My Fiat Strada 130 TC - restore and tuning

[Giulio]

Hi to everyone.
Just few lines to introduce myself:
my name is Giulio, I am 35 years old, I live in Turin (Italy), I am a proud owner of a Fiat Strada Abarth 130 TC (class 1984) and a Fiat Strada Cabriolet 85S (class 1982) and I have a genuine passion and interest in Twin Cam engines and mechanics.
This is my first post here, I joined this great forum yesterday (thanks Guy for accepting my registration).
I apologise for my poor english (english is not my native language); I will do my best to write in a proper and correct way.
Please feel free to correct me if I am using incorrect terms; I am here to learn as much as possible, so thank you !

Let me introduce one of my car with a couple of pics (so I can also test if I follow the right way to upload and post images ).

Thank you
Bye.

[Guy Croft]

MODEL POST!

I look forward to more.

GC

[Giulio]

Thanks Guy !

The picture of the first post is my engine number 1 (2lt Twin Cam, of course), which I rebuilt last winter.
This engine is currently on my car. It is a good engine, restored in every single part to the original specifications without any modifications and no tuning at all.
I have to say that I can't use my Strada every day.
It is a historic vehicle, and here in Turin there are severe and restrictive rules about traffic and limitations to non Euro standard vehicles due to pollution of its emissions.
So I can use my Strada only on weekends!
For this reason this engine is still in his testing phase (sorry, I hope this is the correct term..)

I own two other identical engines (number 2 and number 3).

In my spare time ( litlle, very little... ), I am now rebuilding the second one.
I am just at the beginnig, and as I said before.. I am not so quick!
This projet is a little different from the first one; some minor improvements are expected for engine number 2.
Engine number 3 will be the last project (far in the future.. ),and probably the more tuned one.

These are some pictures about engine number 2.
If I don't use the right terms, please.. correct me !

Here is the block, fully stripped (about three months ago).

[Giulio]

And this is the block after the grinding process.
Due to an incorrect tollerance value in cylinder number 4, I had to rebore every cylinder to 84,40 mm.
So I can't use original class B pistons anymore (this is one of the improvements I mentioned before).

[Giulio]

And here you can see the block fully painted with Hammerite.
I followed your tip, Guy, and I have to say that Hammerite is a marvellous product, with excellent features.

[mitch strada]

Great Ritmo! White 130tc were never sold in the UK. I think the colour looks fantastic. I have a Red 130tc 1986.
I also run the owners club here - http://www.strada130.co.uk.

UK cars had Recaro Bucket seats too - i dont believe Italian cars had them - or were they optional extras?

Bella Macchina. Mi Piaccono le Ritmo Abarth. (Great car, I like the Ritmo Abarth a lot)


Mitchell Pescay

[Giulio]

Hi Mitchell !

Thanks for yours appreciation !
I love the original white Corfù 224 color of my Strada. I think it is a sporting color too !
I also like very much Quarz Grey and Racing Red as your Strada!
You are right : italian Ritmo didn't have Recaro seats as standard equipment.
They were optional and very expensive !
My Strada did not have them, I bought them some years ago.
You wouldn't believe it... We bought them in UK last summer !!!!!!
It was impossible to find a decent couple of them here in Italy.
We went from Turin to Scotland by car for holiday and on our way back we stopped near London to buy them.
Here are some pics !
(I also keep the original seats in perfect condition, and now I also have a second couple of Recaro which I am restoring.)
Giulio

[mitch strada]

Very nice work - and you have the correct seats for the series one 130tc.

Series two had black seats with red Fiat patterns all over.

Looks like we were lucky in the UK to have the Recaros as standard. The problem with 130tc in the UK is rust and very difficult to find parts.
A lot of cars have been crushed for scrap when owners simply give up as its too much trouble and easier to buy a new car, I have had 17 Strada Abarths
and have to say I did scrap 7 or 8 of them but they were very very rusty in structural places.

The main areas of rust on these cars can only really be fully seen when you cut the bodyshell into pieces then you can see where the rust is in hidden places like chassis box sections and inside seams. Even cars treated with antirust wax rust- its really a cancer that needs to be cut out - and the Strada in my opinion like most Fiats of the 80's were made with very poor quality metal that was infected with rust when the cars were made. Also Fiats effort at preventing corrosion was awful with most Stradas bubbling with rust after just one year from new - we have members on our forum who bought them new telling us this.

They are real enthusiast cars and need to be driven regularly, my car has had one owner from new and was left in a garage for 15 years when the owner died, it is in amazing condition but the time it was left dormant has left some areas which need attention.

This is my last 130TC and I will keep it forever - or as long as my life is.

Good luck with the 130 and please pm me if I can help with anything - I am not an expert, but am an enthusiast with a passion for these cars:)

Mitch

[Giulio]

Hi Mitch, thank for your reply.
Also my Strada was "infected" by rust when I bought it in 1999 (I am the third owner).
They weren't critical or structural problems, luckyly, but I had to check the whole car anyway, in order to be sure.
Now it keeps a pretty good health !
I agree with you about Fiat chronic rust problems in the 80s; also my Strada Cabrio was subject to the same cure.

Maybe you could be on the Guinness book as the only owner with 17 Stradas !!!!

Thank you for your offer and please feel free to PM me whenever you need help or something about your Strada.
Giulio

[Abarthnorway - Remi L]

Hi Giulio!


Congratulations on a beautiful car!

Take care of it!

Is that Revolution wheels You are running?

Have had 6 of these - only one left. 3 scrapped due to rust.
The current one restored 5 years back, retrofitted with bumpers and bonnet etc to look like a 125 TC.

No pics sorry - too dusty at the moment.


Best regards

Remi Lovhoiden

[Giulio]

Hi Remi
thanks for your answer and your compliments !
No, they are Compomotive wheels, MO 1460 model, 6x14", 4x98 mm , ET 45.
Thery were made on my request.
I ordered them last year.
Obviously I store the original wheels .
In my opinion Compomotive are fantastic wheels !

Bye.

[Giulio]

Hi everyone !
I hope you had good holidays.
I have a little question: does anyone know where it's possible to find an original Fiat tool ?
I am searching for the A.60303 tool "piston clip fitting tool", for my Strada 130, but it seems very hard to find..
Any help will be really appreciated !
Thanks everybody !
Giulio

[Giulio]

Hi everyone !
Some little news about engine 2 restoring project!
Yes, I know, I am terribly slow in this work, but really free time is too little.
Sad to say, but true.
Anymore... as I said at the beginnig, I had to rebore my block to 84,40 mm, and these are the new casted pistons I will fit in it.

[Honza]

where did you get this nice set of pistons?

[Giulio]

Hi Honza.
Please to meet you.
I am glad you appreciate them, but ..sorry.
Protocols are clear.
And I don't want in any way to damage the work of anyone.
My only purpose is to shown my little projetc and share my passion and interest in Twin Cam Engines with people interested too.
I hope you understand
Thank you
Sincerely

Giulio.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1194

"11. Referring to Vendors
Some parts of the GC Virtual Workshop are of course intended to showcase my work and benefit my business, but apart from GC V/W I do not allow even myself to be drawn into discussions of a price-oriented or commercial nature in the forum. I handle things like that by email or other means. You must NOT to refer to any vendor (company, person selling parts and services, based UK or anywhere else) 'by name' (or in such a way as they can be identified either indirectly or directly) unless you are just saying 'they supplied something' or are going to pay them a compliment. Do not talk about vendors' prices here. At all."