re: Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by st1allstar Wed Dec 16, 2015 9:53 pm

looking good jeremy, good luck with the project
st1allstar
st1allstar
Over boosting
Over boosting

Posts : 539
Join date : 2013-03-01
Age : 38
Location : west mids

Back to top Go down

Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory Empty Re: Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo Plus - Back to Former Glory

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum