project Panpan Mountain Goat

[Aston Martin]

3 hours ago, artdjones said:

The seat latch cover seems to come off with a couple of screws.Why not remove that and see how the seat cover attaches.Sometimes a strip sewn to the seat cloth pushes into a channel on the metal part and the stretch of the material over the foam holds it all in place.

That's the plan. I don't mind destroying the Rotherham seats in the quest for leather.

[Aston Martin]

It's sound deadening day...

 

Fuck me, I need two interiors on the floor outside and an extension lead. ?

[Aston Martin]

Did this need doing? No

Have I added several thousand kilos? Yes 

Will it make a difference? Probably not 

Is the car now 97% bitumen? Yes

Is the car now called menorah, because if it sets on fire it'll burn for 8 nights? Yes

 

....

 

I did the boot, the bonnet and the doors and I ran out. I may buy another pack, cover the doors fully and do the floor front to back.

 

Also.... I'm gonna buy the underseat sub and a Carplay radio in the new year.

[Aston Martin]

Bastard Amazon, £33 knocked off.
 

The radio I want is on offer too, but I'm not buying it yet. The car will finally be at my house in about 3 weeks.

[The Moog]

And... Did the stuffing elephants in your doors make a difference?

[Aston Martin]

1 hour ago, snagglepuss said:

And... Did the stuffing elephants in your doors make a difference?

 

The car hasn't moved in 2 months and won't be moved for another 3 weeks. I still can't have it until the Cactus goes back. The speakers were installed and I cranked it up and there were no rattles.

However, my plan when I get it to my house is to buy double the amount of deadening and do it properly. I'm going to cover the doors fully, and the floor front to back.

 

Here's a picture of a 2wd, I've had the seats out multiple times and the door cards are still off. So it'll be a couple of hours job at the most. It'll also be slightly easier to install the sub cables too. Still undecided if I go full idiot and do the roof too.

[Aston Martin]

Still need to sort insurance, but I'm hoping to bring it home on the 1st.

 

The 500 steering wheel I have will cost about £120 to get retrimmed. However I do love a flat bottom wheel like on the Abarth. I am not paying £249 though. If I can get a cheap all-black Abarth wheel then maybe.

I think I've possibly solved the rear seat issue. If I raise the entire support bar then everything should work, but even then I'd need custom side brackets making.

I've had a few other ideas I'd like to do eventually. 

 

I just want it to snow like a bastard, so I can nonchalantly drive everywhere. Hopefully past stuck cars.

[Ian_Fearn]

Have you seen Johns post on Facebook about selling his Pandas?? I don’t know him well but it seems a bit out of character??

[Aston Martin]

3 hours ago, Ian_Fearn said:

Have you seen Johns post on Facebook about selling his Pandas?? I don’t know him well but it seems a bit out of character??

 

Yes, I've told him not to sell the colour.

His 500 twinair needs work and then the 4x4 died... 

[Ian_Fearn]

Is his colour the one with Lancia seats and wheels?

Thats the one i’d want! I figured it ‘might’ be worth what he’s asking for the complete package to then try and sell off the other cars individually but firstly i’d feel bad and secondly I could see me typically well out of pocket with a car so good i’d be afraid to use and what I could really do with is a winter car (a panda ideally).

[Aston Martin]

10 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

Is his colour the one with Lancia seats and wheels?

Thats the one i’d want! I figured it ‘might’ be worth what he’s asking for the complete package to then try and sell off the other cars individually but firstly i’d feel bad and secondly I could see me typically well out of pocket with a car so good i’d be afraid to use and what I could really do with is a winter car (a panda ideally).

That's the exselecta I believe.

..

 

The Colour is standard, but has had a ridiculously expensive respray.

[Inspector Morose]

How did I miss this? 
Another Panda fancier here. Had my 1.3 diesel for about 12 years now and all it’s ever had is front pads and disks until this year when both front wishbones needed replacing (12 years for a set of front wishbones is pretty good in my book anyway) . The diesels are a bit heavier on the front so expect a bit more wear on the front pads and tyres.

Regards the diesel. Yes, they’re not as refined as the petrol but what you get in return is 56 around the houses and the ability to cover long distances at motorway speeds for miles on end. I had to make the decision way back when and I don’t regret going diesel in any way.  One thing that the petrol has over is that diesels take an ABSOLUTE AGE to warm up this time of year. If heat is your thing then avoid the diesels. If the thermostats fail, it’s a right pain to change so best left well alone. I have an idea for a bespoke housing for a remote stat that might improve matters though.

What else? Well, sod all really. Nothing really has gone wrong. As time progresses, the interior is getting a bit worn so the idea of retrofitting 500 seats appeal but we’ll see. Oh and the gear change gaiter is getting scabby but don’t know what to do about that. 

[somewhatfoolish]

8 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

 One thing that the petrol has over is that diesels take an ABSOLUTE AGE to warm up this time of year. If heat is your thing then avoid the diesels.

Lump of cardboard wedged in front of the rad FTW, experiment and you'll eventually get the hang of tuning the size according to the air temp. 

[Aston Martin]

19 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

How did I miss this? 
Another Panda fancier here. Had my 1.3 diesel for about 12 years now.

