[HimuraKenshin]

Not many people seem to be interested in the restoration.
No one seems to want to help me with my queries either.

lol

Anyway,
The car has been in a caustaic soda bath overnight. Was scraped of all previous primer and was brought down to bare metal. Then a fresh coat of prrimer was applied before the body filler work starts. I will post the pictures tomorrow.
Cheers

[samsag12]

Originally Posted by HimuraKenshin

Not many people seem to be interested in the restoration.
No one seems to want to help me with my queries either.

lol

Anyway,
The car has been in a caustaic soda bath overnight. Was scraped of all previous primer and was brought down to bare metal. Then a fresh coat of prrimer was applied before the body filler work starts. I will post the pictures tomorrow.
Cheers

Don't know about others but I surely am silently following your thread, just avoiding to post 'one liners'. Feel happy to see a Floor shift S1 being restored to its former glory. I hope you are aiming for originality as the car needs quite a few parts & accessories to bring it to its factory condition.
Anyways the work being done looks quite good & the technique of replacing metal is spot on. Looks like you tinker got some pre-fabricated panels too, lucky you.

Do post some current pics of the work being done so that fellow Fiatians can guide you in the right direction.

PS: I have carried out a similar restoration few years back restoring my S1, here's link to the same. Hope it helps you in some way.

[HimuraKenshin]

Originally Posted by samsag12

Don't know about others but I surely am silently following your thread, just avoiding to post 'one liners'. Feel happy to see a Floor shift S1 being restored to its former glory. I hope you are aiming for originality as the car needs quite a few parts & accessories to bring it to its factory condition.
Anyways the work being done looks quite good & the technique of replacing metal is spot on. Looks like you tinker got some pre-fabricated panels too, lucky you.

Do post some current pics of the work being done so that fellow Fiatians can guide you in the right direction.

PS: I have carried out a similar restoration few years back restoring my S1, here's link to the same. Hope it helps you in some way.

Hey,
I've been reading your restoration for a while now! i am in awe of your car.
If you could help me with the paint, it would be great,
Like in the previous post, i mentioned that i went to quite a few paint shops, PPG, 2k, Dupont.

My friend works for dupont (in usa) and he said that without a bias, he would recommend a dupont base and a PPG clear.

When i selected the colour, i first went to the PPG shop, they quoted me a price of Rs. 4-5K ~ 5K / litre
Next, i visited the Dupont shop, as my friend told me about the types of paints(there are 2, Chroma base and chroma premier) i aked them about it. They said, that neither chroma base no chroma premier is available in the open market in india. (Only bodyshops stock it) He said they have 2 other variants, which sot 1.4K and 2.5 K Respectively.
I was under the impression that dupont was a premium brand and it would be expensive. Are the rates correct for a base coat?
Please help me if you can!

[samsag12]

Nice to hear that you have went through my S1 restoration thread, hope it proved somewhat useful to you.
The first thing I would like to share is please DO NOT use any local make body filler/spot putty & all, go for genuine 3M Bondo light weight body filler & spot putty, this will ensure perfect finish & even coverage of color.
Coming to the paint, I cannot exactly comment on this as I have used 1st quality 2K on my car as other brand wasn't available here but from what i have heard Dupont (Standox) is the best when it comes to finish & durability. As your car has been sanded to bare metal you can get a perfect finish right from the base. Regarding the price, again I am not sure of the pattern but generally there are some QUALITY LEVELS according to which paint shops charge amt. per ltr. You can inquire about them locally.
All in all I would certainly recommend you to use high quality Dupont base, color & clear.

PS: Do post some current pics of the car & make a list of required spare parts.

[HimuraKenshin]

Originally Posted by samsag12

Nice to hear that you have went through my S1 restoration thread, hope it proved somewhat useful to you.
The first thing I would like to share is please DO NOT use any local make body filler/spot putty & all, go for genuine 3M Bondo light weight body filler & spot putty, this will ensure perfect finish & even coverage of color.
Coming to the paint, I cannot exactly comment on this as I have used 1st quality 2K on my car as other brand wasn't available here but from what i have heard Dupont (Standox) is the best when it comes to finish & durability. As your car has been sanded to bare metal you can get a perfect finish right from the base. Regarding the price, again I am not sure of the pattern but generally there are some QUALITY LEVELS according to which paint shops charge amt. per ltr. You can inquire about them locally.
All in all I would certainly recommend you to use high quality Dupont base, color & clear.

PS: Do post some current pics of the car & make a list of required spare parts.

Hi,
I just returned from the garage.
The car has been sprayed with zinc oxide primer.
I had told the painter to use 3M bondo, but he insisted that he should use a local filler in the places where a higher build is required. he said that the local filler is harder even when the application is thicker. He told me that for everything else he will be suing 3M bondo only.
Here are the pictorial updates.

