Clever engineering simplicity! :)

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
02/13/2016 at 19:43 • Filed to: None

Just how many parts are there to a classic FIAT 500/126 engine?

Enough to fit everything 3/4 the area of a small blanket when disassembled! :) The block fits on a t-shirt!

Check out and enjoy this nifty timelapse of a stripdown, paint and re-build I found when looking up random Maluch stuff! I actually quite like the interesting brown-orange metallic color they chose to do the engine’s tinware in! :D

......Also, 1980's Billy Idol music!

DISCUSSION (32)

bob and john > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
02/13/2016 at 20:14

IDK why, but this came to mind for the video:

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > bob and john
02/13/2016 at 20:32

The music, understandable, but if you mean that particular Bugs Bunny scene, you are a strange fella. :P

bob and john > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
02/13/2016 at 20:36

I am also hammeredd ATM, so that might explain it.

but yes I was refering to the music./

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/18/2016 at 12:18

I wonder why they didn’t replace the horribly dented oil pan. Those things aren’t expensive (used for 5-10 USD, 15-20 USD for new). :/

Also, there’s not much point to getting attached to nice tinware in a 126p. That engine compartment is a wonderfully filthy place, especially if you run without the engine undertray like I do. :D

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/18/2016 at 17:05

Haha, I’m intending to have an undertray on mine...may as well keep it a little clean in there! :P

My only worry is just the water getting in through the top vents and rusting everything out over time if I ever drive it in the rain...

A dirty engine bay isn’t bad, just means it’s well-used (and therefore well-loved)! :) I would probably want it to be at least all straight though, with no dents...beat up tinware = loss in cooling efficiency, at least a bit, for whatever it’s worth!

I was thinking to myself the other day how hard it would be to design and 3D print some clip-on scoops that one could latch onto the side of the 126's side intake vents to help diret some air to the engine...? You could leave them off most of the time, but, for example, if you’re headed out on a hot day, or on a longer drive at higher speeds (70-80kph), they could help force a little more air into the engine to keep it happy?

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/18/2016 at 17:11

You really needn’t worry about how efficient teh cooling is on that car. If anything, out of the mediterranean heat cooling on a healthy 126p is too good. I mean, I drove mine through a heatwave with temperatures around 40*C with a thermostat jammed shut and it never complained.

Also, don’t worry about water getting in through the slots. You can get something to mask them if you plan to keep the car outside, but when you’re driving just leave them open. The engine bay gets rather warm when the engine is running so there won’t be any water sitting in there anyway.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/18/2016 at 17:30

lol.....sadly, I never thought to myself “Derp, engines get hot, hot evaporates water...”

....so I never really thought of the fact water sitting in the bay wouldn’t really be an issue LOL.

Glad to hear the cooling is great though! I live in Nova Scotia, Canada, so I’m pretty much on the same longitude you’re at, although a little lower so I imagine our weather / temps are pretty similar during the seasons. 40*C is about the hottest it ever gets here in the summer as well, although usually more like mid-30s as I live in a more rural area. I’ve thought about getting those rear vent covers , but a lot of people say they are a bad idea!

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/18/2016 at 17:38

Yeah, those vent covers aren’t great, they’re pretty much snake oil sold at the time. The only reason why you’d want to have them on these days is for an authentic 80's look really.

Cooling is definitely more than adequate though. It’s more of a challenge to keep the heat in the motor than out in a 126p. When driving around town at speeds around 50-60 kph and stopping for red lights you won’t really get any heating in temperatures below 10 degrees. Driving around on A and B roads at speeds over 70 will get you nice and toasty though. :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/19/2016 at 09:38

Luckily most of the roads around here ARE A and B roads with 70 or 80kph limits! :P

My Accent currently takes about 4 mins at 80kph to get decent heat coming through the vents from being parked overnight in the cold.

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/19/2016 at 10:04

I’ve no idea how long the 126p takes to warm up when driving it out of the city. I’ve only ever done that in the summer, and there’s at least a 10 minute drive from its garage to any A road anyway. The only time we drove it out of the city in the winter was when we first bought it and were bringing it home. After that 70 km drive the interior was boiling hot. :P

Regarding ventilation though, I really recommend those openable rear windows. Not only do they provide nice, non-drafty airflow when you want it, but they also make the engine sound nicer when they’re open. :D

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/19/2016 at 10:11

Weren’t they only available on the EL/ELX...? I’ll prob be aiming for an FL (as that’s what everybody seems to suggest...), did the FL get them too? I imagine they aren’t too hard to retrofit, but a car WITH them from the get go would be a bonus...

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/19/2016 at 10:55

I think they were available in every generation, just not all that common. Also, they’re indeed quite easy to retrofit, although I’ve heard of some people losing bolts in C-pillars where you can’t get them out when trying to attach those windows. :D

Also, not sure if there’s a point to limiting yourself to just one generation. I initially thought I’d never go for an ELX, but ended up buying one when an opportunity presented itself. Just get whatever’s in good shape and well priced, whether it’s an FL or EL(X). Not much hope in getting a reasonable priced ST these days unfortunately.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/19/2016 at 11:10

True....a lot of the STs had the smaller-sized engine though, so I definitely want a later car with the 650cc engine. The only reason most people have mentioned the FT over other generations was that they were built with better-quality steel, so harder to rust. Losing bolts into the C-pillars eh? That sounds like a very irritating rattle-y problem...haha!

