Some Fiat 126p photos

". ." (xllx) 03/19/2015 at 19:59 • Filed to: shoebox, blue torpedo

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We're finally putting the car back together!

Front suspension

A new brake pump is in. New brake lines and brakes are also in, but you can't see those very well as they're underneath the boot floor. :P

That thing is actually quite roomy at the moment! I guess having no interior helps. When I took that photo I was actually sitting on the floor where the rear seat should be. It was surprisingly comfy there. :D

The man in the iron mask > . . 03/19/2015 at 20:02

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scary, shouldnt this be upside down?

. . > The man in the iron mask 03/19/2015 at 20:05

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Well, upside down and the other way round in normal cars, but that's how it goes in the Fiat. It has an inverted single five leaf spring serving as both front suspension lower arms and, well... a spring.

The man in the iron mask > . . 03/19/2015 at 20:09

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ok thanks for explaining that, the only leaf springs i have seen are on pickups and yeah they're the other way around. I dont wrench.

Cé hé sin > The man in the iron mask 03/19/2015 at 20:20

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It's that way around because it's working differently to a leaf spring on a commercial vehicle. Usually the axle is acting on the middle of the spring, in the 126 and other cars with transverse springs the wheels are acting on each end of the spring so it would be logical to have it that way around so that you compress the leaves, not pull them apart.

Jedidiah > The man in the iron mask 03/19/2015 at 20:25

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Old Corvettes used a transverse, upside down leaf in their rear suspension as well

Opel GTs used transverse leafs like this in their front suspension like this Fiat

The man in the iron mask > Cé hé sin 03/20/2015 at 03:22

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i understand.... and how bad is the bodyroll?

Cé hé sin > The man in the iron mask 03/20/2015 at 05:48

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No more than any other car. You still have in effect a spring at each side, you can fit an anti roll bar as well if you want.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Jedidiah 03/20/2015 at 07:00

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I rather like innovative suspension layouts like this (although the caveat is usually only on small cars).

It's clever making a small compromise in outright location and geometry to save a ton of weight in a small car.

Cars like the Spitfire and GT6 use a transverse leaf as the upper wishbone (some use a swing axle as half a lower wishbone too), and the Lotus europa is a favourite of mine using the driveshaft as a wishbone and the gearbox as a stressed member :)