project Panpan Mountain Goat

[Aston Martin]

16 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Question: I’m quite tempted by the 2wd diesel version of this shape panda- something around 2006 or so. They seem to have ace MPG’s and be quite torquey, so maybe quite good over long distances. Any experience of them? 

 

I haven't had a diesel. But they do have ridiculous mpg by all accounts.

[jollysmart]

My Neighbours car, tested last month is on a 55 plate, Panda diesel with mileage 236,759 miles at the test, just one ftp with a broken alternator at 175,000.

Owned form new, very economical and only 1  driver plus just to upset AM it also has the skydome roof.

[Aston Martin]

Because I'm an idiot/moron...

 

I don't like the 500 headrests, they're round and plastic and awful in every way, so...  Panda rear head rests fit, you just need to adjust them slightly. So I'm getting this type from eBay. (Pictured on 500 rear seats)

The front headrests, I'm not sure if they're going to fit. They should, but I'm going to upullit on Sunday and I'm getting these headrests and front door cards. I need to wreck two panda seats for the brackets to convert the 500 seats and I am not damaging the 4x4 interior, as it's unique to the 4x4 I believe, as hideous as it is. 

(Of course colour match could be an issue, however the seats are half grey)

 

I'm collecting the interior on Saturday, however driving 9 hours on my day off sounds awful. So I may drive to Cambridge or somewhere Friday night.

 

[Aston Martin]

Left my house at 5:10am, stopped for a coffee, a piddle and fuel and got there about 9:00am and left at 9:30am.

Just got in at 1:10pm. So it wasn't a bad run.

 

I fucking love the seats. I also took the door cards, which I can't use or bother to sell. However, they have brown leather that matches the steering wheel. (Which needs a recover) but I might be able to find a use for the door leather.

 

This is the only pic you're getting. I might, get the parts I need from upullit tomorrow. But it isn't getting fitted until next weekend.

[Aston Martin]

The door cards I'm getting tomorrow from a Panda. I'm going to see how the fabric bit attaches as I should be able to recover that in perforated brown leather.

[Aston Martin]

I managed to get everything I need for my interior change next week.
 

I got two door cards and the fabric appears to be plastic riveted/melted into place. In theory, if I cut these off the blue fabric will come off and I'm going to attempt to retrim the fabric.

Not sure what type of leatherette to use though, I'm thinking perforated. The quilted looks cheap and the plain leather is a bit too plain.

[anonymous user]

I'd always vote for the "tart's handbag" quilted leather (but I'm strange like that), it's that and the orange lipstick on a BRM Rover that makes it appealing.

[Aston Martin]

10 minutes ago, anonymous user said:

I'd always vote for the "tart's handbag" quilted leather (but I'm strange like that), it's that and the orange lipstick on a BRM Rover that makes it appealing.

I ordered the perforated. The quilted doesn't look right.

[Aston Martin]

The fabric on the front door cards on Pandas is attached to a thin fibreboard.  Alessi's have rear fabric, but I don't think other models do. 

I could retrim the rear ones, but it's just a piece of plastic and I don't know if the fabric glue would stick.

[somewhatfoolish]

Sikaflex sticks to anything, except perhaps teflon.

[Aston Martin]

Fuck me, this Abarth 500 seat has been retrimmed to be like a Ferrari Daytona seat.

[mrbenn]

Wow, lots going on here!

I'd bloody love a Panda 4x4, this one looks like a peach ? Quite rare to see a 4x4 with a/c fitted, most don't seem to have it when I've looked on ebay. Looking forward to seeing the seats fitted.

We've had 3 x Panda's in the family (1 x Dynamic, 1 x 100hp, 1 x Dynamic 360) and tbh I wish I'd kept the last one. Bloody brilliant little cars.

There was an Eleganza (with climate, bleurgh) and the Skydome a couple of streets away parked up for nearly a year recently. Just as I was about to chap the door it disappeared. Bugger.

[Aston Martin]

It is a bit manic in here, but after the interior gets fitted on Saturday. I won't be doing anything else to it until I collect in December.
The finance company keeps emailing me, telling me the Cactus ends soon and I should get a new car ordered immediately...

 

The air con needs a regas, but it's nice to see a 4x4 with it. I would like to lob a facelift grill on the car. I think it looks great and the steering wheel has the red logo. But as it was towards the end, they're £40 used on eBay in the wrong colour. Ebay Italy brand new they're about £45 delivered in black. So, that can wait.

[mrbenn]

Should send the finance co a pic of the 4x4, that'll shut them up.

The 1.2 is such a great little engine. I remember test driving one of these back in 2006 and, while it needed revving to get a shift on, never sounded harsh or unwilling.

Agreed on the grille. Nice easy mod, too.

[w00dy]

I love these and it'll look awesome with that interior. Perforated definitely the way to go.

[Aston Martin]

The 100hp engine bolts right in. You just need the wiring loom. ?

....

OK a confession, the ebay listing said "seats and steering wheel. Nothing else "

The gear gaiter would have been nice, but hey ho.

