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-   -   Blessed with a Palio S10! Refurbished it too (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/136898-blessed-palio-s10-refurbished-too.html)

Never even in the wildest of my dreams did I think of owning an S10! Though I just love the beautiful canary yellow and the fabulous sound of the 1.6 motor, the S10 or GTX was never really in my radar. Two days before picking up the S10, I was actually thinking about a 1968 1100D, but there was yet another incident of a FIAT buying me lol:

Just for the record this is Fiat No 9 in the family :D

April 24, 2013 was Sachin Tendulkar's 40th birthday, little did I imagine that I would get a call about an S10 which I eventually ended up buying.

In the afternoon of April 24, I get a call from my good friend Nimish. He said due to unavoidable circumstances, he has to part ways from the S10 which he had build up with a lot of dedication and hard work.

He said its a fully restored car and wanted to pass it over to someone in our gang who would take good care and asked me to inform him if someone whom I know would be interested, but little did he imagine that I would say that I will take the S10.

So that's how it all happened. The next day was fully dedicated to convince my dad to pick up the S10. He said ok but with a strong condition that I need to sell the SS. I tried my best to convince him, but he said S10 or SS, any one only. And so finally I had to agree with him on giving away the SS. So things were finalized and Nimish said that he will bring the car from Kollam to Coimbatore on Saturday (April 30) as he was free that weekend and so I started to Coimbatore on Friday evening after office.

So that's how it all happened. Never told anyone until the car came home and rest is all history.

Tons of thanks are due to Nimish for thinking about me and passing over the car to me. I will continue from where he left off and will take special care of the yellow beast.

Some pictures of the S10











Some brief history on the car and details of the resto job

1. New strip down painting(enclosed the pictures of the job)
   
2. Paint used Siekkens 2k Advanced with Dupont Chroma clear. The car was baked and painted in the most advanced booth with airless drying technique for long lasting gloss and finish. Only Bondo fillers were used. The car was entirely build from scratch even though it was in good shape.
   
3. Complete engine work has been done. Replaced pistons, fuel pump, exhaust valve, timing chain, custom radiator,clutch plate, pressure plate and release bearing.
   
4. New Timing chain, Idler bearing and tensioner (fiat ricambi OE).
   
5. New throttle body (magnetti marelli),
   
6. New air intake hose,
   
7. New headlamps .
   
8. Fiat mulipla badges Uk import 100 16V, New S10 C pillar badges and stickers.
   
9. Replaced all alternator parts with complete overhaul.
   
10. New battery and side mirrors
    
11. Speedex custom number plates
    
12. Raj exhausts (mild with custom end can) not full headers

There were few very minor things that needed attention in the car as Nimish was unable to get them done due to availability of parts and time. But I got some of them done on the same day:

1. Replaced Gear rod housing. It had a couple of cracks and hence the shifting of the 5th gear was a bit-off. The same was replaced.
   
2. Replaced Power window relay
   
3. Replaced AC blower fuse
   
4. Replaced Ignition fuse
   
5. Noise from the front door hinges, removed the same, lubricated and taped the screw which holds the hinges and fixed it. Now the doors operate smoothly.
   
6. Caliper noise. Instead of the old school method of using grease and insulation tape, we removed the caliper and gave it to the lathe where it was welded with brass and then grind-ed before being fitted. Noise is now history.

AC servicing

Following completion of the above, I got the AC work done. The car was run-in for 3000 kms before the AC was fixed.

My mechanic suggested me to visit Ambal Auto AC works at Avinashi road, Coimbatore. Said they do good job with Palio's. I called them and went there at around 10:30 am on Saturday. This place is near the Audi service center, about couple of kilometers after the KMCH hospital.

I went there and the S10 without any doubts started pulling eyes. Everyone was curious on the yellow monster and there were all sorts of questions for me.

The workshop is a big and spacious one and there were a lot of cars in there for all sorts of AC servicing from gas top up to blower change and what not!

There were just 3 guys in there, the owner of the place and his two assistants who also seemed to be very experienced with the way they went about their works.

My car was taken in for inspection. Since there was no gas, he filled up nitrogen and kept the car in observation. He suggested to keep in leak check for at least 1 hr and I preferred to wait there and get the car checked and fixed like many others who were already in there.

In about few minutes, the gauge attached indicated that there was a leak in the system and the pressure kept decreasing. In 40 mins time the leak was substantial. He then told me that there is definitely a big leak and started checking for the leak using foam water and sponge. He was using the foam on the AC lines to check for the leaks and found the area where the leak was happening.

