Tuning 1988 Fiat Panda 4x4 1.2 16v Swap (Completed)

Currently reading:
Tuning 1988 Fiat Panda 4x4 1.2 16v Swap (Completed)

FDNY21

Established member
Joined
Jul 20, 2016
Messages
710
Points
266
Location
Wiltshire
Hello all, I thought I'd do a small write-up on my 1.2 16v swap into Jurassic Panda, the 1988 Panda 4x4. The car is complete and driving, I've got a couple bits to tidy up and plenty of other plans for the car but I thought I'd give a run down of how I got to this point!

Jurassic Panda in all its glory...
4PZ8mqP.jpg


So, here's the engine! Excuse the dirtiness and again, couple of bits to tidy up, but read on for where I'm at and what I'm going to do next...
dbrV78Y.jpg


The engine is a mk1 1242cc 16 valver that originally would have come from a mk1 Punto Sporting but was taken from a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting I bought, I had another Cinq at the time that was in good nick but the 1.2 engined car was rusty even beyond Panda standards... I stripped the car and kept the engine, ECU and wiring loom aside (code box and key/aerial included, remember not to lose it if you swap one!) and in the end I sold my other Cinq to a mate so decided the engine would end up in one of my Pandas. I could never swap Pandino as I love the originality, and considering I've already angered any purists with Jurassic Panda, I decided to go for it!

I did the engine swap at work on a lift, so a little easier than the driveway where most of my other work has been done! I wouldn't advise anyone away just because they're at home though, just make sure you have the right kit!

The Cinq had a major water pump failure that had also condemned it in the first place so after I bought it I did a partial rebuild to make sure nothing was wrong with it all, I took the head off the engine and fitted a new head gasket, the old one seemed okay but I wasn't going to chance it! I used new head bolts (albeit they aren't stretch ones on these engines) and I fitted a new thermostat, new water pump and new timing belt and tensioner. I painted the engine in green to match the mid colour of the car. I ordered up a Borg and Beck clutch for a Punto and fitted that to the Punto flywheel. I fitted a genuine Fiat oil filter and spark plugs too. The engine then sat for a while until the time was right to change the engine...

The right time eventually came and Jurassic Panda came in, I started by just removing everything I could see - intake, carb, cables (speedo, throttle, clutch etc), (albeit only a couple) sensor wires and drained the coolant and oil from the engine and gearbox, etc etc... radiator hoses off, removed radiator and fan, unplugged the alt/starter, ball joints out and undid the driveshaft nuts, took the ends out and took out the shafts, undid the propshaft cv from the front, removed the exhaust downpipe, removed the rear gearbox mount, removed the gear and 4x4 linkages and (probably having missed loads of little steps, this isn't exactly a complete guide!) put a trolley under the engine/gearbox. Thought it would be easier to drop the engine down and lift the car up. After that, removed the engine and gearbox side mounts on a ladder and then the engine was free, carefully lifted the car up from around the engine and box. Success! Well, partial success anyway...

Anyway, car up and away, trolley moved out into open space. Unbolt gearbox and move it to the side, the engine is moved out the way and the 1.2 16v is lifted onto the table (we had two of us, I wouldn't recommend lifting a 1.2 16v to waist height on your own!). The gearbox was cleaned up and the clutch fork removed to clean up also. It was refitted with a little grease in the bottom and a new Panda release bearing was fitted to the fork also. The gearbox linkage support bracket had the typical play so the top where the nut is was cleaned up with a belt sander and welded up, makes a hell of a difference to tightening up those gear changes! Gearbox bolted straight up to the new engine. The 1.2 already had the alternator on, I had to fit a starter but the original 1.0 one didn't fit so I fitted the 16v one. I found when it was first fitted that the starter had died, no life whatsoever, so bought a new starter for £33 from Euro Car Parts on next morning delivery, sorted!

The new engine was offered up and the engine mounts put back on (all the original 1.0 ones can be used here), everything else that could be put together was put together, so linkages, driveshafts, propshaft, etc... 16v exhaust manifold fitted, new radiator fitted as mine was leaking, refitted fans and hoses, had to extend the intake manifold to meet the new port on the 16v engine. Gearbox oil (make sure you use the right stuff!) refilled, fresh Selenia oil for the engine, so on so forth...

