The short story is....

Bought a Panda, then bought another one, drove first one for a few months as I was tarting the other one up and gave it a respray.







First Panda is now off the road and I was going to make a decent job of restoring it back to its former glory. As for some unexplained reason I've actually got a bit of a soft spot for these cars now

Now the car in question is a '90 Italia (the footy one). After the 5min job of stripping out the interior I began to investigate the rusty bits.

This is what I found.
The off side.










The near side had some plate welded on it.

The boot edge looked like this




Then like this






The million dollar question is, are these models rare enough for me to do loads of work on it. Or should I cut my losses and use it for spares?

RARE!! restore it to former glory and it will be worth a lot! a special edition like the Italia 90 is going to be worth a lot one day if in good condition

could re shell it

I have gen fiat 90 Italia logo`s (some where)heard there might be a 90 up for sale wouldn`t mind one myself

TBH I've seen alot worse in a Panda, and with some minor work there, you'll have a great 2nd run around

Looks like minor work to be done...it is very rare and well worth putting right...as you can see on thre forum most would be very very happy to own it!!!
Former glory???....Oh yes...

Do you have all the bits??...i.e. wheel trims???

Good luck....kev

Most Easterly Pandas said:

TBH I've seen alot worse in a Panda, and with some minor work there, you'll have a great 2nd run around

Click to expand...

Am in exactly the same boat - we bought an Italia 90 which had been stood outside for years (seems to be a recurring theme) and is very rough, but I think it's just too rare (and too cool!) to let go. Problem is that doors, bonnet and boot are all poor too and I don't want to have to replace them and lose the stickers! Good luck with yours.

aquamarine said:

Am in exactly the same boat - we bought an Italia 90 which had been stood outside for years (seems to be a recurring theme) and is very rough, but I think it's just too rare (and too cool!) to let go. Problem is that doors, bonnet and boot are all poor too and I don't want to have to replace them and lose the stickers! Good luck with yours.

Click to expand...

I have a A1 condition Italia 90 boot lid...PM me if you ever need one...kev

Thanks for the replies. You've made me make my mind up with what to do with it now. Tis a bit odd that the rear panel under the boot lid has rusted out this much.


Is it only the interior, wheel trims and decals that make it different from other models then?

The interior is in quite good nick. The only problem is one seat has some wear and tear on it. Will have a go to see if it can be restored at some point.




Yes I do have the wheel trims, they are well funky! And in good condition.

I can't get a hold of the oem decals. Not sure if they are even available any more. So I might have to get them copied for £20 which might have to do at the end of the day.

Instead of trying to tart the doors up and have them rot again I will probably replace them with new ones. Each I can get from a dealer for £220!!!! Any ideas if someone can find them cheaper?



Other than the pics the rest of the car, fingers crossed, seems to be OK. But we'll have to wait and see as I strip more of the car down.

This is EXACTLY where the rust was on mine! lol

Just weld plates in give it some Etch primer and a wizz over with a top coat... sorted

Just be careful on the welds in the rear arch cos it's an MOT issue (trust me)

Also you need to check rust near the seatbelt bolt holes.

perhaps repairing the doors and having them zinc coated could be a cheaper option? Having said that the previous owner of mine repaired trhe pasenger door and its now rusting again. more work to do!

Hi Patrick,

Nice to see you today and talk Pandas :slayer:
I see what you mean about the rust but should be repairable I would have thought, seen worse rust on here!
I hope you get it sorted, I will keep my eyes peeled for some original Italia 90 decals if they are still around

Good luck with the project, be good to see the progress!

Lucy

I have to say that was a bit of a surprise finding another Panda owner so close by. What a treat, we'll have to stay in touch :hug:




Not a great deal done of progress so far. Slow and steady.................

I must say I was a bit shocked but in a good way, sorry if I had verbal diarrhea! Yes we must keep in touch

Hey, looks pretty good for G reg!
Shame to lose such a tidy looker for just a bit of welding!
Garages will tell you they haven't got time, it's not worth it etc. but I got mine done last yr £200 (for MOT welding only though, but did include some other work)
I'll be looking to have the '95 CLX 'bottomed' soon and will be most interested to see how you get on with this,
cheers
lwm