Fix It Again Tom

International jetsetter Tomstament has returned to our shores after a bunch of months holed up at some coal mine power station somewhere in the north of England (though before that, he was gallivanting round Croatia, Italy and the likes – lucky bugger). Anyway, I see his time spent in southern Europe has not diminished his unholy love for the Fiat, since it was during a layover in Singapore on his way back to NZ that he sent me a message on MSN asking if I’d like to go see some “rusty Fiat wagon” (his words, not mine!) on the Saturday after his return.

never actually having seen a Fiat wagon of any sort prior to 1980 before, I did oblige… and yeah, ’twas rustastic. But awesome.

1966 Fiat 2300 Wagoneer

if any prospective wagoneer was thinking of purchasing said Fiat for the purpose of wagoneering, and doesn’t mind some restoration and rust work, I say DO IT – this definitely is a unique beast. I was only half-listening while busy snapping photagonals, but from the snippets of conversation I did overhear, this car belonged to the seller’s father, originally came from Nelson as the signwriting down the side attests, and still started and ran – though it wasn’t clear when the last time this actually happened.

stage 1 weight reduction

what rust I did actually see was relatively minor compared to some cars, but still enough to probably scare off any casual buyer – there was enough surface rust to facilitate a stripdown and re-paint, for starters – unless you’re keen on the whole rat look. Driver’s footwell and sill, rear tailgate, and under a couple of the windows were all identified as needing repair, and there was probably more that Tom saw and I didn’t. Interior-wise the car seemed fairly complete, although the speedo perspex had a crack in it, and the whole thing was in dire need of a clean (I noticed a couple of rat’s nests, and vermin prints all over the place). You’d probably want to replace the carpet too – I lifted a section and it crumbled to dust in my hands…

bumper... needs some work

All four doors still worked, and the shuts didn’t reveal any gaping holes, though the bottoms of the door skins were starting to rust. Another tail lamp is also required, as one of them was smashed. Tom looked under the bonnet and didn’t find anything too untoward. The 2300 has a 105hp straight-6 engine so would probably be a cinch to maintain if it’s still in running condition as stated. (Overhauling might be a different story)

cryptic writings

For the full skinny, the car’s old listing is still on tardme, or perhaps have a chat to Tom about it (aka Testament on various forums). Reserve was $1500, so you do the maths…

check out the complete Fiat 2300 gallery on flickr »