First Car Time
Discussion
The time has come and my daughter turned 17 yesterday so have bought a little project that we can work on together for her first car. Total budget for the car is around 2-3k so we went looking for something a little quirky, reasonable on insurance and something that could be a little fun to drive.
£1k doesn't get you much these days but a dodgy Facebook marketplace add followed by picking up a car parked in a pub carpark in Nottingham left me with this. All red flags but I was feeling risky.
It is a Fiat Grande Punto Tjet Sporting. In a nutshell it is a similar drivetrain to the Fiat 500 Abarth in a slightly bigger body shell. Euro 4 so Ulez compliant, 40+MPG and only insurance group 12E. VL36 Turbo is a bolt in swap with a remap you are 180bhp in a 1100KG shell but that is for a later date!
Good points
-All 4 corners are matching tyres although budgets.
-Air conditioning is ice cold.
-Recently had a bit spent on it. New lower arms, track rod ends, rear wheel bearings, new exhaust front pipe and cat.
-Had optional Abarth wheels and panoramic roof which works perfectly.
Bad points
-Bodywork is quite tatty, has a crack in the front bumper, and a dent in the rear quarter. My plan will be to fix the dent and respray the bumpers, side skirts and front wings. Their is also lacquer peel on the boot where the spoiler connects but am hoping for a light sand and re-lacquer. I will also be removing the god awful wind deflectors and tints off the indicators and fog lights.
Service history had a massive black hole for the past 4 years and no evidence of a timing belt so that will be done.
-Wheels look like Stevie wonder was parking so will be refurbing these in a lighter shade most likely a light gunmetal silver.
-Brakes are shot, the rears will need replacing straight away and the calipers repainted.
-Intake pipe has a split where it meets the turbo and the PCV system has a leak from a worn diaphragm plus other little bits and bobs need doing like a missing boot carpet and parcel shelf clips broken etc.
-Rear engine mount is gone. This is typical for the platform however (Fiat 500, Vauxhall Corsa D).
I was expecting all this with a tatty car however and my plan is to budget around 1500 to fix the known issues whilst also refreshing the suspension while I am at it with the end goal having a fully serviced and refreshed car for around 2.5-3k.
£1k doesn't get you much these days but a dodgy Facebook marketplace add followed by picking up a car parked in a pub carpark in Nottingham left me with this. All red flags but I was feeling risky.
It is a Fiat Grande Punto Tjet Sporting. In a nutshell it is a similar drivetrain to the Fiat 500 Abarth in a slightly bigger body shell. Euro 4 so Ulez compliant, 40+MPG and only insurance group 12E. VL36 Turbo is a bolt in swap with a remap you are 180bhp in a 1100KG shell but that is for a later date!
Good points
-All 4 corners are matching tyres although budgets.
-Air conditioning is ice cold.
-Recently had a bit spent on it. New lower arms, track rod ends, rear wheel bearings, new exhaust front pipe and cat.
-Had optional Abarth wheels and panoramic roof which works perfectly.
Bad points
-Bodywork is quite tatty, has a crack in the front bumper, and a dent in the rear quarter. My plan will be to fix the dent and respray the bumpers, side skirts and front wings. Their is also lacquer peel on the boot where the spoiler connects but am hoping for a light sand and re-lacquer. I will also be removing the god awful wind deflectors and tints off the indicators and fog lights.
Service history had a massive black hole for the past 4 years and no evidence of a timing belt so that will be done.
-Wheels look like Stevie wonder was parking so will be refurbing these in a lighter shade most likely a light gunmetal silver.
-Brakes are shot, the rears will need replacing straight away and the calipers repainted.
-Intake pipe has a split where it meets the turbo and the PCV system has a leak from a worn diaphragm plus other little bits and bobs need doing like a missing boot carpet and parcel shelf clips broken etc.
-Rear engine mount is gone. This is typical for the platform however (Fiat 500, Vauxhall Corsa D).
I was expecting all this with a tatty car however and my plan is to budget around 1500 to fix the known issues whilst also refreshing the suspension while I am at it with the end goal having a fully serviced and refreshed car for around 2.5-3k.
First point of call was to clean out the interior. It was reasonable but stains on the seats etc it hadn't had a proper clean in a while.
Seats out wet vac with some new mats, boot mat and some new parcel shelf clips so it will actually fit. I also bought a new gear knob as well. The steering wheel came up a treat with a magic sponge.
Next i move onto the mechanical parts. First i remove the front bumper to see for any damage. Luckily nothing of note so the cracked bumper and grill must have been a supermarket shunt. Although once I remove the engine cover it is obvious no one has been here in a while as it is caked in dirt and spilt oil.
Seats out wet vac with some new mats, boot mat and some new parcel shelf clips so it will actually fit. I also bought a new gear knob as well. The steering wheel came up a treat with a magic sponge.
Next i move onto the mechanical parts. First i remove the front bumper to see for any damage. Luckily nothing of note so the cracked bumper and grill must have been a supermarket shunt. Although once I remove the engine cover it is obvious no one has been here in a while as it is caked in dirt and spilt oil.
