[NST440]

Reading through , looking at your pics and then seeing 2014 at the bottom brings an amazing feeling to see people having love for these classic and lovable machines. A fiat padmini is nostalgia for many on this forum,the epitome of uber cool car of its time. The car's of today are so much of the chip and sensor control mechanism that the connect between the man & machine has somehow faded if not lost.

I am still curious and excited if i am not wrong in guessing that you are going to put the Punto alloys and tires on your S1. I wish you all the very best for the restoration/modification. Pls. keep the thread alive with regular updates and pictures.

[anjan_c2007]

A well written travelogue where the writer has got the car of his choice. Padminis are slowly dissappearing from our streets and we can get a rare sighting one on today's streets if we are lucky enough.

Padminis, 1100 D's or Presidents as daily drivers are very few if any. Wishing funkykar many more miles with smiles on your favourite car. Do keep on posting more and more information about the car.

[Vinit Wakade]

Hats off to you sir. Your love for Fiat is obvious. Its one thing to love a brand, but totally another to passionately follow it and it is people like you who show how its done. The snaps are wonderful and travelogue well written.
I have a special place for the S1 as I learnt to drive on one. I still miss the car, was really sad when my father traded it for an Esteem in 1998.

[chanu]

Thanks Arun for introducing me to this thread, nice write up and is pictorial. Congratulations Kartik for the S1, looks neat and healthy (it proved it, else you wouldn't have made it). Ilango I did observe the Arun's beard, imagine if he had to do a ground up restoration without going to saloon then I guess he can avoid coir into the seat and can have his beard for cushioning, lol. Just kidding. Hope to see more on this. Congratulations once again, wishing miles of smiles ahead.

[ilangop]

http://www.turbinecar.com/tires.htm
The radial type equivalent tyres for the 5.2" - 14 bias ply are listed here. Coincidentally the Wagon R Stingray comes with 155/65/R14 which is more or less a close match for 5.2-14 without compromising on the steering effort.

[Slowjet]

Nice writeup funkykar. I really love Premier Padmini and Ambassador. It was a nostalgic reading for me. I also have Premier Padmini and it just pumps me up after reading your writeup to restore it. Last I drove my car was in 2008 so some work will be required to make it run. We have done trips in Padmini from B'bay to Jaipur and Chennai and it was really fun that time. The last long trip done was from Bangalore to Mumbai in 2005.

I picked my id for one of the components of carburettor.

Enjoy your ride mate.

The car is great considering the then time period. During college days it used to be so much fun as we could sit on the bonnet (the rounded part above wheels) and boot and have a long chat endlessly.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by funkykar

My favorite pic of this drive!
Attachment 1318321

Suvarna Soudha - Belgaum.
Attachment 1318325

The roads were a treat, I recently did the same stretch and stopped in the same spots for photos





Congratulations on your buy and happy motoring.

[addyhemmige]

Congratulations on the acquisition of yet another classic Karthik. I'm sure you guys had a ball of a time getting the car to Bangalore. That said, I'm really happy you found a good car and hopefully it will not need too much work to get it back to tip-top condition.

Btw, the pic of the S1 with the Linea, is that Mantri Mall parking?

[bikertillidie]

Hi Funkybar,

Your post reminded me of my search for a Premier Padmini a few years ago though it did not involve as undertaking a 1700 km journey (to/fro Bangalore).

The car seems to be in good shape.

It was nice to finally see Ilangop's pics along with his beloved 118 NE.

One query - is the S1 based in Aurangabad still available and what kind of price is the owner expecting?

Please PM me.

Best Regards.

[Fiat&Me]

Nice pick up Arun and Karthik. Travelogue is nicely written and with many photographs. You have proved that still old Fiats can do 1100+ km journey in single sprint. The photo of spares to be carried will be informative for many Fiatians who want to travel by old Fiats.
Congrates and keep it up...........

[Jaggu]

Very nice thread, congratulations! Always wanted one, some day the S1

Keenly looking forward to the restoration now.

