General Panda 30 is home at last!

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General Panda 30 is home at last!

I thought it was time for a quick update.

As you can see, the big change is the wheels- I got hold of 3 more Panda wheels to add to the one I got ages ago. Last week they were shotblasted and sprayed, and today I had new tyres fitted- 135/80 Uniroyals. Couldn't wait to get home and fit them!

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The keen eyed will notice that the pin stripes have disappeared off the sides and tailgate. I was polishing it and accidentally peeled a bit off, so I thought I may as well take them all off- they came off a treat with a hair dryer to keep them soft and a wipe of cellulose thinners to take off the traces of glue. The paint hasn't faded too much, so it isn't really noticeable.

MOT is booked for Saturday, but when fitting the new wheels I found that I have a slightly wobbly rear bearing, so it might fail on that item- there's about a 1mm, if that, of play at the tyre edge?

I have also got to stick some black tape on the nearside headlamp to flatten the lhd beam pattern. I fitted my scrapyard headlamp at the weekend, so at least one side points the right way!

The rear fog light mod works- I fitted a red led bulb into the reversing light as bulb paint didn't work. It's super bright and I hope it passes.

Hope you enjoy the pics!:)
 
I still don't believe that she's in so good condition...
 
Just got round to reading this all and thought I'd say congrats on the find! I've never seen a panda 30, although I do recognise the engine :D You thinking of getting the correct grill and headlights for it eventually? The mk2 headlights and grille do fit better than I would have thought though tbh.

Looks fantastic in that colour too, and you have the winter device!!!(grill cover). If you ever think of selling that, then let me know. i will pay good money for it :D

I hope its got a nice garage or shelter to sit in though. My car is deteriorating rapidly out in the harsh winter conditions but I am stuck with my other mk1 project in the garage and have started working on it frantically before I have a pile of iron ore with a stainless steel exhaust lying on top sitting on my driveway :eek:

Would love to see it at a upcoming meet (y)

Si
 
Well, after a false start last weekend (forgot to sort the insurance out the Friday before the test), I finally took it for its MOT today.

It wasn't straightforward, as the horn played up again. Last week, when I pushed the horn button various lights on the dashboard lit up instead of the horn going off. It started working again after I took the indicator/wiper/lighting switch unit off the steering column.

It had stopped working again this morning, but the garage did pretty much the same as me and it worked- that was enough to do the MOT test. Had to stick some black tape on the near side headlight lense to get the beam pattern flat. I'll have to get a new indicator switch unit though, as it must be the cause of the problems with the horn.

So the end result is....a glorious pass and no advisories! :D:D:D

That means it is just a case of sending all the paperwork off to DVLA next week to get a registration number, a V5 and a tax disc, then I can get number plates made and hit the roads!
 
The garage man traced it back to the washer/wiper lever- it shares an earth with the horn and it also smoked a bit at one point when on! I have to laugh as within minutes of leaving the garage the horn had stopped working again- it is moving the steering wheel that makes the fault occur.

I cleaned up the earths last weekend and that didn't make any difference- it's only when you remove and refit the column stalk unit that the horn works. He did also suggest I remove all trace of that odd burglar alarm from the wiring loom- not a problem as I have to take the dash off to fit the mph speedo at some point.

I got a metal grille panel the other week, so will eventually fit that- not sure how that will look with these headlights though?
 
Just got round to reading this all and thought I'd say congrats on the find! I've never seen a panda 30, although I do recognise the engine :D You thinking of getting the correct grill and headlights for it eventually? The mk2 headlights and grille do fit better than I would have thought though tbh.

Si

Very nice example.

That is the correct grill if it was a 30 SUPER. Exterior has the grey though and interior doesn't look super spec.

When you fit the metal grill though don't forget that it goes the opposite way round on the air cooled models.

Vin
 
Very nice example.

That is the correct grill if it was a 30 SUPER. Exterior has the grey though and interior doesn't look super spec.

When you fit the metal grill though don't forget that it goes the opposite way round on the air cooled models.

Vin

Wasn't the plastic slatted grill first introduced on the panda 4x4 and 45 S in 1984?

Either way, the grill is a mk2. Shame about the headlights though, as finding mk1 headlights makes rocking horse poo seem as common as muck!! :eek:
Have you had any luck in sourcing a pair? Took me a while after my accident damage to source just the passenger side one. :(

Hope it continues to go smoothly for you!
Si
 
Hi all

It's time for my beige Panda 30 to find a new owner who wants to get it back on the road.

The rust that was starting when I bought the car got worse so I took it off the road in early 2012. It needs full sills, the lower outer windscreen panel, plus other bits.

The interior is still in excellent condition and is still delightfully beige, brown and sludgy green.

The brakes are in need of a rebuild, but it still starts and runs, especially since I had to fully rebuild the fuel tank and filler neck!

I've got a new set of pistons and barrels plus various other bits, even an original dealer manual.

If anyone is interested, please get in touch, and in the mean time, here are some photos from yesterday.


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