This is embarrassing. I did aim to keep a,low profile on this forum but everytime I need help, so many people contact me it is bothering my consciense.

For my sins I am the bloke who bought this...
I promised myself that I wouldn't blog as I am doing that thing on other forums with my '58 Bedford CA' but like I say; folks are just so nice on here.
The story so far; It is a 1983 Seat Terra Panda (google it) from Tenarife. A lad from the UK liked it so much he drove it home and abandoned it in his Dads garage.
Dad bought it off him (spent more than I paid for it to get it UK registered)
Sister had a Sisley 4x4 that eventually fell to rust so Dad bought that as well.
Over 20 years Mum complained about all the mess and Dad threw away all the left hand drive stuff, the original 903 lump, transmission seats etc, and 4x4 axle & prop but kept 4x4 gearbox, 1000cc FIRE engine and ancileries. Dad converted it to right hand drive and loved it but was pressurised by the family to make some space in the garage.
I'm looking for something else but spot it on Ebay 'Project vehicles'. I've owned and rescued a few Panda's over the years and couldn't resist it.
I'm not too precious about originailty but love an honest hard working little vehicle that is possibly alone in the UK.
So I have a MK 1 body with a new canvas tilt for the back that hasn't been fitted, a 1000cc FIRE engine and 4x4 box that has never been fitted, a Sisely interior that has never been fitted, right hand drive that has never been driven with................ and a huge pile of spares that relate to every Panda made between 1983 and 1996.
The bonus is that one of my daughters has just got a house with an attached garage. OK so I do the work on the house and she never asks about the garage........... Perfect.
Via the forum I managed to get a 4x4 rear axle and prop (thanks Simon) and via Ebay an aweful lot of odds and ends.
The little panda (registered in the UK as a 'Panda Convertable') will soon live again. It will be NATO green and 4x4.
Due soley to the support I have recieved from this forum I promise to dig out a camera and record the progress (this was supposed to be a bit of fun y'know)
Watch this space

Hi Alik,

Really glad you're doing this, sounds like a great project.

Just make sure you keep calling it a Panda and don't mention the word Seat, I made this mistake with my Terra van and got booted off into the 'members motors-non Fiat' section by the Mods, which means it doesn't automatically appear in this section when you post.

It's registered a Panda convertable...so it stays here.

Good luck with it.. just a thought, you have a Sisley interior. If in good nick could be worth a bit of cash. Sell the interior and fit something else, panda or not.

It's bizarre really. I have owned vehicles for over 30 years and up until now I have had to avoid the 'F; word.
So how can I get kicked off for being a 'S***' owner.....!

Alixcompo said:

It's bizarre really. I have owned vehicles for over 30 years and up until now I have had to avoid the 'F; word.
So how can I get kicked off for being a 'S***' owner.....!

Click to expand...

You wouldn't get kicked off the Forum just the classic Panda section.

But as Kev says, it's registered as a Panda so it can stay, and he should know as he's our Moderator. Sorry I worried you unnecessarily.

I thought it was just me but do you people not sleep. (I'm texting New Zealand as I do this)

Alixcompo said:

I thought it was just me but do you people not sleep. (I'm texting New Zealand as I do this)

Click to expand...

Alixcompo said:

I thought it was just me but do you people not sleep. (I'm texting New Zealand as I do this)

Click to expand...

We scour the web, looking for Pandas and Panda related things 24/7 365.
We are here, we are waiting.

Aston Martin said:

We scour the web, looking for Pandas and Panda related things 24/7 365.
We are here, we are waiting.

Click to expand...

If only we got paid for it, I could actually afford that 4x4....

As the 'Fiat' has never had servo assist brakes before I've been making a mounting plate to fit the mechanical linkage too.
It has to cover quite a big hole as the steering etc used to go through that side.
Several cereal packet templates later



Hopefully I will get some pics of it fitted tomorrow although if it is anything like the heater unit which I have fitted and removed about 4 times then who knows.
Just for the record I stripped out the engine bay, sprayed it green, fitted the heater; then removed it for space while I fitted other things. The final time I fitted and removed it was to get to the windscreen washer jet. How I laughed
More pics tomorrow.

Youre aloud Panda parts on the kitchen work tops!

VmanC said:

Youre aloud Panda parts on the kitchen work tops!

Click to expand...

Not quite, the towel is covering a hob I think.

My sherlockian side is saying partner was out when that picture was taken

OR a man who cares not for the safety of their testes

Wow was it cold today or what.? My brief burst of energy saw the couple of bits I made up trimmed and placed.
The garage the Panda is in is 12 miles from my place so I have to remember which tools to take etc etc. Today I forgot my drill bits so I could't bolt the servo in place..... However:-

This is in the passenger footwell (that used to be the drivers footwell when it was left hand drive)

The same made up plate front the engine bay. The plate will be painted before it is fitted and I shall squeeze some silicone in between it and the body to keep out damp and draughts.


You will notice the colour. Eventually all the car will be NATO green but until it is warm enough to spray properly I've just done the engine bay.
The more astute amoung you will notice that the 903cc exhaust is still in place. Yeah and it can stay there until it is warm enough for me to crawl underneath with spanners.


While I have no idea what the 'Sisley engine and gearbox are like I am far to impatient to take them apart to look.
A quick clean up and a bit of detailing and they will be refitted, as is, asap. The piston rings will be stuck and the valves sticky I'd imagine so I'll run it up on some cheap oil and then give it a flush etc, and we'll see what occurrs.

Again the more observant will notice the common little rustspot. As an angle grinder with a 1mm blade is my most favorite tool (after a hammer) I brutally removed the corrosion and......


.....made a quick repair section.... OMG I forgot the air vent........ No I didn't...... I shall do away with them. They are plastiky and horrid and I have opening quarterlight windows don't y'know.
Finally..

This is the (right hand drive) steering column and wiring loom. Dont know yet whether to fit the original (Sisley) dash or make my own. The only difference being the little 4x4 "engaged" light on the original. (Which it isn't really original cos this is a MK1 anyhow...)

Wow! you're really cracking on with this now. Very impressed with how you managed to spray around the steering rack .

Sorry no pics today. Did some brush painting on the brakes servo and assocciated bits. Looks like I am going to have to replace the lighting in the garage....... Been good for 10 years.... Now I am using it; it has allg one pear shaped.
Have to take my welder over to the garage. The front air vents and the floor where the original seat mounts needs mending.
And weld in the new (MK2 seat mounts)
And I have to crawl underneath to cut off the exhaust mounts with the angle grinder.
Lots of things painted black, and some painted green. Life doesn't get much more exciting than this. I love the rock 'n' roll lifestyle of being cold and having black hands.

Do you specifically want mk 2 seats? There are far nicer ones you can fit. I chopped the seat runners out to fit Seicento sporting seats to one of mine so you'd be halfway there.

As I said earlier about the seats... Have to agree with Vern. Your doing a great job with this one off special..

As it is, I have a 'Sisley' interior which I was going to fit. Are these really desirable?
Since one of you chaps suggested selling it and fitting a cheap std interior I'm not so sure.
I like the idea of the MK2 seat mountings actually fitting to a strong part of the body as opposed to the MK1 items bouncing up and down on the floor pan.
I want to keep the whole vehicle as basic and 'Jeep' like so I'm not too fussed by comfy seats.
I don't think this has answered any questions, just shared my confusion.

Answers and suggestions on a postcard pls.

Sisley seats very desirable as I said before...you will get good money for them.

If you still want std panda seats you can get these cheap.

I think it's time to sort out a deal with Mr C