Maranello House Forum
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Hiya Roger. Thanks for jumping in. Unfortunately the cars not the one Neil had. (I am close friends with Neil) and had hoped to get it off him at some point but he sold it before I had the funds gathered.
NZ is a long way to go for a 127 but good to see they are about.
I wouldn't know were to start to get new mouldings made up. I would think to that the cost of making some would cost more than selling them on. If there was enough interest from other 127 owners then we could look into it further. Best to keep an eye on Ebay at the mo though. If I hear of any I'll let you know.
Hi Brian. I would say the chances of finding a 127 were you are would be very slim indeed. I certainly will keep an eye out for one for you and sure please keep in touch via this site.
Neils a really good friend (don't tell him I said that, he won't be able to get his head in his 850 
) and I don't think it'll be to long before he's back in another 127 Sport as well. We're arranging for him, Nigel and a few others to come over to N.I to a show in September so if your home maybe you could come as well. The more the better.
Talk to you soon i hope.
I got a "70 HP" badge. Boy am I happy about that one. A very kind gentleman called Rob Miller came to my rescue and dug one out of his bits. Iv'e had a real swet on about not finding one.
Thank you Rob, the car wouldn't have been complete without it 
This is going to be a work of art! Can't wait to see her on the road. I can't even imagine the work that has gone into it
Bought a "New" radiator for the 127 today. I was p;anning to have the old one re-corred but I think this is a better way to go.
I may have to move my thoughts on having the car ready for May as things have realy slowed now 
Hi Seamus. Nice to have you along and thank you for the kind comments. Yes the car did belong to Lee so we have something in common.
I got your email but was just about to answer it after I checked my site.
I'll also stick your wanted bits over on the 127 site as well so we can see about getting you sorted.
I know Lee was advertising door mirrors about a month ago so He may still have them.
Hi Seamus. I'll get you the name but it's a High build spray putty. As I had also brush painted the entire engine bay with stone chip I had a rough finish so had to use plenty of Spray putty so I could rub it back to a smooth finish.
So far I have used almost 5 litres of the stuff. The beauty about it is that it's very easy for the diy'r to flatten with 600 W&D. It takes out all the little imperfections that may have been left behind with odinary primer.
I'm going to be using 2 pack paint, again at least 5 litres as I will be spraying the engine bay, inside the bonnet and inside the shell. I'm sure you know that you need a good charcoal mask as the 2 pack is dangerous to use. Best people to speak to there about it is your local paint supplier. As my car is Orange it's a solid paint, no lacquer needed. If you were painting a metalic colour I would use a 2 pack clear over base. Spray on the colour which is the base and then lacquer over the base. Takes a little longer but gives a good finish.
Once the paints on I flatten it all back again with 1200 or 1500 W&D, then buff it with G7 Fracela and finally polish it with trade polish. This does take a while but I find it takes the sharpness out of the paint and gives a better appearance for older cars.
There's some debate that cellulose has been fazed out but if you can get it and you don't have all the gear required to use 2 pack it's good for older cars. It's easy to work with but softer so gets damaged easier. That's why I use the 2 pack. All those lovely little kids at shows who just have to run their fingers along the side of the car
Have you ever sprayed a car before ? Theres loads more to do like rubbing the car down with tack rags before painting, never paint using 2 different types of paintie cellulose base and 2 pack paint.
I could go on for ever.
that's the bonnet now painted If the rest of the car goes as well I'll be very pleased. One hicup though is my compressor seems to be on it's way out. It's not holding air to long which means painting is going to be slow.. Time to start saving for a ew compressor now
That's the shell now painted. I had a few problems with the compressor so it hasn't came out just as smooth as I would have liked but it will smooth down with 1500 W&D along with a buff with G3. Just the doors and tailgate to paint now and it will be rebuild time.
Just realised I have 99 photos of the restoration on the site so far.
Halfway there then
Hi Stuart
I have followed your page for a long while and thoroughly enjoyed the comprehensive, and loving restoration of this fabulous little car, being a previous owner of a couple of 127's ( 900 S mk2 and an Orange mk2 Sport ). I am a huge Fiat fan, mostly smaller cars ie 127 mk2,Panda mk1 etc,and of Italian marques in general,your site has reminded me of a lot of fond memories. Would I be right Stuart in saying that your 127 was Lee Griffith's former car ? and also Seamus ( Mannix )does this car look familiar ( only guess work mind you, reading between the lines )
hope this link work's, let me know if not.
