Hi all. For over 25 years I have wanted a street legal Topolino with a strong altered flavour. I ignored the fact that Im over 6 foot tall and weigh around 240 odd lbs on a good day, and about 12 years ago went out and bought one that still had guards on it, a box chassis and a 4 cylinder Jappa engine. My wife took a shine to it big time so we finished it and its her car, complete with its little engine. So a few years ago I bought a pretty rusty one for my planned project, (SBC 671 Hilborn EFI glide and 9 inch) but I have big issues actually fitting into it. I can fit into my wifes one easily as it still has the footwells, but mine wont have any as the heads will be in the top of the footwell areas and the firewall will then be way back. Can anyone whose been involved in a Topo build offer me any guidance please. Currently its like trying to fit a 10lb chicken into a 6lb chicken bag. Thanks
Hi Todd, there is a tread on here on a Topo called Lil Beast ( im crap on links) and it will have all you need. JW
Just stretch it out and move the engine ahead for more leg room. No matter how you do it, it will be a tight fit for you and everything else you try to fit in the Topo. The Lil Beast is a cool build, but Mark (the builder) is only 5'5" tall. So his plans might not work for a guy your size.
Have you thought about giving up on the SBC, etc. and going with a Lil Iron Duke or similar foreign banger, equivalent trans and a narrowed Toyota truck rearend(they are dropouts) and forget the fire-breathing drive train ? That topo is just too small for you coupled with your choice of power. I'm 5'6", so please don't hit me for my suggestion. Good luck however you go.
I figure I can get the wheelbase to around 100 inches (my blown BBC bucket is 102) by putting the front axle just in behind the grill. I can fit easily into my wifes 4 cylinder car (the purple one), primarily because the footwells are still in place. If I extend the nose I still have footwell issues, because the guard opening curve needs to follow the "guards line". This "Bad News" Topo pikky probably demonstrates my problem best. The footwell is gone. I reckon I could lose about 20lbs all up and I have a relatively long back and relatively short legs (I could be the worlds biggest dwarf) so the packaging issues are around seating,pedals, brakes and steering. A removable steering wheel is an easy solution to getting into and out of the car and I have abandoned the plan to put a cage into it. Ive looked at van brake pedal boxes with the bellcrank 90 degree turned master cylinder because I dont think there will be any room under the seat/floor for the master cylinder and booster. What other ideas are out there?
Im okay for width in my wifes purple Topo. The big problem is getting some footwell space for my size 12s, while also having room for the pedals. I dont think we have the ability to add a few inches of length to the main cabin area which is the other solution that we came up with.
Most altered Topo's I see are a tad longer in front and the place to ad six or so inches would be where the nose section joins the hood area, this wouldn't look out of place. You didn't mention fenders on or off. JW
Im wanting to build a street legal looking 60s altered style Topo. Been an itch that Ive been scratching since I first saw a street legal fenderless Topo in a Petersen Publishing yearbook (issue 13 or 14) or maybe their Street Nats pictorial from one of those years - it was heading home from the NSRA Street Rod Nats. Had 300 cube Ford 6 so would be pretty space restricted. I think it was featured in 1001 Rod & Custom ideas/Rod Action magazine in around the mid 70s
I was hoping you were going with the Baloo look. Peter Lodge got it so right. A mate had one back in the late 80s but did nothing with it, I even gave him a 283 to help him along (he was going to use a 202 Holden) but he gave it back and sold the car, its in Gisbourne now. I wish I had bought it($500), just to have......it would have looked cool sitting next to my old Model Y project and all my Willys at the time. I believe you will make it work for you, it just wont be a long distance machine. JW
Zoomies to eliminate headers, and drop floor pan below chassis? Put a cowl on it, (probably look stupid), stretch it out to 109 and lengthin the doors? Sit in the trunk with ya ass hanging out in the air? Shit I don't have a clue... I was just tryin to come up with something humorous, but this is all I got.
KiwiJeff cant go 109 inch, it might get mistaken for a 32 Ford. and then my mates would mock me mercilessly.
What I did with my Topolino was,make the kick up (Z) at the axle as far back towards the rear of the frame. Also I cut out alot of the inner wheelwells as I widened my tread width. This gave me good leg room. I am 5'11" Check out my thread, my 1940 Fiat topolino here on this site
I'm 6'2" 192lbs and nearing completion of a topo. I came to the conclusion that the only way to fit in it with a v8 is to lengthen it in the middle. This messes up the proportions a bit. I had to section it afterwards to make it look right. You can see the results at bradbaumgardner.net . Its a 7" stretch and a 2" section
I'm 6'2" 192lbs and nearing completion of a topo. I came to the conclusion that the only way to fit in it with a v8 is to lengthen it in the middle. This messes up the proportions a bit. I had to section it afterwards to make it look right. You can see the results at bradbaumgardner.net . Its a 7" stretch and a 2" section A MOMENT AGO EDIT DELETE !REPORT! + QUOT
A friend of mine just did a Anglia. He had a fiberglass guy stretch a one piece front 6". Would that work for you?
Im 6'2" and just finished a topolino build. I used a fiberglass lift off body and stretched it 7". Made the frame and bulkheads, etc. If you want to stick with steel, you could move the front axle way out in front. That would allow you to move the motor fromt. My build pictures are at bradbaumgardner.net
You can get a few inches by dropping the floor pan to the bottom of the frame. No underfloor exhaust at that point but you're probably looking at zoomies anyways.
Probably one of the best street registered Fiat Topolino "altered was the blown Hemi powered one built by Mark Georgette here in Oz in the 1980's......I haven't a pic handy but it was worth a look...............andyd
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