I really like the steering wheel design they put on this punto and the barchetta, coupe of the time ect, one of my favourite looking steering wheels ever.
This is giving me goosebumps already. I owned three mk 1 Puntos over the years. When they first came out i bought a GT turbo. Then when I’d got a company car i ran a 55S for my girlfriend and later an early 1.6 Sporting . I was told that the Sporting started out as a press car but i never had any proof it ever was. My mother bought her 75SX when she retired in August 1994. She kept it for 22 years. I asked her to let me buy it if she ever came to sell it but she flopped it in for a Panda. Ive never forgiven her, it had only done 50,000 miles!
Hello, i am from Germany and own an 1999 Lancia Y 840 1.2 16V, which is very similar to the 176 Punto. It´s very interesting to see that a few rusty spots on your Punto are quite common to my Lancia ;-). But luckly the sills are not that bad, they are also rusty, but not rotten like yours. So that gives me confidence to safe my car. I wish you all the best for that makeover and i will watch every episode of that. Greetings
Nice to see the Punto moving along - my second car was a mk1 Punto - albeit a 6 speed, rather than a GT, but it was a great car - one of the best designed small cars of the era in my opinion.
Neil, Thanjs for another great video! From the general body condition, I think you have a lot of work to do & despite it being a strong link to your childhood, keeping control on the spend is a sensible way to go on this 'labour of love'. Looking forward to the next video! 👍
@@ItaliaAutos yes can understand that, a lot rust to be removed, sanding, welding, parts to be found and assembled but then it will be special to see the GT raising again, good luck
Lovely Jubbly Neil, you were right about there being more rust to find, but I think its definitely worth restoring to a price which you need to set or it could go out of control.
Good luck with this great project Neil; hell of a challenge I`m a Gt3 owner, mine is grey metalic. They`re a great drive, the forgotten 90`s hot hatch which I`ll never understand why as they`re a great looking motor, so appreciate the love for these. I had some trouble with mine the first month of ownership but stuck with it. It`s great to see the video`s and I`m very interested to see how things progress, keep it up..
Loving this! My first new car was a 95 Punto TD SX in the legendary metallic yellow. Brilliant car. It took myself and my ex from Belfast to Italy and back. I'd love to find a Mk 1 Punto to give a new home alongside my Alfa Brera.
Great video again and that rust on the floorpan is shocking. Do love this shape punto and it's sad if this doesn't survive but can imagine is going to be a lot of work.
Great to see you working on the Punto. Amazes me how cars rust in the UK. I am from sunny South Africa so we dont really get that here. I own a 1992 Uno Turbo and really enjoy your Punto restoration. 👍
Glad you put in the explaination on your affection for these cars as a reminder of you youth because sorry but to my mind this vehicle is a totally rusted out scrapper. However I do fully understand the strong feelings of affection and nostalgia for past happier periods in our lives especially in relation to todays totally depressing times. So good luck best wishes and keep up the good work.
Loved my gt when I bought it new in 98. For some strange reason it seemed to like chewing camshaft lobes. Was something about that era of Fiats-had a couple of 20VT coupés which were just bonkers especially when tweeked. Have an Alfa G 1.4 multiair now and even though its a nice car it just don’t give the same driving feeling. Maybe its all the electronics in cars now. Hope you get the Gt back on the road.
It helps that you can do the work yourself, so many of us don't have the capabilities. But it's still costing you time that you would otherwise make in revenue from customers (unless you really are working on it in your spare time!). Fingers crossed on the outcome of the chassis rail repair.
I believe the fuel pump only spins when the engine is turning over. And also I believe that when the tdc sensor is malfunctioning you will have no injection. If what I'm saying doesn't make sense ignore my comment.
Great video Neil....on the fuel pump/injection problem I had similar on an alfa which was lying up for a couple of years....long story but in the end it turned out to be corrosion/bad connection on feed wiring to injection circuit....under the relay/ fusebox in engine bay.
Loved my R reg mk1 SX good basic motoring, gave me 2 years trouble free. They never nailed the design after the mk1, got more bloated and over designed with each face-lift.
Someone suggested to me dipping as a process but from limited reading up, it seems out of my reach for my GTV; I'm restoring it myself in a small workshop with limited tools and budget. Starting to get some rot on the sill at NSR though so it needs repair... I might have to stick to wire wheels and grinders though! Be keen to know what your thoughts on dipping were Neil. Anyway, looking forward to seeing where this Punto goes!
