A bunch of 126p photos in its current shape

". ." (xllx) 06/03/2015 at 09:21 • Filed to: shoebox, blue torpedo

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The weather was nice today so I decided to take some photos of the Shoebox.

The interior is still far from being together, but the rest is pretty much finished. Well, the paint is crap but we won’t be respraying it this year. I have new hubcaps on the way as well, but they’ve only been sent out today and should arrive on friday. Here goes:

And yes, the engine cover is slightly on the wonk, but I haven’t gotten round to adjusting it correctly yet. The rust around the door handle is not an issue either as the doors will be getting replaced when we paint the car. The car’s obviously not been detailed yet and the oily substance visible on the bootlid and the engine cover is a rust inhibitor. I’ll get the excess off when I do the detailing. Headlights are also missing their covers (ones that go inside the boot); I have them and will put them on in due time (once I replace the headlight mounts and screws again). As for everything wrong with the interior you can assume that I’m planning to fix it.

pip bip - choose Corrour > . . 06/03/2015 at 09:29

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good ol FSM / Fiat

Slant6 > . . 06/03/2015 at 09:36

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I like how your license plate takes up most of the bumper.

Cé hé sin > . . 06/03/2015 at 10:04

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Nice to see they’re making an effort with the balconies.

Party-vi > . . 06/03/2015 at 10:27

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Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan if I could get one of those (or a SEAT 133) in the states for a realistic price that would be so cool!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 06/07/2015 at 10:30

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Very nice little ride! I live in Nova Scotia, Canada, and I’ve always wanted to import a classic FIAT 500...still want to very much!!! The 126 doesn’t look as nice, but I’ve started to fall in love with them too....they have their own quirky charm to them, plus, the same basic underpinnings as the classic 500, so pretty much the same driving experience! Outside of places like Poland and Eastern Europe, I think the little 126 is underappreciated compared to the classic 500!

I would get one of the earlier air-cooled 126s...mechanically simpler, so a little easier to maintain for me I would think (I’m not terribly mechanically-inclined but the simpler the better, especially as I couldn’t easily get spare parts when things go wrong!) As a plus, the 126 would still and a lot of swappable parts with the classic 500 if I was looking for replacement parts...love the thrumming of that little 2-cylinder chugging away! :)

My only worry is that I would have to buy a car sight unseen to have it shipped here....wouldn’t want to end up getting one that had a load of issues but looks great in pictures and then have to spend a pile of money to get it back to working order. I wouldn’t care if it was 100% perfect, as long as it was solid and was a good runner :). How much does a decent FIAT 126 go for over there? There was one for sale here in Canada in Ontario for $7500 Canadian, but that is 1200kms away :(

I’ll be following your Oppo page now, looking forward to hearing more about your little ‘Shoebox’! :D

I’ve got a lot of digital copies of manuals, etc. for the 126, but I don’t have any repair manuals in English....any idea where I could find one if I do manage to pick up a 126 someday? The only English manual I have is for the 126 BIS, which is the water-cooled one, of course, but I would love one in English for the air-cooled 126s...I do have a Polish manual for the air-cooled cars, but I don’t speak Polish, haha!

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 06/07/2015 at 11:14

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Good for you for wanting one, they’re pretty great fun. Don’t expect a remotely relaxing drive though. :D

I probably wouldn’t recommend getting a 126p BIS outside of Poland. They’re pretty rare these days and sell at a premium, plus they’re much more troublesome to maintain. Replacement parts unique to that model can be scarce.

As far as aircooled 126p prices go, as long as you’re buying an FL (2nd series) or an EL/ELX (3rd series like mine) if you pay anything close to 800 USD it should be pretty much perfect. First series ones (often called ST) sell for a bit more.

Rust is the biggest issue when buying a 126p. ELs generally rust the most, but a thorough body inspection is a must when buying any 126p. Rust usually appears on door sills, in foot wells, on boot floor and inside rear wings. Mine was pretty decent in terms of rust, but I still took it to the body shop to have the rust problem solved. Then i absolutely drowned it in rust check. Body panels rust as well, but they’re dirt cheap to replace.

Mechanical bits are important when buying any car, but in case of a 126p pretty much anything can be repaired very cheaply, so the condition of the body takes higher priority.

As far as the repair manuals go, I’ve not seen any in english. You can look for help on the biggest Polish 126p forum Rezerwa 126p in the International conversations section. You can also hit me up with any questions.

