My Fiat Topolino is a Flip Top now

I have been wanting to do this for a while now and finally made some progress. I have to do a little finish welding to button it all up in the hinge area. It will make it alot easier installing the drive train without taking the body off and on numerous times. Hope you like it.
Bob

 

Panel and steel, no less. I love it!

 

Thats pretty damn cool! How heavy is it to flip? Do doors still function? I've always liked this idea.

 

What's not to like?

 

It's a little heavy but I can pick it up myself. I just need someone to put the brace in place because I need both hands to hold it. The doors still work.

 

Thats great and all, but I would want it to come back down too..................

 

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You been taking lessons from the "Whoop Ass " car ,haven't ya..
Looks good...

Rick

 

Hey Doc,
Gravity will take care of that. LOL

 

Real nice!!

 

Thanks Rick, Happy Holidays

 

damn , some guys will do anything to make it easier ahahahahahahahahhaha...looks real sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!definitely a slick deal!!!!!!!!!!!i just got up and it is like "now i gotta go do something to the topo today!!!!!!!!!! i;m really like'n that brace across the rear door area....more pics when ya get a minute....like to see your braceing setup with the body down.....

on another note, last friday i got a chance to see Wayne Dobos topo...he made a tilt-able hood out of his 37 to make access to the big caddy mill in his easier....was a very sweet deal also..........

i need to send Jack down in OZ this thread...he asked about tiliting a topo steel body...and he was looking at welding the doors closed....which me and a few others gave him a hard time about.....shame on me!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks Mark,
Any news on the roof for your topo? Now get busy!

 

Damn I love Topo's, The greatest Hot Rod I have ever seen was a Topo. Black and orance with a blown hemi, sadly I was there to watch it roll itself into a little ball going through the traps one night at Heathcote, sad night.
Mark Georget, one half of the Aussy Georget brothers that ran Topo's all through the 60s and one that made it onto the street in the 70s.
A true blue fair dinkum, A/Altered that thing was with full AUSTRALIAN street rego running 9.4s in the early 1980s.
Wish I could find a pic.

Doc

 

Doc,
I have seen photo's and read a article on that Topo here on the hamb. you are right it was one hell of a car. Spoggie Here on the hamb did a pianting of that car. If you get a chance check it out.

 

Bob, the roof is on hold for a bit...trying to get everything ready to go up the road to see Kirk Hanning here on the Hamb..he's doing the finall frame welding on Lil Beast in about 3 weeks//boxing, engine and trans bracing..also going to mount the engine ect....really pushing to make Autorama this feb...lots to do...still flip floping on which tires to buy...doing some last minute adjustments to the body profile....think i need to remove a spring or 2 from my posies supper slider..it is designed for a Model A..and the topo is way lighter then that ..lots of balancing to get it where i want to see it .....

 

Hey Bob:
Very nice

You get my Vote for the coolest Topolino on the HAMB...

Have a great Thanksgiving.
Luke

 

Hey Doc,

There's a documentary being made at the moment, with Mark's destroyed topolino featured. Should be ready in 2 weeks. I've got a copy ordered, email [email protected] for more on the DVD.

And yes, I love that panel. I just finished a bunch of work, so I'll be in the workshop for the next 2 months! Chromoly coming next week, it's really time to get shit done. I'm itching...

 

how can i put a pic of mt fiat on here

 

check my little fiat out is was in gasser wars magazine number 57

 

Norman,
Your Fiat was made from a mold made from mine. It was the first car made by Rod-n-race fiberglass. I had the privelage of meeting Kris Sumner from Buffalo (the guy who built it) and took a short ride in it. The 4.3 v6 was plenty quick in that little Topolino. You must be the new owner.

 

Bob,
I think your flip top is neet! I first saw it when Rich first got it.Also saw the first glass one he did.(we're old friends). You need the get some hyd. cylinders to pop the body up,also they would hold it up and be a cleaner look. Keep up the great work.
STEEL IS REAL- Fiberglass is for portajohns!

 

Flip top door slammer....pretty cool.

 

That's really cool.

 

Just a quick update. I did away with the primitive 2x4 post to hold the body up and made a stand that is a little cleaner looking for now. Also is a pic of the hinged brackets I made and another to show the doors open. Thank you everyone for the positive feedback.

 

ya thats cool i was wondering whos car the used to make this one could i get the pics from you

 

Why did the topolino become popular with hot rodders/draggers etc?

 

They started off as being popular with drag racers. They were small and light which made them perfect for the altered classes for many years.

 

like Bob said, really light weight cars...and different from the us built steel...i carried my shell into the garageby myself with a 2x4 stuck thru the door windows...less then 200 lbs ..talking just a skin, no frame ect...how many roofed cars weigh less then 200 lbs without flooring????

 

You mean fiat was selling cars in the u.s. back then?

i dig the body style and all but i just think it's peculiar how when i go to the track it's mostly late model/60's on up iron, dragsters, a few T's (which is another body choice selection that perplexes me) and ---FIAT?

Is just seems odd. But i dig the body style.

 

Try some hydraulic liniar actuators, or some small shock absorber rams like the ones on a camper shell door. Mite make the upsie downsie a little easier!