2001 Fiat Multipla 1.9 JTD ELX

[duncanmartin]

That looks really good already. And does the math work out at the car costing 300 quid? Result! I've been driving mine for about a year and a half, partly because I loved the Toad so much. I've not actually modified it yet beyond a working stereo (which my daughter kicked and broke the front plate) - at least it came chipped and with Alfa alloys. If the other half finds out about the lowering springs, tell her that they are stronger than standard ones - Multipla front springs break for fun (I've had broken springs on the front already!
Can't wait to see what you do with it next.
Cheers
Duncan

[markbognor]

Excellent stuff - perhaps a little bit more could come off those lowering springs?

[gotwood]

May 18, 2015 19:44:55 GMT markbognor said:

Excellent stuff - perhaps a little bit more could come off those lowering springs?

Sounds about right , worked for me on the Polo and the T4 .
Loving this so far Emdee , I'll be keeping an eye on this thread

[EmDee]

Thanks for the encouraging words you lot.

May 18, 2015 11:47:04 GMT mylittletony said:

what new h-wheels for the Alfa?

Got some 155 Q4 speedlines, saying that sounds better than saying I got some 15" fake splits...

May 18, 2015 17:57:26 GMT diogogaspar said:

What JTD are you running? the 105 bhp? or the vnts/bi mass flywheel with 110/115 bhp variant?

It's a 110, same as my last. Just had a new clutch and dual mass fly, which was a major factor in choosing this one.

May 18, 2015 18:48:45 GMT iamgroot said:

I binned the broken spare wheel windy mech and used the back plate of the broken mech to weld a big bit of threaded bar too, which I spun on a vauxhall spare wheel holder nut thing to go through centre of spare and hold it up, just an idea for you if yours breaks, but you have probably got a way of fixing them if you have had four.

Thanks for that. I've got the remnants of one on mine, but it will be going in the bin. I don't use a spare and I'm not even sure if the towbar would allow it. My old one had a centre exit where that used to be too - but I've only had one of them, not four - I mean I'm not a complete nutjob!

May 18, 2015 19:31:14 GMT duncanmartin said:

does the math work out at the car costing 300 quid?

It was £450 actually - but at least I got my train ticket paid!

May 18, 2015 19:44:55 GMT markbognor said:

Excellent stuff - perhaps a little bit more could come off those lowering springs?

Knew someone would say it! I would, but it's mainly for the missus to drive, and rather like my Alfa, the sump is really vulnerable on these. I've already caught the plug on a few speedbumps so I'll need to space out the engine mounts as it is - and it's only had about a 30-40mm drop. The ultimate goal is airride, although I'll not get that until I finish the Alfa and sell it on so it won't be for a while.

So anyway, I've been Multiplaying.

Took out the shockingly average head unit.



The new one is in, but I've just put the plastic surround in the dishwasher this evening so no finished pic yet. Sounds much better and best of all it was free, taken from a car that was being scrapped.

Also did this, which means it makes pigeon noises



I know it's a bit ghetto, and probably doesn't help with anything at all but I kept the holes on the cold side and it makes it sound cool. Which is everything.

Got the springs and polybushes on too. It's not that low but it does look much better  - which admittedly isn't saying much...





I'll take a few more pics over the next couple of days once I've tidied up a few more bits.

Peace out motherbitches.

[Paul H]

The paint* & wheel colour combo is spot on. Always liked these (pre-facelift) Multiplas - the looks are best described as distinctive, but imho it makes much more sense when thought of as a piece of product design rather than as an exercise in automotive styling.

*What exact colour actually is it? Can't tell clearly from the pics - in some it looks black, but in others deep brown or deep aubergine...

[diogogaspar]

The more you look at it more you love it...

Yup clutch and dual mass fly can be an expensive job, will you remapp it? I used to own a 156 1.9 105 JTD with stock hardware and a remapp and it's dynoed at 147 bhp, there's even more potencial for yours....

[markbognor]

Looks fab!

