Fiat 132GL
![[1975 Fiat 132GL]](images/fiat.gif)
Much fun was had in the Fiat during the first couple of years. The car at that time was in great condition, and performed very well. At that time, the engine was the original 1600cc (1592cc) twin cam, with twin-barrel Solex carburettor and 4 speed gearbox.
After moving to Christchurch the car was used as daily transport to and from university. During the four years I attended, the car began to show signs of ageing. The small amount of blue smoke coming from the exhaust gradually got worse, and oil consumption rose significantly. It required oil so frequently that a couple of times it almost ran out when I forgot to check it. It became apparant that some work needed to be done to the motor.
After University came work and the beginning of the days of spendable income and real possibilities. I purchased a book by a man called Guy Croft on tuning Fiat and Lancia twin-cam motors. This showed me the potential for engine development, and also highlighted the need for a pay rise. I had also been reading a very interesting book on turbo-chargers, and forced induction in general. This lead to further exploration on the subject, and the subsequent purchase of a book on nitrous-oxide injection. At this point, development could have gone in any way.
I was still undecided on what exactly to do, but I knew the 2 litre Fiat motor would be a good choice for this car. Guy's book showed significant increases in power from the 1600 and 1800 units. I began a search for a donor unit. I found a crashed Lancia HPE for sale. I passed this up because there was nothing else of use on the car, and I did not know the state of the engine. It would have to be rebuilt, and taking into the price of the donor car this would have turned out quite expensive. I kept looking for just an engine and I found one from an old 132 2000 automatic that had been in a fire. The carburettor was toasted, but the block and head were fine. A good start and only NZ$200!
As well as engine I had been thinking of other parts in the drive-train that might need modification. The weak 4 speed gearbox was a real contender for being upgraded. I found a suitable 5 speed (the later, strong version) through a local newspaper. It was in full working condition and quite cheap.
About this time I decided that nitrous oxide would be the way to go for this car. I passed up on a normally-aspirated unit because I knew to get much more power, the car would be difficult to drive around town. Turbo-charging and super-charging became options. Turbo-charging looked to be quite expensive to develop, not having the tools at home. Super-charging (air) looked quite expensive too, for the same reason. Super-charging (nitrous oxide) appeared to be a good value option. I still was not sure exactly how to pull it off, but everything to do with nitrous suggests a strong engine is good, so that is where I started.
The 2 litre engine was taken to Fixations for a complete re-build. The block was re-bored, and new pistons fitted. Ring gaps were set as for nitrous running. Race bearings were used on the con-rods. The head was ported, improving flow, and new valves were installed (same size, but 30 degree seats). The old cams were re-ground to mild street spec. Compression ratio went up to 9.5:1. Abarth gasket sets were used. A new clutch disk and pressure plate were installed, of the 130 Abarth type. The flywheel was lightened to improve throttle response.
Installing the new engine and gearbox in the car was a little tricky and had problems of its own. The new gearbox was longer and meant the propellor shaft had to be cut. The speedometer pickup also runs at a different rate giving over-zealous speedo readings. The throttle linkages had to be modified to work with the new engine which is about one inch taller. A 2 litre low-profile air filter housing was obtained to help keep up bonnet clearance.
Initial running of the car was rather poor. It was extremely difficult to start in the morning, and a great deal of hesitation was evident. The carburettor was suspected, and I investigated alternatives to the standard Solex unit. Twin Webers looked appealing, though I really desired a fuel-injection unit with mapped injection and timing. Sadly, my budget did not concur. As an interim solution I decided to try the Weber as fitted to the 2 litre model as standard. I advertised, and found an old example for NZ$30. Strangely enough, from the same man who sold me the gearbox. He also kindly gave me a 2 litre cam belt cover as the one on the new engine had been toasted in the fire. I had the Weber rebuilt completely, and installed. The Weber has an automatic choke, and I was pleased to find the car ran much better, though still not great. Nothing obvious was now wrong, so I decided to investigate a dyno shop to see if they could find the problem.
