1986_1000S
New member
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2007
- Messages
- 18
- Points
- 9
Hi All,
It’s been a while since I’ve visited the forum and even longer since I actually posted. So I figure a re-introduction is necessary…
I am the proud owner (as my username suggests) of a 1986 1000S Panda which I cherish greatly. Due to general wear and tear, I ceased driving it in February 2010 and it has remained SORNed and covered since. Despite my maintenance efforts its condition has declined. It is by no means in a poor state, actually far from it, but certainly needs a decent amount of attention before I can begin driving it again. My long term goal, which is no doubt someway into the future (!), is to fully restore the car and drive it to the Fiat factory in Turin.
Given all the incredible knowledge here on the forum, I was hoping someone could perhaps answer some questions I have about the restoration process.
The car has been in the family since new and over the years my Dad and I have carried out various repairs on the chassis and bodywork in an attempt to fight the rust (somewhat futile I know but it always passed the MOT). The general condition of the car is good; not wonderful but “good”. There are some dents (including a 2ft wide but shallow dent on the roof courtesy of my drunken friend some years ago) that I want to fix however my concern is largely for the chassis. Having sat beside my house for a couple of years, expectedly some corrosion has taken hold and in spite of my Waxoyling efforts it continues to spread.
Given the above, I would like to have the car completely disassembled and acid dipped. When I searched the forums, I could only find one thread that mentioned acid dipping (unsurprisingly about doors!) and I would like to know if anyone has ever done this with a Panda and if so where and what issues they came across.
I hope I’m not asking too much, but in addition to the above, what other general issues do people come across during restoration? For example how would I source the fabric to have the interior re-upholstered?
I think learning Italian might be the way forward here…
Finally, I may (here’s hoping!) be living abroad for up to five years starting August 2013 and will not be able to take the car with me. What is the best (and most feasible) way of storing a classic car for this amount of time? Any tips or tricks would be much appreciated.
Thank you very much indeed to anyone who can help at all. I greatly appreciate any help that people can give and thanks for such an awesome forum!
Gary.
It’s been a while since I’ve visited the forum and even longer since I actually posted. So I figure a re-introduction is necessary…
I am the proud owner (as my username suggests) of a 1986 1000S Panda which I cherish greatly. Due to general wear and tear, I ceased driving it in February 2010 and it has remained SORNed and covered since. Despite my maintenance efforts its condition has declined. It is by no means in a poor state, actually far from it, but certainly needs a decent amount of attention before I can begin driving it again. My long term goal, which is no doubt someway into the future (!), is to fully restore the car and drive it to the Fiat factory in Turin.
Given all the incredible knowledge here on the forum, I was hoping someone could perhaps answer some questions I have about the restoration process.
The car has been in the family since new and over the years my Dad and I have carried out various repairs on the chassis and bodywork in an attempt to fight the rust (somewhat futile I know but it always passed the MOT). The general condition of the car is good; not wonderful but “good”. There are some dents (including a 2ft wide but shallow dent on the roof courtesy of my drunken friend some years ago) that I want to fix however my concern is largely for the chassis. Having sat beside my house for a couple of years, expectedly some corrosion has taken hold and in spite of my Waxoyling efforts it continues to spread.
Given the above, I would like to have the car completely disassembled and acid dipped. When I searched the forums, I could only find one thread that mentioned acid dipping (unsurprisingly about doors!) and I would like to know if anyone has ever done this with a Panda and if so where and what issues they came across.
I hope I’m not asking too much, but in addition to the above, what other general issues do people come across during restoration? For example how would I source the fabric to have the interior re-upholstered?
I think learning Italian might be the way forward here…
Finally, I may (here’s hoping!) be living abroad for up to five years starting August 2013 and will not be able to take the car with me. What is the best (and most feasible) way of storing a classic car for this amount of time? Any tips or tricks would be much appreciated.
Thank you very much indeed to anyone who can help at all. I greatly appreciate any help that people can give and thanks for such an awesome forum!
Gary.