I collected the bits from a used car dealer and the guy I was dealing with wasn't there. I had to tell them after I loaded that I hadn't paid yet. "Oh, OK"  Here's your money as I'm a nice guy...
 

So the seats where loaded and I said sorry, there should be a steering wheel too.

They gave me the steering wheel in a cardboard box of 500 interior pieces... Including the radio which is worth about £50. I haven't checked what else is in the box and of course this is all a story that I made up, your honour.

[Aston Martin]

This fucker popped up on Fiat Forum.

An orange Cross is rare as buggary.  He loses points for being a crummy diesel.

[somewhatfoolish]

A car with lorgnettes. Niche.

[Jim Bell]

1 hour ago, Aston Martin said:

This fucker popped up on Fiat Forum.

An orange Cross is rare as buggary.  He loses points for being a crummy diesel.

Are the Cross Diesels to be avoided? There's a cheap enough one round here. Sadly not orange, but it's brown. 

[Aston Martin]

2 hours ago, Jim Bell said:

Are the Cross Diesels to be avoided? There's a cheap enough one round here. Sadly not orange, but it's brown. 

No they're great. If you like diesels. 

 

...

 

I've checked my free box, radio, main air vent and the indicator/light stalks. I reckon £80 worth of stuff.

[jollysmart]

23 hours ago, Aston Martin said:

This fucker popped up on Fiat Forum.

An orange Cross is rare as buggary.  He loses points for being a crummy diesel.

 

I thought all this model Cross were diesel? They are a great car though, the diesel suits them well.

[Aston Martin]

1 minute ago, jollysmart said:

 

I thought all this model Cross were diesel?

They are. Which is why I can never have one.

[shedenvy]

Go on then, I'll bite, what's all the hatred for dizzle?

[Aston Martin]

23 hours ago, shedenvy said:

Go on then, I'll bite, what's all the hatred for dizzle?

Noisy, car rumbles like it's running on 3, noisy, people think your miserly (in a tiny car) noisy, petrol pump is always covered in shite and not everywhere does gloves and noisy.

 

 

[shedenvy]

Fairy muff.

Me, I've always been around diesels, grew up on farms, apart from the 2CV all my parents cars were derv. I used to love the smell of fresh petrol, specially 4 star, then too much of my youth spent cleaning out carbs etc and now it just gives me a headache. I work with Diesel every day (engine test beds) and I've come to love the smell. Recently came in to contact with a scandinavian synthetic diesel (HVO) and it was as offensive as margerine. As for the sound, the growl of my Alfa 147 mjet JTD was addictive and 5 cyls have a lovely warble. Straight 6 dizzles can give a great burble almost v8 like.  

Anyway, not to take your train off the track, totally accept that a Panda is not a great application for a diesel and that a 1.2 Fire is.  On that subject my parents have expressed interest in a facelift 500. Is the 1.2 still the best all rounder? They asked about the TwinAir but I heard they're not great (fuel or reliability)?

[Aston Martin]

22 minutes ago, shedenvy said:

Fairy muff.

Me, I've always been around diesels, grew up on farms, apart from the 2CV all my parents cars were derv. I used to love the smell of fresh petrol, specially 4 star, then too much of my youth spent cleaning out carbs etc and now it just gives me a headache. I work with Diesel every day (engine test beds) and I've come to love the smell. Recently came in to contact with a scandinavian synthetic diesel (HVO) and it was as offensive as margerine. As for the sound, the growl of my Alfa 147 mjet JTD was addictive and 5 cyls have a lovely warble. Straight 6 dizzles can give a great burble almost v8 like.  

Anyway, not to take your train off the track, totally accept that a Panda is not a great application for a diesel and that a 1.2 Fire is.  On that subject my parents have expressed interest in a facelift 500. Is the 1.2 still the best all rounder? They asked about the TwinAir but I heard they're not great (fuel or reliability)?

Avoid the Twinair. Parts are a bastard or not listed and the fuel consumption is bad.

 

....

 

A slight update, my Panda rear headrests arrived. Double the price of the front headrests and front door cards combined. But, I guess ebay is ebay and they're not easy to come by.

Colour match isn't bad. The front and the rear headrests are slightly wider than the 500 holes in the seats, but bend a little bit.

 

This picture shows the same colour and style. But on 100hp seats.

[Aston Martin]

My 'leather' arrived, but nobody was in. ?

Evo Stick would work? 

 

....

 

Tomorrow is interior day. ? I will be abusing the picture upload function.

[mrbenn]

This should be good!

[Aston Martin]

The post office fucked me, so no retrim door cards today. 

 

However we have a PanVan. This is a live pic...

[Aston Martin]

When people say it bolts straight in, fuck those people.

I forgot the support bar for the rear seats, they’re in... but, luckily nobody is sitting on them yet. 
 

The sides just have black fabric as they’re not supposed to be seen from the side. Which is where my door cards come in as hopefully the fabric will easily come off and be banged on the side.