I think I`ve got a rad support from a 1.6 Sporting, & rust free wings, but they`ve had the indicators welded up. Honestly, I`d be looking at finding a donor shell on that one, either to re-shell it, or to use as a panel donor.
Hi Neil, I might be able to help you with the starting problem. I own a Punto GT from 1996. Had it for 8 years now and still love it. It is my project car but daily driven. It left me stranded once where i could not hear the fuel pump (fuel pump was OK). The relais you replaced (lambda heating combined with fuel pump) did not get the ground from the ECU. The positive is also switched on by the ignition key. So its permanently grounded now and works fine. Appearently my ECU is broken. I have collected a lot of original schematics, could send you some parts of the schematics you might need. Let me know if I can help you out! Cheers
Yes I was going to suggest that... it happened on my 95 Tipo 1.4, the AA guy found it. The ground line from the pump goes through the safety logic to the negative to complete the circuit, there can be 12V to the pump from the switch but it won't run without the ground. Also wiring along the (boot) floor can get frayed over time.
I've just restored my Fiat GT a few months ago. I had a similar issue to start my car, every time i turn the ignition on i was expecting to listen to the fuel pump so i assumed something was wrong. I also had the "injection" error on the dashboard. But (for no reason) i´ve insisted a little bit and the engine starts to work. Just to say that if you turn the ignition on, the fuel pump doesn't start (i don't know if this is specific of the GT model). Currently i have the same behaviour and the car start´s in 1 sec
I've had the same problem with my 146 and multiecuscan. It might not apply to your case but, turned out the 3 pin connection was loose. Try holding them together with force when multiecuscan tries to connect.
Mine has literally got the same exact rust spots as yours, rear drivers side can fit my hand through completely, skirts also need a good bit of welding…
Actually, Punto mk1 got 3stars in EuroNCAP, at the time safest in its class along with VW Polo. It was the first supermini Fiat actually tried to make safe. Rigid passenger cell, seatbelt actuators, airbags, door crashbeams etc The step from the Uno was in lightyears..
can you test the pump with a battery? just to check that the pump works and it wasn't fried by some power surge the go for continuity, to rule out any electrical issue on the loom while you're at it, push in the crank pulley, there was a big recall on the trust bearing for the punto GT, essentialy what happened was that the bearing wore out prematurely and when people pressed the cluth there was just enough axial movement that the sensor lost the magnetic field and the car would shut down
You’re nuts I understand as I’ve thought of buying a prewar Austin 7 for the same reasons. Fortunately I’m not as skilled a welder so I’ll stay with my Prius. 😊😊
Interesting. I thought you was gunna drop a bomb stripping the gt to do a reshell cus that one needs a stack of new metal putting in but if you have the time....... The drivers chassis rail looks bad. Never seen one go there tbh. Spare wheel well too......front chassis member by the i/c is holed up bad. Rear glass on the tailgate.....cleaning it up after is a bitch. Crust just above the zorst again never seen them go there..... Sills - get the measurements for the holes for fitment of the side skirts. Following......... Check behind the fuel filler pipes for holes in the rear drivers inner wheel arch tub. If you do take out the dash......put a new heater matrix in there & save yourself some grief later if its leaking......or future proof it. (3 different matrix types!)
You will tye the full extent of it in the next episode. Only.going to look worse for the next few months. I've challenged my self to fix it not matter how bad it gets.
I recon its classic door rubber seal failure that caused the floor pan to rot out in that manner , all car owners should look for hidden soggy sound proofing under the carpets when servicing their own cars as I do.
@@ItaliaAutos My local scrapyard still have three of them, one is my neighbors old one which had a small front crash. And then one with only 110.000km from 93’ only scrapped because it had sitted in a long time, and last but not least a beautiful green one in the oldest part of the scrapyard. Only reason it’s still there is because it’s hard to get to move. You can write to me if you need parts. But I know from experience that big parts cost a lot to ship, and right now I’m hospitalized so I can’t work😅
I really like the steering wheel design they put on this punto and the barchetta, coupe of the time ect, one of my favourite looking steering wheels ever.
They are a nice wheel
Agree.
This is giving me goosebumps already. I owned three mk 1 Puntos over the years. When they first came out i bought a GT turbo. Then when I’d got a company car i ran a 55S for my girlfriend and later an early 1.6 Sporting . I was told that the Sporting started out as a press car but i never had any proof it ever was. My mother bought her 75SX when she retired in August 1994. She kept it for 22 years. I asked her to let me buy it if she ever came to sell it but she flopped it in for a Panda. Ive never forgiven her, it had only done 50,000 miles!