When it came to wiring, this thread here by Panda Sport was extremely helpful so big thanks to Damon for all the work put in previously here: https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-classic/119200-how-fit-16v-fire-engine-panda.html

If you are looking for a guide then that thread is great too. I followed the instructions on wiring and all worked out well (in the end). I cut what I needed off of the loom and made it work with the rest of the car. The ECU and the engine loom was fitted still attached to the engine and I simply reattached all the sensors so MAP etc, water temp sensor I ran a new longer wire from the original Panda temp sensor wire to the 16v one etc, all mentioned on that other page/guide. I mounted the engine relay block to the right hand side of the heater matrix box and the ECU plug was mounted behind the furthest jack mount. I cut the other end of the plug off the loom to attach to it and did the wiring up, positive, ignition, earth and the aerial code box, the code box was placed further back into the corner near the wiper motor with the key and aerial strapped to it. The code box has a positive, earth, signal ok wire, ignition wire and a signal light. You don't have to use the signal light but I had the LED off of the old loom so fitted it in as well. I used another relay block section off the old loom and stuck it in the further corner next to the other side of the wiper motor and used this to run the fuel pump after wiring it up to the ignition. Remember to use the carb solenoid ignition (if you used to have a carb Panda in your swap) wire instead of the coil ignition wire otherwise you'll end up with major engine run on like we did at first! The starter and alternator need wiring up as well and then I think that's mostly it... I know I've said it a few times now but yeah, it's a bit of an art and you have to get it right otherwise it isn't going to work so do follow that post to see where each wire goes, it was very helpful for me!

The exhaust was a bit of a nightmare, the Punto downpipe was fitted to the Punto manifold but the bottom half of it was cut and redirected towards the driver slightly to avoid the prop/gearbox area. The centre section is the original 4x4 section, the front flange area was pretty rubbish so cut it off. Did the rear section next, as many of you know I have the yob 124 Abarth exhaust on it with two of the quad tips on it. I didn't like it as 1) it was ridiculously loud as the exhaust gas diverted away from the silencer in one of the pipes and 2) it didn't look right with offset tips! So, I lobbed the straight through pipe off and welded the end shut. I also wanted the last tip to be slightly further in away from the leaf spring when it's at its highest length so cut part of the pipe out to bring it closer to the silencer when welded back on. The straight-through pipe that was cut off was used to weld to the rest of the Punto downpipe and then clamp onto the centre section using a normal style exhaust clamp. I think that was mostly it... yeah, if I were you I'd get a full stainless, easier and probably sounds just as good ;)

The wiring joins and the extra fuse off the positive fitted in between the battery and heater matrix so that was okay, the ECU fits in front of the expansion tank (it has plenty of, er, waterproofing of sorts...), the Sisley has a headlamp washer tank where the ECU needs to go but I like the party trick headlamp washers so wanted to keep them. For now I've taken the bottle out but it will be refitted. What I've done is I have cut the bottle as I think it's a bit large anyway, so it was cut roughly in half and a new rear section cut to size out of an antifreeze bottle and then sealed to the old bottle. I was waiting for it to dry at work so took the car home in the meantime and haven't been back yet given COVID19 at the moment so that will come at a later point. But now the headlight washer tank will fit back in its original mounting position and the ECU can fit in between it and the expansion tank. We did consider moving the whole bottle forward but 1) you'd have to remove it to do a headlight bulb and 2) you'd have to make a new mount for the bottle to sit there so cutting the bottle seemed like the easier option! A new hole was drilled in the bottle to fill it up as the back half is the usual filler... not any more!

Almost forgot (knew I'd forget something), new fuel lines and fuel pump. Freddy Harris made some awesome fresh fuel lines with rubber ends and nylon centres. I fitted the 6mm return end and 8mm inlet end (marking them so knowing which was which) and left the rubber up in the area on the passenger side of the tank and ran the nylon into the original clips from the old lines that were removed. The nylon comes up into the bay and turns to rubber just as it bends round to come back on itself to go into the 8mm ports on the injection rail. I cut down the rubber ends on this side and it was perfect. Thanks Freddy! The mk1 engine uses a return system so I fitted an inline fuel pump. I used a Hyundai Santa Fe pump which came with a cover case with insulation on it and it had 8mm ends so perfect to cut into the inlet rubber. Mounted it next to the tank in the passenger area where there's a big space so it was perfect, used rivnuts in the chassis to mount it, also mounted it with a small plate that covers the front in case of splashes etc.

