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

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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.







Comments

  1. Anonymous6 January 2023 at 04:08

    Could you please post some photos from the engine bay? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous25 June 2023 at 21:14

      … https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2023/02/project-3p-part-19-wiring-vintage-cibie.html.

      Delete

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