Next project - 38 fiat topolino

FWIW..

With a 78 3/4 " inch wheelbase I doubt if you'll find any that were gassers as the minimum wheelbase was 92" and no foreign cars allowed. This was later revised to 90" and Anglias were allowed to run...

Fiats = Altereds ... yes
Fiats = Gassers ... no

CC

 

Oh yeah, shit damn howdy. I'm motivated now. I have made one decision today. No fenders.

Well 2 decisions actually. No fenders and mucho horsepower.

Thanks Donzi, got picturew?

 

you answered my next question before I asked it.

 

More motivation

CC

 

After seeing your pics again. Your inner fenders are already modified for open wheel.
Radair's are nice. http://www.radirwheels.com/contents.htm

 

More Topo's.

 

Ya know, I think thats them. $900 a pair, ouch. They are right for the car though.

I have no experience with spindle mount wheels or this type of spoked wheel. What kind of stuff is there to know about them? Are they strong enough for daily driving, freeway, cornering?

 

I have a very nice one off my 31 Vicky that I'm not going to use because I grafted a on 32 sedan front roof section. I also have the oak header that it slides over - brand new. Trades? PM me.

Sorry for the hijack.

 

Gulp.
I have seen this but have decided just to use one engine.

I would like to drive it just once though, for about 15 miles in a straight line.

 

I dont think the car even drove before he had to sell the engines due to going broke. Wish it could be resureccted, but allisons are fucking insane $$$ in 2007 now.

 

Maddog

I have a 55 topolino C, i`m going to try to set up a flathead ford engine, front axl like ford from 30`s, with the same hood i will enlarge it until i can put the front grill of a ford 33, little bit narrowed and cut vertically, what i want is that the topolinno looks like a ford 33 coupe three window, i will make an extra hard top besides the original soft top, with the rear window like ford 36 coupe, no fenders, you can try someting like this.
Regards from Mex

p.s. soon i will put the process on it

 

I am confused I this is an Altered Fiat

 

This is towards to end of NHRA altred class racing in the early 70's

 

One of these days I will make some progress

 

Hey, thanks for posting and bringing this back to the top.
I had forgotten about this thread.

I have not made a lot of progress untill very lately. I got distracted with flatheads. Lots and lots of flatheads, but they are all gone now and I am focused on the Fiat once again.

I have made many decisions, purchased many components, repaired the rocker panels with pieces I made after teaching myself how to, with a tucking fork, hammer and an english wheel, made door hinges and hung the doors, and finalized the basic layout of the car.

Here is what I am building (at least till further notice).

Engine and trans-
Slightly built 454, Edelbrock tunnel ram from the late 60's, Holley carb.
Zoomies, minimal chrome.
Either a TH 350 or a WC T5. I have both, not sure which one to use.

Frame-
2"x 4" x 3/16 tubing frame. Cut and tapered where it shows in front. I am building this and the steel order goes in tomorrow.

Rear suspension-
Ford 9", track loc, 350 gears, stock width to keep the tires outside the body, but very close. QA1 coilovers and a 4 bar system.

Front suspension-
Magum 4" dropped axle, spring above, split wishbones, cowl steering.
Buick 45 fin drums, buick hubs, F-2 self energizing backing plates and brakes. Round back spindles.

Wheels and tires-
ET 10 spoke aluminum with M/T et tires in front.
Huge Firestone dirt track tires on very wide aluminum wheels covered with a spun disc. I think the tread is 15" wide. Any bets on what breaks first?

Interior-
Very nice colapsable steering column with a quick release steering wheel, flat 3 spoke.
6 guage set of white faced SW.
Very nice old pair of black tuck n roll bomber bucket seats.

Big aluminum radiator in back with an electric fan.

With the exception of the Zoomies, I have everything listed above so I guess its time to build.

I am considering a couple of rather unusual items, tell me what you think.

1. Running the radiator water from the front of the car to the back where the radiator is, thru the frame.
2. Adding a roll cage all the way from the front spring perch to the back and around the doors and dash, keeping it tight to the body.
Solid but quick release latches to lift off the entire body. Just unplug the electronic guages, unlatch, and lift. (I can move the body, with doors, around the shop by myself).

A little bit of this and some of that. Should be a one of a kind ride.
Here are some more pictures but they are almost a year old.
I post up some new ones.

 

Hey Guffey, is that what I think it is?

 

yes It has been sitting in the corner for about 13 years I finally found enough blown up parts to put together display engines. It seems like it is a winter project though.

 

Really glad to see you're back on the Topolino. Everything you listed sound's good EXCEPT for the rear mounted radiator. I've seen this done a couple times, most recently on Rich Oakley's '29 roadster. He bought the glass body from me, but used a louvered steel deck lid to get air flow. The Topolino , if your going to keep the classic rear spare tire indent, doesn't give sufficient space for a radiator or air flow. I think you should look at a plan B with the rad up front.
Since we're talking Fiat's I'll post some photos I've collected over the years.
The primered sedan delivery was found in Ebay in France, imported and molds pulled. The original car on the trailer is a Simca which I passed on but bought a coupe from the same guy to make molds. The red car is one of my fiberglass bodies completed by Paul Ludwig. The Woody is from St. Louis and is about as rare a body style as you can find. The red coupe is a steel car with a nice laid back chop and radiator in front...see it can be done.

 

Here's a couple shots of my finished fiberglass Fourgone. The steel car in in up-state New York and is being built to a very high standard by Bob Klim.

 

A few more steel bodied Topolino rods...

 

Here's a bunch of vintage comp coupes. Dragster on the inside, Topolino on the out side.

 

Now for some vintage & contemporary altered's...

 

You lika Fiats...I gotta Fiats....

 

Guffey, Winter, summer, whatever, thats cool. It will be great to see that in one piece.
Any plans to make it run?
What a huge project, sometimes I wonder how you guys do projects that big. I have a hard time changing sparkplugs sometimes.
Please keep us posted.

 

Please don't think I own all of the Fiat's in the photos...only the 2 sedan deliveries, and both have been sold. My current project is the blown Chevy powered comp coupe.
As to your buddies rock crawler, I don't know how long he runs it, but the stuff I see on TV, they don't seem to run all that long. As for knowing if the frame cracks, well I wouldn't worry about that, more how much corrosion is going on inside the tubing. Rich Oakley ran separate tubes from front to back rather than using the frame on his '29.
Not having the radiator up front makes a really wild looking, altered styled rod, but the down sides would keep me from going in that direction.
So lets say you try to mount a radiator in the rear. You should build a bulkhead behind the seat and insulate the hell out of it. Depending on how you design your suspension, gas tank and battery, there will be little or no room for anything else.
Keep me up to date on your plans...

 

I've never seen a stock Topolino except










I've never seen a stock Topolino except in photos in a book . If you want to be REALLY different put a 2.0 ford in it , full fenders and make it your daily driver .

 

I have an LS-7 big block chevy motor that came out od a 70's Batam altered that may be up for grabs. It had 12.1 TRW pistons I sold to get the compresion down for the street, but have not bought them yet. It has a Hilborn injection, the mech. fuel pump and a Virtex mag. Inside, the crank is a standard steel with a 4 bolt mains and some after market steel billet rods. The block was o-ringed and the heads are rec. port open chambers. Bill