Hot Rods My Project....1938 Fiat Topolino.....Lil Beast...........

it started about 40 years ago...was at the track and saw for the first time a AA/FA car make a pass...Trillio Bros fiat topolino....never seen such a beast... jumpin all over the track trying it's damnest to get thru the 1/4 mile...funny cars were just starting to become a thing..at least that's the way my old brain remembers it.....

i grew up with impala's, gto's, roadrunner's and alot of chevy small blocks...mmmmmmm gotta love the ease of sbc horse power....
even played with 11,000 rpm odd fire buick in my sand funny car....then came a long spell of life, marriage, kids ect to put rods on the back burner....several years of talking to Rich Venza about building me a glass topo, but something always got in the way....a relocation to southern michigan...lake erie...boats..i've owned 5 boats since being here...they are a close 2nd to hot rods for me...then i stumbled onto a 72 vega wagon...the internet...13 years of building and driving it pass...

and i find the Hamb.......

so i guess this is where my project really begins...referred here by Maddog , thanks big guy!, from another forum...was checking out his post asking what his soon to be fiat was worth paying for it...i find out here that Rich has sold Rod N Race...but still has the inside on things there..... and a close friend just recently gave me an old model A frame front section and a stock axel...so i make some calls and get everything setup to have a body cast..
it's labor day weekend so things will wait till the next week...

then i surf The Hamb..find 2 year old posting about a topo for sale..steel..rough but for sale...respond to it and get a pm from a different Hamber.."you interested in a steel topo?????"i about blow a wad but calmly reply, "maybe, what ya got??" well we chat, then calls are made...the man tells me he just doesn't feel the love for it like when he bought it...the whole time i'm trying to convey what a topolino means to me....yet alone the chance to care for one that is steel....he tells me he has to think about it, but he tells me he's never talked to such a topolino nut like me...

a week passes, and i'm crazy figuring he's changed his mind...then comes THE CALL........says i can come check it out, make sure it's what i want..i tell him i'm in route with a uhaul trailer...the rest is history...my dream come true....

 

good to see your dream come true good luck with your build

 

it seemed in the beginning that it was moving right along...dropped it on the A frame and started shovin blocks everywhere to get it to what i felt was right......first off, de-rust the spots it had grown over the years....order some new rockers for a good floor foundation....buy a narrow4" drop system from Eric over at Riley's.....call in a guy with portable welding to get the front end peices welded to the frame...man i'm jammin!!! figure this thing will be rolling the streets come spring....boy was i in for a surprise!!!!!!

problem was, i kept reading the Hamb, nite and day..this style of rod was new to me..in my eyes, it was THE ROD!!!!!! WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR IT!!!!!! i started reading build threads..mind blowing fab people on this site!!suddenly, i got to the point that i realised i didn't have a clue as to what to do to build this thing....so i set aside trying to build it and really get a grip on what it should look like if i ever got it done....this started a parts hunt like none i had ever had to go thru...Lil Beast needed a new grille....and also was a factory hardtop, which is fairly rare to find...but had the top cut out when it was a drag car, many years ago...

and i found that this would be very hard to find, a roof section for my topo...so i went to europe, thru ebay...(thanks for the tip, Rich)...roofs eleuded me, and grilles were few and far between...good ones anyway...but ....i got lucky


while doin the euro bay, i happened to come across some headlites that were different...out of france, from an old citroen cv.....

 

so i'm still trying to visuallise what i want my topo to look like when i get it done..i'm not a great welder, can get tin and stuff together fine, but not a wleder of frames ect...and i'm worried about not doing it right...not to mention the that i have a garage that is ill equiped for building a rod from the ground up........so i start ciollecting parts, get blown away by the help with relays and such from the Hamb members...great people and a great site!

i buy some fat slots for the rear....mock up a sbc and overdrive auto i got layin and throw it in there...

 

in the passing, i'm strippin the paint and using stuff to clean the minor pitts,,,,slow but paying off with clean, shiny metal..everywhere!!!!!

and i get to the point of looking to the inside..the logistics of the seating, steering, flooring...tight but do-able..2 pedals...sbc and auto...roomy....then it bites...hard..bad ..and deep!!!!!!!!! THE HEMI BUG!!!!!!!!!





so i go elephant huntin...their out there...ya just gotta pick the right one!!!!



wasn't what i wanted to do..rebuild a hemi for a car while i was still building the car...with having no real extra funds in the family pot, building a topo takes a bit of time...so i bought the 354 with 19 nos blower pistons at a really good price and started looking for a running hemi..these are a bit harder to find, unless it's a fresh rebuild...so i strike a deal and trade 8 M/T pistons and 11 Veniola pistons and some hard saved cash for a 315/325 dodge hemi, and a new flywheel and new adapter for a WC t-5 i bought off evil bay

 

They had a roof? All these years i thought they had a canvas-type top that snapped over the opening for bad weather. Dumbassed me.

