Operation Resto Fiat 500 "Bambino" gets a vintage-style Roll Cage

First things first: Yes, that's our tow car on a tow truck... oh the irony. Thanks to the local NRMA boys from Moree for towing us in so we could make our workshop appointment, and Aaron for rescuing the trailer.

As our little Fiat 500 is destined to be used as a city car, some chassis reinforcement is installed so that Katy (pictured looking sad) doesn't get squashed by impatient SUV drivers. An original style roll cage is a good option because the modification to the vehicle is minimal. To return the car to stock, one need only unstitch 4 to 6 weld points on the body, and the cage can be cut out in 4 sections. We've opted to do the installation before the interior is painted, so the cage can be painted up as well. Intrusion is minimal and all interior fixtures will fit around the bars, although the sun visors require 1.5" extension rods which we'll cover later on. Aaron from DieselGas Moree shows us how to cage a classic in less than four hours!

Note the small-radius bends and pinch-mouth joints. Combine these elements with narrow, thick wall tubing and you get a nice 60's boy-racer feel.

Operation Resto Fiat 500 "Bambino" continued

Our little 500's looking much better now that the metalwork is properly sorted! David, our painter has been busy repairing the underside. He's applied sound deadening/stoneguard in a similar style to the factory. The underside, wheel wells and engine room have received a nice coat of beige paint, and some careful hand finishing. The rest of the body remains in white primer. We'll get to this when the mechanical work is well underway.

Andrew (pictured) has been busy re-fitting the rebuilt suspension and larger brakes. Some parts need to be made, like the rubber coil boots. We had aftermarket replacements (origin unknown) that simply fell apart when tightened down - so some industrial rubber was cut to size instead.

And here are some stills from our time in Italy (Sorrento) - I loved this little 500r (or L?) Arbarth replica. It had a matching scooter to go with it, but sadly I don't have a picture of it. (If you know the owner we'd love to know more about the car) Also, a sad little Bambino up in the hills above the city.


If you're restoring a 500 and have any questions I'm more than happy to help out, also, we'll subscribe to your builds if you have a thread going. Have fun!