We've had it while but I thought I should share our big Project!! originally this van was owned by my dad for about three/ four years when it was new.
Then he sold it to a work associate, 10 years & over 150,000 miles later, carrying all sorts of builders gear all over the midlands later this is the result.....
Rust, & general bodgery has left the poor old Van looking a little shall we say tired?
My dad's friend had moved onto a Doblo van so the Fiorino was surplus to requirements, it had a months Tax & test left and we were offered it for free so my dad had it back but wasn't exactly sure what he wanted it for!!
Anyway as it's turned out my dad decided he wasn't going to do anything with it, other than using it as an extra builders storage shed so the van has been passed onto me and my brother.
On first inspection the main problem with the van is erm.. rust
plenty of it!! All four doors are shot, the sills have had some weld plates and I haven't even dare poke underneath yet.
Then there's been some interesting bodges to some of the switches, the engine mounts have been welded up and full service wouldn't go amiss. Cambelt is due, rear brakes aren't great and the headlights are knackered.
Most people would walk away, but on the upside the van starts, runs and drives well and there was even a set of newish tyres. So despite all the negatives and as it was my dad's old van, we decided it would be a useful runabout as van's are always handy!!
The other problem is despite the van being loosely based on the Fiat Uno, all the body panels and some of the light's are nothing like the European Uno's
As Fiorino van's were made in Brazil based on their version of the Uno, although some of the switchgear and mechanicals share some parts with the mk1 & 2 Uno plus early Punto. There is a lot I'm going to struggle to find, even Fiat have stopped making a lot of parts for this model.
So we'll have make a parts list and get looking on eBay etc.. and maybe get lucky at breakers yards
The first thing to do is try and get everything working properly, and then put it in for an MOT and find out exactly what we've let ourselves in for!!
A lot of financial pain and some swearing is the simple answer, but I guess the only way you learn is the hard way so may as well get cracking.
Eventually we want to get all the doors and bodywork repaired, and a decent respray & some nice alloys or something to finish it off on the outside.
I have thought about painting it Ferrari red or something different, we'll see Bianco does suit it well though
Probably board out and carpet the back of the van, add some sound deadening who knows maybe could drop an Uno Turbo engine in but all that's a long way off.
At the moment the 1.7 Turbo diesel engine seems good enough, I don't exactly expect to be taking up a drag strip!!