Shame she didn't let you have it
My mother used to have a 1996 Punto, would love to have one of these, bless your soul to be willing to take on projects like these.
Thanks for watching
Hello, i am from Germany and own an 1999 Lancia Y 840 1.2 16V, which is very similar to the 176 Punto. It´s very interesting to see that a few rusty spots on your Punto are quite common to my Lancia ;-). But luckly the sills are not that bad, they are also rusty, but not rotten like yours. So that gives me confidence to safe my car. I wish you all the best for that makeover and i will watch every episode of that. Greetings
Nice to see the Punto moving along - my second car was a mk1 Punto - albeit a 6 speed, rather than a GT, but it was a great car - one of the best designed small cars of the era in my opinion.
Nice. Thanks for watching.
You're a brave man, Neil. This is going to be an epic challenge.
Definitely challenging myself with this one
I had 2 of these GTs when I was in my 20s loved it
Thanks Neil, enjoyed this video as always!
Glad you enjoyed it
Neil,
Thanjs for another great video! From the general body condition, I think you have a lot of work to do & despite it being a strong link to your childhood, keeping control on the spend is a sensible way to go on this 'labour of love'. Looking forward to the next video! 👍
At least it will be one of the best in the world when it's finished.
Great video, hope you can put it back on the road, great to see a Punto GT Turbo
It's a long way off yet but hopefully in 6 months there will be a lot of progress.
@@ItaliaAutos yes can understand that, a lot rust to be removed, sanding, welding, parts to be found and assembled but then it will be special to see the GT raising again, good luck
Lovely Jubbly Neil, you were right about there being more rust to find, but I think its definitely worth restoring to a price which you need to set or it could go out of control.
This will cost more than its worth to make it as new buy I don't mind on this one.
Good luck with this great project Neil; hell of a challenge I`m a Gt3 owner, mine is grey metalic. They`re a great drive, the forgotten 90`s hot hatch which I`ll never understand why as they`re a great looking motor, so appreciate the love for these. I had some trouble with mine the first month of ownership but stuck with it. It`s great to see the video`s and I`m very interested to see how things progress, keep it up..
Loving this! My first new car was a 95 Punto TD SX in the legendary metallic yellow. Brilliant car. It took myself and my ex from Belfast to Italy and back. I'd love to find a Mk 1 Punto to give a new home alongside my Alfa Brera.
Great video again and that rust on the floorpan is shocking. Do love this shape punto and it's sad if this doesn't survive but can imagine is going to be a lot of work.
More in next week's episode
Great to see you working on the Punto. Amazes me how cars rust in the UK. I am from sunny South Africa so we dont really get that here. I own a 1992 Uno Turbo and really enjoy your Punto restoration. 👍
We're used to it in the uk
Glad you put in the explaination on your affection for these cars as a reminder of you youth because sorry but to my mind this vehicle is a totally rusted out scrapper.
However I do fully understand the strong feelings of affection and nostalgia for past happier periods in our lives especially in relation to todays totally depressing times. So good luck best wishes and keep up the good work.
Just glad my nostalgia isn't with ford's 😀👍
Loved my gt when I bought it new in 98. For some strange reason it seemed to like chewing camshaft lobes. Was something about that era of Fiats-had a couple of 20VT coupés which were just bonkers especially when tweeked. Have an Alfa G 1.4 multiair now and even though its a nice car it just don’t give the same driving feeling. Maybe its all the electronics in cars now.
Hope you get the Gt back on the road.
It helps that you can do the work yourself, so many of us don't have the capabilities. But it's still costing you time that you would otherwise make in revenue from customers (unless you really are working on it in your spare time!). Fingers crossed on the outcome of the chassis rail repair.
Yeah it's going to take a lot of weekends to get this one finished
Would love one of these again
Great video Neil,look forward to seeing the next one
i dont envy you neil with this one .but i am looking forward to see it done
I believe the fuel pump only spins when the engine is turning over. And also I believe that when the tdc sensor is malfunctioning you will have no injection. If what I'm saying doesn't make sense ignore my comment.
Going to be a great project, look forward to the rust getting tackled, quite a mess under there 🙂
Another update Sunday.
Keep the videos coming Neil, A donor MK1 might help things move on a bit
might do
Brilliant video I always liked the puntos they were nice to drive
Thanks for watching.
