Spring 2007 Edition

Spring 2007 Edition
The Official Magazine of
The UK Cinquecento & Seicento Owners Club
Copyright Clubcento® Unauthorised reproduction or distribution prohibited
Editor s Corner - Sie Daniels
I m not a fan of the Winter season when it comes to Clubcento. It all goes ever so
quiet. I don t see friends for what feels like an eternity and I end up with a phone bill
that sees Mr O2 laughing all the way to his Christmas party. I can t even turn to my
car for help as that s colder than Jack Frost s backside and even when it s warmed
up there is so much rubbish out on the roads that it s painful to even think about taking a leisurely cruise down the M1 and back.
We ve already had a few events this year and it feels great to get back into things.
Just about recovered from Donny in time for the I Love Man trip and some more big
events lined up this year. There s a London to Brighton run pencilled into the calendar and the I Love Man trip. And not to mention the day-events that always crop up
to keep us busy.
This Spring edition of Centochat is a Technical special. With over 15 pages of Cento
tinkering, you d have to throw away your Haynes and buy a new one to get your
hands on more knowledge and know-how. A real credit to those who have submitted
material.
We ve also got the first instalment of H5YPR s Story. Alaina Wyllie s incredible Cinquecento, which not only amazes us, but also the rest of the country through it s
Magazine features and elite show presence. Not to be missed!
As always, I hope this edition will put that grin back on your face and remind you that
winter is a long way away again!
[email protected]
Contents
Cover photo -
Alaina s Flip Cinq at Donny by
Sie Daniels
Editor s Corner
Club Contacts
News
Events - Ace Café meeting
Donny 2007 Modified show
Owner s Rides - Alaina Wyllie
Nick Lane
John Whetstone
Technical Area - Fuel Pump Upgrade
Relocating the Battery
Trailing Arms
Rear Suspension Bushes
899cc Driveshaft Replacement
Club Contacts
Club President
Rob Whitney
[email protected]
Vice President
Barrie Howes
[email protected]
Mobile: 07759 798850
Chairman
André Etienne
[email protected]
Tel: 01767 312470
Vice Chairman
Tim Rickards
[email protected]
Secretary
Helen Fone
[email protected]
Treasurer
Marie Etienne
Membership Sec.
Emily Bentley
[email protected]
Tel: 07702 819408
Technical Officer
Pete McKendrick
[email protected]
Tel: 01642 275901
Events Organiser
Helen Fone
[email protected]
Website Co-ordinator Matt Bourne
[email protected]
Mobile: 07866805056
Magazine Editor
Sie Daniels
[email protected]
News
News
Stanford Hall - Date Change
Instead of the normal date, Auto Italia s Stanford Hall event is now to be held on Sun
19th August. Book it into your diaries, always a popular event!
Cheaper insurance for Club Members!
Rob Whitney has negotiated a special deal with Chris Knott insurance for Clubcento
members!
Basically it works like this:
You shop around and get your best quote.
Call Chris Knott FREE on 0800 917 2274 mentioning Clubcento.
Check out their website:
http://www.ckinsurance.co.uk/car_insurance_1.html
and/or email [email protected]
**They will beat your best quote - result!**
Also Clubcento receives a commission on all policies taken out so you win both ways.
Reviews
ACE CAFÉ - SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2007
Words - Emily Bentley, Photos - Fabien Ho & Tim Vincent
First event of the year and it was daw n sawfff in good ol London town.
I get withdrawal symptoms over the winter months when there aren t any Cento
events. It s like SAD in a way - without the vitamin D deficiency. I sit and daydream
about Stanford Hall, missing my Cento friends, missing all the Cento chat - I end up
speaking to random, disinterested people in pubs about
the club and my car and stuff but they just don t understand - I need my fellow Cento addicts to get me high on
Cento life again so when Feb 9th came around I was all
happy knowing the Cento meet season was again upon
us!
Still reeling from the cost of Christmas I was glad when
Pete McKendrick agreed to share cars and this time we
took mine. A little rusty around the edges (soon to
change - watch this space), juuuust that little bit
slower (and will still remain so) than Pete s 1242cc
turbo black beast but it still delivers every time.
The drive down the M1 to meet Helen Fone at
Leicester Forest East was a good clear run and for
once, even though I had picked up Pete a little
later (as always) than I had intended to, we were
there on time. As we pulled in I thought we spied
Helen s Punto so pulled in next to it but as we did
so Pete told me it wasn t Helen s as it was the
wrong reg. - never mind. As we walked up to the
café we spied Hel pulling in next to us so now the
Cinq was surrounded by blue Puntos.
After having a rather expensive Panini, coffee and
yummy chocolate chip shortbread we got back on
the road down to London with Helen leading the
convoy. If anyone says I drive fast when leading they really want a turn behind
Helen. My poor 1108cc Cinq - it did manage to kind of keep up - thankfully there
was a few spots of road works to give it rest periods in between.
Reviews
Navigating our way to the hotel near Wembley station was a little on the difficult side
and in the end after losing Helen we just
headed for the huge metal arc of the new
Wembley Stadium. At least when we
reached there we would know where we
were on the map. Only problem was which
side were we sitting outside - north, south,
east, west? After speaking to Helen we realised that she too had done the same and
was near the Arena so we drove round and
met up.
Without too much trouble from there Helen found our hotel and luckily there was
parking right outside. What a find that hotel was - thank you Helen - nice, clean and
for only £19 per night including continental breakfast - amazing value for London.
After settling into our triple room we went in search of food and found a nice little
café on the high street which served extremely good salads and pita pockets.
Back to the hotel for a quick change. The hotel ordered us a taxi and we were soon
winding our way through a maze of residential
streets of Wembley to the Ace Café.