[tom83]

I've always thought of these as hideous, but I'm actually looking at yours and liking it. Must be because I've just woken up...

[village]

Finally, I can admit on a public forum that I have always liked the Multipla!!

I feel so much better now, that was a very cathartic experience!

May 17, 2015 23:01:47 GMT EmDee said:

Here's a pic of the side of the old filter that I took to get a number off it. It pretty much had stuff living in it, was the worst air filter I've seen in ages. Just replaced it with another the same only without the detritus.

that's not a bad air filter, this is a bad air filter:





courtesy of my late Rover 420 diesel. I obviously felt a bit peckish and fancied eating the filter......

[bstardchild]

Mrs BC has always had a soft spot for these and she is a lady of almost impeccable taste (she has a slight issue with Monzas but to be honest that might be my fault)

I liked the last one and I like this one already - number plate placement on the front could go a little more right or even left seeing as you've put Alfa wheels on it - added bonus would be more "scene points"

Oh and it looks brown to me in the pictures?

[adam73bgt]

This looks cool. The black on gold is a winning combo

The Multipla is not a pretty car, but it is a distinctive car which I applaud. I can't think of too many other people carriers from the early 21st century that I'd be entertained reading a build thread about

I get a funny feeling I'll be sat here thinking the same thing about a Citroen C4 Cactus in about 15 years

[duncanmartin]

That looks properly cool. Mine has Alfa wheels on it as well (with spacers on the back). I think they are off a 145 though, so they are basically boring.
Have you got any plans for the interior?
Cheers
Duncan

[EmDee]

May 20, 2015 21:09:35 GMT Paul H said:

What exact colour actually is it? Can't tell clearly from the pics - in some it looks black, but in others deep brown or deep aubergine...

Good question! It says black on the V5. It looks black but is actually a really dark red metallic.

village Yeah the pic I took doesn't really show how bad the filter was, it was actually dirtier than the pic of yours, but admittedly not eaten!

duncanmartin not doing anything else with the interior really. It's quite clean - although I have shampooed the seats. Took some pics today.

bstardchild Tried the left and right placement before deciding on the middle, sounded better than it looked


So anyway, I'm off on a roadtrip up to Scotland with my little family tomorrow and I've been busy today. We'll start where I left off with the stereo. Got the surround out the dishwasher and chucked it in.



Interior doesn't really look that bad after the shampoo.



After I gave the thing a good wash with a pressure washer (first time), it was obvious that the paint needs a bit of help.

Check out the bonnet:





^ You're meant to be able to see me taking a phone pic in the reflection! So since I don't even own a proper posh polisher, I used a doodah on the end of my drill - poor man spec.



I hadn't used it before except for on the Polo engine for polishing the rocker cover. I was a bit worried about it destroying the bearings in the drill, but it seems to work pretty well and the drill is still fine - I always try not to apply any lateral pressure.

Pretty soon it looked like this:





Managed to get rid of quite a few scratches down the sides too, looks far better.

Next up, I put some 20mm spacers on the back which I had lying around.

From



to



Far betterer from every angle.

Also changed the bolts on the front wheels for slightly longer ones which I got from... Halfords!? Believe it or not, I was picking up my mate who works there and while I was waiting I spotted these on a CLEARANCE shelf. They're Fiat threaded wobble bolts (AKA an "alloy wheel fitting kit" including 3 spigot rings!?) and were reduced from some ridiculous price down to £20. I asked him what he'd do them for and I got them for £3!





It was around about now I had a little mini drama when an axle stand slipped off the subframe as I was jacking up the other side! Plonker.



Pretty lucky really, it could have gone much worse.

Whilst I had the front wheels off, I hit the front calipers with some hi-temp paint I had lying around from my misspent youth.

Take the calipers off? Don't be such a pansy.