First port of call is an engine flush as the oil was black and stank. Bought a full service kit plus 3 filters and a new set of plugs. I have 5 litres of cheap oil that I will use followed by a final oil change with some decent oil after around 500 miles.
I dropped the old oil and put in a fresh oil filter. Then added the engine flush then dropped that and this is what came out.
. After that a new filter and oil which thankfully has stayed a good colour for now. At the same time I also put in a new air filter and pollen filter. All the old items were OEM parts so it obviously hasn't been done for a while! I also degreased the engine bay as oil was spilt everywhere near the cap as you really need to use a funnel to fill it. Good thing these Fiat FIRE engine are sturdy old beasts.
Next job was the gearbox mount as the engine jiggled about the engine bay during idle and was obvious when shifting. When I removed the old one the middle part just fell out in my hands.
Next up was removing the brake calipers. Nearside rear was quite new and looked like a refurbed unit but the other rear was seized and the pads were trashed so an order placed for some new EBC discs and Black Diamond pads.
As one of the rear calipers was seized i decided to rebuild both of them and also to repaint them. Fronts were fine however. Being an Italian car I decided to go with bright yellow. Only problem is I used a little bit of thinner in the enamel paint so it would go through my gun nicely and they are taking forever to dry so brought them indoors and put them at the back of the living room for now.
I dropped the old oil and put in a fresh oil filter. Then added the engine flush then dropped that and this is what came out.
. After that a new filter and oil which thankfully has stayed a good colour for now. At the same time I also put in a new air filter and pollen filter. All the old items were OEM parts so it obviously hasn't been done for a while! I also degreased the engine bay as oil was spilt everywhere near the cap as you really need to use a funnel to fill it. Good thing these Fiat FIRE engine are sturdy old beasts.Next job was the gearbox mount as the engine jiggled about the engine bay during idle and was obvious when shifting. When I removed the old one the middle part just fell out in my hands.
Next up was removing the brake calipers. Nearside rear was quite new and looked like a refurbed unit but the other rear was seized and the pads were trashed so an order placed for some new EBC discs and Black Diamond pads.
As one of the rear calipers was seized i decided to rebuild both of them and also to repaint them. Fronts were fine however. Being an Italian car I decided to go with bright yellow. Only problem is I used a little bit of thinner in the enamel paint so it would go through my gun nicely and they are taking forever to dry so brought them indoors and put them at the back of the living room for now.
Cambs_Stuart said:
That's a fantastic car for a 17 year old! I'm looking at cars for my son and they're all sub 70Hp group 2 or 3 insurance.
Insurance is not much different. An Aygo is about £400 cheaper but most Aygo's start at £1500 and they are as basic as they come. We live in a rural area though. £300 to insure for her on provisional with myself and the wife on it and when she passes it will be around £1500 for the year which is more than manageable. Also is there a limit on how much you can post in a thread a day as I want to add more pictures but keep getting "403 forbidden" error?
Edited by BricktopST205 on Monday 30th September 16:22
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
BricktopST205 said:
Never do auto mechanics without the appropriate footwear. Things get dropped & bare feet hurt!
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
Not sure about the health & safety!
Never do auto mechanics without the appropriate footwear. Things get dropped & bare feet hurt!
Those are my house slippers and was just taking pictures. I have an old pair of Adidas that I use for car tinkering which are equally as poor! Never do auto mechanics without the appropriate footwear. Things get dropped & bare feet hurt!
boyse7en said:
To be fair, if he has been driving it with those brake pads in i don't think the sliders are the biggest issue
I have only just purchased the car. They were from the previous owner. I am trying to rectify all the bodges and neglect. 
Edited by BricktopST205 on Monday 30th September 17:16
I also did a little thing with the key fob. New rubber button covers and new fiat logo for the button. Tatty car keys has always been a pet peeve of mine!
Thankfully we had some nice weather over the past few days so could crack on with the timing belt and water pump. I bought a used locking kit for the belt job for £23.99 so should be able to sell it on at a later date. I also replaced my bodged split intake hose with a brand new genuine FIAT part and also installed the fresh plugs. Took me around 6 hours to complete which I think is okay considering I was doing a lot of referencing and cleaning.
Engine is all buttoned back together and running well. At least now it is fully serviced with a cambelt, water pump, aux belt + tensioner, plugs, air filter, PCV refurbish and oil change so when my daughter does decide to part ways in the future it might help with selling.
My delivery of genuine dampers, anti roll bar links, springs and top mounts also arrived but it is chucking it down with rain so will have to wait till the weekend. My plan will be to refit the brakes and shock one corner at a time.
Thankfully we had some nice weather over the past few days so could crack on with the timing belt and water pump. I bought a used locking kit for the belt job for £23.99 so should be able to sell it on at a later date. I also replaced my bodged split intake hose with a brand new genuine FIAT part and also installed the fresh plugs. Took me around 6 hours to complete which I think is okay considering I was doing a lot of referencing and cleaning.
Engine is all buttoned back together and running well. At least now it is fully serviced with a cambelt, water pump, aux belt + tensioner, plugs, air filter, PCV refurbish and oil change so when my daughter does decide to part ways in the future it might help with selling.