Ace was just as I had imagined it but the atmosphere was much friendlier and there was a welcoming feeling from walking in till leaving. There
was a lot of chrome on the front and a lot of
leather inside. Drinks were served in plastic
glasses, which was a bit of a worry but really
there was no need. There was a Gene Vincent
tribute on and they were fantastic.
Rob Whitney drove down to meet up with us in there and we had a good old catch
up with beer, well cider in my case, a plenty. There was actually a poster on the
stairway to the toilets with our meet on it so we all took a picture of it.
Reviews
After a few more drinks Rob offered to drop us back off at the hotel but first took us
to see the Hoover building which has now been bought by Tescos and was illuminated in an ambient green. What an amazing piece of architecture and Tesco had
succeeded in keeping in with the modernist theme with a beautiful American style art
deco petrol station complete with glass brick kiosk wall and even the trolley parks
were beautifully done and matched the lines of the building.
We had quite a chilled out morning getting packed up and ready for the trip back
to the Ace Café. Had a lovely continental
breakfast and after a few cups of tea set
off trying to follow the route the taxi driver
had taken us the night before. After hitting
a couple of dead ends (someone really
needs to tell the council to put up no
through road signs!) Helen navigated
through the narrow streets to the café.
The car park attendant directed us right in
front of the café with the idea to line up all
the Centos on the front which provided a
good photo shoot opportunity later in the day.
It s a shame we d already had our healthy continental brekkie at the hotel because
the Full English s everyone was tucking into at the Ace looked amazing. I guess we ll
know for next time where we should fill our bellies.
The staff at the Ace were well ace actually! They had set aside a side part of the
café (where the Gene Vincent tribute had played the night before) for our committee
meeting and buffet. They helped us arrange the tables for the meeting and keep the
public out until they pulled some screens across creating our very own room. There
was plenty of tea, coffee and orange for all.
Very soon more members started to arrive to join Helen, Pete and me. Andre, Marie
and Robert Etienne, Claire and Barrie Howes, Tim Vincent, Joe Hatch and Gary
Thomas, Leslie Rentcome, Fabien Ho, Lisa Scarffe and Rob Whitney (if I ve missed
anyone out I do apologise!).
Reviews
We had our committee meeting and unfortunately had to abandon the EGM, we had
previously arranged and given notice of, because we didn t have a quorum so another EGM will have to be called at a future event (come on folks - it s your club - we
need you!).
Whilst the meeting was in progress lots of large dishes and plates were being arranged in the corner and we took a lunch break part way through the proceedings.
What a spread - I have to say it was quite simply the best buffet lunch the club has
ever arranged and on an Italian theme too. There were three pasta dishes, a ton of
smoked salmon and cream cheese ciabattas, lovely blue cheese thingies, caprese
salad and more tea and coffee. We feasted on the glorious food - some even had
thirds!
After the gorging we continued with the committee meeting discussing exciting things like
future events (Isle of Man, Stanford Hall, London to Brighton (starting at the Ace Café!))
and the launch of the new 500 model and the
inclusion of it in Clubcento - which I m please
to say we were all in agreement with encouraging and were hoping to have something to
do with the launch - watch this space!
After the meeting was finished there was time for photos of the cars and us outside
Ace and then unfortunately we had to leave.
We had a great run back with the now 160k Cento never missing a beat! Thanks to
Helen for arranging the hotel and Ace, Pete for being a fantastic co-pilot and everyone who made it - see you all soon.
Reviews
Donny Modified Show 2007
Words - Matthew Atkinson, Photos - Matthew Atkinson & Sie Daniels
The day began with a quick clean of the car inside and out. Packed up and raring to go
we hit the road. Onto the M6 for the 201 mile trip began with us meeting up with a few
local guys to travel down with. We arrived at the gate and joined the queue to enter the
field where we would be spending the
night. Finding I was the first one from the
club to arrive I decided to leave my car
parked up at the side of road and have a
walk around to see some other cars. Not
long after parking up I got a phone call
from Alex (CaneyJ) saying he was inside
the camp site, so off we went to meet him
and set up our tents. Tents were up and after a look around each others cars we got
a call off Gary and Joe (WIZZLE and
Hatchy) saying they where going to be another hour. Once everyone had arrived we
got together and set up the last tent and
opened a few tins. Another walk was in order to pass the night, plenty of folk drifting and handbrake turning their cars kept us entertained.
Reviews
The next morning arrived and we all up
and ready by 07:00 to drive into the park.
We entered through a gate from the
camp site which took us over the track
into the park. We drove down in file and a
few people sniggered as we arrived to
where the club stand would be situated.
The four of us parked our cars and Alex,
Gary and Joe gave their cars a quick
wipe around to remove the dust. Gary
soon after this got a call from Helen (2
Helen back) saying they were in Coppice
tunnel and would be with us soon. Alex
and I decided to walk toward the tunnel
and meet the others as they arrived but got slightly sidetracked with some track action
and some other club stands. We made our way back to the club stand to meet up with
Helen, Pete (fixitagaintomorrow), Mick (Fluffy the Impaler) and Sie (Sie Daniels). Introductions where made everyone headed off to meet Alaina at the AutoGlym stand
where her Cinquecento was on show. As the day went on we all were grabbing freebies from as many stands as possible.
Back at the club stand Mick, Sie and Jamie prepared themselves for some track action.
Excess weight was unloaded and they made their way towards the track, while the rest
of use went to the hillside to watch them down Craner curves and into the Old Hairpin.
We sat back and enjoyed the sun as we waited for the session to begin. Once a Seat
Ibiza was recovered off the track the session began. I was great to see two Cinquecentos and a Seicento mixing it up with Corsas, a Starlet, a Rover and a Focus plus others.