As I was checking the fluids, I was looking at how the air feed works. There is a pipe running along the front of the grille into The Holy Box of Air. Thing is, I think there's a bit missing off the end or something. You can see it in this pic here:





Notice the front bumper has part of the grille bit blanked off? Well I'm fairly sure the team of engineers at Fiat had no clue what they were doing , so I took a Dremel to it.



That should hopefully get a bit more cold air in there. Racepeoplecarrier innit.

Then I went out and took a few pictures while it was still clean.











^ Gah forgot to do the antenna!

Looks a bit high up in those pics. Think it's how I was parked and that it'd just come down off the jack. Do wish it was lower, but it drives fantastically well. Happy man, and the little 'un likes it too.



"Why we has not got moar boost Dad?"

[fr€$h&m1nt¥]

It's not retro!!!

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But it is retro rides and you tell a bloody good story and for that reason I'm interested in seeing what you've got to offer.

On the proviso that it comes to the gathering!

[Speedle]

Without doubt one of the ugliest cars ever, however you've made this one actually very nice to look at and it's also a great read! Top work sir

[SmokeEm]

Love it - Where did the front plate come from? I looks smaller than ones on ebay? Would love one for my truck.

[duncanmartin]

That looks really good. And the interior looks pretty mint too. The polishing worked really well as well. When's it getting chipped?
The bumper blanking removal might increase the amount of air getting through that hole, but maybe it will just go around the radiator now?
The interior in mine's completely knackered (it was a parts chaser for 6 years for a garage) and the rubberising stuff is coming off all the dash surfaces. I was going to carbon wrap the bonnet, and I even got as far as buying a big roll of cheap vinyl, but it's such a big panel I keep wussing out! Maybe I should do something straightforward like the fuel filler cap first (actually, I need to fix the boot catch first - some tyre fitter monkey broke the mounting for the interior one and the boot one's never worked!).
Cheers
Duncan

[andyw]

The colour is Silk Black Metallic IIRC as mine was the same colour - might even have some touch up paint for it somewhere.

At its best it looks black with a hint of red at worst brown.

[EmDee]

May 22, 2015 17:09:51 GMT SmokeEm said:

Love it - Where did the front plate come from? I looks smaller than ones on ebay? Would love one for my truck.

It's just an import sized plate. I got it from my work, so it has our company name on it and cost me around £7 for the pair. Sadly I can't take orders but I'm sure you can get them from Halfords or somewhere if you can convince them you drive an import

May 22, 2015 19:44:28 GMT duncanmartin said:

When's it getting chipped? .......
The bumper blanking removal might increase the amount of air getting through that hole, but maybe it will just go around the radiator now?.......
The interior in mine's completely knackered (it was a parts chaser for 6 years for a garage) and the rubberising stuff is coming off all the dash surfaces.

Not sure if I can afford a remap right now, but I'd love to get a bigger turbo, some injectors and a front mount before doing that. Also another reason I'm glad this has a new clutch.
The air flow will no doubt go behind the rad, but The Holy Box is behind there though so no issue - in fact at the moment I'm not really taking this whole tuning thing seriously anyway.
That rubberising stuff is a right pain in the backside. I've never seen one of these more than 4 years old with a perfect interior. I imagine it's similar to plasti-dip? That might be an option for refurbing it?



Got back from Scotland yesterday and it was a fantastic drive back. It just loves to sit at high speed on the motorway, you've got to keep an eye on the speedo though, it's dead easy to creep up to 3 figures without realising. In fact it's better at high speed because it reduces the drone from that exhaust! There were some funny looks coming from other motorists, which is something I've always loved about these cars. 

Of course since we were headed up to my homeland, I knew not to leave without getting some new wipers. Ordered them ages ago and found them waiting for me when I got back - luckily the weather was BANGIN!



This also gives me an excuse to post a picture of my crack on the internets:



^ Those wiper arms are disgusting, there's a can of satin black in the garage with their name written all over it.







Edit:

Thought I'd add a bonus pic for mylittletony of some Alfa wheel test-fitting

[Robinxr4i]

Martin you are a deeply damaged individual, great to see you back in a Multipla!