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!

Operation Resto Fiat 500d "Bambino"

In the build: 1961 Fiat 500d bare metal restoration + 650 motor

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Hey everyone, I'd like to share the restoration of our 1961 Fiat 500d with you guys. This is a big one! 650 motor with race girdle, comp lubrication and high compression internals, full length roll-top, period rally essentials and more. She's been kind enough to let us film the build for a new youtube channel (OperationResto) for publication in 2013 - hopefully.

I'll get into more detail, and share some of the harrowing back story (2 year battle, plus great Canberra fire) later on. PS, If I don't post every fortnight, it's only because we're flat out filming or editing. Also, I'll let you all know when we start uploading content to youtube, so if you want to subscribe to that, you can. Let's start with a trip to the Acid Dippers at ReadiStrip, Blacktown:

 

And then off to David Taylor's in Orange:

Please comment or ask questions and I'll try to help you with your own builds etc.