Project 3P, Part 13: Registered! (Fiat 128 3P Restoration)

Followers of P3P may remember that a full set of replacement seat belts*, clear gauge lenses, a short length of exhaust pipe, and a new sill and inner brace were all that was preventing it passing a rego check, as we Aussies call it. Whatever you might coin that process - be it a roadworthy, an MOT or a pink slip - I'm very, very happy to say that P3P is now a totally road legal member of the UMPH fleet!

The last pieces of the puzzle - the sill and driver's side luggage compartment brace - were completed a few weeks ago, earning the car its long-awaited Tasmanian registration plates. I've had to go full rego, rather than SI (Special Interest, which is our state's equivalent to vintage or club registration in other Australian jurisdictions), because SI regulations are being savagely enforced with only cars deemed to be "immaculate" able to qualify for the scheme. Immaculate P3P is not!

The repair to the luggage compartment brace, shown above, has been nicely fashioned from new steel with only a thin smear of bog required to hide where it's been welded in. The sill panel is virtually invisible, as shown (not shown?) below. I've already given it a squirt of black paint, just because I had some spare. The brace will be painted red when the rest of the car's done.

P3P's already clocked up a few hundred Ks without problems, other than a blocked carbie jet that dramatically reduced power but not enough to stop it limping home from a country run. So far, it starts easily, idles well and maintains its temperature in all conditions. However, it could do with a little more poke, so I'm looking for a reconditioned 34mm DMTR, possibly a 128 SL intake manifold and may fit extractors to try to fix this.

It also seems that the exhaust manifold gasket was only just holding on, as the engine recently started to emit a crackly, popping / farting noise from under the bonnet. This adds impetus to fit the extractors; it makes sense to do so whilst also remedying the exhaust leak.

There may also be a problem with second gear's syncro, as anything less than an A-game double declutched down-shift causes a nasty clunk. The brake pedal's annoyingly higher than the throttle, too, making heel-toe cog-swapping under brakes a bit of an effort.

Other than that, the car brakes and handles well, with beautifully weighted steering and minimal body roll. It's also surprisingly comfortable; the seats are supportive and soft, while the suspension is firm but not harsh.

Exactly what's next is anybody's guess. It'll depend on who's available to do what and when, but some reupholstery for the driver's and rear passengers' seats, plus a full re-spray, are all on the agenda. And when all this might actually happen? Who knows ... ?

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

iPhone images.

*A few posts ago, I promised to add details of the company that was able to rebuild P3P's inertia reel seat belts. They are:

Restraint Technology Australia,

Bayswater, Victoria.

https://restraint.com.au/

sales@restraint.com.au or call 1300 658 750.

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Anonymous6 January 2023 at 04:08
Could you please post some photos from the engine bay? Thanks!
Anonymous25 June 2023 at 21:12
The car’s locked away at my mechanics at the minute. However, there are some engine bay shots available in the following two links: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/05/project-3p-part-16-alternative-fiat-128.html and

Upper Middle Petrol Head:

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