My 131 abarth (never ending) story - 2017 season updates

Post pics of your car in here
TomLouwrier
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by TomLouwrier »

Not quite, no.
I'd be happy to. Fasteners are your thing, aren't they?

gr
T
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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Gents ,

Do continue this discussion here as this is really fascinating ..

( My wife said" : You must be nuts to be fascinated by subject like loss of pre-tension due to painting."

I replied: "Nuts and bolts! Nuts and bolts, me lady"

So please feel free to continue here : I want to learn on bolt and nut strength, washers, bolt tightening, etc.

This is not as obvious as almost all think and applies to more than just head bolts.

My mechanic was surprised when I told him that once something is disassembled to us new bolts, nuts and washers every time to put it together !

He thinks this is a waste. To me this is safe, proper maintenance and damage protection/failure prevention practice.

I also told him to use bolt strength and bolt tighten as per factory maintenance/service manual (no more no less).

Use of a dyno wrench on all drivetrain connections he sees as ridiculous.

I see it as safe, proper maintenance and damage protection/failure prevention.

Any comments ...( on this fascinating subject ) ...

Miro

PS 1 : use of silicone lead to a water pump leak in my 124 Mercedes recently. When MB mechanics took it apart , they said the water pump requires only a proper gasket and proper bolt tightening. O think it was also assembled using 20 year old bolts , instead of new ones.

PS 2 It would be very interesting to talk of different washers and the way they behave when subjected to vibrations, heat , tightening, etc.

PS 3 : Guy, if you think a separate tread should be started I will be happy to start it , quoting the exchange here so far...

M
Last edited by miro-1980 on May 7th, 2013, 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Guy Croft
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by Guy Croft »

ok
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Few more items of the "to do list" are now "DONE"

High speed wiper motor with arms

Fitting this in a very limited space took some figuring put , few parts made and a lit of patience to install. Actually the whole assembly could not be installed at one time, so we first installed the arms and then the motor. The real trick was to connect the motor to the arms while both were already in place. Real pain in the neck requiring use of surgical tools ( fortunately I bough a set of weird bent tweezers , scissors and clamps .... for my special garage applications )

Finally it was installed , but than came connecting it. The standard 131 wiper motor has three leads , and this one has only two ...

By employing the most scientific methodology (of trial and error) we finally succeeded . Now there are only two working positions:

1/ several wipes and stop, a wipe and stop ...
2/ wipe - wipe - wipe (full speed)

The speed with which the wipes are performed is such that your eyes cannot follow the wiper blade. In fact we were joking that with this speed you probably could go submarine and keep the water off the windshield . The wipers now work with a speed of lightening. I think I will install a pedal switch for the co-driver. so he could activate a single "wipe-stop" sequence.

Here is the gr 4 wiper motor installed ...
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Cooling ducts for the diff

We ran them like in a gr 4 cars with brakes cooling dusts - from side air intakes but did not run it to the brakes but have it blow over the diff.
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diff vent 1.jpg
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There is two of these outlets , one at each side of the diff. They are build in such a way that , if we decide to cool the brakes we just need to connect two pieces of air duct and run them towards the brakes.

As you may have noticed the bituminous sound mats are still in. My mechanic told me this is my homework. I put it in and I take it put. Good lesson to ask before you do. They were put in at some expense when the car was first rebuild in 2005. Since than I have learned not to put them in , but they are there and need to go. The do not seem not to go away no matter what magic words I addressed my mechanic with. I will end up doing it myself ... what a pain ... Anybody knows of a shortcut ? or an easy method of doing it ?

The pedal box

Finally we have fitted the pedal box. Removing the vacuum was easy , but fitting the pedal box proved quite difficult.

We were lucky to have two pedal boxes and by using elements of both we finally put it.

Now it is done. ( no more power assisted brakes) I will have to work on my leg muscles to stop the car ????)
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Note: There will be a triangular support attached to the inner wheel arch to support the BMC's and prevent the firewall flexing , which may become a problem with no servo.

More updates to come.

Miro
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Will01
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by Will01 »

Pedal box looks good, i take it this has full bias adjustment for front and rear split?
I do also quite like the idea of the ducting for cooling the diff and if needed for cooling brakes. I personally was going to go a slightly different route, but i hope you don't mind if i take some of your ideas and apply them to my own project?

