Panda (Classic) Panda Baby

[pandamaniac]

Sorry to hear of one saved and then having to let it go.
Good luck with the babe.
Hope Aston Martin wasn't right in suggesting the Babe won't need a new timing belt for 4 years.
Chances are it will need a new horn!
Its a shame you can't mothball a baby and keep the Panda it is far less expensive!
Dave

 

[panda panda]

I have to agree with your OH about the safety of the mk1/2 panda. How about a mk3 instead, a very practical little car with rear doors, decent sized boot and airbags too?

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

It has been quite some time since I posted so I thought it was time to give everyone an update, I couldn't let my beloved Panda die so thanks to some incredible local mechanics and parts found direct from Fiat Italy the Panda lives once more ,

New bits

Brake master cylinder,
HT Leads,
Contact Set & Points

Definitely changed more bits but cannot remember.

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

A few months has gone by and Panda Baby is coming due for her yearly special occasion that is her MOT.

To give her the best possible shot of passing I've had both her sills welded by a professional as I know nothing about welding and to top it all off found an original bonnet on eBay with a perfect colour match which will hopefully be fitted prior to her MOT. Now to find a new front quarter panel and passenger door to complete the makeover.

On a sidenote, I have still yet to convince my partner that a few laps round the Nurburgring in Panda would be a great idea but I shall persist.

Until next time....

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

The other lady in my life

 

[VmanC]

A few months has gone by and Panda Baby is coming due for her yearly special occasion that is her MOT.

To give her the best possible shot of passing I've had both her sills welded by a professional as I know nothing about welding and to top it all off found an original bonnet on eBay with a perfect colour match which will hopefully be fitted prior to her MOT. Now to find a new front quarter panel and passenger door to complete the makeover.

On a sidenote, I have still yet to convince my partner that a few laps round the Nurburgring in Panda would be a great idea but I shall persist.

Until next time....

I have new front wings if that's what you mean by quarter panel, but if you mean the A panel between the wing and the door I have a new one of those too.

Panda looks lovely!

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

Brilliant, got any front wings in white or know anyone who can spray em? How much you after?.

Cheers

 

[panda1408]

You will need to paint the wings on the car as they are welded on not bolted. It may be easier to repair the original ones if they are just dented like it looks in the photo, there is good access to the rear of them.

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

It has been a while so I thought I'd update you all on whats happened with Panda Baby.

1. Lots of welding, sillsdone and inner arch/susprnsion.
2. New bonnet and passenger door.
3. Replacement exhaust bits, didn't see the damage but apparently she had split her year old one right down the middle. Thank heavens for the warranty.
4. Resprayed the front wheels with 3 coats of hammerrite and gave the rears a singl top up coat.
5. Replaced the stock panel filter with a K&N one. (Love all original parts but the K&N is great)

Now for my exciting news!, Panda Baby finally has a radio, speaker boxes and an original side aerial , one snag, I've never fitted one on a Panda, done the wiring for the aerial, speakers and earthing etc but now I'm perplexed,

Inside the compartment I have the following: (Assume some of this wiring is for the cigarette lighter).

1x Yellow solid wire single point connector.
1x tri-colour (Fitting looks like an Molex) connector (2 point)
1x black negative.
1x red/green positive.

The radio is an original Blaupunkt with a Molex style connection point and 3 terminals with Aerial, speakers etc getting their own connections.

1 problem, the Molex plug in the dash is 1 horizontal/1 vertical point whilst the radio is 3 vertical.

Point 1+2 are thr pos and neg but I'm lost as to what point 3 is, also marked with a positive feed so I can only assume its the ignition link-up.

Can anyone enlighten me as to A. Which cables are needed and B. What is the single yellow wire.

I know that the 3rd point on the Blaupunkt has some purpose but as yet I've got nothing to connect to it

Will take a photo tomorrow.

Cheers

 

[panda1408]

The red/green wire is the factory supply for the radio. Connect that to the permanent supply on the radio. Then for the switched feed you can use a piggy back spade connector on the brake light switch supply.

The connector block is for the cigarette lighter, not sure on the yellow wire but its probably for the same. Does it have a supply when the sidelights are on?

 

[Dragon Man]

Yellow wire is for the cigarette lighter illumination

if your after market head unit has a "illumination" wire, T off this yellow illumination wire and connect it to that. it will make the radio dim down at night time so it does not dazzle you

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

Thanks guys, gonna sound like an idiot but car eletrics have never been my thing, radio is a Blaupunkt and has 3 terminals. +/- and another + with some odd lever marking on it resembling a wiper blade. At the moment I've got only 2 wires so I've gone on to the pos/neg but not the weird other positive which I'm assuming is the switching supply. When you say T-off the yellow one what does that mean?. Also does anyone know how much power the original Blaupunkt delivers?, looking to put some better speakers in the pods as the Grundigs are a bit weak but don't wanna blow the lot.

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

Amazingly I found an original manual for the Blaupunkt from the 1980's and managed to find out that the extra terminal was for an antenna (Assuming a powered high gain one) so I've left it empty and everything's up and running and looking very retro with the Panda speaker pods and side mounted aerial.

New speakers going into the pods tomorrow as one of them sounds like it has been cranked too high at some point.

 

[purple haze]

Yellow wire is for the arial......electric arial which goes up like magic when you switch the radio on....

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

Sounds awesome, now I wonna see this magic aerial hehe

 

[purple haze]

Sounds awesome, now I wonna see this magic aerial hehe

Would have to drill a hole...attracting more rust.

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

Been a while since my last post so thought I'd give an update,

Panda Baby is still alive after another new exhaust, new points and some tlc. Approaching the 70,000 mark which will certainly be a milestone.

Needs a new Vacuum Advance and a second front windscreen change in as many years (Here's hoping AutoGlaas still have a few lying around).

Hopefully she'll be making it through the winter unscathed after the new bits go on.

 

[ClassicPandaDude]

hello everyone, it's been a long old while since my last post, managed to keep Panda Baby on the road and she's recently passed 90,000 on the clock, had the vacuum advance fixed and done what seems like £1000 of welding but she still lives.

Unfortunately recently the Gear Linkage Ball Joint went and in the absence of anywhere to store her or a garage that can either repair her or get hold of the parts I've been forced to buy a new motor, not nearly as satisfying as driving her. With a heavy heart that now means I have to part ways and pass her on to someone else who can treat her well. They'll need a trailer and be willing to pick her up from Portsmouth. She's MOT'D until May I believe and does have various other issues but happy to go through those with whoever wants it.

No idea what she is worth these days and I'd prefer her to go to someone in the Fiatforum community. She's in the classifieds,
https://www.fiatforum.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=33858