This is interesting
A 500 rear axle that's thicker.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12399032...4e61b6ed4cb062f92c1d|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2499338

"Product Notes: The engineers at IM Axle Specialists have redesigned this axle to fix the weak points in the OE axle design and the following features are now included with this axle. This is the ONLY Heavy Duty Axle available for this model in the market.

Metal spring pan is 0.5mm thicker than OE and coated to protect against corrosion
Thicker Anti Roll Bar than OE for increased resistance to cracking and snapping (many other sellers do not even have the standard OE thickness)
Pre-installed OE Quality Bushes"

They state the spring pans and anti roll bar are thicker.
Is the anti roll bar they mention the actually twist beam part?

Goudrons said:

This is interesting
A 500 rear axle that's thicker.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12399032...4e61b6ed4cb062f92c1d|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2499338

"Product Notes: The engineers at IM Axle Specialists have redesigned this axle to fix the weak points in the OE axle design and the following features are now included with this axle. This is the ONLY Heavy Duty Axle available for this model in the market.

Metal spring pan is 0.5mm thicker than OE and coated to protect against corrosion
Thicker Anti Roll Bar than OE for increased resistance to cracking and snapping (many other sellers do not even have the standard OE thickness)
Pre-installed OE Quality Bushes"

They state the spring pans and anti roll bar are thicker.
Is the anti roll bar they mention the actually twist beam part?

Click to expand...

There's a anti roll bar inside the axle on the 500 version where as the panda axle has just open space inside


Edit found a picture

I was aware of the anti roll bar on the rear of the 500, just didn't see one in the advert.

This might be a bonus if it absorbs some of the twist out of the beam.

A normal anti roll bar would normally attach to the suspension each end and be fixed to the body/subrame somewhere inboard, so helps limit the movement between body/subframe and wheel.

It seems like the 500 anti roll bar travels through the beam and attaches to the rear of the hub plates somewhere each end.
If it does it must act like a torsion bar inside the axle and reduce the twist of the beam when one wheel goes up and the other down.
That has to take some of the flex out of the beam.

I wonder if IM Axles also makes the beam itself out of thicker steel too?

Goudrons said:

This is interesting
A 500 rear axle that's thicker.

Click to expand...

I see they also do one for the older 169 model - I won't be going the later model axle route if our Panda ever needs one. So I've stored I.M. Axle Specialists for later reference. Thanks for bringing them to our notice.

Well that's it folks, she broke again. My welder has resecured it so that the Mrs. can continue using it until I get back to Spain at the end of this month. I'll be off to the scrappies, change the axle then stick it up for sale. She gotta go!

Having looked again at the pics of the track, the ruts look deep, but not too much of a problem. My thoughts were about what speed are you hitting those bumps, as I'm thinking a very slow crawl through the ruts, and probably only 10-15mph along the 'good' bits. As speed increases, the forces increase at a higher rate. (I think it may be twice the speed gives quadruple the force.)

What about filling in the holes?

Hi All.

It looks to me like you will be needing a car with fully independent rear suspension and reasonably good ground clearance and a tyre side wall ratio of probably more than 60%.

Or a Ferves ranger if you fancy a classic.

Tim

The track is punishing. I quite often fill in the ruts to make a smoother pass over them but the milk tanker tends to roughen them up short order.
Every car i've had has suffered from suspension issues, Pajero (wishbone bushes, broken rear axle tube), V40 (top strut mounts and anti roll bar/bushes), Fiesta 3 (wishbone silent blocs), Pug 106 (engine hitting the ground resulting in oil pump partial failure), Kangoo (front suspension, rear suspension failures). Most of the time 30kph is the max you can travel on the good bits, other than that 20kph.
We bought the Panda FOR the ground clearance and low front and rear overhangs.
Our second car is a Skoda Fabia, not known for great front suspension longevity but it's early days.
Might have to get one of these pseudo 4x4's.
Car of choice round here is a C15!

Probably the Citroën 2CV would have handled this the best.
Compliant suspension, low unsprung weight etc. Today's lower profile tyres don't help either.
Whether the city cross would be better would be anyone's guess but if it was me, I'd be inclined to fit 80 profile tyres slightly under inflated, no it won't stop the twisting on the beam but it will reduce shocks and vibration. As has been said a good independent rear suspension would be better. Oh and avoid those nasty horrid McPherson struts that all and sundry use..... Ah a Skoda 120 or 130 fits the bill
Good luck in your search.

Hovercraft with a car parked at the end of the track.

timmycm850 said:

Hovercraft with a car parked at the end of the track.

Click to expand...

No good on rough ground it tears up the skirts

Dust like Scooby crossing the Sahara!

Youtube popped this up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3n0umFNYZU

Made me think these were just the cars you need for your rough track.

Quite long at about 22minutes, but the first 4 mins will show what I mean.

portland_bill said:

Youtube popped this up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3n0umFNYZU

Made me think these were just the cars you need for your rough track.

Quite long at about 22minutes, but the first 4 mins will show what I mean.

Click to expand...

That's brilliant! Worth noting that the pre-war Ford Pop was smaller that the current Panda too, and yet considered a 'good sized' family car!

Went to scrappies today.
Found one suitable vehicle, ermmm!
At least i have the part now, the complete axle.
ITV(MOT) is due in December. I'll fit it just before that, test it then put it up for sale.

The end is nigh.
A quick axle change, 1h40.
Needed to do as I'm off to work in the UK for a stint and Er Indoors needs the car.
MOT booked for December and then a polish and to be sold.

if you zoom in on the old axle photo you can see the welded sections and the makeshift brace I bolted on.

So the thread ain't dead. Here is my mates 500L axle, cracked for the SECOND time on the SECOND axle! Not even reached its first ITV (MOT) at 4 years old.
Will post on 500 thread.

bimmer said:

So the thread ain't dead. Here is my mates 500L axle, cracked for the SECOND time on the SECOND axle! Not even reached its first ITV (MOT) at 4 years old.
Will post on 500 thread.

Click to expand...

Blimey.
I was actually thinking of getting rid of the C3 Picasso soon and returning to Fiat, time to think seriously then!

murphyv310 said:

Blimey.
I was actually thinking of getting rid of the C3 Picasso soon and returning to Fiat, time to think seriously then!

Click to expand...

No need to panic. It seems the locale in which the OP lives and drives is significant in the failures. UK vehicles succumb to rust, after a long time, with no other reports of cracking.

It looks to me like a simple case of.

if you have a road car use it on a road,
if you live down an off road section of privately owned driveway then get an off roader.

now there's a conclusion for the #100th posting.

Tim