The day came to a close so we headed back to the camp site to get ready for the night
ahead. Again more drifting kept us entertained whiles we had a few cans, and a Peugeot 106 with hydraulics and a thumping install had some of use bouncing, quite literally.
The next Morning arrived and we said our goodbyes to Alex, Joe and Gary as they set off home.
Mick and I went back into the grounds to meet up
with Sie and Helen and for a final look about and
see if there was anymore freebies. We made our
way to the AutoGlym stand to see when the
judges where making there announcements. Tension built as the time grew closer and when Alaina
won the best Interior I think the Cento bunch gave
the loudest cheers. The time had come to say
goodbye to everyone and get back onto the road for the journey home.
Reviews
Was an excellent weekend and fantastic meeting a few members.
Owner s Rides
H5YPR S STORY - Alaina Wyllie s Cinquecento
It all began late may when I realised my glittery 899 was in dire need of a re-spray. I
went round every garage in the business, no body would touch it. That s got 20 odd
layers of paint on it, no way are we touching that! . It would take longer to rub it all
off than it would be worth! they d say. In my desperation I turned to the only man I
knew would touch it. The legend that is
Kenny Laird. His name is whispered
around the modified car world. He doesn t advertise, he works from his home,
but his reputation is by far the best in the
business. The one man who could fix my
baby. As I drove toward his house I approached a large set of wrought iron
gates, the words The Laird boldly fixed
above them. I got shivers, but knew I was
doing the right thing. I drove up the pebbled path, toward the large sandstone
house, where I was greeted by Kenny all
covered in cataloy. He had a good look
over the little car and agreed that there was an awful lot of paint on it. However he d
do it.
The waiting list was long, and the price was high but I knew he was the best in the
business and worth every penny. About a month before the date to go to Kenny,
Ross (my partner) bought a silver sporting as a run around; it was bumped and
bashed but still as gorgeous as any Cento. The date was fast approaching, when I
got a phone call from Kenny. He advised me that he d been having a good think
about the car, and had came to the judgement that the amount of time that it would
take to strip my 899 and re do more work, I would be better to start with a clean
slate. He said that starting on a fresh Cinq would mean all that money would go on
making it all that it could be, and not the initial breakdown of taking it all off then putting more back on.
So it was decided. The silver Cinq was going for an extreme makeover, and the 899
would have to be sold. Luckily the sale went very smoothly and went to a lovely
owner. So I done what I had to do and hand the keys of the 899 over to its new
owner and the silver Sporting's keys over to Kenny. It would be 5 weeks before I
would see her again. Just before she went it, I had a mad rush of buying the Spax
suspension, 15 BK racing alloys and HnR hub centric spacers. Luckily, it was all
brought together in time.
Owner s Rides
5 weeks passed and I received the phone
call I d been waiting for. She was ready. I
drove there shaking with excitement. I had
left every choice to Kenny, I picked the paint
from a card and that was it. At no point was I
allowed to visit. The windows of his garage
are blacked out. Big signs all over the property read absolutely no photographs apparently some car magazines have been trying
to get scoops before his cars are ready. I was never allowed to see the car. Or have
any input in what was to be done. At one point I had to go down to deliver a part and
the full car was taped up with brown paper so no one could see.
I drove around the corner and through the gates, and there she was, gleaming in the
sun. A car that had been totally and utterly transformed. I didn t know how I was going
to react. All my emotions over whelmed me and I felt sick. Kenny standing proud of his
artwork, asked Do you like it? I couldn t answer, there was no words to describe how much
I liked it. There is no description of how beautiful
that tiny little car was. It stood there proud,
proud to be different and proud to be beautiful. I
couldn t believe that what I seen before me was
the same car.
Owner s Rides
Eventually when I got a hold of my self, I began to explore her every smooth curve and
began to become mesmerised by the paintwork. As I walked around the car in disbelief
the car would change from pink to purple then blue to green. A gold and bronze then
settle to a lilac. Her headlights astonished me, the amount of work involved and yet
they looked perfectly natural. Every essence of the car looked natural.
Kenny handed me the keys and I got inside. When inside I realised that she was indeed the baby that I had left him with. But now her Cento happiness was shining out of
her. As I drove home I felt on top of the world. I was aware of everyone looking at her. I
had stood on the shoulders of a giant and seen the world in a different way.
Underneath she was still that little silver Sporting. She needed repairs. No exhaust was
a start. I took her to my favourite modified car garage Free Flo, who sorted me out with
a stunning exhaust. These guys drive Cosies and Evos. And hate all things small and
less that 200bhp! But when they seen her they were gob smacked. She was indeed
stunning. Not only in my eyes, but in the eyes of would be critics.
Owner s Rides
I took her to her first show at Knockhill racetrack; it was a Fast Car magazine show. I
wondered if they would spot her among all the other modified cars. After all she is
small. I was then approached by Glenda and Steven from Fast Car who looked very
excited. The asked to take her show number off her as they started taken lots of pictures. As Steven took them, Glenda was asking a lot of questions about the little car.
He had a notebook with other cars descriptions and the owner s name, with the Cinq he
put a massive star beside it and highlighted it. I knew this was going to be a good thing.
He then gave me his card and told me the car was incredible.
Months past and the show season had ended. I had done a few tuning modifications
thanks to Rallycinq s (David Haley) expertise. It was December now and I noticed there
was a big cruise that Fast Car was attending and also street life TV. I decided as the
Cinq hadn t been out much I d pop along and see what was happening. On arrival a
few of Kenny s other amazing cars parked up beside me in an arch formation. With the
little Cento at the centre. It was perfect. The photographers swarmed us. I naturally
ducked and dived to avoid being in the pics! It was getting cold; I thought it was time to
head home. Once we got home. We received a call from Steven from Fast Car Where
are you s? I was planning a small photo shoot of the Cinq tonight for the magazine!
