More good 131 Abarth videos

[kev131]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAR3JEFDZWw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjySKKDuH6E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZFs19KKQbA&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaD3UhO0cZA&mode=related&search=

[Thotos]

Nice! The sound is so unmistakeably 131 ...

On a very loosely related note, when I took my 131 Sport to Alexandra Palace on Friday night, two guys from the BMW stand walked up to me as I was driving into the Grand Hall and one turned to the other and said "See! I told you that was a Fiat 131 driving in. That sound is unmistakeable" It turns out that he used to have a 131 Super years ago. He loved it to bits but the car fell to bits and rusted away... The usual and unfortunate story... 

I don't think my car has the 'typical' 131 sound but obviously he thought so... 

[kev131]

and on an even more loosely connected note...!...your comments have reminded me of Christmas day last when I was driving the 131 from my house, down the road 50 yards and into my neighbour's garage for the rust proofing, a walker indicated me to stop and talk to him about my.....Lada!?

Not a happy boy after that - And even more unhappy when at the end of the loosely termed "conversation" (him relating his Russian experiences of Ladas and me grinding my teeth), he slammed the car door shut as if he was trying to save his family from a demented axe murderer who was seriously behind his axe murdering target for the week but had just been given a bright new shiny and sharp axe!!?

[Walezy]

First of all I would like to say hallo to all. My name is Tomasz Cecot and i am from Poland.
It is nice that somebody from abroad has found my car on you tube and likes it
I own the fiat that is on the movies(except first movie-this is not mine).
www.cecot.w.pl

Best regards
Tomasz Cecot

[Thotos]

Welcome Tomasz,

Lovely car! I'd be interested to hear more about the slideplate throttle body injection system and  mappable ignition system. The photo of the engine on your site is too dark to see any detail.

Are we likely to see your lovely car at the 3MA in May?

[kev131]

Welcome Tomasz - It's great to meet another Fiat 131 enthusiast!?

Thats some neat driving in the videos - Is that you?

If you come to 3MA perhaps you could put on a demonstration for all the other 131 fans. I dont think I'd have the courage to flick my car left and right before a bend at speed!?

[Walezy]

The car has been built by me and my friends whom i would like to thank a lot as this was a loooot of work.
I drive the car in rallies sometimes and it is very funny to drive, i do not care about times on the stages that much as i like to make slides where it is possible although the car is not slow for sure as i think that i can use about 70% of it's abilities.
I do not think that i will be able to get to 3MA as this might cost pretty much to get the car there(i need to use the trailor as it is completely not comfortable to drive such long way with that car).

As for the modifications done to the car, well that is a long story but in short the car has 2.0l 16v engine with slide plate throttle bodies from ex works FSO polonez(polish rally car) and it has 44mm throttles. the cams are now standard so i cannot expect the power to be too high at the moment but right now i am waiting for forged h beam conrods and will build new engine with all internals forged so i think i will be able to get some more power.
The suspension has bilstein struts and front has been widened(by longer wishbones) for around 6cm on each side. rear axle has just been modified to independent mc person simmilar to original abarth and the whole body panels has been changed to group 4 tarmac wings(on the movies it is still stradale with stiff axle). The injection is Megasquirt and works very good, i have two injection and ignition maps that i can switch anytime, launch control and some other bits.
The car was built from a totally rusted 131 racing that i had to restore completely.
The diff is due block Colotti unit that allows to drive the car even if one of the axles is broken and the main ratio is 4,55. The gearbox is standard 131 racing but the dog clutch gearbox is waiting in the garage to be installed when i find some more time for this.
THe car handles incredibly good, does not jump at all at any bumps, takes corners faster than i have a courage to take them . That is very suprising as i had to modify all the suspension by myself and this means modifying every part using welder, mill and steel. I have used uniball links on the wishbones also that improved the handling a lot. The car is right now under rebiuld so i have not tested the rear suspension but after i make it i will let you know how it works.
Best regards
Tomasz Cecot

[Thotos]

bilstein struts and front has been widened(by longer wishbones)

Wishbones on a 131  I am confused. Does it have non standard front suspension? It would have been great to see the car and ispect it in detail at the 3MA  Sorry to hear that you won't be making it to the 3MA 

[Walezy]

Wishbone, well i hope it is the right word for that part. By wishbone i mean the link between engine crossmember and the hubs. The suspension is standard mc person type but the wishbones are longer and of course bilstein struts(from opel astra gsi - type B6) are used.

[Thotos]

Sorry, slight language problem but I think I understand now. A wishbone is shaped a bit like the bone or a sideways 'A' and located at two points on the chassis and the single pointed end is fixed to the wheel hub or strut. The 131 has a track control arm and unlike a wishbone it is fixed at a single point on the chassis and the other end is fixed to the hub. It's stopped from moving sideways by having the anti-roll bar holding it about its middle. It's quite common in double wishbone suspension systems, that's suspension located by a wishbone at the top and another at the bottom, to widen the track by changing both the top and bottom wishbones. But of course you know all this...

But in a 131 setup with the strut fixed at the top and a single track control arm at the bottom, doesn't fitting longer track control arms mean you end up with a lot of negative Camber angle? (the bottom of the wheel is further out than the top). Fiat 131s already have a fair amount of negative camber and it's one of the reasons they corner so well. 

[Walezy]

of course it does change the camber but i have 1,5degree and had to modify the struts so that it will not exceed this. The sway bar had to be modified also to accept wider suspension.
All i can say that when you compare this car to standard 131 racing then it handles way lot better, there is no understeer at all and i have never reached the limits of the car by now. I had once an integrale 16v and this fiat handles simmilar except it is only RWD.