If you want to look at cars for sale this site is a good place to start.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 06/07/2015 at 12:19

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Yeah, I’ve heard rust is an issue...floors and door sills are pretty common in a lot of classic cars. Glad the parts are so cheap! The labour on the other hand....(at least around here).....not cheap! :(

I’ll definitely check out those sites! When you say boot, do you mean the boot at the front? I know the cars have cooling vents on the rear engine hood and I’ve seen vent covers for them to keep rain out...I wonder if they would help prevent any rusting in the engine area / keep the electrics a little drier?

I own a 2009 Hyundai Accent with no power windows, mirrors, or locks, no ABS, no Cruise Control and no ABS, so I’m already used to minimalist features in cars! :P

It’ll prob be awhile before I can get one...still looking for full-time work at the moment, and living at home, so no garage and no place to put one, but I will definitely check out those sales sites and that forum! :D

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 06/07/2015 at 13:22

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There’s pretty much nothing on a 126p that can’t be fixed in your own garage (or in the street!) with a basic set of tools. You may need to use a workshop to set up the suspension geometry or a specialist to set up your carburettor, but that’s about it. Those cars are ridiculously simple. I wouldn’t be lying if I said that there is no part in a 126p that can’t be easily removed within 2 hours, much less if you know your way around the car.

By boot I obviously mean the one at the front. The engine bay in the back has no floor. Engine bay rust is common as well though due to it being exposed to elements. Vent covers should be avoided unless you want them on for a retro vibe. They’re straight up snake oil and may even cause cooling issues. Only thing of the sort I’d recommend are rubber headlight frames for ST and FL models (EL/ELX have plastic frames from the factory). They seal the area around the headlights and prevent water from getting into the boot.

A large portion of the fun in owning a 126p comes from how incredibly basic and simple it is. You have four unassisted drum brakes, a manual choke, a cable operated starter and a manual washer fluid pump (just a big ol’ rubber button on the dash) on older cars, a clutch without dampening springs and a gearbox with an unsynchronised, straight cut first gear. This is a car in which a ventilation fan was optional equipment, not to mention a heated rear windshield (luckily most extra kit is very easy to retrofit). Up until 1994 they ran on leaded fuel and used inner tubes for the tyres. As mine is from the very end of the production run (1999) it has some modern touches that make it much more useable. It runs on unleaded fuel, has electronic ignition which makes the engine smoother, quieter, more economical and more reliable, it uses tubeless tyres, has a carbon filter for the fuel tank so it doesn’t constantly stink of petrol, it has an alternator (not a bloody dynamo) and a decent carb with fuel cut-off for when you’re coasting. Those things may make it less special and quirky, but they also make it much less of a pain in the bum.

My little Fiat also gets a ridiculous amounts of looks in the streets, much more than I expected, especially as I’m in Poland. I don’t think people are used to seeing them anymore. In Canada you’d probably get as much attention as supercars do.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 06/07/2015 at 22:37

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I have a decent spread of “basic tools”, but no power tools yet...also have to get a good torque wrench. I have one, but it’s a very large sized one, so couldn’t be used for things like engine bolts, etc.

Thanks for the info on the vent covers....I was curious if they were worth it. I knew they would keep water out to an extent, but I was worried about the cooling. As for fitting extra kit, I imagine they were all built from the factory with all the “extra option” bolt holes, etc. in place for some of that stuff, so that would probably help! :)

Sounds like a later-model 126 is the one to go for. I would definitely want an engine that could run on Unleaded...having to add lead additive would get a little tiresome after awhile! I know aftermarket electronic ignition is available for a decent price for any classic 500/126 engine if it doesn’t already have it (123Ignition comes to mind....ever hear anything negative about those kits?). That being said having a later model that already has it would be much great. What year did Electronic Ignition become standard? As for wheels/inner tubes, didn’t the 126 use the same bolt pattern as the original 500 and then switch over to FIAT’s more common 4x98 pattern? I know that tubeless tires/rims are available for the classic 500s, so they would work on the 126 whether it came from the factory with tubed tires or not! :) The alternator would be a must too! ;) I imagine they are just bolt-on to older engines though for the most part? The engines didn’t change much through production...the most I would do for electrics changes would probably be an upgrade to LED bulbs in a lot of places (brighter light = more visible on a small car!) and maybe add a stereo with an Aux. input for my MP3 player...would prob add a rear-window mounted, third “Center High Mount Stop Lamp” brakelight as well...it wouldn’t be legally required if the car never came with one, but all cars in Canada have had them since 1986.

