Well it's just been over a year now since my wife and two son's bought me my project p reg ink black coupe, and after a year of swapping engines from ac to non ac,powder coating,ally polishing,new clutch,cam belt kit,aux belts,silicone hoses,stainless manifold,spark plugs,new fmic,oil's,modified top engine mount,sand blasting,hours of cleaning every nut and bolt for re plating or replacing.

The time had come to start her up,we turned her over with injectors disconnected to get the oil and water around, then with fingers crossed and injectors connected my son turned the the key while i had a watchful eye on the engine bay, it fired up straight away.

from this


To this


engine ready in garage


starting sand blasting engine bay


new drop legs needed


bought second hand drop legs from joe CountryCruising


drilled out the spot welds


replace new drop legs


engine bay all sand blasted and painted


coupe lifted up ready for engine



engine wheeled in to engine bay


coupe lowered over engine


modified top engine mount bar



cheers hope you like the pic's, jobuguk ( Johnny ) and son Leigh with the moon grey from 'Coupe de ville'

well done mate good progress looking very clean

looks great

I really enjoyed looking at those progress pics. Thanks for posting. It looks fantastic!

WOW,WOW,WOW !

Looks better than new, fantastic work!

Very nice work!

Amazing

Looks fantastic work there!

You look so proud, shame the dog was playing silly buggers and pulling a moony for the camera!

well done dad spent many hours in the garage and some hard graft has gone into it, and some argumentative moments lol nothing a quick fag sorts out though ay !

yeah, can't understand her she shows no interest in coupes whatsoever!!!!

well done for such a brilliant job!! looks great now, hope to see it at a few meets!

Thanks Leigh couldn't have done it without your help and your ingenious inventions!! More than a few fags though..... think i must have shares in 'Golden Virgina' by now!!LOL

Thanks for all your comments it really gives me a boost, won't be at any meets just yet got a long way to go.

Jobs to do on front
refurbish

Brakes front calipers,
suspension legs,
drive shats,
fit zender kit,
fit FMIC,

Then i've got to sort out the rear of the coup, then mot to find out if anythings wrong,got to do the garden,house maintenance,look after my other son's car and are daily car,and go bloody work as well which is a pain in the pants .

But i shall be at stanford hall on sunday to see some of you guys and my son leigh is coming as well in his moon grey

Nice work Johnny. You can be proud of that work pal.

Very impressive!

Oh no, you've just turned my front end de rust and recondition into a much larger job. After seeing these pics I'm afraid I'm going to do the same! Although my before pic won't be half as grubby!

Nice work

My god! That is a beautiful bay, take a step back and give. Yourself a pat on the back buddy,

A question

The before photo is a non aircon coupe?
You said you converted it to non aircon? Did you swap engines?

Top mount looks very nice, any more pics of it?

Good job boys

Excellent work! Well done

Yes i did swap engines, the before photo is the project non a/c car with a dead engine, the coupe that i bought with a smashed back end and a good engine was a/c, so i had to take both left hand engine mounts off so i could put the non a/c mount, alternator,and water rail onto the good a/c engine.

non a/c engine mount


a/c engine mount


top engine stb/bar and top mount

Well just a little update of what's been happing with the coupe since i put the engine in and got it started, found out the alternator was no good so put a new one on, and a couple of other niggling bits and bob's in the engine bay to sort but i'll do them at a later date.

At the moment i've been concentrating on cleaning,painting,refurbishing the front suspension,drive shafts,brakes and wheels (17in TSW black ice) but i think the way i'm going at the moment with the wheels is getting rid of the silver on them and doing the whole wheel satin black, can't make my mind up yet

here's a few pics

New alternator


Front suspension


Sprayed top mounts


Refurb Brembo's

That's lovely work and right up my street!

Respect!

Are you getting bolts replated as a matter of course or going to Fiat for new or sourcing elsewhere?

Fiat prices for fasteners are akin to daylight robbery!

That,s right Duffy it's just a mater of course, after cleaning nuts,bolts,washers on a wire wheel (bench grinder) to get rust and old muck out of the threads it will take the old plating off.

And yes i'm also sourcing elsewhere such as Socket Cap Screws Stainless Steel Pack of 50 from http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nails-fixings/a2-socket-screws/cat840546 screw fix

Here's some replated £20

Are you replating yourself using a kit or using a company?

No I'm using a company, is there a kit out there then?

Frost Auto Restoration

Been playing in the garage and with the coupe today,put the disc's,refurb brembo's and the TSW wheels on (not refurb'd yet) and took the coupe of the axle stands "been on them for months" to see how the car sat and looked.

