Mod'ding your 500

[Aus500]

G'day, my name is Matt and I am looking to build a car that is a little different.

I already own quite a large, powerful and heavly modified Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo, so I am not looking for something with massive power figures or that is impractical to drive through a parking lot.

This is where the 500 comes in. It's small, not overly powerful, and best of all, it very, very different! I love the looks, styleing and well the bloody looks of it, it's fantastic! Exactly what I am looking for in a project car. And when I read th spec's and found out how good it looks on paper, it made up my mind for me.

I've looked at what Abarth have done, and, well, they are under quite a bit of constraint due to having to make a commercial product, so I thing I can do better (big call, I know!).

My big job at the moment is compiling info prior to stepping off. What works and what doesn't? I don't want a Turbo, too easy, and besides, I'm going for a much more balenced effort, so what works in the ECU and NA tune department with these engines?

It's going to be light, very light, like carbon fiber panels and plexiglass rear windows with custom gutted interior light. But it is still going to appear as stock as possible, with light weight alloys and wider rubber being the only exterior clues.

Handling will be the Major focus. The body and sway will be stiffened so as to make the most of the Mcpherson and whisbone front end, and following Abarths lead, it will be lowered only
15mm. The torsion bar rear could be a real challenge, so I'm really looking forward to it. Turn in, caster/camber and track will also be addressed so as to avoid nasty understeer, but I am trying to avoid increasing track width, but who knows, it may be on the cards.

I am not looking to build a race car. And I HATE cars that look like they just stepped out of a Nike shoe ad or Star Wars remake, so forget anything like that. I still want a car that has all the appeal of the original, but is uncomprimised by factory spec's and wider appeal. It will still drive me down the shops (It'll have to, because the XR6 Turbo doen't like Sydney roads and parking lots I have just found out) and anywhere else for that matter in a reliable fashion and without the use of a kidney belt.

Any and all comments and info will be great as info is a bit thin at the moment, and living in Australia and being stuck in Afganistan doesn't really help my cause none either.

Cheers
Matt

[Poptastic]

The diesel appears in the Grande punto and Panda. But of my limited knowledge of the Aus market makes me think you would be looking at the 1.4?

This engine appears in the Punto MK2B, the Panda 100HP, the Grande Punto Sporting and the Bravo. All these cars have been around longer than the 500. Checking what people have done to these may give you a better insight as to what can be done to the 500.

[cjay]

G'day Matt

If you can find anyone down here who can reprogram the ECU for more power I'd like to know as well. I have a 1.4 Sport.

Like you I have come from something more powerful but the 500 is still a lot of fun.

Good to see you going for the light weight approach, Lotus have been doing it for the last 60 years but not many people realize how well it works

cj

[Aus500]

Cheers for the replies.

Thanks for the info, Poptastic, and yes, I'm looking at the 1.4 Sport as a base model, so that should be a great peice of info to start off with, cheers.

Light is good. You need less Kw and torque, just a free revving engine with flexable power delivery for a whole lot of fun. Something my 2000kg+ Falcon fails to deliver (but 308rwkw does help).

Cheers

[Paul]

Sounds like a sensible approach, more what I consider "proper" tuning of a car.

Personally I think you should always start with the wheels, tyres, suspension, and brakes. Once that's all perfect (or as close as you can get), then start the engine work, then if you want to do the styling work.

Some people are offering packages for the 500 already, try this link: 500 Aftermarket but also try a bit of international googling, the Italian, French and Germans have, it appears, stolen a march on the 500 and, of course, Fiat in general, so with the help of an online translater I bet there's some gems to uncover.

[Aus500]

Yep, spot on. Bodywork first, then match suspension and handling, then engine to suit. Otherwise you end up chasing your tail. Thanks for the link and info, should really help.
Cheers.

[Paul]

My approach on tuning cars comes from my (classic) Mini days, when you HAD to do the brakes and suspension first, even when they're in standard form!

[Aus500]

LOL. I know what you mean! I started out with simular era small jap cars (the are cheap and more plentiful here in Australia) which would almost roll over getting into the drivers seat! But they were great for a young bloke learning to drive, because if you didn't have your line right into a corner, they were pretty unforgiving.

On the up side, I found out that a decent set of springs, some Bilstiens and a proper set of wheels and tyres made them into a potent bit of kit, which then set about the workings of my "obsession" with fast cars.

It's not as difficult as some people think, and lets face it, you only live once, so why not. Just because you own a fast car, it does not mean that you have to drive it fast! I don't intentionally drive my other car(s) fast on the road, and I haven't raced in years, but I do enjoy driving them on quiet back country roads and mountain passes with sprit and vigure, and the feeling I get from my XR6 when I put my foot down in 6th gear and get pinned to the seat is like nothing else.

I really look forward to this project and I hope that some of the things I attempt here will be an inspiration to others, so that said, I intend to keep you guys up to date with the progress of the build as much as physically possible.

Cheers and thanks for your support.

Matt

[Aus500]

This is starting to look more and more like it's going to get the green light. What I wanted was different, and different I'm going to get!

A low powered, light weight car with buckets and buckets of personality to turn into something that is going to be that much fun I giggle like a little kid every time I get behind the wheel, without altering all that class and basic engineering that attracted me to it in the first place.

There will be no superchargers, no turbos, no electroic wizardry that aligns molicules within the car (it's an Australian thing, dont worry), just a solid, spin happy little motor screaming it's head of with a no compremise drive train (except I looove organic single plate, cushoned brass button cluthes, strong, reliable, and you don't have to have legs of steel to operate them), very wide rubber and no excess weight.

What I'm really looking forward to is the suspention. I have already contacted a few manufactures, but the one mob I haven't called yet are probably the ones I'll go with. It always amuses me when a company cringes when they hear your name

There is some companys around at the moment that have some exciting new products, like Tein and there electric adjustable shocks, and Xforce and there electric adjustable mufflers. So the tech is around to have a car that is a legal, hot little run about for daily driving, and all thats required is that you pull over, flick a couple of switches and the engine tune changes, the suspention stiffens and the exhorst opens and you have a potent track day race car. All at the flick of a few switches! Now THAT sounds like fun!

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Aus500

So the tech is around to have a car that is a legal, hot little run about for daily driving, and all thats required is that you pull over, flick a couple of switches and the engine tune changes, the suspention stiffens and the exhorst opens and you have a potent track day race car. All at the flick of a few switches! Now THAT sounds like fun!

Certainly does.