He then drained out the nitrogen. The leak was because of a faulty 'o' ring in one of the hoses that goes into the car behind the dash. The hose was removed, a new ring was fitted and connected back.

Following this, another round of leak check with nitrogen was done for 45 mins and there was no more leakage. Then he connected a machine something like a vacuum machine and allowed it to run for 20-25 mins. He said it was to clean the system. I guess it would work similar to the suction of a domestic vacuum cleaner.

Once this was completed, the AC gas was filled and the functioning of the thermostat was also monitored and once everything was found to be fine, we then took a test drive. Everything was perfect and I left the place around 2pm.

The bill for the AC work inclusive of all charges was Rs. 1500/-

Easily the best place for your car AC needs in Coimbatore. I can vouch for his knowledge, workmanship and also the extremely reasonable charges.

Pending works on the car are

1. Windshield replacement as there's a small crack.
   
2. The fuel tank float is acting funny. Got to check the float.
   
3. Central lock relay is gone. Hunting for one.

That's a great treat to look at! Well, you are undoubtedly a true fiat fan, 9 fiats! :D
Nicely maintained S10, h14. :D Hope you will have munch more and more trouble-free kms in your HH (Hot Hatch).
A nice list of modifications done. You have bought the beast back to life. No doubt you are an enthusiast. Do share prices of the above jobs.

BTW, What does the sticker at the rear windsheild say?

Thats a beauty there!

Looks gorgeous...Congrats on a great buy.

Cheers

Congrats on the car h14. Further, knowing how Nimish maintains his cars(the punto) this must be same as well. Please do post some more pictures.

Drive safe.

Wow,a real passionate fiat lover ! Congrats on your 9th member's entry ! I can see a lot of work going in there, how did he manage to get the parts ? Were they easily available ?

Thanks for the wishes Loud! Well all these works were done by my friend in Cochin. The sticker says "Love my Passion" ;)

Thanks a lot mindlesswander!!!

Thanks Eminenttismo! Car is in Coimbatore now and I'm in chennai. Will post pictures when I go home this weekend.

Thanks sajusherief! Sourcing parts is never an issue when you have like minded Fiat'ians across the country. Many of our friends helped sourcing parts from many different cities.

Palio is one of my all time fav cars. Was fortunate to spot one S10 here in Tvm, but could not locate its owner as it was parked.The paint, body work looks superb and i respect you for keeping the stock look. I can see that u intend to keep her with you for a long time. Enjoy!

Now that's one awesomely good looking s10 (It always was a beauty anyways) I must say!! Congratulations on acquiring one of the most sportiest hatches that India saw almost a decade back.

I have a very close association in hunting for s10 for my close buddy and driving it from Chennai to Bangalore and paying all the attention it needed to restore it to its best.

Wish you many enthusiastic drives on this timeless beauty:thumbs up

Super hot car Anandh! Hope to catch up with you very soon. Never ever driven a S10 till date.

Nimish has really painstakingly restored this beauty. You are very lucky, not to get the S10, but to get such a good one!

Thanks a ton Mukund! I do intend to keep her for long agree:

Thanks a lot Parag! Eagerly waiting for a long drive in the S10.


Thanks Kar! The s10 is in Coimbatore and will probably come to Chennai by end July.

The car looks fantastic !!
Whats the total on the odo ??
How are the throttle body , alternator & fuel pump ? Have they been changed or they are stock ?

Thanks karizma_devil! I believe you missed the first post. The throttle body is brand new Magneti Marelli, alternator has been fully overhauled with new parts.

The fuel pump is fine, but I have to change it as the float is acting funny. We tested the float, the meter is perfect but the float is gone. So I have to get the pump changed.

Many Congrats. Thats one awesome looking s10:thumbs up.

I had a same problem in mine last year and it was quite difficult to source it.
If by chance you come to chennai, there are 2 shops in GP road who sell Fiat spares exclusively. Even if they do not have in stock, they manage to arrange it in a weeks time.

Wishing you many happy miles on the beast.

h14 - A big congrats for the S10 and the 9th FIAT. She is a beautiful canary no doubt. And the work carried out till date and the short pending work list is self explanatory for its condition.

Being in Coimbatore is a huge advantage for sourcing parts. I had faced issues to maintain my Palio while in Kerala. It was fine in Bangalore till I sold her about 3 years back.

Thanks swami.n. I believe you are refering to SM auto parts? Will check with them. BTW, I'm in Chennai full time. Will visit Coimbatore once or twice a month :)

Thanks a lot jacs! I do agree with you on the parts availability in Coimbatore.