Just got to get new braided brake lines and new or stainless/chrome bleed nipples so i can bleed the brembo's and the clutch.

photos of wheels
do paint the whole wheel satin black
or refurb them to how they where, ice black

Great work,
Looking forward to seeing this around the streets of Leicester soon.

Got my new braided brake lines this week, transparant red from HEL ( group buy) £70 very pleased with them.
Connected the front ones to the brembo calipers last night, going to bleed the front brakes and clutch this weekend and see if i can move the coupe with it's new clutch and hopefully stop!!!!!!


Done another little job this week cleaned and painted the rear brakes just to empty the can of red HVT,
ready for when i start on the rear of the coupe in a few months time.

Great thread, and pics. Was good meeting up with you guys at Stanford, full of enthusiasm.

Lovely stuff, keep it coming!

Hi Moosey, good to talk to you at Stanford Hall glad you like the thread hope it gives you some inspiration with your coupe, have you took it of the road yet.

Not done alot with the coupe this week,last weekend my son Leigh was in the drive/garage playing with his moon 20vt6 so i was his apprentice/goffer!! i don't mind, i like it when he comes round and we start tinkering and talking coupes,having a fag and a cupa tea over the engine bay.

But on Friday it was my birthday (57) "getting called the old man alot from the boys now" i suppose it's all the grunting and groaning i do when i'm getting up off my knees to go and get a pice of kit out the tool box and all the efing and blinding i do when can't see what i want with my glasses on the end of my nose "but i still think i'm 20", but anyway my wife and two boys had chipped in together and bought me a lovely present for me and my coupe.


just what i wanted

Only just seen this thread John, looks fantastic. Hope it's better close up than Zimparas lol. I'm sure it is.

You bet it is Joe lol, i can assure you.
Pop over any time when you have bit of spare time if you want for cup of tea and a natter, if your passing this way at all and check my project out

I'll call in too and smoke all your fags

Ok, but i don't smoke tayler made, you will have to roll your own

I do and have done for years Although, I've never been able to make them without a machine, so will either bring loads of my own or you'll have to make them for me

If you've still got my number text me john, I'll nip over one day after work.

Just another little update from 'Coupe de ville', Leigh my son took his moonie in for a full re spray last week should get it back next week,
i've got my new disc's on only the front at the moment i've decided i'm going to refurb the wheels the same colour as they are black/silver.

All last week been fitting my fiber glass Zender front bumper on, wich i bought second hand and what a bloody night mare it was to fit, but i got there in the end with alot of head scratching and plenty rolling backie "Thersea where were you"

i did'nt cut these holes they were
already cut when i got the bumper.


getting there





My next job is to fit this fmic inside,been having a go at it today i'll should have some pics tomorrow.

I was here, as usual

Glad you got it sorted and the Zender front is the best

As promised a few photos of the turborevs FMIC i've fitted today and i must say this is not a bolt on kit as Turborevs say on the group buys it's universal,any things bloody universal if you want to modify/hack your car to bits to make things fit,to make a good job of fitting there's alot of work involved in these kits for a DIY and there (turborevs) saving grace is it's cheep. ( RANT OVER )

Any way after looking at how other forum members have fitted these FMIC and studying the photos, i thought i did'nt want to alter or week'en the structure of the slam panel, so i decided to make the bumper fit around every thing yea right!!!! But as always i got there in the end, just got to pipe it all up, fit lights,grill and mesh make sure every things ok and fits then take them all off again to get bumper sprayed.

Made a bracket to hold FMIC

'Yes i know' got the bottom
hole location wrong


Fitting bracket and FMIC to car





Modifying bumper to fit

Took the opportunity to have a good nose around johns project car today, and what he's achieved is truly remarkable. The engine bay has a better than factory finish, done tastefully and to the highest standard. Keep it up john and thanks for the tea.

Cheers Joe for all your encouraging comments much appreciated mate

Started doing some more to the coupe last week not having touching it for a few weeks, with holidays, helping the wife with some decorating and repairing part of the house slate roof which had a bloody leak in the lead gully .

Finally finished of the pipe work to the FMIC.


oops two rusty screws i've forgot
to sort out on the maf

Got to sort out bonnet and grill.


Now i've turned the coupe round in the drive so i can start and refurb the back end





not to much welding to do
jacking points shot it,
but at least the sills are solid.

Awesome work! Total dedication to the Coupe! You earn every respect from all coupers!

Well two months has gone bye while waiting for a rear subframe but it did'nt materialize, ( mine was rotten ) i phoned Joe78 just before Xmas to see if he had one, he had one on a car he was breaking so over the holliday i went over Joe's for a couple hours one afternoon and we took the subframe off, thanks Joe for your help mate my thumb knuckle is ok it's got a big scab on it now.