Look forward to exchanging a few stories etc, in future, keep up the good work, and cool site
Bye for now Chris
Hi Seamus
When me and the 127 parted
she still had the original mirrors on,I think the guy who acquired it from me,( Lee Griffith's ) must have put them on his own 127Sport, as he didn't have originals fitted to his I don't think. so i'm Sorry I can't help with the mirror's.
Wish you all the patience and perciverence you need to get the 127 back on the road, and look forward to updates as and when you have time 
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/Chris127Sport/Servalot/127Sport2.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/Chris127Sport/Servalot/127Sport-2.jpg
Cya soon Chris
Hi Chris. Thank you for the kind words. Yes I bought the car off Lee. It's almost done now. I to am looking forward to seeing it outside.
Seamus, you'll have to start a photographic record to when you start your car. Or maybe you should sell it to me 
hi stuart. to be honest with you i bought the 127 off of gavin to reshell the 127 as it would be the most cost effective way of doing things and my knowledge of welding would not stretch to such a major job, the 127 i got from gavin is really mint so far the only rust was a very small hole in the window frame on drivers door and i have the car 75% sanded down,it will not be a genuine sport but never the less it will be a very good replica and in silver.you have set a very high standard
regards
seamus mannix
Hi All
( Long Story ) The dates and exact times have all been forgotten !! ( memory span of a Goldfish )
A good while after the birth of our first child ( 1990 ), my wife was looking to go back to work, and with me working shift's we needed another car, just a runner for me to get to and from work etc, and Mr's J would use the Tipo 1.4 DGT ( which we bought as a year old bargain ). By conicidence one of her friends at work had just bought a new car and was getting rid of her banger !! It was a 1978 Fiat 127 900c in a dull green colour, ( tiny boot lid version, not hatchback ) and they were just gonna run it down to the local breakers yard, omg !! We agreed to go and have a look at it, her friend said we could have it for nothing, it still had 8mth's MOT, and a few month's tax, and after having a look underneath and around the car, we literally had to force her to take £30 quid, more for our conscience than anything ...lol. The only thing to my untrained eye, was corrosion to the passenger side of the bonnet,and door bottom, the car had been waxoyled from new, and at her first MOT under our ownership my friend said she was in exceptional condition underneath.
Over the few years I owned her I gave her a very modest facelift, replaced bonnet and passenger door, stripped out most easily replaceable bit's, and a friend resprayed her " Pillar Box Red ", also I got a Sport grille and front spoiler, and bonnet scoop from the breakers yard, and finished it all off with standard Uno wheels in anthracite grey !!! a very humble but very tasteful, little racer look-a-like , I got a few very good years of reliable service out of her, and held up the " my first Fiat flag " to the rest of the Ford obsessed family... LOL.. eventually I passed her on to one of my sisters, who also used her for a good few years before changing car's.
end of part 1
are you sitting comfortably , then I will begin Part 2.
The reason I had fallen for the 127 was from when I was about 14, my Dad was helping a mate move house, they used a rented van, and I was helping move some smaller item's with his wife in her relatively new car, it was a Mk1 127 in Sunburst Orangey/Red, the size and nippy nature of the car, sound of the engine etc, and little details were etched in my brain......lol.
So, a few more years had passed, and we were a 2 Tipo family by then with 3 kid's, as I spread the Fiat word more relatives got the Fiat bug, one of my sisters was looking for a Tipo at the time, so I was trawling the local ad's and Auto Trader etc, and that is when I spotted the Orange 127 Sport, a cunning plan was hatched let my sister buy my Tipo and I get to own a 127 Sport ....... WOW ....., I called the seller and they said it had gone. NO !! frantic pacing about, trying to think of what to do ? so I called the seller up again and asked if she would let me have the new owners number, whilst all the time trying to reassure her I wasn't some nutcase...lol, thankfully she agreed , next step was to call the new owner up and persuade him with a little extra cash to part with his new car ( I think he paid £275 ). He listened to my tale of woe and we agreed to meet ( he was an Alfa fan, and bought the 127 out of curiosity, and on a whim ). We chatted car's for a long while, and then I pounced in with my offer £400, I had to make it tempting for him, but not ridiculous for me. We shook on this strange deal, and I was beaming ear to ear, all the way home
Over the years I owned the car, it gave me so much pleasure, and most of the time always got favourable comments from complete strangers, and friends alike.
