[greg.harvey]

Hi,

I've never come across a 5-speed 500. To be completely honest, I don't think it will be possible without an engine modification, because the original engine simply is not powerful enough to tick along in a 5th gear. It slows down on an incline in the factory 4th, so realistically, 5th would only be usable on a long down-hill run! FYI, one conversion which might interest you is a Panda modified head on the original 2-cylinder engine block and Panda running gear - longer bore, higher compression and better suspension makes for a fairly comfortable experience compared with the original, and with those mods a 5-speed box could be an option as the extra power will make it usable. This is what our 500 mechanic did to his. It's very effective and doesn't spoil the authenticity too much, while making the vehicle much more practical for modern motoring.

For more detail, your best bet is to ask here:
http://www.fiat500club.org.uk/boards/fiat500/

They sometimes take a few days to reply on the "Chat" board, but these are a seriously knowledgeable bunch of home mechanics who are always happy to advise you. And they will have experience of all sorts of modifications over the years. One of the members even has a V8 500!!!

Cheers,

G