Great video Neil....on the fuel pump/injection problem I had similar on an alfa which was lying up for a couple of years....long story but in the end it turned out to be corrosion/bad connection on feed wiring to injection circuit....under the relay/ fusebox in engine bay.
Nice video. Hope my punto is less bad. I will continue to follow your videos good luck
Should be another update next week
Loved my R reg mk1 SX good basic motoring, gave me 2 years trouble free.
They never nailed the design after the mk1, got more bloated and over designed with each face-lift.
I agree
Yep, this is true love! No way would this be economically feasible. Akin to me trying to save an old Citroen BX. Succes! 🙂
yep going to be a costly job.
Does the Punto have a standard FIAT immobilizer fitted? If yes that might be your problem - the Mk2 did.
Someone suggested to me dipping as a process but from limited reading up, it seems out of my reach for my GTV; I'm restoring it myself in a small workshop with limited tools and budget. Starting to get some rot on the sill at NSR though so it needs repair... I might have to stick to wire wheels and grinders though! Be keen to know what your thoughts on dipping were Neil. Anyway, looking forward to seeing where this Punto goes!
In looking it to it for when the welding is done
I think I`ve got a rad support from a 1.6 Sporting, & rust free wings, but they`ve had the indicators welded up. Honestly, I`d be looking at finding a donor shell on that one, either to re-shell it, or to use as a panel donor.
Watch the rest of the episodes it's being saved. I'd the the rad support. I've got some new wings.
@@ItaliaAutos Oh right, I`m literally going through them now! (just started the sandblasting episode)
@@MrPabsUk enjoy
Hi Neil, I might be able to help you with the starting problem.
I own a Punto GT from 1996. Had it for 8 years now and still love it. It is my project car but daily driven. It left me stranded once where i could not hear the fuel pump (fuel pump was OK).
The relais you replaced (lambda heating combined with fuel pump) did not get the ground from the ECU. The positive is also switched on by the ignition key. So its permanently grounded now and works fine. Appearently my ECU is broken.
I have collected a lot of original schematics, could send you some parts of the schematics you might need.
Let me know if I can help you out! Cheers
Thanks that would be great. Email address is in the description
@@ItaliaAutos they are in your mailbox
Replied
Nope it's going to have to be fixed the other end.
Try the accident fuel cut off button that lives under the front passenger seat.....
Yes I was going to suggest that... it happened on my 95 Tipo 1.4, the AA guy found it. The ground line from the pump goes through the safety logic to the negative to complete the circuit, there can be 12V to the pump from the switch but it won't run without the ground. Also wiring along the (boot) floor can get frayed over time.
Hi Neal regarding the no start does the car have an aftermarket alarm or imboliser which maybe cutting fuel pump out
Nothing. Pretty sure its wiring or ecu fault
I've just restored my Fiat GT a few months ago.
I had a similar issue to start my car, every time i turn the ignition on i was expecting to listen to the fuel pump so i assumed something was wrong. I also had the "injection" error on the dashboard.
But (for no reason) i´ve insisted a little bit and the engine starts to work.
Just to say that if you turn the ignition on, the fuel pump doesn't start (i don't know if this is specific of the GT model).
Currently i have the same behaviour and the car start´s in 1 sec
I've had the same problem with my 146 and multiecuscan. It might not apply to your case but, turned out the 3 pin connection was loose. Try holding them together with force when multiecuscan tries to connect.
I'll be trying it again once it's rebuilt.
Is it worth doing the basic "blink" test Neil? It should throw a fault code
PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!! WHERE CAN I FIND A COMPLETW FLOORPAN, mine is just as bad as yours and ive got no clue where i can get one asap…
Mine has literally got the same exact rust spots as yours, rear drivers side can fit my hand through completely, skirts also need a good bit of welding…
Plenty show 8fnyou Google them
Actually, Punto mk1 got 3stars in EuroNCAP, at the time safest in its class along with VW Polo. It was the first supermini Fiat actually tried to make safe. Rigid passenger cell, seatbelt actuators, airbags, door crashbeams etc
The step from the Uno was in lightyears..
Shows what best in class means 25 years later.
@@ItaliaAutos True yeah hasnt got Lane Assist (thank god) 😄
Yeah I do hate that.
Still got the barchetta!
Sure have.
I'd love to see a Fiat Punto Mk2 (or 188) HRT or Sporting being saved.