I would definitely go for an EL or ELX if a good one presented itself with little to no rust (plus, they are cheaper than the FL too, which would be nice!). My only issue is being on the other side of the ocean, so hopefully you or a fellow Polish 126 fan can help “look into” any I consider for sale! :)

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/19/2016 at 11:28

It’s true that FLs were built with better quality metal and therefore rust a bit less, although that factor is somewhat offset by their higher age. Pretty much any 126p you get is going to have some rust problems unless it’s been kept in a garage all its life and meticulously cared for, there’s no getting around that. No matter what generation you buy it’s going to be in one of 3 conditions: garaged its whole life and never driven in inclement weather, pre body rebuild or, post body rebuild. Unfortunately, buying long distance it’s going to be difficult to get one from the first category if they’re priced anything close to reasonably. :(

I was reasonably lucky with mine. It had a bit of rust inside rear wings, on the frunk floor, and on the bottom of its doors (mostly driver’s door). Also there was some mild thinning of metal on the floor which didn’t really need an intervention, but we sorted it out anyway. I know that my 126p had its rocker panels replaced which is extremely common at this point. Body parts are cheap (although of varying quality), but delivery to Canada probably wouldn’t be. Also, your body shop rates are probably much higher than ours. Unfortunately, your pretty much only hope for a 126p that doesn’t need any bodywork done is to buy a rezerwa126p member’s car.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/19/2016 at 11:37

Yeah....none of that surprises me. Bodywork is very expensive over here, sadly. My small accident last January that dented in the rear-right corner of my Accent cost something like $1300 CAD to repair!

If nobody from Rezerwa126P has their car up for sale, I’ve also thought about seeing if anybody there would be willing to help me buy one, then get all the bodywork, tune-ups, etc. done in Poland (I’d of course pay them to help get that done for me / pay for the work) and then have it shipped over to me....not sure how feasible that would be though, but the few posts I’ve made there explaining my situation make it sound like they are good people... :)

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/19/2016 at 11:52

I think the fact that with a car like a 126p it’s pretty much always a case of if you want it to be perfect, you’ll have to make it perfect yourself, which is a helluva lot easier and cheaper if you’re in Poland. Buying one that’s already been fully restored means that you’re buying somebody’s pride and joy, which is expensive. Unrestored cars in good shape are almost immediatelly snapped up eitehr by collectors or used car dealers looking to flip them as prices are rising.

I don’t know what sort of condition you’re imagining your future Fiat to be in, but bear in mind that restoring one, while cheap compared to otehr cars, will still take you over your budget in a heartbeat. And that’s without having to ship cars to Canada or pay your bodyshop prices. I don’t have a precise estimate on how much it cost to restore mine to the shape it’s in right now, but it was a few times more expensive than buying the car in the first place, even though we did all the mechanical work ourselves. And it still hasn’t been repainted! Granted, we’ve gone a bit crazy with replacing almost every part we could, as they’re generally very cheap. Still, those cheap parts add up quickly.

For ballpark part prices check out this link (ran it through google translate for you). They’re slightly more expensive than auction sites, but usually by juest a few PLN. Also, you could probably work out decent shipping terms with them.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/19/2016 at 12:05

Just leaving my first job for my second job, so I’ll check out your post in more detail and that link tonight when I get home, thanks! :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/20/2016 at 21:12

I wouldn’t mind doing a bit of work to one myself, as long as it is quite solid underneath. The bodywork I may have to send out for, but part of the reason for buying a 126 myself is to be able to tinker with it. :)

As much as I want one (and I currently have like $2200 CAD saved so far out of my supposed initial $4000 CAD budget), I am hoping to find a full-time job and a home with a garage before that...

Luckily most of those parts are cheap though! I just hope that a lot of the Polish dealers would be willing to ship parts all the way to Canada...at least I am only in Nova Scotia, literally across the ocean, and only 50mins from Nova Scotia’s main port.

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/20/2016 at 21:39

It’s good that you’re up for some mechanical work, unfortunately bodywork is still going to be the biggest issue as it’s the bit that deteriorates the most in those cars. A mechanical failure is unlikely to put a 126p out of commission at this point. I mean worst case scenario you’ll have to blow a 100 bucks on a new motor. Unfortunately, fixing the bodywork is just as expensive as any other car because you’re mostly paying for labour. :/

Having a look at 126p’s for sale, here are some that look good at first glance:

http://allegro.pl/show_item.php?…

http://otomoto.pl/oferta/fiat-12…

http://allegro.pl/show_item.php?…

http://otomoto.pl/oferta/fiat-12…

Obviously, those are all very expensive as far as 126p’s go (still within your budget though), but a car like this is probably your best bet when it comes to avoiding expensive bodywork issues once you get it home. I’m especially liking that red ELX from the last link. Looks nice and clean and it has all the equipment that was available. Only issue I see with it is engine tinware.