The subframe is ready to be shot blasted and p/coated now after i took the mount bushes out, and these will be replaced with new ones, every thing els is refurbished ready and waiting to be put back on the subframe.

Refurbished and new parts

subframe
new subframe mount bushes
swing arms and new bearings
new 22mm white line ARB
new rear hubs
new disc's/pads and backing plates
new 35mm lowering springs FCSS
new break pipes
rear drop legs FCSS
all nuts/bolts cleaned/replated
body rust sandblasted/ treated/welded/underseal









mount bushes shot it!!!


MOD'S
I think this thread is in the wrong place now, any chance of putting it in the coupes projects part of the forum please with a discussion thread

Great work, I'm well impressed!

Also inspirational as I've got a new rear end, with the exception of the subframe, waiting to go on. Wasn't going to replace that but now might......!

I'm jealous!

One of the most enjoyable restoration threads I've seen on here. Very clear pictures and great dedication. Can see why people want to refurb the coop's standard equipment rather than just slap mods on now.

I totally agree with you.
I've never seen so much rust on the Coupe

Having seen this car in the flesh I can say what john has accomplished so far is to a superb and genuinely better than factory finish. It's done tastefully and very thoroughly, well done.

If I can help with anything else let me know.

Duffy,
if your subframe mount bushes are or look as if they are degrading then yes do it, but if every thing looks ok you could save yourself alot of money. bushes from FCSS £166+delivery if you do your self then the cost of refurbishing paint or p/c subframe.

I had to do mine because as you can see in the photos the frame and bushes were past there sell by date, come to think about it i think the whole car was but i'm that far into it now i can't stop spending

Some thing came in the post today that i'd forgot i'd sent of to have done before xmas,this my not be every body taste but it hopefully goes with the theme of my engine bay, (a bit of bling,chav,boy racer!!!!! )

My bushes are fine, they are intact and look perfectly serviceable, however I would like to strip and powder coat the rear subframe, maybe that's a job for another year however!

As to being in too deep, I know exactly what you mean!!!!

That looks awesome! How much did it cost if you don't mind me asking? I took my omp brace to a local chroming place and they wanted £130 to do it!!!

It cost me £55 but he said he would have a problem doing the ends inside where the bolts goes to the strut mount, (i don't know why but hey i don't do his job ) it's not very good there so i'm going to paint the inside's black.

The plating is put on electrostatically, unless you can put an anode inside something, it's very difficult to plate

Just another little update on what's been going on at 'Coupe de ville' in Leicester, "NOT A LOT" it's to bloody cold my heaters packed up in the garage and the log burner in the tv room seems to be more of an attractive place to be!! but still managed to got a little more work done on the coupe.

Decided not to get the rear subframe shot blasted and powder coated as the guy wanted to much for doing the job "must have caught him on a bad day"so derusted the frame myself and painted with black hammerite,now thats saved me £100, and a harder finnish i think?



Got the new subframe bushes from Joe FCSS and pressed them in at my mates garage,
Joe's had a run on these so had to wait three weeks to come from Italy


So this weekend i braved the cold in the garage on saturday and rebuilt the frame with all the goodie's i had bought and refurb'd before.
Just got to make one more brake pipe,
plastic cap ends for frame,
new spring for Rear Compensating Valve
and then it's ready to put back on the car,still got a little work to do on the under neath the back end of the coupe but waiting for better weather. by the time i've done this back end refurb will have cost me near on £800!!!




JG

Epic.

Looking very nice.

Im actually having exactly the same done on my car at the moment, looking forward to getting it back.

£800.....doesn't surprise me , it quickly adds up when you are doing it properly as you are.

Good stuff!

I've just spent some time going through this thread. Fantastic work and a right labour of love. Well done!

Tim, I don't know about labour of love, it must be madness?
i've never driven this coupe and the only coupe i've driven was my son's 20vt6 for about 10 min's.

But the wife said i needed a project to do, to stop me from getting under her feet after two years in the wilderness, after years mucking around with vw beach buggys and racing a baja.

Duffy,I dread to think what i've spent on the coupe up to now after all the engine and running gears done.
Then next year the body work, but Joe78 has been fantastic with me and helped me out a great deal with body parts

J.G.

Yes........cost, don't think about that!

Once you've started your committed, once you've done one bit properly the rest looks scruffy, so on and so forth!

I've spent a lot on powder coating this month, on bits nobody other than the MOT man will see (exhaust shields next to the cat, anti-roll bars, stuff like that)

It's nonsense, but then you already know that don't you!

