Ah yes I misread it
Surely if the droplinks are both straight (I'm pretty sure they are) then the tie rod ends should be the same?
Tuning 1368 16v FIRE Turbo fast road Panda
Currently reading:
Tuning 1368 16v FIRE Turbo fast road Panda
Surely if the droplinks are both straight (I'm pretty sure they are) then the tie rod ends should be the same?
OP
OP
I'm not saying they are handed, just that in the picture above, they have a bend in them and the replacement parts don't seem to.Ah yes I misread it
Anyhow, I have been all over London (live nr Birmingham) collecting parts that I had already bought and buying some others on the fly this weekend. Got quite a haul in the Panda in the end.
There are some good deals out there on this stuff at the moment as the market for second hand 500 parts hardly exists amoungst consumers yet. I paid a good price for most stuff and a great price for some, but the bargain of the lot was this box of complete Abarth 500 suspension with bump stops that has done about 2k:
99p paid and collected whilst in London to boot!
Below is the Miltek exhaust I mentioned earlier. Don't plan to use the humungous chrome tips. I got this a while back from FF and it was a good deal, but could get several hundred sets of Abarth suspension for the price!
Car and therefore project will be a little while coming whilst I clear out parts. Very cheap Pandas are not forthcoming anyhow. It's like a flippin' warehouse in my garage!
Excellent price for the suspension Be sure to keep us posted
Be sure to keep us posted
OP
OP
Right, quite happy with my parts collection. Picking up some replacement seats on Sunday and have got some 16" alloys that I am having second thoughts about, but time will tell. Seen some good Panda bargains come and go, but none that really fit the low-cost ideals.
I have found a rear suspension setup from a 4x4 in a scrappy. I got the quote for the subframe, two arms and anti-roll bar back today for £450 delivered. That is naked without any other parts, including hubs, stub axles etc. Should I or shouldn't I? I think it is expensive for naked parts that I think few will want, but compared to the £1500 FIAT want, maybe it's OK? From an 80k miles car.
It is potentially a high performance suspension solution when used with Abarth dampers, springs and bump stops, but carries a reasonable risk of being an underwhelming upgrade that causes unknown issues. Is there any precedent for this upgrade out there? What do you guys who know about car handling think?
I am pretty sure all the 2WD parts will just fit on based on my lengthy research. Only things I don't know is:
1) Does the 2WD Panda have theaded holes in the floorpan for the rear aprt of the 4WD subframe to attach to?
2) Will a 2WD stub axle fit on the arms or do I have to get 4x4 ones from scrappy at about £100 more at a guess?
If anyone has photos of these things it would be great to see. Can anyone with a 2WD Panda have a look for those rear mounting holes/blanks please?
Diagram attached from ePer of the parts to help.
I have found a rear suspension setup from a 4x4 in a scrappy. I got the quote for the subframe, two arms and anti-roll bar back today for £450 delivered. That is naked without any other parts, including hubs, stub axles etc. Should I or shouldn't I? I think it is expensive for naked parts that I think few will want, but compared to the £1500 FIAT want, maybe it's OK? From an 80k miles car.
It is potentially a high performance suspension solution when used with Abarth dampers, springs and bump stops, but carries a reasonable risk of being an underwhelming upgrade that causes unknown issues. Is there any precedent for this upgrade out there? What do you guys who know about car handling think?
I am pretty sure all the 2WD parts will just fit on based on my lengthy research. Only things I don't know is:
1) Does the 2WD Panda have theaded holes in the floorpan for the rear aprt of the 4WD subframe to attach to?
2) Will a 2WD stub axle fit on the arms or do I have to get 4x4 ones from scrappy at about £100 more at a guess?
If anyone has photos of these things it would be great to see. Can anyone with a 2WD Panda have a look for those rear mounting holes/blanks please?
Diagram attached from ePer of the parts to help.
Attachments
Are the dampers going to fit the two different rear ends though?
OP
OP
I don't actually know for sure about a lot of things TBH. Springs will fit, but am presuming damper upper mounts won't be different on 4x4 models and have therefore presumed they will fit even if they work over a slightly different range due to different open/close lengths. It is all a bit of a leap of faith. Photos of things would really help. I haven't seen any of this 4x4 stuff in real life yet unfortunately.
Well I'm going to crap on your idea then sadly. On the 500 the dampers are under the floor, on the 4x4 they're inside the wheel arch and they mount to the inner arch.
You can just about see the dampers here. Totally different arrangement hence why I asked. Perhaps a kind 4x4 owner could take some better pictures, perhaps I'm very wrong but the 4x4 at work has its dampers in a much different position to the 2wd Panda/500
OP
OP
I had thought the mounts seemed quite far out at the bottom, but ePer is often a bit inaccurate. This is the sort of money-saving info I was looking for! This idea will be shelved for now. I am looking for nearly bolt-on upgardes at the moment. I do have that rear beam which should provide an improvement anyhow. Would be curious to see that upper mount either way.
