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Panda (Classic) 1993 Fiat Panda Fizz "Pandino"

Introduction

Hey everyone, let me introduce you to my first car! :)

The car is a 1993 Fiat Panda Fizz, 999cc engine with fuel injection, only 26,000 miles at the time of buying. Nicknamed "Pandino" by the previous owner, and I'll make sure that name sticks! :D

Pictures are compulsory of course, so I've attached some of my first images that I've taken of the car. You'll likely find various other pictures in this thread when I get some things done to it! I attached the pictures to this post and I've uploaded one to the gallery so that I can have this one embedded! :rolleyes:
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*Following list is from original post, more has been done since, read thread for more*
What have I done already? Well I haven't even had the car for a couple of days yet, but I've done a few things...
  1. Used upholstery cleaner on the dirty ceiling, definitely needs some more though!
  2. Figured out how to do everything (i.e. parcel shelf removal, putting seats down, seat positions, mirrors etc)!
  3. Cleaned all the windows and mirrors!
  4. Checked all fluids and oil levels!
  5. Checked all lights/buttons!
  6. Checked tyre pressures, which I might decrease in the rear as they're running quite high!
  7. Took out the spare wheel/tyre, gave it a good clean but it is showing it's age, though it's been pumped up so it'll get me home if I need it now!
  8. Took the seal/cover off the heater matrix to remove the forest that was growing within it...
  9. Tried taking off the grille but couldn't get one of the centre poppers off and the front screws look a bit rounded off...
  10. Ran the car and moved it on the driveway!
  11. Put a blanket, a bag, a tool extension and a first aid kit in the boot!

*Following list is from original post, read thread for more*
What I plan to do next...
  1. Clean, clean, clean!
  2. Hopefully obtain new badges for the front and rear as all are discoloured!
  3. Try and clean the garage to fit the car in (or more likely at this time, find a suitable car cover for it)!
  4. Seal doors to prevent rust!
  5. Get some touch up paint for areas where paint has come away!
  6. Buy some Fiat Forum stickers of course!
  7. Potentially buy new number plates or at least replace some screws as they're looking a bit worn!
  8. What ever else I end up thinking of... follow the thread and read for more!

I also plan to go to some Panda classic events with others. I'll keep an eye out, but feel free to invite me to something if you've got something/see something going on!

That's about all I can think of right now! It feels so strange having a car, I'm very happy to have bought a car I really wanted. I've been looking for ages. :worship: If you have any questions about it then please do ask! I'm very happy to talk about my car! (y)
well there won't be a coil on it and thats what it wires to, on the new engine the rpm signal is from a direct feed from the, the ecu getting the rpm from the crank sensor iirc - maybe there is a way to make it work, but i have had an epic :idea: momnet, not sure if it will work or even fit, need to do some reseach. If not then my solution will be basically another tach mounted in the same place but an electronic one that will work off the signal from the ecu.
 
well there won't be a coil on it and thats what it wires to, on the new engine the rpm signal is from a direct feed from the, the ecu getting the rpm from the crank sensor iirc - maybe there is a way to make it work, but i have had an epic :idea: momnet, not sure if it will work or even fit, need to do some reseach. If not then my solution will be basically another tach mounted in the same place but an electronic one that will work off the signal from the ecu.
Makes sense, thanks for the information :D So if your epic idea works, does that mean you can keep your current rev counter? Or are you looking to get a tach that works off the ECU signal anyway?
 
Re: 1993 Fiat Panda Fizz "Pandino"

My epic idea is to fit a whole dash cluster from another car but not 100% it will fit in the panda surround as of yet. Whatever happens I'm taking that veglia gauge out so you can have it ?
I might even deliver it next time I visit my mother in Wiltshire.
 
That is certainly the gauge I bought, mine came from Cyprus so probably the same supplier! I didn't pay that much for it though! Think I paid about £40 for it. Vern made the little bracket it that it sits on which means it'll transfer over to another Panda quite nicely (y)
 
That is certainly the gauge I bought, mine came from Cyprus so probably the same supplier! I didn't pay that much for it though! Think I paid about £40 for it. Vern made the little bracket it that it sits on which means it'll transfer over to another Panda quite nicely (y)
That's almost half what it would cost me brand new now! :eek: I did see that neat little bracket. Looks great, thanks for the info! :D
My epic idea is to fit a whole dash cluster from another car but not 100% it will fit in the panda surround as of yet. Whatever happens I'm taking that veglia gauge out so you can have it ?
I might even deliver it next time I visit my mother in Wiltshire.
Now that's an interesting idea... sounds good. Are you taking out the bracket as well or are you going to keep that for the next tacho if you get one that runs off the ECU?

