Posted By: Anonymous
mikeyc's 20VT restoration project - 20/01/2010 00:04
I didn't buy my Coupe as a project but a number of things have turned my ownership into something of a restoration project by default!
I bought the car in June 2009 from symonh2000 on this forum. (Advert if you're interested!)
Simon had kept the car very well, and had done everything that needed doing mechanically. There were just a few things I wanted to sort on the car, mainly the bodywork, & getting new keyfobs to get remote locking back up & running... However, despite Simon's best efforts & despite his having changed all the belts 16 months & 17K miles earlier, the auxiliary belt of death snapped less than a month into my ownership, leaving the car undrivable.
With what I have since learned about Coupes (and their aux belts!! ) I would have changed the belts after buying the car, just to be on the safe side, but hindsight is all very well and at the time I had read that the cambelt should be changed every 40,000 miles so I thought there was no hurry to get the belts done.
The worst part of this happening so early in my ownership was that I had not yet heard of Countrycruising, his Aladdin's cave of Coupe parts, his extensive expertise and extremely reasonable prices!! So I got myself recovered to a local place that specialises in Fiat & Alpha. Long story short, the belts snapping had knackered the top end and it needed a rebuild. It happened at very low speed (as I hear it often does?) I heard a soft 'clunk' and by the time I had pulled over to investigate the engine had died & the damage was done!
Knackered top end:
The reconditioned top end along with new belts & pulleys cost me the best part of £1500 inc VAT! I stumped up the cash, insisting on the condition that the rest of the engine was in top shape & would last for 1000s of miles...
I bought the car in June 2009 from symonh2000 on this forum. (Advert if you're interested!)
Simon had kept the car very well, and had done everything that needed doing mechanically. There were just a few things I wanted to sort on the car, mainly the bodywork, & getting new keyfobs to get remote locking back up & running... However, despite Simon's best efforts & despite his having changed all the belts 16 months & 17K miles earlier, the auxiliary belt of death snapped less than a month into my ownership, leaving the car undrivable.
With what I have since learned about Coupes (and their aux belts!! ) I would have changed the belts after buying the car, just to be on the safe side, but hindsight is all very well and at the time I had read that the cambelt should be changed every 40,000 miles so I thought there was no hurry to get the belts done.
The worst part of this happening so early in my ownership was that I had not yet heard of Countrycruising, his Aladdin's cave of Coupe parts, his extensive expertise and extremely reasonable prices!! So I got myself recovered to a local place that specialises in Fiat & Alpha. Long story short, the belts snapping had knackered the top end and it needed a rebuild. It happened at very low speed (as I hear it often does?) I heard a soft 'clunk' and by the time I had pulled over to investigate the engine had died & the damage was done!
Knackered top end:
The reconditioned top end along with new belts & pulleys cost me the best part of £1500 inc VAT! I stumped up the cash, insisting on the condition that the rest of the engine was in top shape & would last for 1000s of miles...