Okay, you asked. A new neighbour has offered to lend me his garage so I can get things sorted. Penny's car can go in there for a short time while the Panda will go in ours, which is the only one with power.
Unfortunately I cannot leave the Panda outside in a partly dismantled state overnight as our local low-life will probably complete the job. Nothing worth nicking but they just do it for kicks anyway
I'd freed off the calipers a while ago - they've been soaking in a tub of brake fluid for God knows how long. I'll need to pop the pistons out and try to polish them if they're still fit for further use. Same with the caliper bodies. The seals seem to be intact so I'll probably be able to re-use them.
I never did get my friendly neighbour to skim the discs. He's moved on now unfortunately. I'm going to try to sand them down first. If they are the slightest bit pitted then I'll get them skimmed or more than likely replace them. I do need to get the brakes working well enough for an MOT.
Now the bodywork. There are two areas of concern. One is the offside rear wheel arch and the other is the nearside door. Possible jagged edges! I'll try to borrow Penny's digicam and post some pics and see what you think!
Last, the electrics, particularly the lights. They've never been brilliant (sorry) but now there are several areas not working. I'm a qualified electronic engineer (although I write software these days) so it
should be okay but I'll be prepared for a few surprises! They worked okay before the car was laid up so I suspect corrosion on the terminals.
The engine did run before I replaced the gearbox and I was getting power to the wheels, but I did remove the battery which has not yet been put back in the car as the clock takes quite a high current.
Lots of jobs to do - the ones that won't cost me anything will be done quickly enough but unfortunately those that will require cash will take longer. I've been told we're having another 10-day stint in the motorhome (10th July) so I'll need any spare cash for that. Damn.
Steve the geriatric, NOS guzzling Panda owner and beagle fanatic ...