[bikertillidie]

10-Nov -

A few pictures taken enroute Balaji temple near Narayanpur. My daughter loves the car.

[archat68]

The car looks awesome!! If I had your kind of patience I'd love to own a a Premier Padmini too .

[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

My daughter loves the car.

Hi mate, The Premier Padmini truly deserves the affection of its owners and honestly those who are and those who were the owners of this Uber decent Classic car very well know how precious it is. You really have kept the car in very neat and top notch condition and have reminded me of my own padmini which i had to sell 7 years back because we could not afford to maintain it as availability of spares was a major issue. In this life, if ever I get an oppurtunity to buy 1 then come what may BUT i will surely own one. One of the biggest plus point of this car is its adaptability to indian roads and the sturdy structure. One feels secure seated in it even without airbags. You have made genuine efforts and its showing.

Happy and Safe Driving

AD

[bikertillidie]

Posting a few more pics -

[Karthik1100]

Thanks for the wonderful pics!!

The lights on the roof and near the tray are good but might heat up the roof lining and spoil them, be careful.

[bikertillidie]

Originally Posted by Karthik1100

Thanks for the wonderful pics!!

The lights on the roof and near the tray are good but might heat up the roof lining and spoil them, be careful.

Thanks for the tip !

Will ensure that the lights do not remain switched on for long durations.

[bikertillidie]

17-Nov -

A few photographs taken this morning.

[B747]

Wow super, only people with genuine passion for cars will do this, so really appreciate that. Is parts still available?

[bikertillidie]

Originally Posted by B747

Wow super, only people with genuine passion for cars will do this, so really appreciate that. Is parts still available?

Yes, most spares are available.

There are a few select stores which stock spares for this model in Mumbai & Pune.

[pdiddy741]

Your ride reminds me of my grandfather's Padmini, back in the 90s. Nice choice, and good to see a proven car like this being restored by a passionate BHPian.

The car has a personality of its own especially its gear shift lever mounted next to the steering wheel. Always wanted to know the gear shift patterns on that thing.

Do keep us updated with the experience on your newly restored car

[B747]

Originally Posted by pdiddy741

The car has a personality of its own especially its gear shift lever mounted next to the steering wheel. Always wanted to know the gear shift patterns on that thing.

Gear shift pattern is the same as H with the difference that H happens on a vertical plane.

[bikertillidie]

Originally Posted by pdiddy741

Always wanted to know the gear shift patterns on that thing.

Hope the attached schematic helps

[samsag12]

Originally Posted by pdiddy741

The car has a personality of its own especially its gear shift lever mounted next to the steering wheel. Always wanted to know the gear shift patterns on that thing.

Here's a scanned copy of the pattern for reference, hope this helps.

[bikertillidie]

21-Nov -

Query for fiat experts -


(A) -

Had attempted to tune the vehicle yesterday using a timing light, dwell/tachometer.

Gap between the CB points was too large, after reducing it, the dwell angle achieved was 58 degrees.

Gap between electrodes on spark plug was set to 0.7 mm using a feeler gauge.

Idling RPM was set to 720 and ignition timing 10 degrees BTDC @idling.

The car drives much better now but when I checked the spark plugs later, there was a substantial amount of soot deposits indicating that the engine is running rich.

What could be the problem?

The air screw has already been opened up as much as possible (a) to allow steady idling (b) max engine rpm was attained after which it tapered off when rotated in either direction

I am using a 102 main jet.

I suspect the float setup to be problematic, any other thoughts?

(B) -

Front suspension makes a loud crunch when crossing speed breakers even though all bolts were tightened up.

Shock absorbers seem fine.

Probably oversize bushings are called for - any other suggestions?

(C) -

Slight hum from the differential. Will ignore for now.

(D) -

Will need to check all UJ crosses & bolts on the prop shaft. There are noises when starting off from stationary, accelerating after a gear change etc

[bikertillidie]

Following Mr. Dhabhar's advice, today I checked the distributor & the float level of the carburetor.

The centrifugal advance mechanism was choked with grease (probably caused by the same idiot who last overhauled it). It was cleaned thoroughly of all grease/gunk using some petrol and an old tooth brush.

Finally, a few drops of engine oil was applied on the centrifugal advance mechanism in order to keep it lubricated.

The cam operating the C/B points was also given a light smearing of engine oil.

While setting the timing, had accidentally set it way in advance. The consequent misfiring which ensued has opened up a gaping hole in the exhaust. Will need to be patched

On a positive note, the car now runs like a locomotive with a free flow exhaust (the roar is enough to wake up the dead). Acceleration is simply awesome

The spark plugs would be closely monitored for soot formation for a few more days.

Will downgrade to a 97 size jet if all else fails.

Float level in the carb seems OK (checked by blowing into the fuel inlet).

Attached are a few pictures taken today.

Does anyone know what is the opening below the inlet manifold meant for?