As for the bitumen sound pads obviously age helps removal as they go brittle and make it easier to break up, i imagine if these were only installed in 2005 that they are probably still quite soft and flexible?
The best piece of advice i could find when i removed from my Capri was to use dry ice or another way of cooling them, unfortunately this doesn't seem to be easy to get hold of in the UK. Maybe you know a DJ or stage guy who may have some for uses with smoke machines etc??
I decided to carry out over the winter when it was particularly cold (~ -5°C) and found with a wide cold chisel and a large hammer that the sound deadening panels broke up easily and didn't cause much damage to the panels underneath.
It may be helpful to you? All i can say is that it was a lot of hard noisy work which took me a few days to complete, although it did save me a few kg's.
Good luck
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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Will01 wrote:Pedal box looks good, i take it this has full bias adjustment for front and rear split?


In fact it does !

Re dry ice - a great idea , I just need to get hold of some

Miro
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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Few more items of the "to do list" are now "DONE" - continued ...

1/ front indicators-now mk1.
2/ polybushes on the front reaction rods
3/ reinforced crossmember
4/ quick ratio steering rod with absorber

Pictures as they become available ...

Miro
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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Here are the pictures ....
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ind right .jpg
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front arm with polybush .jpg
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brake fluid reservoir .jpg
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red everything .jpg
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Miro
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Guy Croft
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by Guy Croft »

is Miroslaw Miernik a class act or what??

The biggest and most widely viewed thread on the whole site!!

Marvellous...

and posting in this remarkable detail is no easy task (I should know), and I would point out that, knowing this truly remarkable man personally, he posts for fun and to show folk these things, no more, no less...

WELL DONE INDEED MM!


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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Thanks Guy,

but I am only trying to live up to your standards.

MM
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Guy Croft
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by Guy Croft »

haha MM!

you don't fool me!!

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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Guy Croft wrote:haha MM!

you don't fool me!!

G
Me fool Master - .. no good ... bad ...very bad ...

Miro

PS : I really mean it !
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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

Welcome to the Panzerwagen X thread !

Robert, my mechanic ( or more officially Technical Director of the team ) does not believe in half measures.

Does he not indeed :
HOOK 1.jpg
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On hooks like this you could hang two the heaviest Porsches (called "Panzerwagen VI -Tiger") and keep 'em dangling as if it were a key chain pendant ...
HOOK 2.jpg
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Real panzer stuff....

Miro
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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

2.8 ratio steering installed !

After some technical problems of fitting the new 2.8 rack into standard housing and connecti9g the shock absorber the new rack has been assembled and installed. It took Robert ( or team mechanic) two days top figure out and 2,5 days of a work of a machinist to get it all in place and we had practically two sets bought (one from Germany and one from Finland). Out o this with some machining we have have build one working 2.8 rack with a shock absorber ...

Incidentally we had exactly the same problem with the pedal box , and out of the two we had (one from Germany and one from Finland ) we have build a single working pedal box. This only shows that nothing is as simple as it looks.
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Miro


PS: I was instructed by my team mechanic to start lifting some weights immediately - to build strength in my arms (to turn the steering wheel) .... In fact he also told me to start riding my mountain bicycle up steep hills, blocked it in the lowest gear - to build the strength in my legs (to push the brake pedal with no power assist and big discs/calipers). He said that unless I start looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger I do not get to drive my car ....
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miro-1980
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Re: My 131 abarth (never ending) story 2013 season update

Post by miro-1980 »

WOW!

This is practically the end of mechanical preparations for the Eifel Ralye Festival in Daun, Germany, celebrating 40th anniversary of WRC. If someone wants to see 165 best WRC cars in the world all in one place, rallying over closed to traffic rally stages , shakedown and Special Bosch Stage - this is the place top be !

See this web page : http://www.eifel-rallye-festival.de/en/home.html
Eifel Rally logo 1 .jpg
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This will be a vary rare opportunity to all WRC stars from its 40 years history (including rally banned monster gr. B cars) in action on closed to traffic a rally stage.

As those who are regular visitors to this thread my car will present livery of ex-works car R 19729 TO entered by Fiat de France - with Jean Claude Andruette as the driver and Christian Delferrier as co-driver. This car won the 1977 Sanremo Rally. It was the first triple WRC win for Fiat 131 Abarth. Maurizio Verini/ Bruno Scabini came second and Tony Fassina /Mauro Mannini were third. The triple victory of Fiat Abarth 131 Rally in Sanremo over its arch rival Ford’s RS 1800 put Fiat into the lead for the first time this year and opened the way to winning 1977 WRC championship.

Once we have completed the livery in ca. 3 weeks I will post the pictures here.

Miro

PS: Hope to meet some of you in a Rally Mile in Duan during the Eifel Rallye Festival where all these great cars will be presented.
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