It would get craploads of attention here...the attention would be interesting, but I wouldn’t be driving it for that, I just really like the quirkiness and “spunk” of these little cars. :) I’ve, sadly, never seen a 126 in person ever, and I’ve only ever seen two classic FIAT 500s in my life....they are both owned by the same guy in the town 10 minutes away from me, and I’ve only seen them up close once for like 6 minutes (I was on my way somewhere, but HAD to stop!) when he had them outside his car collection garage while he was having the garage renovated. They aren’t registered, inspected or insured for road use in Canada (yet, although I assume he will eventually), so currently they are always looked up in that garage and you only ever see them once in a blue moon when he has the outer wooden doors open and you can look in through the windowed garage door that is still closed and see them in the shadows :(....next time I see his daily driver car there and I have time, I may just have to be a pest and stop in and talk to him about them...

Completely random question...did any of the 126s ever come with Catalytic Converters, or are there any kits anywhere available with them for the 126/500? I may not do it, depending on cost, but it would be nice to have a classic car that is a little cleaner on the environment at the same time you are having fun! I wonder if there would be a significant performance decrease from one though...

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 06/08/2015 at 08:28

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If like you say you want the more modern car, you’ll want to shoot for a 1994 model or later. That’s when the 3rd series called EL (Elegant) was introduced. It’s when the car was converted to run on unleaded, a Nanoplex electronic ignition was introduced (aftermarket electronic ignition kits for the 126p aren’t popular because it’s much easier to just nick a module from a scrapped EL and put it in an older car), tubeless tyres became the standard (you can get rims meant for tubeless tyres on older cars as well, but they don’t look exactly like they should due to an extra lip). The EL had a slightly smoother, more rounded and more modern looking body (so body panels are not interchangeable with older cars) and shared some bits and pieces with the Cinquecento (mirrors, gear lever, similar looking instrument cluster). You’re right about the rims. Early ST models had an unconventional bolt pattern that got changed once upgraded brakes were introduced in 1977 (if I recall correctly).

As for the engine, it underwent a major modification in the late 70’s when a 650cc model was introduced. The 600cc engines appeared in some cars throughout the early 80’s but the stronger 650cc became the standard motor. Throughout the car’s life there were also minor changes made in an effort to improve the fuel economy. Still, starting with the FL model introduced in 1984 pretty much everything you can find on more modern cars bolts straight on.

In 1996 the ELX model was introduced. For the most part it was exactly like the EL series, except it had a catalytic converter built into the muffler. My car is a late ELX. In my videos you can hear a beeping noise when the choke lever is up. That alarm got introduced along with a choke light on the instrument panel to prevent people from overusing choke and burning out the cat. The late exhaust system with the built in cat has a very small, pretty much unnoticeable performance hit compared to the system from a regular EL. It’s also the quietest of all the available systems.

As for your plans to put in a radio, good luck with that. :D Starting in 1977 126p’s had a space in the dash that was supposed to house a radio so that’s not the problem. The issues start when you want to install speakers. The FL and EL/ELX models come with a space for one eliptical speaker under the passenger portion of the dash. Finding a speaker that fits there is very difficult though as the space is very tight. Most people end up cutting into the door cards or putting speakers down on the rear parcel shelf. Personally, I decided not to bother with a regular radio and get a decent bluetooth speaker for my tunes. I’ll report on how that works out once it arrives in the mail.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 06/09/2015 at 13:46

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I would want to plug my MP3 players in and neither of them have Bluetooth (Sandisk Sansa Clip+ 2GB with additional 4GB MicroSD card and a Sandisk Sansa Fuze 4GB)...maybe a decent little one of those high-quality computer speakers that has Bluetooth AND an aux input would work for me...

Hmmm....sounds like the later-model cars (1994and up) are the ones to go for, as much as I like the looks of the classic 126s more (the older chrome bumpers rather than the ugly black ones, for example, but the plastic ones aren’t TOO bad!). Being ready for Unleaded gas from the get-go would be a huge plus. Glad to hear parts swapping isn’t a big issue. I would probably go for the ‘97-99 ELX just because it has a catalytic converter and I would want to drive the car as much as I could, but that wouldn’t be a requirement for me....I’m not an “eco-nerd”...but I can at least try and be nicer to mother nature when I am cruising around! I guess it depends though, would an ELX catalytic converter exhaust bolt onto an older EL? I imagine it would with little trouble as it’s the same engine. Sure, I wouldn’t have the “warning beeping” but most good drivers would know their choke was on anyway...I doubt the performance hit would bother me....I wouldn’t even notice it I imagine!