BUGGER! Says me. OK back on the motorway and back to the cruise. The car park
by this time was almost empty.
The pictures Steven took were out of this world. The water was bouncing the light from
the road onto the car. The car was in its prime. He approached me and asked the usual
questions, list the modifications etc. He then mentioned that the car is feature worthy. If
I only changed the wheels.
So the next day I was straight online to find some wheels, I emailed Glenda and he
gave me some fab advice. I contacted Dubmeister apparent Gods of the Euro wheels.
They showed me the exact wheels I could get and done me a fantastic deal. I emailed
the photo shopped picture to Glenda and he said Do it! and we will arrange your feature photo shoot in the new-year. I was ecstatic! It was all coming together, finally some
proper appreciation for this amazing little car.
Owner s Rides
Whilst still receiving fantastic advice from Dubmeister I decided I had to sort my interior
out. On approach to the leather re-trimmers Baileys, I hit a huge pothole and damaged
my front bumper. I wanted to cry. Just as it was all coming together, it was all falling
apart. Baileys told me what they were going to do to the car. I was amazed at the detail
of the work they were going to put in to it. I couldn t imagine it finished but knew I had to
trust these guys. Again the price was expensive but I knew, like Kenny, these guys
were the best in their field and I had to keep up the level of work.
That night I went to Kenny with my poor broken baby. He was genuinely upset at the
damage. I think he must have felt what I felt, absolute distraught. It was fixable, just
was going to cost. It had to be done. I had to get parts of the interior sprayed anyway
so it made sense to get it fixed at the same time.
So after Christmas I took the Cinq to Kenny s to get the repairs done
tinued.
to be con-
Owner s Rides
Split Sporting - Nick Lane s Seicento
Engine:
1108cc; Pipercross oil
breather filter;
Mushroom head induction kit;
Green ducting hose; braided
hoses; Polished rocker cover;
Janspeed S1 back box; Nitrous Solutions 25bhp NOS
wet
Injection; Exide 900 deep cycle Battery.
Exterior:
Abarth side skirts; Abarth roof
spoiler; M3 mirrors colour
coded to match bodywork;
Custom made front bumper,
smoothed on one and standard on the other side;
Custom made rear bumper with a Peugeot 106 rear diffuser, that is meshed & with a
chrome rod in it; Ford Escort XR3i bonnet vent, on the yellow side; Tinted smoked rear
windows; On the right side of the car, there is custom made yellow graphics; On the left
side of the car, it is completely standard with standard graphic; On the bonnet there is a
silver 2fast2furious graphic; Under car neon kit in blue; Alloy spoiler attached to the
Abarth spoiler.
Brakes:
Red Dot 6-groove discs and Red Dot Performance pads on front; Standard drums on
rear.
Suspension:
Standard all round.
Wheels and Tyers:
13 Cinquecento alloys sprayed up in white, with Abarth centre caps on the left side &
on the right side with 2fast2furious centre caps. On the left side there are Bridgestone
tyres and on the right side there are Dunlopsport tyres.
Owner s Rides
Interior:
On the left side there is 1 Standard front sporting seat, covered in red & black fabric, with a 2fast2furious logo. On the
right side there is a Cobra Clubman bucket seat, Covered in
red & black fabric; Sabelt racing harnesses on both seats;
Rear seats removed & replaced with a custom-made bass
box, covered in red, grey & blue fabric; red gearstick gaiter;
Abarth gearstick surround; Red Folia tec handbrake cover;
Sporting badge on the dashboard; Door cards covered in
blue & yellow fabric; 4 neon lights inside.
ICE:
Sony head unit; 5.6 screen with a Xbox attached to it; Kenwood 40 watts custom front in dashboard; Alpine SXE1725S 6 2 way 220 watts rear speakers in custom-made side panels, covered in red &
black fabric; 3 Alpine 180 watts speakers; One in a custom-made bass box and the
other speaker in a custom-made speaker build, behind the cobra bucket seat & the
other Alpine speaker in a custom build between the seats; Both covered in blue and
yellow fabric; 1~10 Alpine SWE 1041 600
watt subwoofer, powered by a 600 watt Mutant NW-480 4 channel amplifer; Kenwood
100 watt rear speakers powered by the Mutant amplifier; One in a custom-made panel
& the other speaker custom-made into the
front sporting seat; 1~10 Sony XS-L1041P5
1100 watt subwoofer powered by a Kenwood KAC-7201 800 watt 2 channel amplifier; 1~10 Sony XS-L104P5 subwoofer,
powered by a Pioneer GM-510M 1000 watt
class D mono amplifier; All in a custommade bass box; 2~Sleath 1.0 farad capacitors with digital readouts; Audio leads fuse
box running all amplifiers & the capacitor s; Audio leads cabling, connectors & fuses; 1
Nitrous Solutions NOS 2.5 bottle between front seats.
THANKS TO :
Carmagic for supplying the security: 0208 863 7188
Nitrous Solutions for supplying the NOS system: 01375 856261
Demon Tweeks for supplying the car parts: 01976 004400
Bass Junkies for supplying the Sleath power caps: 0870 062 6301
Owner s Rides
John Whetstone s Cinquecento Sporting
I originally bought the car from a mate in Sep 05 for 600 quid it was in good condition
and looked a fun little car.
I used the car to go to and from work and soon found myself loving it as it was quick
and so much fun to drive. I decided to buy a couple of simple mods for the car and purchased a K&N Induction kit and a set of 40mm Sports Springs that added a bit more
performance and a bit more fun too.
I then found myself getting hooked on
the idea of really going to town on the
little beast and got myself a bank loan
in April 06 and immediately started
work on the car, Since then I haven t
looked back and just modded the car
where ever and when ever I can.