[funkykar]

I never thought people would show interest in a bygone car log. I am overwhelmed by the warm responses. Going forward, I will convert this into an ownership thread and post constant updates.

Originally Posted by GTO

Rating thread a well-deserved 5 stars

Feel honored, many thanks!

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Passion for classics aside, like I already said to you earlier, the effort and determination required to drive this one back home clocking 850+ kms (Pimpri-Bangalore) is commendable. All this considering the fact that we have super fast roads, faster cars, excellent AC and NVH levels, butter smooth operations and steering!

Old School brakes, NVH Levels, un-ergonomic seats, hard ABC Cable operated pedals, unreliable (by today's standards when it comes to doing such runs in one shot) and unexpected surprises like those you expected anyways are all those ingredients that can make you lose good temperament.

In short, Kudos to you and your partner for taking up this journey -of course the return journey!!

Pune-Bangalore:
Like Karthik mentioned, I was incidentally in Pune over that weekend and had to deliberately plan my return start as much late so that I can act as a back-up for Karthik and his partners.

We started from Home at 2am and drove sedately and kept getting regular updates. I was not at all surprised with the pace the S1 was progressing considering the roads and the drivers behind its wheel.

I was 60KMS away (Chitradurga bypass) when I got a SOS call when the lights failed. I started closing in your Whatsapp location and no sooner that I got inches closer, you called again to inform that everything was back on track.

Thanks Parag for everything. 50-75k kms driving experience not too long ago with classics was one reason it made it very easy. Long hours behind the wheel isnt something new to me or you. Also, unlike modern cars, these classics are very simple and easy to troubleshoot and fix. All we needed was a cushion to back us up in case of any breakdowns. Even if I had a choice to choose, I would have chosen you. This is the very reason why we hurriedly rushed to Nasik was to stay on your schedule.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Would have loved to escort the classic all the way home for the last leg (130 kms) but glad you asked me to continue. Darn, I wonder if I may have falled asleep at the wheel doing 60-70-80kmph.

Wish you all the best with this recent acquisition and as demanded, I would love to take a spin sooner.

We initially did speeds conservatively and were in band of 50-60, then slowly progressed to 60-70. We were very very concerned about the tires getting stressed and heated up due to our speeds and afternoon sun. As the sun cooled, we sped to 70-80 and after Belgaum we were always 90+. All these readings are from Android GPS and not the meter. Me and Arun discussed several times that if all goes well, we wouldn't see Parag today. We will see Parag only if there is an issue with the car. Unfortunately, we had this headlight issue and fortunately we could meet you also Parag. We drove little slow the last 130kms only as per your advice as we had connected the headlight directly.

Do I need to explicitly say this S1 is as much yours as mine? Just that I wanted few things to be taken care of before you guys saw it.

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Sweet sweet .

Congrats Karthik. I was aware that you are looking out for an S1 and I had planned to contact you sometime today just this morning. Like you had sold off your S1 due to lack of time to take care of it, I was thinking of selling off (but only to an enthusiast) my S1. I could think only of you since I was sure it wouldn't end up in the scrapyard (and also held a remote possibility that I will be able to buy it back at a later time hehe). And you know what, this post has made me change that decision. I am keeping my car.

If I had known, I may have bought your car. Now, I am even happy that you are going to retain it. I wish you the best of luck.

Originally Posted by utsav1303

The ending was dramatic like a Bollywood Cinema with low beam and horn issues.

Honestly speaking I need to recheck the post dates as the pics were looking like vintage and rustic pics of yesteryears and I thought it may be sharing of stories of years down the memory lane.

And the pic of keeping toll cash change was iconic in the post and added a nice flavour.

Yes, nice ending, may be the S1 wanted to get some attention before it made it to its new home. The slightly blurry pics were not noticed on the camera screen as it was a bright day and a nice coincidence that it makes it look retro. Keeping the necessary toll money in ash tray was an improvisation. After all, smoking kills.