Are you around in Wiltshire any time soon? If so then give me a shout, would be great to get a rev counter soon! Cheers :)
 
Are you taking out the bracket as well or are you going to keep that for the next tacho if you get one that runs off the ECU?
Give him the bracket blu73 :D You don't need it :D

Oh and the massive lump of blutack stuck on the bottom of it (out of sight, doubt you ever noticed it) was to stop it vibrating, past about 60mph it would rattle about so much it was almost unreadable, the blutack was a good fix (y)
 
lol, yes i did notice the blutack, you know i can't help taking stuff apart ;)

And yes, I meant you can have the whole lot chap - If i end up getting a new gauge in pod and not using a dash cluster then i will just get a new gauge pod. Won't be for a couple of weeks as i am away this weekend and all next week too. But after that I will take it all out and i need to drive over Wiltshire to sort something on my mothers punto so will drop it all off and tell you what wires go where when i do that ;)
 
Oh and the massive lump of blutack stuck on the bottom of it (out of sight, doubt you ever noticed it) was to stop it vibrating, past about 60mph it would rattle about so much it was almost unreadable, the blutack was a good fix
As long as it works and I can read it then that's what matters! If it ain't broken, don't fix it ;) Sometimes the neat and simple ideas are the ones that work the best!
And yes, I meant you can have the whole lot chap - If i end up getting a new gauge in pod and not using a dash cluster then i will just get a new gauge pod. Won't be for a couple of weeks as i am away this weekend and all next week too. But after that I will take it all out and i need to drive over Wiltshire to sort something on my mothers punto so will drop it all off and tell you what wires go where when i do that
That's brilliant then! After you come back, just let me know on Facebook and we can arrange something soon. I can get the car out for then and we can get it fitted :D

Do you have any idea on what price you want for it? Can always discuss that on Facebook or when you're here if you want! You've been a big help! I can send you the address on Facebook sometime, also :)
 
Ventured out even further today, got some country roads in, and my very first stall on the roads with the Panda too... Oops, but was very quickly back up and running like nothing happened, and all went smoothly other than that.

I take lots of pictures of Pandino, but I suppose you can never have too many! A picture of the Panda at Sainsbury's today. If you look closely then you can see my new panda mascot hanging inside above the rear offside window!
 

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lovely car....
I like your L plate as well... same colour:D
 
Can you swop the Scooby gold wheels with yours??? It will def make it go faster[emoji13][emoji13][emoji13]
 
General Stuff...
Earlier this week, I was washing the car and discovered the rubber exhaust clip in the center section was just flapping around. That may explain the small rattle in the rear... clip has since been put on!

Also, was wondering why the back was a little jumpy over the speed bumps, turns out the rear tyres were set to 40PSI. Lowered it down to about 30, the front and spare tyres were already 30 so that's alright now. Attached a complimentary pictures of Pandino at my nan's house today, with the Pandino Mascot in the window (y)

If you read the story below - look closely at the front bumper of the car in this pic and you'll see it sagging at the back. No longer like this any more ;)

I also started to try out my Fiat Racing Red paint to touch up a couple scratches. Looks okay so far, we'll see what happens with that!

-------------

Story Time...
It was time to finally sort out that flapping front bumper. The right hand side was clearly not attached to anything, and sagged a lot lower than the other side did. Today, I got under the car, undid the screws holding on the inner wheel arch and pulled the lining back a bit. After much wrestling, I got off the washer/bolt assembly on the bumper mount.

Turns out the washer and bolt assembly was there in the metal attached to the car but nobody had actually put the bumper into the black slide-in mount on the end of the assembly for it to stay there. Or so I thought...

After putting the assembly back on and having it all together, I came up to inspect the masterpiece. Perfect, the bumper was flush with the bottom of the fender now! Great! But... the other side, the bumper is not flush, it's ever so slightly lower. Not noticeable enough to worry me, but enough to tell me something has happened to the car previously.