I started by colour coding the inside
Dash and Clocks along with the Gear
Gator and Door Handles, I also added
a new Chrome Gear Surround, Alloy
Gear Knob and Sparco Pedals, along
with a new Sports Steering Wheel and
Boss Kit. I still need to spray the Centre Console and fit Bucket Seats yet.
The next thing I did was fit Window Tints all round, ABARTH Sun-strip and Rear Tinted
Lights. Now the car started to look and feel a lot more sporty, But I didn t stop there.
I spent months on the internet looking for the right gear to mod the car and found my
self buying a really nice Front Bumper that I have managed to fit together with Abarth
style Side Skirts, Arches and Rear Valence. I added some Bonnet Pins and a Rear
Spoiler from a Punto later on to finish it off, I still have a Evo 6 Race Bonnet Vent to fit
yet too.
The biggest cost was the 15 inch Multi-spoke Wheels with black finish that I had custom made in Ireland as I just could not find any decent wheels to fit the car anywhere in
the country.
Owner s Rides
I had to wait 5 weeks for the wheels
and when they where finally fitted what
a difference it made to the car. They fit
really nice with the body kit too.
The next moment of madness I had
was to fit a Supersprint 4-2-1 Manifold
that has been lagged and a Sports Cat,
Cat Back System, Iridium Plugs and
Magnecor Leads this gave the engine a
lot more grunt and I am about to fit a
Piper X Viper Induction Kit and a new
Throttle Body.
I got rid of the old sports springs as well
and fitted a new Spax PSX Kit and Powerflex Bushes so the handling is sorted now.
I still have big plans for the car and I think its probably only 75 % finished, I have just
fitted some nice Angel Eye Headlights and a OMP Upper Strut Brace.
Owner s Rides
Once the car is ready, which I hope will be in the next couple of months, I will be looking for any club members to help me out with a re-spray, so if any of you guys are interested or could help me out with finishing the car off don't hesitate to contact me as the
help would be most appreciated.
I am hoping to have the car near finished for the summer so I can stop being so lame
and get my arse to some club meets as I have been a member since last summer and
haven t been to any yet for obvious reasons though the car wont do its self.
Technical Area
Cento Fuel Pump Upgrade.
Words and photos - Mark Simpson
This is how I got the extra fuel pressured needed to convert my SPI Cinq to MPI to use
a Punto 75 injection system.
Not a lot of Centos are going to need this done I don't think, but just in case anyone
wants to I took some pictures whilst I was doing this to show what I did.
The SPI Centos run around 1bar of fuel pressure, which is fine for a single injector and
ok for using a second injector on the turbo cars.. so like I said, not a lot of call for this
mod.
Stripping the cento pump;
1> Unclip the wires off the pump motor. These
have retaining clips so you need to squeeze
and then pull them.
2> Remove the fuel feed pipe from the, careful
not to damage the clip. Unclip the clip that
goes around the pump motor.
3> Carefully withdraw the pump and filter unit.
Watch out for any fuel leakage. This might be
made easier if you unclip the flexy metal strip
supports on the sides.
4> Remove the screws off
the bottom of the filter.
Might be worth replacing
this filter, part number
82393601 and it'll cost you
just over a fiver.
Technical Area
5> You should now be left with the motor inside a rubber support. You need
to remove the motor from this support.
Depending on how old the pump is,
this can be quite tricky as it's a very
snug fit. I used a screw driver to open
a gap round the top and then put some
washing up liquid down there. Then
place the motor on the floor and
pushed down on the rubber with the
intake side of the pump on the floor. It
will come off eventually.
That's the Cento pump done with for
now. Onto the Punto pump. The pump I used came off a low mileage Punto 85 (1242cc
16v), it is good for around 3bar which is more than enough to run the Punto75 injection
system that I have. (pre 1998 needs 2.5bar, where as the post 1998 ones require
3.5bar - cheers Pete!)
Stripping the Punto pump;
1> Same as before, disconnect the wires
and fuel lines from the top of the pump
motor.
2> Unclip the plastic clips, shown by the
green arrows. The red arrow shows
where the fuel return pipe exit, be careful
when removing the bottom end of the
housing as not to damage this bit.
3> The pump is secured by a single screw, holding a
plate in place. Remove the screw as shown
Technical Area
4> Carefully withdraw the pump, it will still have the filter on the end. This is just held by
a spring clip type jobby on the collar of the pump. It can be prised off with a screwdriver. Remove the rubber supports from the pump. The photo shows the filter removed, and the pump securing plate and screw can be seen in the background.
In true 'How To' guide style, I'm going to skip over reassembly. Basically you just need to reassemble the Cento
pump and housing, but using the pump from the Punto.
They are exactly the same size so should all fit fine. Remember to use proper fuel hose clips, as jubliee clips
can pinch the fuel lines and you don't want to that happen. Don't forget to use a new fuel filter inside the pump
housing, or at the very least give it a good clean! Before
tightening the screws that hold the filter place, make sure
the small hole in the rubber is aligned with the indentation on the plastic cover bit.
Shown by the green arrow.
Finally, check the condition of the wiring on the Cento housing. On the one I have, the
wires have rubbed against each other (ooer) and have damaged the insulation. If they
were to wear through, it'd short and a spark in a fuel tank is not a clever plan. Like I
say, the damage to mine could have happened since it has
been off the car - but it is worth mentioning, so you can check
just to sure.
Technical Area
Relocating The Battery To The Boot
Words and photos - Mark Simpson
If there's a lot going on under your bonnet you may want to move the battery. Where
the battery is was exactly where I wanted to put an oil catch tank and possibly a water
injection tank, so it had to be moved.
Parts list.