Originally Posted by rav11stars

Is it because of your looks or the car or the way the snaps were taken? The snaps look so retro. awesome!!

Combination of both. ha ha ha!

Originally Posted by NST440

Reading through , looking at your pics and then seeing 2014 at the bottom brings an amazing feeling to see people having love for these classic and lovable machines. A fiat padmini is nostalgia for many on this forum,the epitome of uber cool car of its time. The car's of today are so much of the chip and sensor control mechanism that the connect between the man & machine has somehow faded if not lost.

I am still curious and excited if i am not wrong in guessing that you are going to put the Punto alloys and tires on your S1. I wish you all the very best for the restoration/modification. Pls. keep the thread alive with regular updates and pictures.

I agree with nostalgia. India for a very long time had 2 popular cars, the 1100 and the Ambys. Hope most people liked it because it was good rather than out of no choice.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

A well written travelogue where the writer has got the car of his choice. Padminis are slowly dissappearing from our streets and we can get a rare sighting one on today's streets if we are lucky enough.

Padminis, 1100 D's or Presidents as daily drivers are very few if any. Wishing funkykar many more miles with smiles on your favourite car. Do keep on posting more and more information about the car.

Bombay taxis controlled and defined up to when we can comfortably run the 1100's. Now that most taxis are gone, spares will be an issue. The small time makers of spares(whatever quality it may be) will slowly diminish. Yes, for me its not just a collectible. I enjoy the cars by using it.

Originally Posted by Vinit Wakade

Hats off to you sir. Your love for Fiat is obvious. Its one thing to love a brand, but totally another to passionately follow it and it is people like you who show how its done. The snaps are wonderful and travelogue well written.
I have a special place for the S1 as I learnt to drive on one. I still miss the car, was really sad when my father traded it for an Esteem in 1998.

Would love to see if you have any pics of the S1.

Originally Posted by chanu

Thanks Arun for introducing me to this thread, nice write up and is pictorial. Congratulations Kartik for the S1, looks neat and healthy (it proved it, else you wouldn't have made it). Ilango I did observe the Arun's beard, imagine if he had to do a ground up restoration without going to saloon then I guess he can avoid coir into the seat and can have his beard for cushioning, lol. Just kidding. Hope to see more on this. Congratulations once again, wishing miles of smiles ahead.

Thanks a lot and yes, the S1 proved what it is by getting us 1100kms. Amazing observation on the beard. LOL

Originally Posted by Slowjet

Nice writeup funkykar. I really love Premier Padmini and Ambassador. It was a nostalgic reading for me. I also have Premier Padmini and it just pumps me up after reading your writeup to restore it. Last I drove my car was in 2008 so some work will be required to make it run. We have done trips in Padmini from B'bay to Jaipur and Chennai and it was really fun that time. The last long trip done was from Bangalore to Mumbai in 2005.

I picked my id for one of the components of carburettor.

Very nice to know. I really hope you restore is as soon and start enjoying the drives in the Padmini. Now is the time where most spares are still easily available.

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

The roads were a treat, I recently did the same stretch and stopped in the same spots for photos

Congratulations on your buy and happy motoring.

One too many times Arun kept reminding about you Karl. From the moment we boarded the bus from Bangalore till we reached home in S1, we just did not have any spare time considering we wanted to be ahead of Parag who was our backup.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Congratulations on the acquisition of yet another classic Karthik.

Btw, the pic of the S1 with the Linea, is that Mantri Mall parking?

Thanks Addy! Thats my office parking lot. LOL. I hate to visit malls and would there be a day where more than 1 car of mine in a mall? No, never!

Originally Posted by bikertillidie

Hi Funkybar,

It was nice to finally see Ilangop's pics along with his beloved 118 NE.

One query - is the S1 based in Aurangabad still available and what kind of price is the owner expecting?

Please PM me.

Yes, there are too little pics of Ilango or his car. Even I realised after you posted this.

About the Aurangabad car, I have PM'ed you.