One day maybe but I didn't have much love for the mk2 sporting. I did own one from new but found it under powered.
@@ItaliaAutos you could improve it to make it good. Nobody else would be doing that. Or you could create a Punto Rally car replica, what do you think?
Hi there. Where did u buy that 3 pin cable please? I buyed one from AliExpress but is too narrow.
Not starting issue: check the inertia/crash sensor/fuel cutout switch under the passenger seat.
Already tried it. Not that.
Hi Neil, Love the vids,
What do you use to treat the rust to stop it spreading etc Thanks Liam.
That will be in other videos when I get to that point
can you test the pump with a battery? just to check that the pump works and it wasn't fried by some power surge
the go for continuity, to rule out any electrical issue on the loom
while you're at it, push in the crank pulley, there was a big recall on the trust bearing for the punto GT, essentialy what happened was that the bearing wore out prematurely and when people pressed the cluth there was just enough axial movement that the sensor lost the magnetic field and the car would shut down
Pretty sure pump is fine as got no injection either.
You need to hire a helping hand at the garage.
You’re nuts
I understand as I’ve thought of buying a prewar Austin 7 for the same reasons. Fortunately I’m not as skilled a welder so I’ll stay with my Prius. 😊😊
To much work but keep going 👍🇲🇰
Lots and lots
If you want an OEM exhaust in pristine condition purchased from Fiat only used for 3months let me know.
Sure do
Does it run on brake cleaner?
One time I had issues with the 12v feed for the ECU. If you can get a wiring diagram try and look it up.
Cheers. Car is now a bare shell. I'll be checking everything out when the loom goes back in
Φίλε από Ιταλία έχεις διεύθυνση από κατάστημα ψάχνω δοχείο διαστολής αντιψυκτικου από πουντο gt καινούργιο δοχείο!!😊
theres some on ebay i think but i still need one.
Interesting. I thought you was gunna drop a bomb stripping the gt to do a reshell cus that one needs a stack of new metal putting in but if you have the time....... The drivers chassis rail looks bad. Never seen one go there tbh. Spare wheel well too......front chassis member by the i/c is holed up bad. Rear glass on the tailgate.....cleaning it up after is a bitch.
Crust just above the zorst again never seen them go there.....
Sills - get the measurements for the holes for fitment of the side skirts.
Following.........
Check behind the fuel filler pipes for holes in the rear drivers inner wheel arch tub.
If you do take out the dash......put a new heater matrix in there & save yourself some grief later if its leaking......or future proof it.
(3 different matrix types!)
You will tye the full extent of it in the next episode. Only.going to look worse for the next few months. I've challenged my self to fix it not matter how bad it gets.
Youve got the skills n equipment mate......
Need put fuse in it obd11 to work
saidan gachdi esetiii ucodinariiii yleeeee
Could be key or immobilizer.
key light goes off.
doyllapia xar
I can only imagine off camera the pile of bits, LOL
On yes. Lots of space taken up. Glad I mad room for it but still need more now it's down to a bare shell.
Try the earths
Found a few more taking the engine out but engine bay isn't rusty. They all looked fine
Alarm immobiliser??? 🤔
Such a shame the floor pans and inner arches rust on the Mk1 Puntos, I have friends yellow Sporting that will need welding, he wants to sell it ..
I recon its classic door rubber seal failure that caused the floor pan to rot out in that manner , all car owners should look for hidden soggy sound proofing under the carpets when servicing their own cars as I do.
This project is getting my attention. I suggest you don't spare the restauration details.
Another update sunday
New front bumper extremely cheap at scrap yard, much easier
You won't see them in scrap yards much in the UK.
@@ItaliaAutos Still many here in Denmark, unfortunately many start to even disappear from the scrap yards now.
You may be the guy to help keep get the hard to find parts 👍😀
@@ItaliaAutos My local scrapyard still have three of them, one is my neighbors old one which had a small front crash. And then one with only 110.000km from 93’ only scrapped because it had sitted in a long time, and last but not least a beautiful green one in the oldest part of the scrapyard. Only reason it’s still there is because it’s hard to get to move.
You can write to me if you need parts. But I know from experience that big parts cost a lot to ship, and right now I’m hospitalized so I can’t work😅
Oh no hope you get better soon. I would only be small parts hopefully.
To be honest I love Puntos but this is waaay to rusted and too expensive for repair. Any way good luck whit restoration work.
38hrs? Noooooooooooo!
Early access on member page plus, extra 10 min of footage and no adds.