Buying a 1985 1600HF turbo - what to look for

[124Vx]

Hi all,
I'm looking at buying a Delta 1600HF turbo(carbied model). Its in average condition. Can anyone give me tips on what to look for in these cars?

Cheers

[A1.6HPE]

Rust, rust, rust!
The killer for Deltas is rust around the rear wheel arches and suspension turrets. Remove the rear seat end bolsters (one screw at side then push downwards). If there is no rust visible buy the car. Beyond that it depends on your welding skills or financial commitment. Next is the rear edge of the roof. After that there is the usual corrosion of the join between floor pan and sills.
The gearbox is a weakness as it can only just handle the power. If abused the gearbox will suffer and it is not unkown for the casings to crack.
There are not many carburettored turbo Deltas but the basic mechanical bits are common to other cars so only concern would be if the wiring in the engine compartment has been butchered. The stru top mounts are no longer available but Cinqecento ones can fitted just by redrilling the turret tops.
The original wheels are a metric size equivalent to 14 inches but not close enough, so you would need to find a source of correct size tyres or fit alternative wheels.
The bar-graph instruments were always troublesome but generally making sure that both panels had a good earth fixed them.
These cars are not a sophisticated machine, the injected cars are a bit smoother.
And the good news is... in my humble opinion (having had 6 Deltas) is that the carburettor cars handle better than the injected ones.

All in all, only go for this if you really want the car. If not you will wonder why you bothered.

Leo

[omicron]

Other areas to look for rust is around the windscreen. If it has a sunroof then the drainage channels can block and cause rusting. Also behind the rear bumper where the tailgate catch is.

[Wallace]

There's some photos on the delphi Evocar forum of a delta where I can't see how the windscreen is held in - the rust is that bad . .!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b40/Littleswill/windowrustright.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b40/Littleswill/windowrustleft.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b40/Littleswill/windowrustmiddle.jpg

If it looks like this - I'd run.

[omicron]

All too familiar...

We've had to do windscreen and tailgate repairs to quite a number of Deltas now. The fronts range from mild bubbling to gaping holes which have to have repair sections made and welded in. You have to take the screen out to do this properly, which itself has its risks...

[124Vx]

Thanks for the advice guys. This particular example will need some work. However, its priced accordingly. The gearbox needs a bit of work. Is this particular box common with any of the Fiat FWD models? Are synchro cones etc still available?

As for rust, there is some, as expected. Around the rear windscreen there is a bit of bubbling. However, to be honest, having own Fiats I consider the rust situation to be quite good.

What is the cause of the rust developing around the windows? Can it be prevented?

Thanks!

[124Vx]

Also, given the exponential growth in petrol prices, is the economy of these bareable? I don't expect it to compare to my corolla.

[A1.6HPE]

The transmission is the same basic unit as the Strada/Ritmo/Regata and carb Prisma, but the Turbo is higher geared. A similar unit is used in the later injection-ed Delta and Prisma but they hang at 15 degree angle and have the linkage over the top (instead of underneath). The Dedra, Tipo and Tempra use the later version. (except fot the Turbo and 16V cars)
A big difference between the carb and injection models is that the engine sit vertically in the earlier cars but is angled forwards in the latter. This means that you cannot fit the later transmission to an early car as the differential will be too low down. A friend put the bell housing from an early trans onto the box/diff casing from an injection car but it was very challenging, including welding up the bellhousing as the bottom lips overlapped insufficiently.
The good news is that the gears and synchros seem to be the same.

Leo

[124Vx]

Ah ok, thats a pain. I guess fitting larger engines is difficuilt then. Its to be used as a daily driver, so I should probably stop thinking about the engine:)

[124Vx]

Purchased! I couldn't find any serious rust. Minor patches here and there. Interior requires a bit of work. Am I right in assuming the prisma interiors, right up to '88, would be compatible with the delta?

Cheers

[A1.6HPE]

Wow, well done!
The s1 Deltas and Prismas have considerable differences from the s2 cars. The mounting points for the front seats are spaced differently. Not sure if you could swap the runners. All Prismas have the S2 style dashboard but it is different from a Delta s2 one (the ends especially as the Prisma has the window switches in the armrests. I am fairl;y confident that any S2 dashboard would fit as long as you use the matching door cards. Prsima rear seats are different although the fittings are the same as a Delta. Doors and windows are all the same (except the rear one). I once put the (alcantara and deep pile carpet) interior from a Prisma into my Delta and fitted the rear headrests to the Delta parcel shelf. Looked great and someone bought the interior when that Delta had too much rust. If the Prisma has electric rear windows they can be put into the Delta fairly easily.

The power from an HF Turbo is about the maximum that you sensibly put through two front wheels without resorting to trick management systems. When you first get an HF Turbo you spend a lot of time with the wheels spinning but then learn how to feed the power in - great cars!

Leo
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leocapaldi/Project2/

[124Vx]

The car...
http://turbo124.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1879

[124Vx]

Having great difficuilties sourcing a replacement interior! As it turns out, the RHD dashboards are in demand over here for conversion of LHD integrales. They seem to be fetching close to the price of a 1600hf!

Can anyone else verify that the S2 dashes will fit the S1 body (change of doorcards required as mentioned before)?

[rossocorsa]

I would think it very unlikely that they are interchangeable and why would you want to do it?

[124Vx]

This variant of the delta is very rare in New Zealand. The dash in the car at presesnt is badly warped, and very hard on the eyes. S2 deltas, and prismas, are much more common.

Given that the S2 delta is a facelift model, I'm guessing there were no dramatic changes to the body other than asthetics (wild assumption!). So hopefully the structure of the cockpit is close enough to the S1 to enable interchangability of the dashboards.

[A1.6HPE]

Hello 124VX,
The S2 Delta has many major differences from an S1. The front crossmember (below the radiator) is further forward, as I say above the seat mounts are different, the footwells are lower and the roof is slightly higher. However, I do reckon that the S2 dashboard and door cards will physically fit. The mountings and brackets look the same. The doors definitely fit - a friend has put S2 doors on his S1 (also tailgate and bonnet). However the wiring for the switches and instruments is vastly different so you will need to be handy with a soldering iron and wire strippers and have both wiring diagrams. Oh - the bad news - the heater assembly is a bit different having different control arrangements, best to use an S2 heater.
How is the S1 petrol tank? S2 has a plastic one that will fit but you would need to sort out the brackets and cut a hole in the floor below the rear seats. Overall I would suggest that the best bet would be to fit the HF Turbo mechanicals into a decent S2 shell !

Leo

[124Vx]

Unfortunately S2's are very rare down this way(S1's even rarer!), so locating an S2 shell would be very difficuilt.

I've just been informed that my assumption was incorrect, Prisma dashboards are too different from the Deltas.

[124Vx]

Successfully located an s2 dash, heater and centre console! Its a long way away though so I would like to be fairly confident that it would fit an S1.

Can anyone else give input as to whether they think it is possible to install an S2 dash setup in an S1 hf? The compaitility of the two series windscreens may offer a clue. Are they the same?

Cheers