3m of Flexible 196/0.4, 25mm2, 9.8mm, 170A Red cable. (http://www.
autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/68)
Battery Lead Junction box (http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/161)
Closed End - straight connectors. Max Cable 25mm2, Stud Hole Size 8mm (http://www.
autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/156)
Battery clamp - stud type, one of each (http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/
product/115)
Spiral Binding - (http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/337)
Battery Clamp Covers - (http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/119)
Battery Tray - (http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/alloy-racing-fab/)
Okie kokie. Remove the battery. Cut off the existing positive connector, unbolt and remove the negative connector from the inner wing earthing point.
Where the battery connection used to be, you need to attach one of the closed end
connectors. Strip off enough of the insulation using a sharp knife, put it into the connector and then crimp it. If you want, you can then heat the connector with a blow torch
and pile loads of solder in there just to be sure.
That connector needs joining to one of the terminals in the battery lead junction box,
and you need to decide where you are going to mount this box. It has a single screw for
securing it. I chose to mount it on an existing bolt, just near the firewall / where the
heater matrix water pipes come through.
Working inside the car, remove the dash top, remove the speedo cluster bolts, unclip
the wiring blocks at the right hand side and then pull the
cluster over to one side. You should be able to see a
suitable sized hole that goes into the engine bay from
there. This is the best place to run the cable. The cable
MUST be run through a gromit when going through that
hole (and any other hole). Route the wire through into
the dash, down the bottom of the drivers side A pillar
and down the sill. It can be clipped into a wire run in the
sill and routed to the back of the car. You may need to
loosen / remove bits of interior trim as you go.
Technical Area
Once at the back of the car you need to secure the battery
tray somehow. On the right hand side of the boot, there are
some holes already in the floor - covered by gromits. I used
the smaller of the holes towards the rear (ooerr?), drilled a
hole through the battery tray and bolt it in place there.
With that in place, I made sure the tray was sat straight and
then drilled the front mounting hole through the tray and the
boot floor. This was drilled near the oval(ish) shaped hole
that already exists. Circled in red. This makes it much easier
tightening up the nut/bolt.
Any holes you drill into the car need to be rust protected. A
bit of hammerite will suffice.
The tray can now be bolted into place.
Fit your battery into the tray, and measure up the red
cable - make sure it reaches the positive terminal, cut it
and add another closed end connector onto it. You
should be able to use the original negative/earth terminal and cable, earthing to the
rear seat mounts will be fine.
And that's it, basically.
You can do things slightly different with the wiring. I made some changes to the wiring
for my car. I replaced the wire from the alternator to the battery box, and modded the
fuse carrier a bit to make it all a bit neater.
Technical Area
Trailing Arms
Words and photos - Mark Simpson
Ok, removing the rear trailing arms is actually quite easy, possibly a bit pointless for
most people too. I guess good reasons for taking the time would be to fit Powerflex
bushes, stainless hoses, new brakes.. or just because you're really bored.
First things first, safety (!)
Ensure you have a cold bottle of sprite or lemon Fanta to hand.
Yank the handbrake on as tight as it'll go.
Chock the front wheels of the car.
Loosen the all of the rear wheel bolts.
Jack the rear of the car high enough to get the wheels off the ground, around an inch is
plenty to be honest.
Support the rear cross member on pair of axle stands - space these out as far wide as
possible, it will make the car more stable.
Once removed, place the rear wheels on their side, under
the car. Its better the wheels take the weight, rather than
you trying to bench press the car if it were to fall.
Reet, remove a wheel. And you should see something similar to this (maybe without the lovely burnt paint).
The nut in the centre is the hub nut, this needs to be removed first. It is on rather tight, and should be discarded
once removed. It is 32mm. This might require a bit of jumping up and down on breaker
bars unless you had porridge for breakfast. Remember though; the car is sitting on
stands, the stands are supporting the rear cross member - the trailing arms are free to
bounce around on the suspension. I recommend putting the trolley jack under the trailing arm, and jacking it up a tiny amount. This way, when you start swinging on the
breaker bar - you are pushing against the jack and aren't risking tipping the car off the
stands. Also, I chose to loosen both hub nuts one after another - whilst the handbrake
was still intact and 'working'.
Ok, once that s off you want to remove the drum securing bolts. 12mm. One of them will be a wheel locator
bolt, and you'll need a 12mm spanner or 12mm long
socket. Release the handbrake. The drum *should* now
just slide off. Often though, a lip builds up round the
edge of the drum - so it may require some careful persuasion to help it off. You should now be looking at this.
Technical Area
Next the hub needs removing from the stub axle. Proper tool for
this is a bearing puller. This hooks onto the rear race of the bearing, locates onto the centre of the stub axle and then you simply
tighten the thread on it and it pulls the bearing off in once piece. I
don't have one of these, and used a screwdriver. I broke the hub
but I didn't mind as I was replacing them anyway. Make sure yours
doesn't look like this
but more like this.
Remove the split pin from the handbrake cable.
Pull the cable out, and unclip it from the back of the arm
(shown in red circle). Remove the rubber bleed nipple cover,
and then unbolt the solid brake pipe. It is 11mm, and a pain
because you can't get a ratchet spanner on there. Once it's
loose don't try and pull it free, just leave it where it is.
After that you want to remove
the 4 bolts that hold the rear of the drum onto the trailing arm. There are 2x 14mm bolts, and 2x 6mm allen
key bolts (why?!). Once removed the drum plate should
come off.
Technical Area
The shock absorber / damper needs removing next. Remove the bolt shown in green. I
think it was either 17 or 19mm. You might
need to tap a pointy pokey thing through the
hole to get the bolt out once the nut is removed. Once you have removed it, lightly
tap the shock to free it from the arm.
