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Car · Underside, sills, fuel tank and interior
Fiat 1100 EL passo lungo
A long-wheelbase Fiat 1100 EL that arrived with crazed paint and rust hidden underneath: floor, chassis rails, sills and boot put right in the workshop, then a light interior and glossy dark green.
- Model
- Fiat 1100 EL, long-wheelbase saloon
- Era
- Early 1950s
- Engine
- 4 cylinders, 1089 cc
- Colour
- Dark green, light interior
- Work
- Panel work, underside, fuel tank, upholstery, wiring
The story
The 1100 EL is the long-wheelbase version of the post-war Fiat 1100 E: the same lines with the tall upright grille, but a longer body and more room inside. That is why it was widely used as a taxi.
This one came into the workshop with crazed paint and rust at work where nobody looks: under the floor, in the chassis rails, in the sills and in the boot floor. That is where the work started, with the car up on the lift.
The restoration step by step
From the lift to the road
- Step 1 of 5
How it arrived
From a distance it looked tidy. Up close the paint was crazed like a cobweb and chipped, and along the bottom of the doors rust had already broken through the metal.
the old paint, crazed like a cobweb 
chipped paint around the window 
the door edge eaten by rust 
rust along the bottom of the door - Step 2 of 5
Under the body
On the lift you see what matters: floor, chassis rails and suspension mounts covered in rust and crust. Everything is cleaned to find out where the metal is still sound.
the underside of the body, with the car on the lift 
a chassis rail with its lightening holes 
rust and crust inside the chassis rail 
rust under the floor - Step 3 of 5
Sills and welding
In the sills, rust had gone right through the metal. The rotten sections are cut out and remade, then the welds are sealed and protected.
the sill holed by rust 
the edge of the floor seen from below 
spot welds and sealer on the panel - Step 4 of 5
Boot and fuel tank
The fuel tank sits in the boot, held by two straps. With it out, the floor underneath was rusty: the floor is treated, the tank put right and refitted with its straps and tidy wiring.
the fuel tank in the boot, before removal 
the rusty boot floor, with the tank out 
the treated floor and the tank with its straps 
the tank refitted, with tidy wiring - Step 5 of 5
Interior and wiring
The old seats, with their worn floral cloth, are stripped to the frame; the crumbling rubber mat and the wiring in the engine bay are renewed. In the end, light seats and a tidy cabin.
a seat frame with the old floral cloth 
the old rubber mat, falling apart 
wiring and coil in the engine bay 
the light seats back in the cabin
As it is today
Do you have a Fiat 1100 or a post-war saloon?
Floor, panels, fuel tank and interior: saloons of that era hide rust where nobody looks. Mimmo looks there first. Tell us about yours.
More restorations
This is only a small selection: over the years Mimmo has restored many more cars and trucks, and we'll keep adding them from the workshop's photo books.