. . > . .
03/20/2016 at 21:59

Looking at the red ELX some more it doesn’t seem that good. Rear bumper is cracked and how did the tinware get that bad in the first place? I suspect the nice, shiny body may be hiding a horribly rusty floor.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/21/2016 at 22:05

Yeah, it’s hard to tell....really why I would need somebody that wouldn’t mind checking a few out for me first hand.

Even at 7000 zloty, a 126 would still be in my budget. My initial intent is $4K CAD to cover the purchase and shipping (and leftover money for spare parts). Even if a car was 7000 zloty, that’s around $2400 CAD, so I’d still have $1600 left over for shipping and a few spare parts. Color isn’t a HUGE factor to me, but I do quite like that sort-of gray-blue color they were available in for some model years (your third link)....not sure if the EL(X) came in that color though!

I currently have around $2400 CAD saved up right now, so a little over halfway there! That teal Maluch Town in that second link looks decent, very clean engine bay with no signs of rust....could just mean it was restored, or it could also just mean a quick spray job to hide rust...? So hard to tell...

The teal Maluch in the third link looks the cleanest to me, they even have underbody shots up, which they wouldn’t do if it wasn’t at least mostly clean down there...looks like a lot of newer parts as well! 6000 zloty is about $2100 CAD, so I’d have $1900 left over for shipping and parts in that case! :)

The other thing I DO like about the later Maluchs, not that it would happen very often, is that the rear seats have 3-point belts....safer (I know, I know, what’s “safe” about a 126, haha!) in case I did ever have anybody in the back for a short stint...

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/22/2016 at 06:24

Rezerwa126p has a guide to all 126p colours here.

The ELX from the 2nd link looks ridiculously clean. A shame it’s proper bare bones, not one piece of equipment on it, not even a fan!

The 4th one seems to be poverty spec as well. Underside pictures are nice, but since everything was painted black they don’t tell us much.

Looking at the red ELX, it’s definitely dodgy as hell. The descirption claims it’s got original paint, but the filter can seems to have a similar case of overspray to mine. Hmmmm.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/22/2016 at 07:30

I actually wouldn’t mind if it was “povery spec”, haha! The only thing I would miss is the fan, I think, as it would help to somewhat defrost the windshield on chillier mornings....as for the rear defrost, well, I have ice scrapers for that! :)

Would it be hard to add the fan to a car that doesn’t have it...? Does it just connect to the existing ducting behind the dash coming from the engine? I imagine it would just need to have a hole cut, it mounted, and the wiring for the switch done....switch could be purchased cheaply, as well as it the fan motor it seems?

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/22/2016 at 09:03

I think you’re mistaken as to what that fan does. It sits in the frunk, just in front of the ‘firewall’ and moves air from the frunk to teh car. It has no heating capabilities and it has nothing to do with the car’s heating system and tehrefore will not defrost the front windsheild (although it might demist it). I’m not sure how difficult it’d be to install one, but it’s probably rather easy and should be pretty much bolt-on. I’ve no idea if the wiring’s there on all cars, but you’d definitely need the fan itself (about 50-60 z second hand) and a switch (5-10 z).

Kinja'd!!!

The fan is that black thing under the hood latch and it literally bolts to the back of the dashboard into the air inlet duct.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/22/2016 at 17:28

Sorry, keep forgetting that fan doesn’t have a heating element in it....forgive me!!! Haha! :)

If I bought a car without it, though, I would imagine I’d have to still cut a hole through the metal so it CAN feed into the duct system? I imagine the whole is sealed on all the cars that didn’t come with it...

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/22/2016 at 17:30

Nah. You get the lever (the one with the O on the dash) and flap that open into the frunk. You just don’t get a fan to push air for you. Also, according to my dad all the wiring for a fan comes with every car, you just need to buy the fan and a switch. Not sure if that’s accurate, but that’s what he said. :P

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/22/2016 at 17:33

See, this is why I love these cars...even the “stripper” models still had the stuff necessary to make them into luxury machines! :P :D

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/22/2016 at 17:35

You laugh, but Trabant was marketed as a ‘limousine’ in communist countries. :D

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/22/2016 at 18:06

But it is! :D

One of my favorite videos online (mostly because it’s one of the few on the Trabant in English...), check out the clearly luxurious fully functioning turn signals! :P

And clearly any limo worth it’s own salt comes with a small metal stick for checking the fuel, and the requirement to mix your own two-stroke gas! :D

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/22/2016 at 18:07

I keep wondering, why do you still live in a civilised country like Canada? There clearly isn’t enough stupidly underengineered iron to satisfy you on your side of the world. :P

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > . .
03/22/2016 at 18:10

I wonder that myself sometimes, LOL!!! :D

. . > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
03/22/2016 at 18:10

I have a spare bedroom if you ever get overwhelmed by the need to find shit cars. ;D