 

nice start... is it gonna be a street car??? theres not much room for 2 people in those.....

 

so i get the hemi mocked in the topo..go thru the process of un-mothballing the lil hemi...stored full of oil for many years....and fine it up!!!!definetly different the a sbc..very different!!!! find a dash, roof..we're rolling along ....i.collect what seeems to be the last of the major peices (except rear tires) for getting Lil Beast up to a rolling chassis......strike a deal with a fellow Hamber for the rebuildable 354 for doint the welding and getting Lil Beast to roll...mount engine and trans...

 

most topolino's were drop tops....only a few seemed to have come off the line as hardtops..there's at least 10 roofs that are in the pic...only one has a hard top......



yes, it's destined for the street..it's my "i'm an old dude cruisin the usa meeting other Hambers and enjoyin the drive".......bonnie, cali, ok, the north west...ect.......yeah it's a small car...but i'm 5'5" and the wife's smaller so..

 

Cool thread. i'm a little bit bigger,(Big slob) always loved the "liitle mouse" cars. just couldn't figure out how i could fit in one. anymore pics?

 

so time comes and goes, and it's time for the topo to go to Kirk's for the frame work...in 18 months, the body has been moved up, down...forward back...all trying to get my ass happy...the hemi made the interior tight..the desire for a stick shift also added to the issues...dropping the body down to get the stance i wanted made it all even worse...so i pretty much set a basic idea in Kirk's mind as to what i am trying to do and he's working on it...by this time next week Lil Beast will be back home, with the new triangulated rear 4 link...frame boxed...engine and trans mounted...the floors and other stuff, will i can weld them up..and being able to roll the topo finally, if need be i can load it and go bump into one of a few "friends" shops/garages.....

 

the very first pic in thread is of me in it..i'm 5'5" tall. and go 200 lbs..stocky more then round i suppose.....i'm setting at what would have been the seat height...but with a 4" Z in the frame, well plans are for droping the top a bit in the future...and it'll give me more room for 3 pedals and me toes!!!
first in this is a topo(unknow owner) next to a chevy II...gives a general idea of how small they are



second if ya look, that's a 4" level hanging thru the windows..and sticking out about 3 1/2" on each side



3rd pic is last moock up before sending out to have the frame Z'ed..



and this last i thru in there to show the difference when ya chop one...crudely done with paint...just an idea....

 

That will be sweet! Can't wait to see this finished.

 

looks great...hang in there buddy...

 

i'm glad to see somebody else has the same dream i do. i am also glad to see it is your time and money. hee hee. looks great and as they said before me, keep it up. i will be subscribing to this thread to see your progress and again be envious.

 

nice

 

Cool thread.
I share your passion for the little Fiat and have a hard top one myself. Wanted one for years and never thought I,d ever get the chance to own one until I got lucky and struck a deal last year.
Keep posting pictures of the progress, they are really inspirational!

 

So that,s why there was such a gleam in your eyes when we unloaded it from my trailer.
Done anything to it lately ?

 

How about some pictures?

 

Mark,
There is nothing better than watching your dream become reality. Even though it may happen slower than you want, in the longrun it will be well worth it. Keep it up and keep us posted.

 

Looking good! keep the pics coming!

 

Very cool!

 

I want one of those so bad.

 

thanks for all the support, guys...at a year and a half, well i thought i'ld be further along then i am...but feel things should take off when it comes home and i can roll it around...lots to do then........flooring, firewall..ect...i need to find a cloumn for the steering...thought in the begining a vega column...but it just don't fit the car....or look even close to propper......although i did like the thought of the locking key/column and built in turn signals....wish i could get a nash metropolitian turn signal setup and plum it in under my 11" metalflake wheel..very cool signal setup....but that's a bit down the road........

mainly, i do owe alot to the Hamb....thanks to all who have been involed with sharing their knowedge....parts...and relays....not to mention just general support......thanks all!!!

more to come ...hopefully soon!!!!!!!

 

Keep the progress going once it comes back home and you'll be driving it in no time...

 

With the name of name Lil Beast it needed a Hemi . Keep chasing your dream. The Beast looks wicked.

 

Cool project

 

tonite the motor mounts were welded in..pics Kirk sent me.....

 

more pics of Kirk's fabin the rear for Lil Beast....









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Did I miss sumthin' or is the visor a JOKE???? I thought this was a drag car not a lowrider?

FLIP