(T) T-Jet in a Panda?

Hi All

Just contemplating a hypothetical situation

Say you bought a complete t-jet engine and gearbox with all of the ancillaries still on the engine. But it came without any of the donor car's ECUs, wiring, keys etc. From an electrical perspective, what are the options to get the engine to fire up in a Panda/Y10? Is there an aftermarket solution, perhaps for the kit car market, that could be used? Does anyone know what electrical set up race cars that run t-jet engine use? I assume they don't have a full factory loom.

There are clearly mechanical and fabrication issues to consider but they look a bit more straight forward than the electrical side. Oh and upgrading brakes, suspension, strengthening the shell.........

Cheers

Dave

Can we have one on sport please?

Hypothetical eh?!!

Sorry don't know, but if you want to "hypothetically" go mad and turn it from 120bhp to an Abarth version at 150bhp I have the new turbo off my AGP sat in the garage (somewhere amongst all the other AGP bits) - taken off when it was Esseesse'd at delivery miles. Just a thought!

Ok, I'm ready to take this thread seriously now, especially as I have the same project on the back burner until these questions are answered.

Dave, hypothetically, which model in the Fiat range would you be taking the engine and gearbox from? I'm guessing a Punto, mine is from a 500.

I plan to use a normal Punto 5spd gearbox, 500 beam axle with disc brakes, front disc brakes from 500 also. Current target for all these goodies is my Seat Terra suitably modified to look more like a Panda.

As you say it's the electrics that are the biggest hurdle, I'm hoping to bump into a boffin that can work all that stuff out for me, maybe this thread will bring them to the surface.

I always thought that that was the strange thing about the Esseesse kit. You appear to get a different turbo with the AGP but just a remap with the A500.

I think the Abarth version would be a better starting point as I think it has different cams over the standard T-jets. But ultimately would 150-200 bhp be safe in a shell designed for 45-60 bhp without some major work? An obvious answer I know, so it's a full roll cage then.

Anyway, who won the FA Cup in 1985?

There are obviously a few options but the Abarth 500 with matching 5 speed gearbox is what I would opt for. But I am not going to nick the one out of my daily driver

that would be the world's noisiest panda. imagine the cabin noise and rattle.

And all in time for Panda camp where you're going to use it as a camper

Lewly is usually our electrics guru...

Personally I love the 1.2 panda/500 engine, one of those in a MK2 would be

Hypothetically though that TwinAir engine would have to be the one to fit

Probably easier to weld mk2 body panels on a 500 though

Its highly unscientific but i think anything up to 150bhp will be fine with a strut brace.

A TwinAir Panda (mk2) would be awesome, every time a little TA 500 goes past me I always turn, they just sound so much cooler.

You would be looking at using a standalone system like Megasquirt or Emerald I would think. I don't know much about them, but I'm presuming you would have a make a loom yourself (unless ready made ones are available) and you will have to get it mapped correctly for the engine, rather than just being able to fire it up and drive it straight away like you would with the factory ECU.

Right then, I have had a look at the standalone systems but unless you are doing something with a Vauxhall or Ford engine, it appears a bespoke setup would be needed. So would having a complete donor be the 'simplest' option?

If I happened to have a donor car I assume that the following would be needed
- Complete loom (interior and engine) including fuse box
- All the ECUs/nodes
- Keys and ignition barrel
- Throttle potentiometer
- Dials

Anything else spring to mind?

Cheers

Dave

Sticking plasters and a bottle of whisky, or whatever takes your fancy!
Then methanol + N02 followed by a whiff of laughing gas and a drag strip.
Dave