Well finely managed to get some work done on the coupe today after not touching it for four weeks, i've been working weekends to get some money together for refurb wheels and new tyres.
I've got some holidays owing me but must use them before April 1st,so i thought id'e have Monday and tuesday off plus the weekend but guess what? i came down with bloody bad cold on friday,

done nothing saturday, managed to drag my sorry ass out to the garage sunday afternoon after dinner for while,and today spent more time with a cup of tea in my hand looking at the coupe thinking there's still a s**t load to do to this car yet

Subframe back on the coupe


This is what i like doing the best putting all the goodies back on.
refurb back breaks
braided hoses


From this



looking good,hope i've put every back right
it's been a long time since i took it all to apart
last september

 

That's magnificent!

If mine ends up half as good I'll be delighted.

Cracking job that. If you ever find yourself bored once you've completed it, then I could find another coop to do the same to keep you amused

I'm sure yours it will be just as good Duffy, perhaps even better.
the thing is like you said before the only person who going to see and
appreciate all the hard work is the MOT man



can you wait another 18 months

Excellent work and progress

This is a FANATSTIC thread. Its so pleasing so many people doing proper restorations to these cars! This one however is next to none! 10/10 Cant wait to see it up close

At yours and Duffy's, pity you're so far apart you'll never have a "restoration-off"

In 4 years' time mine'll be 20 yrs old.......

Well the time has come......MOT..... MONDAY 30/4/12 .......22months when i started this project.

now will find out if i'm any good at trying to do this car refurbing thing?

needs to go in now so i can get the driving side of the car sorted,once thats all done then i can start on the body work and making it look nice and presentable,refurb wheels then tax,Insurance

Coupe ready to go
just number plat to put on


Bought some new hooters
very bling!! have to put your
sunglasses onto look at these


put my chrome strut brace on.
now i've got to re polish all my alloy bits again
they've gone a bit dull thats the only problem with
having the car sitting out side for nearly 2 years all the time and not useing it

Lovely stuff!!!!!

Beautiful Work mate. I'm well inspired.

I'm one happy bunny, my coupe has passed it's MOT today!!

ONE MORE COUPE BACK ON THE ROAD....... P799 KOM....... No493

Congratulations mate!

Cheers James

If i can get the body work looking as good as yours by this time next year i'll be very happy man.

Your car looked great at Gaydon last year.

Well done!

Judging by the standard of your work so far, i'd say when it's done it's going to put mine and most other coupes to shame!

A thanks to Sarah from NeilwilliesInsurance for sorting me out with my insurance for a decent price, a pleasure to deal with you, got my tax today so i'm all ready to go

Come on then hows she getting on ??

Well...................................... it drives fantastic and plenty of power.

To be honest i have'nt had much chance to drive it only done about 70 miles, "steady" just to let things settle in, Sat went Brooklands with my brother in his alfa,Sunday/Monday had to help son paint his house but while i was there on sunday i said to him just going down the shop in the coupe to get some cig's,when i got back with the biggest grin on my face he said where the f**k have you bin! you've bin gone nearly an hour and the shops only at the end of the road, 50 mile round trip!!!! He He

Couple of things to sort out bleed clutch again,crunching some gears

the idle valve,( i think ) she's ticking over just under 1000 rev's if you give the gas peddle a quick blip with your foot it will quickly goe's just over the 1000 rev's and then come back down all the way and cut out?

Yes but they're 10p cheaper at the other shop

Good to know you've had a drive finally, and it was nice to put a face to the name Saturday at Brooklands

Glad she's finally on the road John

Not had much time to drive the coupe the past couple months been off the road sorting out a few bits and bob's with the car and waiting on other people for parts thats been sent of for repair or refurb, but back on the road again now

Got the idle sorted on the Coupe, old bosh DV was no good got a shinny one on now and also found the Turbo inlet hose had a little split in it so another one had to be found,that's sorted.

My new alternator i put on last year packed up (just in warranty) had to wait 10 days for another one

Changed the bonnet (thanks Joe78)

Sorted my rear tail light LED's, there in/on and up and running

Heat shield sand blasted HVT painted/lacquer


Wheels sent off to be shot blasted and powder coated (two bloody weeks) they are now on the Coupe with new rubber Toyo proxes TR1's

from this


to this

Looking good!

Let me know if the VHT is up to the job on the cover, I thought about that but wasn't sure if it'd discolour or not.

A fabulous job. Well done

looks amazing mate, good work. very impressed

WOW what a thread - really inspried now, although my car is an every dayer - so if its gonne be restored - it will be in a garage (at a cost) - as I need wheels to get to and from work and collect my boy from kindergarden etc.

must say that I really like that FMIC bracket - Sweet touch. mounts up really well too.

like the work - and care taken (well no comment - when its your own - you make it as you want). with NO compromise.