Tried again with the assembly to see if it was put on wrong, but turns out it was all there and correct, so started to think and look around. Then I saw the grille. The grille, on the offside of the car (nearest side where bumper was not secured), did not line up against the headlight. It is slightly pushed in at the bottom left (if looking at it from the front), as opposed to the other side of the grille which lines up perfectly with the other headlight.

This is when things started to add up :idea: What I think has happened, at some stage or another, is that the offside front area has bumped into something, or something else into it. This would have pushed the bumper in enough to push it out of its mounting on the right hand side, and because it pushed it in enough to push in the offside of the grille, it explains why there is a cut in the bumper. Where the headlight and grille join, there is a piece of metal going vertically, which lines up quite well with that fairly small cut I have in the bumper.

Mystery potentially solved! So, what now... probably almost nothing :rolleyes: The bumper is, for now (touchwood), securely mounted on all sides, the cut and the grille are both cosmetic. Oh, and I did remember to put the inner wheel arch lining back on if you were wondering. One screw for it went right back on, but the other one didn't want to play, so I put a new one in with a washer. All is well :D What may be worth doing though, is attempting to take off the grille and seeing if the mount for it is pushed. Pretty sure the screws for it are rusted on/rounded off so it's probably a good idea to change for some good ones anyway. We'll see what happens, but for now, Pandino is happy! :slayer:
 

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good bit of investigative work there.. Now you can be annoyed about it every time you look at the car, but trust me when i say that 99% of people won't notice if thats any solice. Us lot will though cause you told us :devil: Will be the first thing i point at when we meet *jokes*

edit: oh while i remember, I am back home now so will get the tacho off soon. turns out my mother is off to spain this weekend though so will be another week or so before i come across that way, will keep you posted though ;)
 
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good bit of investigative work there.. Now you can be annoyed about it every time you look at the car, but trust me when i say that 99% of people won't notice if thats any solice. Us lot will though cause you told us :devil: Will be the first thing i point at when we meet *jokes*

edit: oh while i remember, I am back home now so will get the tacho off soon. turns out my mother is off to spain this weekend though so will be another week or so before i come across that way, will keep you posted though ;)
I'm sure most people won't notice for sure! I noticed the crack and the bumper and didn't put the two together at first... but after finally seeing the grille and actually playing with the mountings it makes so much sense now :rolleyes: If I can fix the grille positioning then you'll only be able to point at the little cut in the bumper so that's alright (y)

First you on holiday and now your mum eh! No worries, once you know when you're free to come down then we can arrange it then, I have college tues-thurs, work at some point on sundays (starting soon) and driving lessons alternating monday/friday so I've managed to busy up as well but I'm sure I'll find somewhere to fit it all in! Assuming it'll be a weekend you are down, in which case saturday is *usually* free and sunday may or may not be free at times depending on when they want me to work! :p
 
i wouldn't call looking after 20 dogs a holiday!!! I just spent 5 days in a caravan with 7 dogs, next to some kennels with 10 dogs in and then there is the guard dog near the gate, another in a seperate kennel at the bottom of a field with a dog that looks cute as anything but who sees red mist and attacks when he sees another dog and same for a female american bulldog kept in yet another seperate kennel.
Prob the hardest weeks work i have done this year!! lol
Still, I won't complain as I got paid for it so all is good and my friends got a chance to go away and enjoy themselves which they hardly ever get to do because 20 dogs lol
 
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i wouldn't call looking after 20 dogs a holiday!!! I just spent 5 days in a caravan with 7 dogs, next to some kennels with 10 dogs in and then there is the guard dog near the gate, another in a seperate kennel at the bottom of a field with a dog that looks cute as anything but who sees red mist and attacks when he sees another dog and same for a female american bulldog kept in yet another seperate kennel.
Prob the hardest weeks work i have done this year!! lol
Still, I won't complain as I got paid for it so all is good and my friends get a chance to go away and enjoy themselves which they hardly ever get to do because 20 dogs lol
That's a lot of dogs! Though I'm sure seeing a Lancia Fulvia made it all the more better :p And the money of course... that tends to make things a bit better too :rolleyes:

Just send me a message on the facebooks when you'll be coming down to Wilts when ye find out for sure and then I can check my schedule and give you my address and whatnot :D
 
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