Not a huge fan of the Cinquecento instrument cluster either...the older cluster looked a better fit to the “chunky” looks of the 126 to me....the Cinquecento cluster looks almost like an afterthought, but I guess it works ok!

I’ve looked at some of those sites you linked where they are for sale....looks like I could get a very decent one for $2000-$3000 CDN, but there would be shipping on top of that. Would also depend if the owner was willing to help me with the whole issue of shipping it to Canada anyway! No idea how much shipping would cost from Poland...I wonder if there is anybody who exports them or imports them to North America? Would be great to have somebody be able to go and look at one before I ended up pulling the trigger - I would hate having to buy sight unseen! Luckily for me, I at least live only an hour from Halifax here in Nova Scotia...Halifax is Canada’s most important Eastern port, so I could pick it up from there...

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 06/13/2015 at 13:26

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The ELX exhaust system would indeed bolt straight on other cars, thing is, it’d be next to impossible to get hold of. Maybe if you somehow managed to find a scrapped car with the exhaust in decent shape (which is hard enough even if you’re in Poland), but it’s still more than likely that the cat would be burnt out.

I don’t think there’s anyone who specialises in importing 126p’s to Canada. It’s much more common for cars to arrive in Poland from the west than leave that way. I think you’d have to call around shipping companies and ask them to help you arrange something.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 06/14/2015 at 13:37

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Ah, that makes sense! I’m surprised there are no companies that make replacements with the cats that I could buy brand new if I wanted to. Aren’t there still some later-model 126ps on the road that need parts? I guess they all just buy the non-cat replacements...probably cheaper and more plentiful. I assume exhausts designed for the older 500 will bolt onto the 126 engine considering they are so similar?

Yeah...calling the shipping companies wouldn’t be too bad. It’s the buying sight-unseen that would be the tricky part. I’d hate to have to pay a lot for one and have it arrive here with lots off issues! I HAVE seen a few in places like the Netherlands and the UK where they are for sale, but they are more expensive in those places than in Poland proper. I’ll make a post on the FIAT Forums and see if anybody has any suggestions! :D

How is the work on yours coming....any forthcoming updates? :)

I did manage to find a user manual in English from Autocar - it’s for older 126s though (1972-1976) as the book was produced in 1976 in England....probably not too much help on the newer 126p, but I imagine a lot is similar!

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 06/14/2015 at 20:32

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Any replaement exhausts made these days will not have a catalytic converter I’m afraid. Many ELX owners even swapped theirs for EL exhausts because they’re considerably lighter. As for 126p and 500 exhausts being interchangeable - they might be, but I don’t think you’ll be able to fit original exhaust mounts and may need to manufacture some yourself. If I remember correctly even early 126ps had differently shaped exhaust pipes so later mounts won’t fit.

Unfortunately, I haven’t really been able to do any work on my Fiat lately. Got bogged down with university.

That user manual you found may still get quite a few things right. The suspension hasn’t changed throughout the years for example.

RustedSprinter > . . 06/17/2015 at 21:13

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So cool!!!!!!! Your so lucky you have one dude!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 07/01/2015 at 21:22

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Was just looking back over your pics and noticed this little tank/can - curious as to what it is? Is that a filter on top that I see?

Oil catch can maybe...?

I don’t see reference in this to any of my older English Service Manuals!

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/02/2015 at 14:44

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It’s a carbon filter for petrol fumes, only present on newest models. Helps the car not constantly smell of fuel and be better for the environment. I was actually initially baffled as to what that was as well!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 07/02/2015 at 15:21

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Haha, glad I’m not the only one! :D I thought it was a oil catch can at first, but the filter above it (I think that’s what the red/white thing is, isn’t it?) made me wonder. I wonder if those are easily retrofitted on the older cars as well....having a car that doesn’t constantly reek of fuel = win!

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/03/2015 at 11:47

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The little ufo shaped thing is a valve preventing fumes from returning to the tank.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . . 07/03/2015 at 12:11

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Ah, makes sense! I thought it was one of these from a distance for some reason! :)

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/03/2015 at 13:45

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The fuel filter is just under the filter tank thingy, but it’s on a separate line.