Now is a good time for some Sprite, or to at
least have a look around the garage and
make sure you've not left.. say a billion watt
lamp next to
your car and melted any part of it. Chii seems to like being
on fire. I'm worried.
Loosen the solid brake pipe
to flexy pipe union. Remove
the solid pipe, and then using a flat blade screwdriver smack the little clip out the
way and free the flexy pipe from the arm.
All that's left are the two main pivot points where the arm
meets the cross member. I didn't take any photos of
these but they are pretty obvious. They are 19mm bolts,
and will be well rusted. I suggest plenty of penetrating oil
on these. NOT WD40. We want an oil, not a water displacer. Once these bolts are removed, the arm will be
wedged in by the bushes - so don't worry about not supporting it whilst you loosen the bolts. A few taps with the hammer should release it.
There you go, job's a good
'un.
Refitting is the reverse of removal ;) and I'd suggest
getting your arms powder coated first.
Technical Area
Replacing Rear Suspension Bushes
Words and photos - Pete McKendrick
Had a knocking noise from the back end for a bit, or just fancy some purpley bits on
your suspension? Either way, here s a how-to for changing the rear suspension
bushes.
The problem with them is that they fall apart internally
due to flexing. The centre of the bush is gripped tight
with the locating bolt, and as the suspension moves
during driving, the bush itself is subject to twisting.
Think of the construction of the bushes a bit like rings
inside a tree you have the steel tube in the centre,
surrounded by a rubber sleeve, then a metal one, another rubber one then the outer metal sleeve of the
bush itself. The sections are all bonded together, but
gradually break up as they get old. The metal bits end
up clattering against each other, causing the clonks.
If you re doing this with ageing brake pipes, bear in mind you might end up having to
change the small metal rear sections which can prove awkward to remove without a bit
of work and a lot of swearing. Best to soak the unions in WD40 every couple of days
before you start.
To change the bushes, first put the car in gear, chock the front wheels, release the
handbrake and carefully jack the car up. Before the
rear wheels leave the ground, undo and remove the
lower (17mm) shock absorber bolts and loosen the
road wheel bolts (19mm) if you don t do it now
you ll struggle later!
Support on axle stands, but bear in mind you can t
put the stands under the rear crossmember like I
have in the photo, they will get in the way of the suspension arms later (D oh!). Use the trolley jacking
points built into the floor of the car. Remove the
wheels.
Undo the split pins holding the handbrake cables to the levers and disconnect.
Use a brake pipe clamp to nip the flexible part of the hose, then undo the brake line
where the flexible hose connects to the solid metal line on the arm. Undo the clip holding the flexi pipe to the suspension arm and swing the flexi pipe out of the way. Be prepared for a small amount of brake fluid spillage.
Technical Area
Pull down the suspension arm, swing the shock
absorber out of the way and push down the suspension arm as far as it will go. Pull out the suspension spring.
Now undo the two (19mm) bolts holding the suspension arms onto the crossmember. Lift out the
arm complete.
You now have the job of removing the old bushes
from the arm. If you have access to a press or can
have someone press them out for you, this is the
easiest option. The way I ve always done it is with an arrangement of sleeves, spacers
and a long length of threaded bar Dr. Frankenstein himself would have been proud of. I set it up to pull the innards of the rubber bush
out one side at a time,
which can take a bit of effort.
Don t try and put something right through both
bushes, pulling one side
of the arm toward the other you will bend the arm and
wreck it.
You can burn the bushes out, but I wouldn t recommend it - it s environmentally unfriendly and can give off some harmful fumes.
Now all you have is the outer sleeve of the bush left in the arm.
If you ve got this in front of you, you haven t used a
press, so you ll need to cut a slot in the sleeve to release its grip in the hole. I use a hacksaw and carefully cut along its length, being careful not to cut into
the arm itself. For safety s sake, only cut the sleeve
where there is a double thickness of metal, then if you
mark the arm you re not reducing its strength dramatically.
Technical Area
Push in the new Powerflex bush by hand, liberally coating the inside of the arm with the
grease provided (It s just Copper slip, really) or they will squeak like mad when you
drive off! Note that you put the bushes in from the middle of the arm so the larger flat
faces are on the innermost sides of the arms.
If you re fitting new Fiat style bushes, you will either need the strength of Hercules himself or a press to get them back in.
Once you ve done that (note the casual inference of a simple task, a-la Haynes manual!) refit the arm to the car. If you have Powerflex bushes you can tighten up the
19mm bolts fully now, if it s Fiat ones don t you should wait until the car is at normal
ride height before tightening up.
Refit the brake pipe and handbrake cable. Remove the brake pipe clamp.
Refit the suspension spring please note that
there is a right and a wrong way to fit the
springs. The top spring seat is shaped to fit, this
is rubber and should be lined up to sit snugly on
the top of the spring. The bottom spring seat in
the suspension arm has a particular shape to it,
the lower end of the spring locating in the notch
furthest away from the back of the car.
Lift up the suspension arm (you may need assistance) and pop the bolt back in the bottom of the
shock absorber.
Bleed the rear brake. You can either use an assistant or one of the one man bleeding
kits available I tend to use the cheapo version comprising of a little rubber tube with
the non return valve on it and pump the brakes myself. Cal s legs aren t long enough
for him to sit and pump the brakes!
Refit the road wheel, once you have done both sides go out for a drive and marvel at
the fact it now does less knocking than a monk :o)
Technical Area
Driveshaft Removal and Inner Joint/Boot Servicing Cinquecento S and SX 899cc Engine
Words and photos - John Dickens
Both drive shafts on my car had been weeping oil from the rubber boot bearings for a
while. The nearside leak gradually became worse to the point where it had to be sorted.
