Advice needed

[Memmeddu]

Hi everyone
I'm in difficult in a choice.
I've found two affordable Fiat 126
One which I already seen on yesterday is many km away from home and that's an additional cost .
Fiat 126 650 personal 4.
It's apparently in good condition .
But it's just appearance.
Once there I've noticed lots of rust damages.
Seller said that parts I've asked what conditions were good (probably worst articulated phrase I've ever post here)
But they are not , evidently repaired with fiberglass and not so good of a job.
The entire lower part is rotten .
That's a red flag because he made me think he wants to scam .
The engine works apparently fine and has not corrosion around the windows, windshield and other glasses.
I've opened the door it fell from the inges.
Seller took me for a test drive he drove it ,I can't drive it he says.
Problem is that the seller doesn't want to talk about money so there is a price and the price is that ,full stop
I think it's too much for the conditions .

The other one is the exact opposite
Car is in bad shape but it runs anyway.
FSM Polsky Fiat 126P
Interior are garbage not an issue I don't need 'em
Body is rotten in the same spots + the windshield area .
But at least it's honest and I can work on the price
Far much closer then the other one .
In both cases I would have to rebuild the entire frame .
Roughly the same costs in materials but one requires more time .
I'd prefer the second option because nobody would ever save it and it's not Heart breaking to make of it a rally car .
Both are in legal order with documents and licence plates
First one I've described failed mot (guess why there's nothing under the doors it's held together by the middle Frame elements composed by 3 boxing bent sheets and the roof.

What would you do?
Which one would you pick?
Consider that the only original component that I will keep is the body

 

[Hotstuff]

From what you describe, both cars sound like the owners gave up on them many years ago.
With holes around the windshield the water just finds other places to corrode around the dash and “A” pillars on its way out.

Are parts still available for the Fiat 126?

Hopefully there’s a Fiat enthusiast on the forum who can speak from experience but for me I would steer well clear.

 

[Hotstuff]

I’m presently removing the the rotten bits on a 1995 Hiace. They are a very solid and well built van but the most destructive problem I’ve found so far is a rust hole at the top of the windscreen. This allowed water and rust to run around the screen frame, the “A” pillar, behind the dash, behind the points where the door hinges mount and then down to the cil just forward of the wheel arch.

 

[Memmeddu]

From what you describe, both cars sound like the owners gave up on them many years ago.
With holes around the windshield the water just finds other places to corrode around the dash and “A” pillars on its way out.

Are parts still available for the Fiat 126?

Hopefully there’s a Fiat enthusiast on the forum who can speak from experience but for me I would steer well clear.

I'm aware of that
My point of view is that the apparently better one has far lot of damages than what can be seen
The other one is an harder challenge from what I can learn much more for my toolkit of experience.

Body panels are still available from Europe and Italy.

Then it's Money I can rebuild one in the long run , I'm in difficult to buy a good one because they are rare and very expensive over here

The first one have been given to the seller as paid for a job
The other one I still have to see it because I've prioritized the one I've seen yesterday obtaining a delusion.

 

[Memmeddu]

I’m presently removing the the rotten bits on a 1995 Hiace. They are a very solid and well built van but the most destructive problem I’ve found so far is a rust hole at the top of the windscreen. This allowed water and rust to run around the screen frame, the “A” pillar, behind the dash, behind the points where the door hinges mount and then down to the cil just forward of the wheel arch.

That's something confirms my thoughts about the first one I've seen
Corrosion on the inges so it's far worst than what it looks.
I should anyway even with a good frame made custom panels thicker than originals in replacement of those.
Ending up with an hybrid tubular/original frame.
For Safety , reliability, and drivability .
I believe that once I see the other one many answers will come alone

 

[Memmeddu]

The FSM I still have to see

The same damages on the other one but covered with fiberglass

 

[indy4x]

At least with that one you know what you're getting, after digging out all of the bodges on the other one you are probably in the same place or maybe worse

Windscreen surround corrosion looks scary

 

[Anguz]

that will be rough when you start poking the rust
they were not exactly good for corrosion last time i had one 30 years ago

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@Memmeddu You're a braver man than I, considering either of those.

 

[frank horton]

I'm sure there must be better things to do with ur time.......
not like it'll be worth anything anyway.........

My good friend had a Citroen DS estate......and it was in an awful state........
I found a great body with a few dents, no rust and some running gear in Morroco.....
He couldn't be bothered to go get it so he paid me a lot of money to repair said pile of poo......madness.......

 

[Memmeddu]

At least with that one you know what you're getting, after digging out all of the bodges on the other one you are probably in the same place or maybe worse

Windscreen surround corrosion looks scary

That's my thought too
I'm asking to my father friends who used to work on those cars .
My father too is asking around because he loves the idea but he wants to pick up a good conditions one which IMHO is a crime to practically dismantle completely abuse it to get the goal of a rally car (which will never be really because of omologation fishes but can participate to some races )
There are some really good ones very clean and beautiful ones for around 5k euros but I cannot even imagine to do what I want to do on one of those

 

[Memmeddu]

@Memmeddu You're a braver man than I, considering either of those.

I can see what's in my head behind the rust

 

[Barking Mat]

@Memmeddu

RUN AWAY NOW

Find something else, anything.

 

[Barking Mat]

There's optimism, and being prepared to attack anything, that second one from the photos, is rotten.

 

[indy4x]

I saw one a few weeks back, had forgotten how small they were.

My mum had a brand new 126 in the 70's, we used to go and visit my grandparents in Lemington from South Wales, 3 kids plus mum plus baggage and I can't figure out how we all fitted in

 

[Memmeddu]

I saw one a few weeks back, had forgotten how small they were.

My mum had a brand new 126 in the 70's, we used to go and visit my grandparents in Lemington from South Wales, 3 kids plus mum plus baggage and I can't figure out how we all fitted in

It's the main reason I'd love to make a rally car out of
Small ,cute and rear wheel drive.
People used to drive those small car around the entire country during holidays, very long trips with the entire family in and all the baggage as you said

 

[redlig]

It's the main reason I'd love to make a rally car out of
Small ,cute and rear wheel drive.
People used to drive those small car around the entire country during holidays, very long trips with the entire family in and all the baggage as you said

A RALLY car ! the first stage will shake all the unseen rust out of it . Stop dreaming and run away ....fast.

 

[Memmeddu]

A RALLY car ! the first stage will shake all the unseen rust out of it . Stop dreaming and run away ....fast.

It's pretty self explanatory
I need a reference vehicle for the regulations.
It doesn't really have to do the structural job since I can install a tubular frame.
But rules allow only registered vehicles with a valid license plate

 

[Morris]

I rebuilt an MOT failure 126 many years ago. I can tell you from experience that the windscreen area rust will be horrendous. I ended up removing a complete body section from a crashed one (rear ended) to replace it.
Mine had a mid mounted Alfa boxer engine and box

 

[Memmeddu]

I rebuilt an MOT failure 126 many years ago. I can tell you from experience that the windscreen area rust will be horrendous. I ended up removing a complete body section from a crashed one (rear ended) to replace it.
Mine had a mid mounted Alfa boxer engine and box

In which direction was mounted the engine?