On a related note, I noticed that the Petrol/methane gas model not sold here of course has it's own independent setup that looks like part of the 4x4 setup to accommodate it's extra tank. Now this does look like a bolt-on contender. The hubs are the exact same parts as other 2WD cars as well. The subframe and two arms are £750 from FIAT though and no factory anti-roll bar is there.
On a related note, I noticed that the Petrol/methane gas model not sold here of course has it's own independent setup that looks like part of the 4x4 setup to accommodate it's extra tank. Now this does look like a bolt-on contender. The hubs are the exact same parts as other 2WD cars as well. The subframe and two arms are £750 from FIAT though and no factory anti-roll bar is there.
Attachments
Let a 4x4 owner confirm before you shelve the idea. I could be completely wrong
OP
OP
Santa got my detailed letter and delivered my project car. Now I can start the real meat and bones of the project and work out the differences between 500 and Panda parts definitively.
I spent a long while looking for the right vehicle which I thought was a very cheap car that had a terminal problem or something. As I searched, I remembered that this was supposed to be a "nice" car that I would want to get in and drive long distance and it just works well and doesn't make me want for anything. So I started looking at Eleganzas or perhaps nice Dynamics with air-con. Quickly I was getting picky with body condition and was looking at stuff around the £2500 mark. I then decided I wanted a mildly sporty look, so was factoring in the "Sporting" body kit to the price. Only then did I realise the price of 100HPs are pretty good at the moment and they actually have the best of everything and obviously look great. A couple of weeks ago this car came up in my favourite 100HP colour and only 2 1/2 years old. I picked it up on xmas eve. It's not perfect as it has high motorway miles, but it's done 300 miles in the last couple of days for me without issue other than the pesky EPS warning a couple of times.
How much is the car worth to you? 70k miles, 08 plate. No dents or serious scratches. I think I got a good deal, but want to know what a few members think before I say my price.
I spent a long while looking for the right vehicle which I thought was a very cheap car that had a terminal problem or something. As I searched, I remembered that this was supposed to be a "nice" car that I would want to get in and drive long distance and it just works well and doesn't make me want for anything. So I started looking at Eleganzas or perhaps nice Dynamics with air-con. Quickly I was getting picky with body condition and was looking at stuff around the £2500 mark. I then decided I wanted a mildly sporty look, so was factoring in the "Sporting" body kit to the price. Only then did I realise the price of 100HPs are pretty good at the moment and they actually have the best of everything and obviously look great. A couple of weeks ago this car came up in my favourite 100HP colour and only 2 1/2 years old. I picked it up on xmas eve. It's not perfect as it has high motorway miles, but it's done 300 miles in the last couple of days for me without issue other than the pesky EPS warning a couple of times.
How much is the car worth to you? 70k miles, 08 plate. No dents or serious scratches. I think I got a good deal, but want to know what a few members think before I say my price.
2.8k?
OP
OP
OP
OP
Well I paid £3,300. Never seen one cheaper. Although it is a fair bit of cash for me at the moment, it does still feel like I robbed it! The mileage doesn't matter since I will be replacing most mechanical parts in time with nearly new or new ones. Having said that, the car is very good on the miles it has done as far as I can tell.
Onto business. I wanted to swap the front and rear wheels, so it was a good opportunity to do some preliminary suspension scouting. The rear shocks attach in the wheel arch and there are holes with blanks in for the 4x4 suspension (pointing to in photo). Now thinking it is more likely than not that 4x4 rear suspension would just bolt straight on as I originally guessed. Probably still not going to do the conversion at this stage though. I tried to compare the 500 parts I have with the parts on the car. In general of course there is very little difference. Too little to figure out on the front hubs. On the rear, I suspect the only part that is different dimensionally is the hub that holds the disc. This sticks out an inch or so more and gives the increased track over the panda. Too much snow/water to be bothered to do a proper look of course, but suspect the front wishbones give the extra track at the front, but could still be the hub.
Current rear suspension plan is to put a new type rear beam with anti-roll bar like 500 Abarths have as standard. The 500 Abarth suspension I have will be perfectly matched for both ends then. Having experienced the rear bounce first hand, I am very interested in FIAT's solution to this. I will have no less than two spare rear beams then including the one I take off! If anyone needs one or wants to upgrade to discs on their rear, let me know via PM and we can do a deal.
Attachments
3.3k sounds like a steal to me!!
I think it's reasonably fair given the intergalactic mileage for a two and a half year old car.
IMHO the problem is that Fiat haven't matched the dampers to the springs and in an attempt to give the pre-arb 500 and 100hp some resistance to roll they just upped the spring rates but left the dampers soft which was just a dumb move. I reckon a good set of dampers would cure it on their own tbh.
At some point I am going to get a decent set of dampers for the 500 whether they be coilovers or Koni FSD's. Still not sure whether I'll want to change the whole rear beam over though.
The key isn't so much the ARB itself, it's the fact that by stiffening the beam they can use softer springs as part of a package with different dampers.
Personally I reckon you'd be better off just grabbing the B4 dampers that Bilstein offer or the Koni offerings for the Panda.