I was familiar with Mini shafts where the boots rotate with the shafts and are filled with
grease. The Fiat is different. The boots don t rotate and they retain the oil inside the
transmission case. The shafts are slightly different on each side too.
I read the Haynes and Porter manuals until I had a fair idea of what was involved but
they were both a bit vague about some of the details. Fluffy was very helpful with both
the parts and information and cleared up a couple of points.
This is how it s done.
Nearside first.
1. Drain the oil from the gearbox. It holds 2.4 litres
(about ½ a gallon) so make sure your container is
big enough.
2. Loosen the wheel bolts slightly. Jack up the car, remove the wheel bolts and take off
the plastic wheel trim and wheel.
3. The big driveshaft nut has a rim which should be
punched or staked into slots in the end of the driveshaft.
This is to stop it working loose. I used a centre punch to
knock out the staking. You must use a new nut when
you re-assemble.
4. Refit the wheel and the bolts then lower the car to the ground.
Technical Area
5.Optional. Borrow son s car and go to Halfords to buy
a 32mm Long Reach ½ drive socket for £6.49 (Feb
2007). A standard socket will not engage fully over the
driveshaft.
6. The driveshaft nut is
tight! I snapped 2
breaker bars trying to undo it. In the end I used an old
sliding T bar and hit it with my biggest hammer.
7. Jack the car up again and remove the wheel. Undo
the nut holding the track rod end to the steering arm
then separate the ball joint from the arm using whatever ball joint splitter you prefer. I like the scissors type
as it doesn t damage the rubber boot if you re careful.
8. Undo and remove the two bolts holding the hub to the
strut. Pull it away from the car as shown.
Technical Area
9. Using a soft faced hammer knock the driveshaft out of
the hub. It may need quite a lot of force if it s corroded.
Lift the shaft clear of the hub.
10. At the gearbox end
of the shaft the boot is held on by a steel clip
(arrowed). They are crimped at the factory and are not
really re-useable so make sure you have a new set to
replace them. Prise off the clip at the gearbox end and
carefully pull the whole shaft out from the transmission
case.
10. To dismantle the shaft you really need a vice. First remove the circlip retaining the tripod joint.
11. Drift off the tripod joint. Don t impact on the
bearings themselves. Drift only on the bearing carrier as shown. In my case one joint needed a lot of
force and the other just slid off after I removed the
circlip.
Technical Area
12. Prise off the smaller steel clip holding the rubber boot
onto the bearing and slide the boot down the shaft out of
the way.
13. Measure the distance from the end of the driveshaft
to the end of the bearing so that you can fit the replacement in the same position. It s not critical to a millimetre
but if you get it a long way out the new rubber boot will
be stretched or compressed too much in use.
14. Drift off the old bearing. It doesn t matter if you damage this one as you re changing it anyway. If you re not
then drift only on the inner bearing race. Once the bearing has moved about 3cm the
shaft is slightly reduced in diameter so it slides off the rest of the way.
15. Remove the old boot and clean up the shaft. That s the dismantling over. Now for
the rebuild.
16. Slide the new rubber boot onto the shaft. Get it on the
right way.
17. Slide on the bearing then carefully drift it into place.
A piece of tubing is best but whatever method you use
drift only on the inner race again. Measure the distance
so the new bearing is in the same place as the old one
was.
18. Put a smear of oil or grease onto the outer bearing
race and the inside of the rubber boot and stretch the boot
over the bearing.
Technical Area
19. Fasten the new steel clip over the boot and make
sure the tangs on the clip fit firmly into the slots.
20. There is probably a special crimping tool for these
clips but I used a pair of pincers. I have used side cutters to do the job too but it s difficult to keep the crimp
square.
21. From this point on re-assembling really is just the reverse of dismantling.
22. Clean the flange where the new boot will fit onto the gearbox. Remember this is all
that is keeping the gearbox oil on the inside.
23. Carefully slide the driveshaft into the gearbox. The tripod joints should line up easily.
24. Lightly grease the splines on the driveshaft and fit them back into the hub.
25. Lift the hub up into the strut then refit and tighten the 2 bolts.
26. Make sure the inner end of the rubber boot is located over the flange on the gearbox then fit and tighten / crimp the inner steel clip.
27. Refit the track rod end into the steering arm and tighten the nut.
28. Bolt the wheel back on and lower the car to the ground. Tighten the new driveshaft
nut to the correct torque or as hard as you can without breaking anything (on you or the
car).
29. Jack the car back up and punch or stake the new nut into the driveshaft slots. I
used a cold chisel which seemed to work fine.
30. Re-fit the wheel trim. Jack the car down and tighten the wheel bolts.
Technical Area
The offside shaft is done in exactly the same way
except that the inner end of the driveshaft boot is
held onto the gearbox by a different method.
The boot is trapped behind a steel plate. This is
held onto the gearbox by three 6mm bolts (10mm
spanner size).
The plate is not symmetrical and the bolts are not the same distance apart so take
careful note of how it fits. You may need a smaller
socket to get in to these bolts.
There is no gasket. The plate traps the inner rim of the
boot against the gearbox to form the seal.
Make sure the gearbox surface is clean when you refit
the new boot and tighten the bolts down evenly. Remember these are 6mm bolts into aluminium so be
careful when you fully tighten them.
The parts you need are:·
·
·
·
·
·
Inner Boot
Inner Boot
Hub Nut X 2
Bearing X 2
Collar X 2
Collar
7621245
7625541
7759428
71738383
13434070
13419808
The Collars are what Fiat call the steel clips.
Once again, major thanks to all who have contributed to not only the magazine, but the
Club. You make my life more fun for sure!
Keep your contributions coming. Whether it be an event review, owner s ride, classified
ad, photos or just a funny story. I d love to hear from you.
Until next time, Happy Cento-ing!
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