My delivery of genuine dampers, anti roll bar links, springs and top mounts also arrived but it is chucking it down with rain so will have to wait till the weekend. My plan will be to refit the brakes and shock one corner at a time.
That's coming up really well!
Cambs_Stuart said:
That's a fantastic car for a 17 year old! I'm looking at cars for my son and they're all sub 70Hp group 2 or 3 insurance.
Have a look at Clios. They did a 1.2 light pressure turbo which is 100bhp, but looks like a Granny mobile. Reasonable insurance and drives really well. With modern traffic it's safer to have a bit of oomph and a black box will make sure they're not abusing their power! RicksAlfas said:
Have a look at Clios. They did a 1.2 light pressure turbo which is 100bhp, but looks like a Granny mobile. Reasonable insurance and drives really well. With modern traffic it's safer to have a bit of oomph and a black box will make sure they're not abusing their power!
I did look at those and they are a good shout. The Fiat engine for me though is a bit more robust and the VL38 (Which can be had for as little as £100) from the Abarth 500 is bolt in with a remap you are at 170-180 BHP 
Rear end is all rebuilt now. Still need to bleed the brakes but I will do that tomorrow when the front end is done. 4 hours just trying to remove the rear arch liners.
Fiat in their infinite wisdom thought making the screws out of hardened steel then having them screw into metal tabs was a good idea. Then to top it off they are phillips heads!Luckily I managed to get enough undone and pulled the rear bumper off with the liners still attached then attacked them from behind with mole grips to free them off then unscrew them.
While the liners were out I cleaned up all the mud and put a liberal coating of Lanoguard in the arches and rear beam. The OEM replacement springs I got are red which is a bit meh but at least they are not rusty.
Nice.Managed to get the front brakes and suspension all put on and with the help of my daughter on pedal duties we got it bled.
After doing the main service i started to sort out the little niggly issues this car has. In fact these are very common issues to all "Stellantis" type cars that use this engine and turbo configuration.
Mainly cracked exhaust manifold and turbo housings. It is easy to check for the cracked exhaust manifold because you can hear it but the turbo exhaust housing you need to remove the downpipe to check really. I had both of these issues.
Luckily fiat did many revisions of this manifold to prevent this from happening and I managed to source one from a later model Fiat 500 Abarth. As you can see the newer version has cutouts in the flange to reduce the chance of cracking I presume also you can clearly see the massive crack on the old manifold which is where they all go.
Big dirty great crack between wastegate and turbine.
New turbine housing put on and ready to go back on the car.
Whilst the turbo was out it also gave me great access to the engine oil cooler/heater. These are known to weep and leak and there was a later revision of the cooler but unfortunately you cannot buy the gasket by itself. Thankfully our Chinese friends do so once that arrived I got that fitted and also left the turbo feed pipe in thinners overnight to clean it from burnt oil deposits.
Turbo all fitted back up and bled the coolant system
Engine cover back on for hopefully the last time.
There was a recall for Alfa Mito's due to them eating alternators due to a bad water drain. This also effects Punto's and when cleaning the interior there was dampness under the drivers carpet. This new modified pipe will fix that and now all water drains to the ground rather than the blukhead! The old one just crumbled in my hands when I removed it. Fiat uses really bad rubber compared to what I am used to with Japanese cars.
Have been giving my daughter a few lessons now. Mainly around the local B&Q when it closes and few back roads near the marshes. Car is mechanically finished now however. I just need to sort the wheels and bodywork now but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
After doing the main service i started to sort out the little niggly issues this car has. In fact these are very common issues to all "Stellantis" type cars that use this engine and turbo configuration.
Mainly cracked exhaust manifold and turbo housings. It is easy to check for the cracked exhaust manifold because you can hear it but the turbo exhaust housing you need to remove the downpipe to check really. I had both of these issues.
Luckily fiat did many revisions of this manifold to prevent this from happening and I managed to source one from a later model Fiat 500 Abarth. As you can see the newer version has cutouts in the flange to reduce the chance of cracking I presume also you can clearly see the massive crack on the old manifold which is where they all go.
Big dirty great crack between wastegate and turbine.
New turbine housing put on and ready to go back on the car.
Whilst the turbo was out it also gave me great access to the engine oil cooler/heater. These are known to weep and leak and there was a later revision of the cooler but unfortunately you cannot buy the gasket by itself. Thankfully our Chinese friends do so once that arrived I got that fitted and also left the turbo feed pipe in thinners overnight to clean it from burnt oil deposits.
Turbo all fitted back up and bled the coolant system
Engine cover back on for hopefully the last time.
There was a recall for Alfa Mito's due to them eating alternators due to a bad water drain. This also effects Punto's and when cleaning the interior there was dampness under the drivers carpet. This new modified pipe will fix that and now all water drains to the ground rather than the blukhead! The old one just crumbled in my hands when I removed it. Fiat uses really bad rubber compared to what I am used to with Japanese cars.
Have been giving my daughter a few lessons now. Mainly around the local B&Q when it closes and few back roads near the marshes. Car is mechanically finished now however. I just need to sort the wheels and bodywork now but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Edited by BricktopST205 on Saturday 19th October 09:50
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