Punto Instrument panel - variations

mackerski

Hi folks,

I know there's something of a Punto community going here. I'm currently trying to perform an act of kindness for my Punto-driving sister. I'm watching Ebay for a suitable replacement set of instruments to give her a km/h speedo. It's a Punto 1, but I haven't been able to have a good look at the existing panel (I'm keeping it a secret until I can see it'll work), beyond verifying that the full deflection is 200km/h.

I can see that there appear to be two styles of panel out there - both go up to 200km/h (like a Punto can go that fast...), both have fuel left and speed middle, and the right-hand instrument is either revs or an analogue clock.

My questions?

* Are there only those two variations, or should I be on the lookout for other quirks?

* Does the model year make any difference?

* Beyond the fact that the mileage (kilometrage) will be wrong, are there any other gotchas about doing this (seal-busting or suchlike)?

* Assuming that her model has no rev counter (my best guess), can I fit a dash that does and expect it to Just Work(tm)? Or will the wrong unit work at all?

Thanks for any tips,
Dermot

Interceptor

Dermot, I've re-faced clocks on a few cars but not done a Punto. The guys on the Punto board on www.fiatforum.com will have lots to say on the subject. There are only two versions of Punto dash AFAIK and Lockwood do dial kits, as do several folk on eBay. My preference would be for the Lockwood kit as it is more likely to have been tested and less likely to have been made in someones bedroom using stuff they nicked from work. Treat yourself to a Haynes manual to help getting the dash out - its an involved job and you need to be handy with a set of pliers.

'c

mackerski

Interceptor wrote:

Dermot, I've re-faced clocks on a few cars...

I'm not looking to reface the thing (though Lockwoods and other dials remain an option), my preference is to swap the whole instrument cluster for one out of a scrapped car (or from a source of the Ebayer's choosing).

I've since discovered that the rev counter won't Just Work (on a Mark1, that is, it will on Mk2), but some Punto forum posts seem to talk about airbag lights and other bogeys, all of which can be reset by anyone with the suitable equipment. Dunno if those even apply to the Mk1, I'm guessing possibly not.

The going rate on Ebay Germany for a replacement dash seems to be just under EUR50, which seems doable, cheaper than Lockwood dials and (not to offend anyone's taste) less gaudy. You can get stick-on dials for as little as a tenner, but feedback is very mixed.

Dermot

unklerosco

Taking the speedo console out is easy, I did it with my old punto... Id say the lockwood is the easier option, just incase the e-bay speedo is bust/dodgy etc. I have the haynes manua, pm me if u want a copy of the page bout removing the speedo..

mackerski

I've gone with the Ebay option, the seller has a good record and the swap should be simple. Thanks for the offer of the manual info - the job should be obvious enough, but if not, I may take you up on it.

Anybody got a view on whether it's worth my while cracking the new unit open to set the km-count correctly?

Dermot

Interceptor

mackerski wrote:

Anybody got a view on whether it's worth my while cracking the new unit open to set the km-count correctly?

Yes, its illegal and I will tell the cops if you do it

'c

mackerski

Interceptor wrote:

Yes, its illegal and I will tell the cops if you do it

'c

It can't surely be any more illegal than fitting the new dash and leaving the count about 10k km (10Mm?) too low. Now if the thing is riddled with tamper seals and the like, I'll simply record the discrepancy and leave it, life being too short.

Dermot

unklerosco

as far as i know u have to notify the the gards r someone that u changing it, can't really remember...