The parts i am going to scout for are:
Complete side beading
Window Chanel
Chrome side mirrors (suggestions?)
Glass rubbers
Electronic Ignition Kit from Autoescorts

Any suggestions?
I need help with the mirrors! please tell me what i should do! I want chrome ones so that they match the side beadings.

The colour i have selected is Estoril Blue Crystal, what do you think?

[samsag12]

Good to see some pics at last. Regarding answers to your queries, here they are;

Please do not agree with painter's suggestion of using local filler, use only 3m bondo else bonding of different fillers as well as paint will be an issue. Also I presume you will get most of the dents out & metal flattened as much as possible, don't let the painter cover it up with filler, the bodyline seems good don't get it ruined with excess filler.
From the pics its evident that local putty has been applied to the seams to fill in the cracks( areas near A & C pillar) These joints are welded together using Lead & the only way to fill cracks in these places is to use LEAD, nothing else.
Would also like to point out, please replace the front apron of the car, it looks ugly ( the panel fitted just below the front grill.) You can procure one from a scrapped S1.
Regarding side mirrors (ORVMs I guess), these never came as OE from factory, apart from that they look ugly too but if you want fit them your choice. Japanese Maruti 800 (SS80) & Omni ones are compatible though finding one will be difficult.
Rest of the parts can be easily procured from local Mumbai market so best of luck with the hunt.

[HimuraKenshin]

Originally Posted by samsag12

Please do not agree with painter's suggestion of using local filler, use only 3m bondo else bonding of different fillers as well as paint will be an issue.
Would also like to point out, please replace the front apron of the car, it looks ugly ( the panel fitted just below the front grill.)

Hi,
i have instructed to painter to use only 3 m bondo. He has removed all the old filler and started afresh.
Yesterday, a section of the panel below the floor board was replaced.

@samsag12 I cant replace the apron as it has been cut to accommodate the A/C compressor fan. Advice?

here are some more WIP pictures

[samsag12]

The pace of metal replacement is swift, good to hear that you convinced the painter to use only 3M bondo.
Regarding the apron replacement, if you are willing to keep the present AC unit then nothing can be done in this regard. IMO you can get the AC unit removed as without it too you would enjoy the drive though this decision purely relies on your requirement. You can still retain the blower unit & use it as a fan.

BTW what make is the AC unit?

EDIT: Went through some initial pics of your car, especially engine bay & it looks to be mix of Padmini parts. I am listing my observations;
Your car's cooling system is Surge tank based as opposed to Degass type which came on S1 & this seems to be the reason why the AC Compressor fan is wrongly fitted apart from the missing Degass tank, wrong radiator cooling fan & absence of closed type radiator.
The brake fluid reservoir is of normal Padmini, S1 had a different design one with a sensor unit. You can easily find a used piece from scrapped S1 or even from 118NE's brake booster. IIRC new ones of the same design are used in brake booster of some Mahindra Jeeps too but the color pattern is horrible, white with yellow cap, better to stick with a used one.
Also I presume the car is fitted with LPG/CNG gas kit too. Do you intend to keep it ?

[condor]

Are the A-B-C pedals coming out of the floor or they the hanging type that we see in today's cars ?
If they pop-out of the floor, can you convert them to hanging type ? (Suspended from top)

[HimuraKenshin]

Originally Posted by samsag12

Regarding the apron replacement, if you are willing to keep the present AC unit then nothing can be done in this regard. IMO you can get the AC unit removed as without it too you would enjoy the drive though this decision...

BTW what make is the AC unit?

EDIT: Went through some initial pics of your car, especially engine bay & it looks to be mix of Padmini parts. I am listing my observations;
Your car's cooling system is Surge tank based as opposed to Degass type which came on S1 & this seems to be the reason why the AC Compressor fan is wrongly fitted apart from the missing Degass tank, wrong radiator cooling fan & absence of closed type radiator.
The brake fluid reservoir is of normal Padmini, S1 had a different design one with a sensor unit. You can easily find a used piece from scrapped S1 or even from 118NE's brake booster. IIRC new ones of the same design are used in brake booster of some Mahindra Jeeps too but the color pattern is horrible, white with yellow cap, better to stick with a used one.
Also I presume the car is fitted with LPG/CNG gas kit too. Do you intend to keep it ?

Hi,
The previous owner modified the cooling system. The radiator is not stock, but a custom built one. It is no longer the sealed system :(
The radiator fan is also that of the padmini. As far as i know, the S1 had a electrical fan. Anyway i can get this done?

The A/C unit seems to be the original factory unit.
I think i will be keeping the LPG kit. What do you suggest?
And what should i do about the break stuff?