Someone posted their 100hp on Facebook that has 169k miles. I don't know how they still have a spine.

Gear gaiters can be replaced there's a how to on fiatforum.

Regarding your interior, I have a complete 4x4 interior I don't need, complete with front door cards. Nothing wrong with it and I don't want much for it.

And if you've missed it, the Tangerine Dream is here.

 

[Ian_Fearn]

For general light hearted interest, this months Car Mechanics mag has a Panda 169 buyers guide.

They say the 1.3 diesel suffers HGF but i’ve never seen that personally. From what i’ve seen in the past the diesel normally needs a water pump at about 80k when it’s a good idea to do the timing chain too along with the usual EGR faff.

[Aston Martin]

I think 169s are dying, I drive past dozens of used car dealers and you don't see them.

Even on the road they're becoming sparse.

[Ian_Fearn]

A trader within walking distance of my house has a snot green 1.2 on a 54 plate. I reckon he’s had it a year now for £795. I’m tempted to see how low he’ll go on it as I need to own one before they all disappear.

[Mrcento]

There's still plenty of them up here.

But i reckon quite a few have fallen at MOT times and been failed on the rear axel rot.

When they're in budget car territory, something like that is usually a straight to the scrapyard deal for the type of person who usually owns them,

I've a mate who got one a few months back, already discussed my exact plans for one someday. The basis for it would be Guacamole green, like the one above.

[Aston Martin]

5 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

A trader within walking distance of my house has a snot green 1.2 on a 54 plate. I reckon he’s had it a year now for £795. I’m tempted to see how low he’ll go on it as I need to own one before they all disappear.

 

Panpan Guac!!!!!!!!!

 

Buy it... for maybe £450 or less

[Ian_Fearn]

A shame really as you can pick up a new rear axle for ~£150. I changed the rear axle on my 141a Panda last year. Straightforward, easy job. I suspect the 169 would be pretty easy too.

[Ian_Fearn]

I was thinking with 85k and no MOT, £400 sounds about right?

[Mrcento]

Just now, Ian_Fearn said:

A shame really as you can pick up a new rear axle for ~£150. I changed the rear axle on my 141a Panda last year. Straightforward, easy job. I suspect the 169 would be pretty easy too.

Yup, but for the people who own them, it's probably a £500 car to many, £50 MOT, whatever else gets flagged for it then that £150 plus labour for fitting is probably more than they think the cars worth at that point.

Plus many people just see the word "corrosion" and scrap it without even considering if it's a bolt on part rather than the actual structure of the car.

[Mrcento]

2 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

I was thinking with 85k and no MOT, £400 sounds about right?

If it has no MOT, i think it's worth £350, tops. You can get one with a decent length MOT for 5-600 still relatively easily.

[Aston Martin]

I did the rear axle on the Alessi with a pair of axle stands.

6 bolts and brake lines.

[Aston Martin]

On 11/16/2019 at 6:38 PM, Aston Martin said:

Bastard Amazon, £33 knocked off.
 

The radio I want is on offer too, but I'm not buying it yet.

 

This is what I wanted, the lowest it's been new is £287. However Amazon Warehouse currently has 20% off, so I got his for £209.

"Missing assembly hardware" doesn't fill me with confidence though. I shall return it, if half the bastard is missing,

[Aston Martin]

On 11/22/2019 at 5:37 AM, Aston Martin said:

 

This is what I wanted, the lowest it's been new is £287. However Amazon Warehouse currently has 20% off, so I got his for £209.

"Missing assembly hardware" doesn't fill me with confidence though. I shall return it, if half the bastard is missing,

It just arrived from Germany for some reason, but as far as I can tell there is hardware missing. ?

It only comes with one release key. ?

 

Now, I don't know if it works. Some cunt could have swapped the unit for a broken one. But my sound deadening arrives tomorrow, my fascia adapter arrives on Wednesday and I get the car on Sunday.

[Aston Martin]

The car is 3 inches long and has a flat back.

But as I'm stripping the car anyway. I may lob a reversing camera on it. As I love it in the cactus, because I can't be arsed to turn my head.

[Aston Martin]

I'm collecting the car tomorrow night, but I won't have time to do anything to it until next weekend. The car still has no door cards attached and the car is full of the old crummy red seats.

 

Next Saturday is when I go insane. Strip the interior, sound deadening for the entire floor, the doors and maybe the roof.  Install the sub, rear camera and new radio.

[Ian_Fearn]

Have you given up on the 500 rear seats?

does the 500 steering wheel plug right in with the airbag lights not going crackers?

[Aston Martin]

35 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

Have you given up on the 500 rear seats?

does the 500 steering wheel plug right in with the airbag lights not going crackers?

 

My next idea involves raising the rear support bar with new bolts and spacers to bring it up  1/2 to 1 inch.

The green bolts go straight down, so that isn't an issue. The red bolts are at an angle, I fear when I space those out, it'll send the seat too far back and won't lock at all.

 

....

 

The steering wheel hasn't been fitted, but because the 500 airbag is multistage and Panda is single, it requires cutting the airbag wires................. This turns the light out and enables the airbag to work, of course this is based on random Polski forum knowledge. So, I'm not entirely behind it.