Originally Posted by Fiat&Me

Nice pick up Arun and Karthik. Travelogue is nicely written and with many photographs. You have proved that still old Fiats can do 1100+ km journey in single sprint. The photo of spares to be carried will be informative for many Fiatians who want to travel by old Fiats.
Congrates and keep it up...........

We will be happy to help! Full credit to team-bhp which was a platform for us to understand the 1100 better and also connected us to lot of other enthusiasts. Special thanks to DBhpian Behram Dhabar for constantly showering us with technical information on how to maintain our cars well. Words cannot describe how helpful he has been to the 1100 fraternity.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Very nice thread, congratulations! Always wanted one, some day the S1

Keenly looking forward to the restoration now.

Thats nice to know. Now is the best time for these classics. I think in couple of years, the prices will hit the roof :(

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Karthik / Arun - first of all, congratulations. The very fact that the car has gone from Nasik to Bangalore determines its reliability. Please post small paragraphs on the behavior of each of the aggregates during this drive, for example, did the clutch pedal behavior change as the drive progressed / did the brake pulling persist, diminish, got eliminated or increased etc. This will enable me to guide you in totality. Please remember that for such a car it is very important to know what not to do rather than to know what to do. Please post very detailed photographs also.

And Ilango, by the way, I have a small complaint! Why the hell didn't you tell me that these guys were in Pune? I would have loved to meet. Kya yaar! OK, so as a punishment, now both of us must drive down to Bangalore in your 118NE or in my super select for the next FCCC meet and also to meet them! What say? .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[funkykar]

Thanks sir!

1) Clutch - It is smooth and fantastic. We used it only for changing gears. Sir, the column shift also has the 118NE clutch? I know the gearbox being from 118NE.

2) Brakes - Normal braking was just fine, even in good speeds. Only on very hard and sudden braking, it used to pull to the right. We happened to brake in such manner 3 times in totality for 1100 kms. Once between Nasik and Pune and twice between Pune and Bangalore. It felt the same all 3 times. Punto rims and tires (165/80R14, will elaborate on this later with pics) have been added immediately after coming to Bangalore and all 4 brakes cleaned (sand paper). Never got a chance to test it in city. Will test some time and get back here.

3) The car has a Super King AC that’s been retrofitted. In this process they have installed the large Deluxe radiator and introduced the mechanical fan :( (I know you will not like to know its a 6 blade fan). Just wanted to know from you how was the setup like in an AC Padmini S1. I never got to see any till date.

4) The car had the old type Speedometer (the one without clock). Did the lower variants of S1 came with such? I was of the belief that all S1 speedos were the ones with clock.

5) Did all the variants of S1 have same carburetor. Mine has the old type (don’t know model number) as compared to the other new one on my previous S1.

6) This S1 is very throaty unlike my previous S1 which literally did not make any sound and was like a Reva car. My mechanic confirmed that the muffler was empty (the center one under the doors)

Below are couple of pics of engine bay for your reference. The large radiator and carburetor are visible easily. The head cover was opened to change the leaking gasket.

[funkykar]

As I earlier mentioned, I had already purchased tyres (165/80R14) used for about 6k kms on a Grande Punto and 5 rims used for about 20-25k kms much before buying the S1 itself. These are tried and tested tyre profile for me. My previous S1 too had same profile but with a tube as they were running on stock rims. BHPian Sujith said to me recently that the Punto rims are a perfect fit for the Padmini. He also runs on same setup. Since they are rims for tubeless, even better! Once we reached Bangalore, I was itching to change to the Punto rims and tyres.

Over the weekend, I visited Madhu's Wheel Alignment center in Langford road. Such was my excitement that I called them previous evening and learnt that they open at 9am and there I was at 9. I was their first customer and work was done very quickly. Be it a new car or a classic, this is the best place for alignment/balancing. The black rims and fresh tyres make the S1 look hot.





They put the new tyres on the Punto rims, balanced it and then aligned the wheels.








The Punto rims and tyres being fit on the Padmini.




Wheel alignment in progress.




Madhu's job slip!