Originally Posted by condor

Are the A-B-C pedals coming out of the floor or they the hanging type that we see in today's cars ?
If they pop-out of the floor, can you convert them to hanging type ? (Suspended from top)

unfortunately i don't know what you mean, could you please elaborate?

[samsag12]

You can surely revert to the original cooling system, just have to hunt for any S1 which is stated to be scrapped or can inquire about the following parts in scrapyard,

Closed type Radiator.
Degass tank.
Appropriate hoses.
Metal Inlet pipe
Thermostat controlled cooling fan &
Thermostat unit.

You can refer to the correct procedure & material required from THIS post of Mr. Dhabhar, any confusion, let me know.

For the radiator fan you can again, check with the local scrapyard, they might be easily available.
Keeping the LPG unit on the car is purely owner based though if you plan to get it removed then a new problem of sealing the inlet holes will arise.

Regarding the brake fluid container, its purely cosmetic & purists like me :P worry about such things. The present container will also work the same way minus the sensor. If you plan to get fluid box/container replaced then I have already mentioned the various sources in my previous post. I too will try to hunt it in local scrapyard in Lko.



PS: Though this doesn't relates to me still clearing the doubt on what Condor needed to know. He's referring to the Accelarator Brake & Clutch pedals & needs to know if your car has the original setup of pedals coming out from the firewall & if so can you convert it to Suspended type, the norm in modern cars.
Hope I am correct with this, Condor

[HimuraKenshin]

Originally Posted by samsag12

You can surely revert to the original cooling system, just have to hunt for any S1 which is stated to be scrapped or can inquire about the following parts in scrapyard,


The present container will also work the same way minus the sensor. If you plan to get fluid box/container replaced then I have already mentioned the various sources in my previous post. I too will try to hunt it in local scrapyard in Lko.



PS: Though this doesn't relates to me still clearing the doubt on what Condor needed to know. He's referring to the Accelarator Brake & Clutch pedals & needs to know if your car has the original setup of pedals coming out from the firewall & if so can you convert it to Suspended type, the norm in modern cars.
Hope I am correct with this, Condor

HAHAHAHA
I read this post in my sleep in the morning, and i read the pedals as pillars, so i thought he was referring to the A, B and C pillars. LOL

No, the pedals are the original ones, sticking in through the firewall. What do you suggest? Keep it or fabricate?

And your input regarding the cooling system, is it advisable to change it back to the closed type with a thermostat? Or should i leave it?
My mechanic claims that it will give problems with the thermostat and hence it was modified.

[condor]

Originally Posted by samsag12

Hope I am correct with this, Condor

yes, @samsag12. Thanks !

Originally Posted by HimuraKenshin

No, the pedals are the original ones, sticking in through the firewall. What do you suggest? Keep it or fabricate?

The reason I asked is that, this set up often caused water (during rains) to get into the cabin, below the carpet. And this resulted in rusting of the floor board.

I know of Amby's that were converted. I dont know if your mecahnic can do it correctly. And if the right parts will be available.

[samsag12]

Originally Posted by HimuraKenshin

No, the pedals are the original ones, sticking in through the firewall. What do you suggest? Keep it or fabricate?

And your input regarding the cooling system, is it advisable to change it back to the closed type with a thermostat? Or should i leave it?
My mechanic claims that it will give problems with the thermostat and hence it was modified.

Please keep the original setup of pedals, they are designed to work that way. As far as water seeping into cabin, you can use Heatlon sheet to cover the area exposed to the water.

For the cooling system, its better to convert to stock S1 system only if you have all the necessary parts at hand & a competent mechanic to attend to otherwise it will not work properly.
Regarding what the mechanic says, you too know how they cut corners. If thermostat switch works perfectly it will not create any problem.
As of now that pully fan is robbing approx. 5-7 BHP of your car, thermostat controlled will eliminate this.
As stated previously, you can get all the required parts of stock cooling system if you hunt at right places.
BTW I forgot to mention an important point previously, please use 0.9 Psi radiator cap of Tecil or RD make for S1 system or 0.7 Psi for normal padmini setup.

[HimuraKenshin]

Originally Posted by samsag12

Please keep the original setup of pedals, they are designed to work that way. As far as water seeping into cabin, you can use Heatlon sheet to cover the area exposed to the water.

For the cooling system, its better to convert to stock S1 system only if you have all the necessary parts at hand & a competent mechanic to attend to otherwise it will not work properly.

This weekend, i'll look for the parts of the cooling system.

Btw, could you tell me the rates for chrome plating the bumpers? If you know the rates, that is..
And also the rate for the side 'pattis' / beading.

I really hope i get the cooling parts.
So the parts i should be looking for are:
1. closed typre radiator
2. surge tank
3. hoses
4. thermostat
5. electrical fan

Any pointers to where i can find them in mumbai?
cheers