[hillram]

Being a Fiatian, I have now a desire to own every model of Fiat in India.
My eyes fell on a 1999 Siena 1.2 EL(petrol) in OLX and soon struck a deal with the owner in Nasik. The car was shipped in a truck to Chennai. My first observations of the car were as below:
- Beautiful lines for a Sedan
- Neatly done interiors

When i took the first drive, i noticed the following niggles :
- Low pick up
- Blown Muffler

But this car stood as an example of originality - Original Paint , Pristine Interiors , Superb cooling AC , Central locking , Power Windows and best part , an Alpine OEM Radio/Cassette Player.

After chalking out a quick revival plan, my newly found mechanic in Chennai started the restoration work and proceeded with the following servicing :
- Gearbox overhaul
- New Clutch plate assembly
- Servicing cooling system
- Battery Check up
- Fuel Lines Check up
- Fuel Pump servicing
- New Ignition coil

I visited Pudhupet to pick up Alloys and tyres (13") as I hate wheel caps, though this car had the original ones.

Mean while brisk work was done parallely to register the car in A.P with a prefered number.

After nearly 3 weeks, which included a week for re-registering the car , this Siena was unveiled at the Chennai Fiat meet on 1st May.

During the whole restoration process , i noticed one thing. Almosy 90% of the parts in the car were Italian - All Electricals and Electronic Sensors , ECU were from Magneti Marelli , various other parts made by Valeo , Radiator by Behr. The fuel Injector was a beautiful piece of Art made by Weber , Italy.
This joy to see so many Italian parts go into the Siena , is priceless.

The below photo represents the condition in which the Siena came to me.

[hillram]

Now i present the current avatar of my Siena..

[akshay4587]

She looks pristine
btw was the 1.6L motor offered in this,or was it launched with the Petra?

[jnpai]

A beautiful restoration. Congratulations and appreciation for the quality of workmanship. The Sienna was always a good looker and ahead of its times in terms of looks. Now after restoration may I add the beauty has become classic.
Wishing you a happy drive and safe miles.

[hillram]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

She looks pristine
btw was the 1.6L motor offered in this,or was it launched with the Petra?

Im not too sure if 1.6 Siena was launched. But Petra surely came out on 1.6 Litre petrol engine with 100bhp

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

She looks pristine
btw was the 1.6L motor offered in this,or was it launched with the Petra?

I think I have seen a few old Siena(pre-facelift) with the badge- 16V100, which IIRC was the badge for the 100 BHP model.

BTW, thats a wonderful restoration and the car looks beautiful. Can you post pics of the interiors as well? Also any reason why you went for the dual tone color scheme?

[nim_peter]

Great job! Could you post some interior pics as well. I remember the first time I saw a Siena when I was in school, it used to be a luxury car back then. I'll take some inspiration and restore my car too.

[MaxTorque]

Great machine and you have put best effort to refurbish the Italian beauty. I am not sure whether you have already planned or not, now in new avatar the headlights and tail lights looks too old so any plans to replace them?

Can you explain the process of re-registering the machine? I think it will be helpful to many.

[Rudra Sen]

Why this is not repaired? And oh, TBHP sticker missing desperately!

She looks beautiful hillram.

[Ravindra M]

Originally Posted by hillram

Now i present the current avatar of my Siena..

Dear Hillram,

The outcome is indeed great !
Just curious to know - why "Magnetti Marelli" stickers ? - are you a fan of this company or do you work for them ?
Just a personal taste - matt black side mirrors would look better, at least in picture. Of course, I should not make such comment unless I see the car.

[21Archer84]

Congrats Hillram, This was one car I fell in love with as a kid. When most cars launched were just boxes, the smooth curves of the Siena were a feast to my eyes.

Are spares still available for this and how much did it cost you for the entire restoration?

[rjstyles69]

hillram beautifully done man, she begs for bigger wheels though.

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Why this is not repaired? And oh, TBHP sticker missing desperately!

She looks beautiful hillram.

Attachment 1082246

The FIAT logo on the boot lid is a tad bit titled too.

[hillram]

Thanks for your nice words and appreciation.
I dont work for Mageniti Marellli , but have a strong affinity towards this Italian brand which makes lot of electrical components, sensors that go into road cars to Formula 1 cars.

Painting the OVRMs ans sideboards in silver was an experiment which i did myself with Spray paint can !!!

@Rudra..I havent adressed the dents and scratches yet as I have a plan to change the colour entirely soon. Yes a Team BHP sticker will be up soon.

The process of re-registration is very easy as you need to obtain an NOC from the originating RTO and procude it in the RTO in the state you are in and pay the re-registration charges, which vary from state to state and a fitness certificate is done for 5 years.

All the parts of Fiat Siena are available , though a bit costly.

Here are some interior photos , Engine bay and few original parts, I was particularly fascinated my the Fuel Injector made by Weber , Italy.

[MaxTorque]

The interiors are looking good. The engine bay looks bit old compared to the interiors and exteriors.

For re-registration should not one submit the invoices and all related stuffs..? what about Octroi and Taxes part..?

[hillram]

Originally Posted by MaxTorque

The interiors are looking good. The engine bay looks bit old compared to the interiors and exteriors.

For re-registration should not one submit the invoices and all related stuffs..? what about Octroi and Taxes part..?

Normally they ask invoices , octroi etc for imported cars. In my case I gave an affidavit, certifying the value of the car, which was the basis.

I was asked the original invoices when i re-registered by 1974Toyota Corolla which was imported from Bangladesh