Not entirely sure why, but we eventually bought a larger main "family" car Fiat Tempra SW, to go with the Tipo ( kids getting older/larger etc ) and the 127 Sport became a Dad's sunday drive out car, unfortunately ( not really unfortunate ) family activities, work and all the other things that get in the way sometimes, mean't that, time spent in the 127 was getting very limited 
and I reached a very painful descision that after all the great time's we'd had, I would rather see her go to someone who was going to enjoy using her, than being stuck in a garage ( especially at her age..lol ).
So with heavy heart, I placed a few ad's around Auto Italia, Auto Trader etc, specifically stating that the car would go to an Italian Car lover, and that she would be used regularily. The car was free to anyone who could look after her and give her a good home.......YES FREE !!!, I new she wanted some job's doing to get her back on the road, but didn't realise as Seamus has found the extent of work required. The only premise I put to this give away was that I had first refusal if he was to sell it years down the line ( sentimental, more than practical request ). So Lee came up in his 127 Sport to look at it, and collected the car a few days later. Very sad time for me the next few day's/week's, but in the cars best interest.
A few month's had passed and a brother in law called round, and said is that your old 127 on eBay ???, sure enough it was ( not really happy I didn't even get a courtesy call from Lee, even though it would have been impractical and totally irational to have got it back again, would have been nice though if he'd just dropped me a line etc ).
Thats the end of my 127 involvement for now at least , i'm really sorry to hear about all the work ( re shelling etc ) that your going to have to undertake Seamus, I hope you continue with it till the end.
Sorry for the epic posting, hope it shed's a little light on the history for you
Cya soon Chris
Good story Chris. I'm looking forward to part2.
Your all going to find out soon enough but it looks like I've the car sold to another 127 enthusiast. So after I get the MK1 Panda done I might be in the market for another 127 Sport. Seamus if you do decide not to kill the rusty Sport and want to pass it on, send some photos, you never know, I might be able to save it
hi stuart.well as you know i bought gavin bushbys 127 off your for sales page to reshell the sport as the work needed was too much for us to do,it needed.2 wings,2 sills,front panel,wheel arches,the floor underneeth was in pretty poor shape as well.mechanically the car is fine as we were driving it around the house.but ultimatly due to time. cost and knowing my own capabilities we have taken the reshelling option.while to the purists it will not be genuine all mk2 hatchbacks used the same shells and every thing from the sport will be transferred over or renewed,
again you have done a remarkable restoration and i will be sad to see the car go as i enjoyed following the resto,one has to admire you patience and dedication to the project,for you have rebuilt the sport better than it was originally built.
regards
seamus mannix
p.s just bought a new sticker set off of e-bay. only need mirrors now
My 127 Sport restoration is almost finished now and I think it's came out ok. Others who have seen it say it looks well to so I must have did it almost right. It's taken 2 years to complete but I've enjoyed "almost" every moment of it.
I never sat out to turn the car into a concours winner but I did want it up to a high standard. I think I've managed this but I couldn't have done so without the help of others (and Ebay).
It's always dangerous to name names for fear of missing someone out but I really couldn't have got the car to the standard I wanted it without the help of 4 people in particular, Neil Walsh, Ben Bemrose, Chris Connolly and Rob Miller. The 4 of of you have been a lot of help, both technical and in supplying me with good parts to put on the car. You may not think it but you were my insperation, and I honestly believe I couldn't have got as far without it. Your encouragement alone was of great help. I hope I can be of help to all of you in the future.
I have now sold the car (although it was never my intention to do so), to Paul McGlinchy and I only let it go because I know he is a 127 fanatic and he will do everything in his power to maintain the car for years to come.
I've made some good friends from this project and have had words of encouragement from people all over the world who followed the restoration on my web site, which has humbled me. To me it's proof again that the Fiat community is a very friendly and helpful one.
My next project is a MK1 Fiat Panda, the 2nd or 3rd oldest in the UK so I hope I make as good as friends as I have with the 127.
Thank you all.
Biggest day of all today. At 14.09 the little car passed it's MOT. Not one single fault. In fact the comment the tester made was that the car was probably better than a new one.
That's 2 years of hard work now over.
I'm really pleased that it's officially fnished but obviously sad to as now it's off to it's new home.
Thank you again to everyone who helped me with getting it to were it is.
Your very welcome Paul. I'm glad your happy with it, and I know you'll look after it.
Looking forward to part 2 of your post