When we tried to start it we had it cranking but no firing. After a while it turns out our connector on the 16v loom with the new wire on the other side for the ignition was actually corroded so the ignition feed was not getting to the aerial code box. We cleaned up the connectors and the engine fired straight up without any hesitation!

For good measure I did a couple of other bits including a rear diff oil change and a bit of an inspection to see what I want to do next so I've got a few suspension bits on the way and plan on painting the rear axle etc to make it look cleaner! I left the sump tray off so I could repaint it and reinforce it at some point and I plan on doing up the bullbar and some of the paint on the car soon too as well as fitting a roof rack.

When we had the engine going we let it run round for a while and we bled the system, it took a while to get the air out of the higher point in the matrix etc but we eventually had heat where we wanted it and the fan was working perfectly! Something I never really had with the old 1.0...

Another thing I sort of forgot is you have to cut the matrix box at the front for the 16v inlet manifold to fit. I cut out a whole rectangle off the front so it looks "ish" neat and left the right hand side mount on for the flap. I drilled a hole in the left side of the flap so I could cable tie it in. It works as it should!

I think that's mostly it but I probably forgot bits, I'll just say it's not really a guide and just a rough rambling, I hope something is at least interesting or helpful to someone though! Here's a couple more pictures anyway!

j84OSz2.jpg


Put some of the insulation back on to cover the wiring mess that lies behind it...
mIh4IBQ.jpg


Yep, I told you it was a mess, it works though ;)
5YsBvtg.jpg


The LED comes out of the insulation, I will soon mount it in the car and may mount the aerial box inside the car so that the engine can be immobilized by moving the key too
rabDr5Z.jpg


While looking at this picture I remember we had a couple of water issues to start with, the fan switch on the new rad I fitted wasn't tight (it came off another working car) so tightened that up as it was leaking, and I cut the end off the pipe on the return end to the expansion tank as that was leaking too and fitted a new jubilee clip to it...
i7YOOLe.jpg


New fuel pump with amazing custom mount (okay, maybe not amazing, but it works)
SaiyVoR.jpg


The new exhaust ft. Woody
AaIpAf8.jpg


Relay wiring mess
J8BkTGI.jpg


ECU wiring block
azvWouz.jpg


Aerial code box mounting etc
n7YciyD.jpg


Battery routing
o5YVwcI.jpg


Watch the Facebook page and I'll probably post exhaust videos when I can actually drive it! Take it easy all!

If anyone has questions then go for it, and yes, before anyone asks the photos don't have an intake on, that is sorted...
 
Great job (y)
I used new head bolts (albeit they aren't stretch ones on these engines)
Hmm, I'm afraid they are and the 16v's need good quality head bolts and gaskets to live. If your not spending £200 expect trouble. I find it easier and cheaper to just replace the engine, fingers crossed.:D


Interested to know if you can get a 0-60mph time under 10secs (I can't quite get mine to do it).

It's about 8,5 secs for the 2wds. A rev counter is amust if you are looking for max performance, you need to change up just before hitting the rev limiter at 7000rpm in 1st and 2nd (2nd and 3rd for you 4x4 types I believe). A nice sticky drag strip helps too. Alternatively a slight upgrade may help :devil:



 
Hmm, I'm afraid they are and the 16v's need good quality head bolts and gaskets to live. If your not spending £200 expect trouble. I find it easier and cheaper to just replace the engine, fingers crossed.:D

.....


It's about 8,5 secs for the 2wds. A rev counter is a must if you are looking for max performance, you need to change up just before hitting the rev limiter at 7000rpm in 1st and 2nd

Hmmm, are these findings related at all?:devil:
 
Its got a belt cover on..
and a form of air filtration

Thats a fair start ;)
It was unbelievably hard to find that belt cover, the Cinq guys throw them away so had to get one off Steve in the Punto group!
Loving your work. Interested to know if you can get a 0-60mph time under 10secs (I can't quite get mine to do it).