Hi all,just another little update on my coupe project from "coupe deville" Leicester.

Been enjoying driving around in the coupe the past few months since a got my car on the road "some spirited driving" just to get use to the handling , but still managed to find some time to carry on with the list of jobs that i've got that needs doing to the coupe.

After finding out my sunroof was a after market one (thanks tim42) and fitted 15 years ago by the dealership when the car was new i thought i was going to be in big trouble to sort this out because it wouldn't open,but after a bit of surffing the net i found it was produced by CRL Sunroofs and it's what they call a spoiler sunroof.

A few photos of my after market sunroof so i've been told,
i've got to sort it out yet because it doesn't open.


After taking the cover off and wiper motor out i found a little circuit board and diode had come loose in the board,a little bit of solder and


I was going to leave the coupe body work till next year when i've got a bit more pocket money saved up??? but i decided i had to do something about the front bumper (that was in grey primer) this year because the coupe just didn't look right,so i managed to get hold of a genuine Fiat zender front bumper in ink black which was cheaper to buy than getting my old one sprayed and it has has totally transformed the car,thanks Dan.

Fitted bumper last Saturday,Quick photo shoot at my brothers Ducati work shop

jame5 i'm getting there slowly(in house joke)

Another job i've done to tick off the list




Duffy, no problems with the heat shield.


JG

Great work as usual, you'll be putting mine to shame soon!

Well done guys. very nice.

I can see it's not just the bumper that looks good on your car Johnny, nice job

Good progress, well done!

Car is looking great , you have done loads since I last saw it. Your sons old 1 is still running great by the way .

Thanks all for kind and uplifting comments.

Just a few more weeks of driving and the coupe's coming of the road at the end of October to try and get some body work done and strip some of the interior out over the winter for refurb, and some other mods i've got in mind that i'm working on. i have some room in the garage now iv'e tidied up,mind you my pits full of coupe parts now




Can't put your coupe to shame James,in my eyes your car looks so cool i'm just want to clone it




Dan once again thanks ,i could be pm'ing you again to see what ells you've got on your ink black.




I'm happy your still pleased with the vt6 and it's running ok,Leigh had spent alot of time and money on that coupe and he really loved that car but needs must. Liegh and his girlfriend have bought a house together now!!---- CAR ------house

JG

Well been able to play with my coupe again now it's stoped raining!!

Last year when i done my rear light conversion i had a few red LED's left over so i was thinking if the strips would possibly fit in the black finger at the back of the wing mirrors,so with a spare mirror i had, i made a prototype.

Well while the coups off the road for the winter i've been doing a few bits and bobs to my car,the past couple of weeks i've been playing around with some yellow strip LED's and this what i've come up with!!

Mind you it's took all bloody day just to do one side

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14762173@N05/8349613343/in/photostream

I'll try and get some more photos of the LED's in the day time tomorrow.

cheers JG

Great job

So what's with the holes in the wall behind the Coupe? Are you part of a firing squad executing neighbours or something?

More photos about LED's wing mirrors here http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1401566#Post1401566

Johnny its about time you showed me this coupe .

I feel I have built half of it over the phone

Yes i bet Joe at FCSS feels the same

I don't know where i'd be without the pair of you

I bet when the phone rings and you don't here my voice
you all sigh with relief

Your fine,Marcos the one that worries us.

Well been at it again, playing with the coupe!! I have Removed the Centre Consoles (dash and handbrake) to refurb.

What a pig of a job to degunk all this rubber crap off these items
especially the hand brake console

Now for repainting, i decided to spray all the consoles in ink black to match the car, off to Halfords with the fiats paint code ink black metallic 820 to get some mixed,got the can of mixed paint £13.99 plus undercoat and clear lacquer.

I must admit and surprised the Halfords ink black metallic looks great and a good match



Just the wing mirror switch to sort out
and give the inside a clean and hoover.



Cheers JG

Hi,
nice, very nice job!!

one question, the alternator from A/C model can't be mounted on non A/C mount because it will turn in other direction?
I want to do the same thing (remove A/C) and just wondering do I have to buy another alternator or no?

thanks and cheers from Croatia

Josip

Yes,you will need a none a/c alternator to fit on a none a/c engine mount.

The a/c and none a/c alternator engine mounts are diffrant,also you will need a
None a/c warter rail

As far as I know, the only difference between the AC and non-AC alternator is that the AC delivers more current (to manage the AC clutch). The direction of drive is immaterial - at least, if the brushes have any life left in them!