I booked the car in at a speed shop that had a hydro-dyno unit where the rear wheels are removed from the car and the car is physically attached to the dyno. A great piece of kit. Unfortunately, the car never made it that far, even though that's why I took it in. The engineers found the cam timing on the inlet cam to be off, and they modified it to suit. They pursuaded me to take the car and try it for a while.
Back on the road and I'm just about home when the temperature gauge goes up higher than it has ever before. I stop, and find the electric fan connector had not been re-fitted after the radiator had been removed (to set the cam timing)!!! Jeez guys! The car itself ran a little better, and certainly sounded very very throaty. I was still not completely happy with it though.
Around this time I scraped up enough money for the nitrous oxide kit. I bought a Sportsman Fogger for a four cyliner carburettor engine, and a Holly Blue fuel pump, along with a set of VDO Blueline gauges for oil temperature, pressure (mechanical), as well as nitrous line fuel pressure. The low standard fuel pressure of a European car meant that I had to install a second pump (the Holly). The Holly has a built-in regulator which is a nice extra. I installed the parts that I could, which essentially meant all the electrics, fuel, and nitrous system up to the distribution block on the inlet manifold. During this time I learnt a lot about brass fuel line fittings and the feeling of working with petrol-soaked hands.
Next step was to take the car back to Fixations to have the head drilled for the nitrous jets. This was completed, and things were ready to go. I was still nervous about hitting the button and blowing up the engine, so I tried for dyno attempt number two! This time at Harman Motors, where they have a rolling road. The car was taken off my hands for a whole two days while the car was fully checked. Strangely (or perhaps not), they found the cam timing to be off. I explained about the past story with the mechanics of dubious repute. After fixing the cam timing (hopefully once and for all!), the external thermostat was replaced after being diagnosed as faulty. Then it was on to some serious nitrous testing. Apparently the first time the nitrous was activated, large chunks came out the exhaust. The exhaust was still stock, and getting on in years. Fiddling with the fuel pressure, and spark plug temperatures lead to a useful 60bhp boost on the dyno.
After getting the car back, I used about three bottles in as many weeks. It was terribly addictive. The effect was like having a much bigger, more powerful, but not more highly tuned engine in the car. That is to say, the power is there, but the car does not have to be revved excessively to extract the power. Another advantage with nitrous is the instant power boost, without lag. Extreme fun indeed!
After playing for a few weeks, the exhaust finally expressed its distress in an audible fashion. Off to get a new exhaust, I opted for two inch pipe all the way from the exhaust manifold (which is still a stock 4-2-1 unit) to the tail pile. This change certainly made the car feel more powerful, though I have no measurments to actually back this up.
With winter producing a number of rather wet days I found another item that needed to be upgraded. The tires. The old tires on the car could easily be made to spin in the wet, even without using nitrous! These were replaced with some decent new rubber that make a world of difference. The rims are still the original 13 inch by 5 and a half. One day soon these will be upgraded as well.
After leaving New Zealand to go and work overseas, the Fiat went into storage. While I established things overseas I spent some time thinking about what more should be done with the car. The engine still had a flat spot that could be improved, and when driven hard the oil temperature would go above 120 Celcius. An oil cooler would help this particular problem. The car had not been garaged since starting work - the Porsche having pride of place in the garage - and rust was beginning to take a hold. A total rust removal and repaint would take care of this.
Work was starting on the extra modifications, and when I returned to New Zealand for a holiday the body had been completed. No rust, and new paint! I took the car for a nice long run down central. Geat weather and much fun to drive. Here is a photo I took of the car after parking at the top of Avimore dam.
Sadly, this was the last time I heard the engine as I could not start the car after taking the photo. I tried a few things but ended up calling roadside rescue. They checked it out and concluded the cam wheels had jumped a number of teeth. Oh dear.
After having the car transported back to Christchurch further diagnosis revealed there had been some valve/piston contact, but in fact there was no valve damage. Whew! Unfortunately by that time I had to leave the country.
At present the car is in bits, part way through a carburettion upgrade. It's being fitted with a pair of Dellorto side-draught 40mm carbs. This has meant a different distributor, plus a few other things. The oil cooler should be going on by now, and is a unit from a Saab. Other work being carried out includes some improvement to the suspension. By the time I return to NZ for my next holiday the car should also have new carpet.
Continued...