Can highly recommend the Varley Lexus brake servo upgrade to match this engine.:eek:
Cheers mate! I'll certainly try at some point! I have heard of that servo upgrade in fairness, I will certainly consider it soon, I imagine I'll be needing it...!
Great job (y)

Hmm, I'm afraid they are and the 16v's need good quality head bolts and gaskets to live. If your not spending £200 expect trouble. I find it easier and cheaper to just replace the engine, fingers crossed.:D




It's about 8,5 secs for the 2wds. A rev counter is amust if you are looking for max performance, you need to change up just before hitting the rev limiter at 7000rpm in 1st and 2nd (2nd and 3rd for you 4x4 types I believe). A nice sticky drag strip helps too. Alternatively a slight upgrade may help :devil:
Thanks for all your help mate, your thread is a life saver!

I used the Cinq group when I did the rebuild and I fitted new head bolts and they told me I didn't need to, ah well, maybe they told me wrong then! I did a rebuild with all new gaskets and bolts anyway so hopefully it will last!

I couldn't seem to figure out the rev counter on this one but I'm still looking to do it. There were a couple of blue and white wires I believe but I think they connected to a sensor in the Punto/Cinq gearbox? I'm running the Panda 4x4 box, I take it there's some other way of getting a rev counter to work in mine? Cheers! :cool:
 
White wire for the revcounter - from memory..

Electronic idle control, 16 valve's torque around idle and low 4x4 first gear, all work well together on green lanes.

Roll on the next adventure.
Will have to re-check... one day ;) Thanks

Glad to hear it's a good combo! I was umming and arring over 8 and 16v, the engine came up at a good time and price so thought why not... let's see what it can do! Can't wait for things to be back to normal :D
 
Great job! have a question for you.

Got a 4x2 panda with same engine swap, but idle is very unstable, got some misfires.
Do you have as well the fuel tank pump working with the SantaFe at the same time?
 
Great job! have a question for you.

Got a 4x2 panda with same engine swap, but idle is very unstable, got some misfires.
Do you have as well the fuel tank pump working with the SantaFe at the same time?
Thank you! I ran an ignition 12v for the fuel pump - I am running the inline pump and have it mounted in the clear area opposite the metal fuel tank in the 4x4. As for your misfires, I take it the coil packs, HT leads and spark plugs are good and the throttle cable is adjusted correctly?
 
Thank you! I ran an ignition 12v for the fuel pump - I am running the inline pump and have it mounted in the clear area opposite the metal fuel tank in the 4x4. As for your misfires, I take it the coil packs, HT leads and spark plugs are good and the throttle cable is adjusted correctly?

Thank you for your reply. :)
I have changed spark plugs, HT leads and coil packs
The throttle cable, how did you adjust yours?

Do you have your fuel in-tank pump working as well?
My fuel tank doesn't have any fuel pump inside, I only have a 3bar pump in the engine compartment. Basically this pump sucks fuel from the tank.
I see bubbles on this fuel supply line, can this produce these misfires?
 
Last edited:
Thank you for your reply. :)
I have changed spark plugs, HT leads and coil packs
The throttle cable, how did you adjust yours?

Do you have your fuel in-tank pump working as well?
My fuel tank doesn't have any fuel pump inside, I only have a 3bar pump in the engine compartment. Basically this pump sucks fuel from the tank.
I see bubbles on this fuel supply line, can this produce these misfires?
My 1.2 16v has some adjustment on the throttle body end, just set it so that it allows the pivot all the way back and idles properly etc!

There is no in-tank pump on a 4x4, I am running a standard 4x4 metal tank and sender with new fuel injection lines, the pump is just outside the tank. Is having the pump only in the engine compartment enough for an injection system on this particular setup? I'm not really sure
 
I fitted an injection tank in and inserted the Punto in tank pump to match the 16v engine.
Bubbles in the fuel supply doesn't sound good to me but the idle control valve can go wrong on these (mine did).
Keep going, it will be worth it when its all done.
 
Back
Top