Hi All, Things have been really tough and I need to sell my nostalgia racing suit, mask, goggles, boots and parachute parts. The proceeds of this will help on the way to finishing my Fiat altered: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375267 Below is the ebay link to all of the items. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221229480192?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 Feel free to contact me with any questions etc. I'll ship these anywhere in the world and will help with quoting prices. Thanks Tarlo
Very cool, excellent workmanship, cannot wait to see finished product. Here is a few pics of my project, Ken Lowe fibreglass body, modified altered chassis now 105 inch, blown injected 392 Hemi, powerglide box. I am located in Melbourne and hope to be on track in about 6 months. See ya there. Glen
Unsure of class at present, just enjoying the build. Will do sorting out at some 1/8 mile in VIC and 1/4 mile at Calder or Heathcote, if they are still operational. Will take to car shows and most probably run at nostalgia events until car sorted and competetive, then step up. Glen
Hi guys, after a shitty year, where I did absolutely nothing on the topolino and even sold my daily driver to make ends meet, I'm finally starting to make some more progress. My financial condition hasn't improved, but I have moved out of my old shared workshop into a little space sandwiched into a local garage between a bunch of furniture and a Range Rover. Ha ha. So now the car is about 5 blocks away. I can't do any fabrication there, but I can do bolt on and off stuff. It was great to get the car bolted together and off the jig, to get back to terms with how far it has come along only for the big pause button to be hit was inspiring. There is a lot to do still, but I can now evaluate what I'm up against.
I had some help in buying the 2 " zoomie kit which was a god send in getting me motivated. I made a jig up from marine ply left over from a job. I used decking screws with the sharp ends ground off to act as grub screws to hold the tube in position. Each day I set up a temporary work bench in the bathroom and got a couple of hours of work done. I also needed to add a 38mm piece in between the bends and the 1 3/4" flared adaptors. The welds at this point and at the point where they all met the adaptors were ground off as I want a smooth finish. After not welding for so long I had a really hard time getting consistently good looking welds, but that's my cross to bear - I really want to get the practice up and start doing a lot more welding. I'm happy enough with the final symmetry (please excuse the pic of the pair of zoomies as I hadn't trimmed the ends to the final length at that point).
I have had the wheelie bar kit for a couple of years but there were always other priorities with the car. Welding the plates up that make the brackets that hold the wheels was a bit tricky as I wanted the welds on the inside, but I got it done. It's now ready to weld the brackets onto the diff. I know that the wheelie bars aren't period correct, but I can deal with that. I also got the anchor mount for the parachute ready to be welded onto the chassis at some point. At least I'm blowing the cobwebs off my welding skills and starting to get some nicer welds... I'm trying to get everything that I can fab in the bathroom done here and there when time allows, just to keep the momentum up. Step by step, I might have it done in 10 years or so. Ha ha.
progress is progress, embrace it and keep chipping away. Only way to eat an elephant is with one bite at a time, which you're doing, keep going. Cheers, Drewfus
Tarlo, The Fiat looks so good. Hope you can get it finished up. It seems we have both been on the long road with our builds. Bob
Got the wheelie bars painted. Just waiting to find the wheels a bit cheaper than off the shelf on eBay or something like that. Might pull the diff next week and weld the brackets on. Then that is the diff component of the car done and ready for paint.
Damn. I love when guys blow the dust off really cool threads ! Nice work Tarlo. I sympathsize with fund diminishment....but appreciate one's hard work combating such.... Keep it up, when ya' can. Positive thoughts from the other side of the planet. Take care
Gotta remember as we had into the cold, Tarlo is heading into the warmth...besides, fiat guys don't give up....we just build slower..for the perfection, hahaha Inspiration from across the pond..
Hi All, Been another tough year so unfortunately I have nothing to add. A young panel beater I know in Sydney bought an English wheel earlier in the year. As a fan of the car offered to make a free patch for the gaping hole in the right door and weld it in so that should be ready for Christmas. I'll be sure to update the thread with any future progress.
Hang in there..hell I'm in my 7th year of getting past life enough to get Lil Beast together....i go thru periods of not getting anything done to the fiat ..money, or lack of, life issues (wife off work for rotator cup surgery=low cash flow,ect)....but every time i go in the garage, i get this big smile seeing Lil Beast..waiting there for another step to be made...in getting to the completion of his assembly....
The secret to completing a long build when you're short on bucks is doing something every day, just to keep your head in the game. It doesn't have to be much, just 10 minutes worth of work (or 10 minutes of staring at it), but always doing something will keep you interested and making progress. I got that advice from a friend when all I had was a torch, a grinder, an arc welder and a grassy yard rather than a garage plus a job and a half, a young family and a huge failed business debt I was paying off. It sure was easy to get discouraged but 3 years of doing something every day transformed a $50 junkyard dog into a solid rod that racked up a 2,000 mile maiden voyage. Hang in there and keep pecking away.
Hi everyone, This is a very hard post to make but unfortunately I am going to have to sell the car in its unfinished state. I have been resisting all temptations to sell it for a long time but I'm afraid it's my only option at the moment. It won't be the end of my hot rodding efforts, but selling it will help me set up for the future. The car is for sale in the classifieds dept, with a comprehensive list of parts etc. The listing is here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/steel-1936-49-fiat-topolino-altered-drag-car.1011647/ My details are in the thread too. I would like to thank all of you for you fantastic advice and encouragement over the years. Hopefully the car goes to the right home and we can all enjoy pics of the finished product.
sorry to hear that Tarlo.. I've been following your build. I hope the next owner does it justice.. or better still... the stars align & "you" get to finish it.. gotta love the Topolinos
Sad to say but yes, I sold it, but it's gone to a good home. The guys that bought it are a racing family and will do a good job of finishing it off. They have been staying in contact, sending some photos and keeping close to my nostalgia vision and it may even get a blower so that's cool! I'm looking forward to seeing it finished and having a sit in it one day. They even offered to let me have a drive so that's nice. The car might be out of my hands, but I'm still watching what you guys are up to!