Panda (Classic) Grumbleweed

Dragon Man said:

it was a nice day for it though! i was out fixing... lawn mowers guhh.
so how many miles has this gearbox done?

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It's the same one that went on previously, the original box for the car. Only got about 40k on, just a bit seepy round the seams.

Distinctly annoying day today, MOT this coming Wednesday so thought I'd give the old fella a once over. Lights all worked OK, without even having to give the O/S rear its customary wallop. Went through the traditional annual ritual of swearing at the horn repeatedly for an hour or so before I finally persuaded electricity to get from one end of the tiny strip of metal in the horn push to the other Next jacked the car up to check the state of affairs on the leading edge of the O/S rear wheel arch as I knew it was starting to get a bit ..erm.. biscuity at the back end of the sill. Pulled the arch trim off (some job as I siliconed it on) and was just starting to poke in a depressed way at the frilly former metal I found when I noticed the gearbox oil all over the drive Seems when I jacked the car up and the front suspension hit full droop the inner driveshaft boot had managed to push itself off the bearing so all the oil escaped. Had to dismantle the whole shebang and get the driveshaft off before I worked out what happened so after all that the rear arch trim just went back on with a modicum of bodge in the back for the MOT. I'll have to get it back off again to tackle the rot afterwards. Looks like about an inch of the seam at the bottom has rotted away, probably will have encroached further than that when I get a proper look but the sill is still solid where the suspension mount is so hasn't gone too far.. yet.

Ticket secured for another year. First time in years the horn actually worked on the ramp without me having to dismantle it and coax it into life!

Been having a tinker on with a wee model I got at Mitcar:


Don't know how to get the "Caribinieri" decal off the window without melting it though.

stick a Caribinieri decal on grumbleweed, sorted

OK, latest theory why my gearbox oil has been dribbling out constantly... I may have slightly Hammerited over the gearbox breather. Doh. All poked out and topped up again, see if there's any improvement.

MOT time again. Ticketed for another year. So tomorrow he goes down to the new house we're moving to and goes on a SORN for a bit of a once over when we get there.
In a typical attack of Italian 'character' he behaved fine on the ramp, then the wiper ground to a halt in the middle of the screen on the way home..doh!

Have you a garage at the new place?

Certainly have, and it's big enough to put an actual car in!! and even to work on a Panda. So Grumbleweed is currently parked up in the car park outside on a SORN, Roofus goes down in about 3 or 4 weeks with the back all full of spare engine and fluid and gas hazards the removals men aren't so keen on and into said garage, then the Pug which I will definitely have recommissioned and on the road by this point, will go down on moving day.
When we're there, Grumbleweed gets rolled into the garage and stripped, and doesn't come out again until he's done. - well maybe just the once so I can turn him round to work on the other side, not all that wide this garage.
That's the plan....

Yay, GW's all insured and taxed again, got a Panda on the road for the first time since last August. Looking a bit hard up at the mo so if he makes it to Forza maybe consider it a "before" look prior to me getting around to rectifying some of the long term niggles.

firstcar-Y10 said:

Yay, GW's all insured and taxed again, got a Panda on the road for the first time since last August. Looking a bit hard up at the mo so if he makes it to Forza maybe consider it a "before" look prior to me getting around to rectifying some of the long term niggles.

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good to hear

MOT day

good luck Grumbleweed!

Break a leg or tierod!

ticket on for another year. Advisory for heavy underseal, fair enough.

Oh dear, breakdown yesterday. Grumbles just puttered to a halt about 2 miles from home. Thought fuel first as I've been having to prime the carb to get him started after sitting for a week or 2 at a time recently, but having got home & back and fitted a new fuel pump still no joy so called the RAC out. Sadly this was the point when I discovered the Mrs hadn't quite updated the address with them when we moved last year so the renewal went to the old house back in July.. Bugger. Once the very nice man came he found no spark so I got him to run me home again and got the big box of ignition bits and distributor (no joy) and coil (aha!) later we made it home under our own steam. Adventures eh. Anyway, he's alive.