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Panda (Classic) Charmania

Introduction

Just finished a little project in time for Brooklands, so some of you may have seen it there. Bought just before Christmas coz my Daughter needed to upgrade from a pushbike back into a car, and I wanted to get some ideas out of my head and into the metal ;).

I did lend her one of my Pandas while she waited for this one, so please don't think I made her cycle through the winter just coz Daddy wants to play :p.

Some pictures of the finished item.........











She's a Fiat Panda 750 Mania (Daughters name is Charmain, hence the threads title) Bought from Ebay for £103.
No tax or mot, poor performance, and no exhaust silencer, but bags of potential :). This was her the first day on my drive....





First part of the plan was to get her road legal, briefly, this involved

£80 of welding to inner sills.
Replace o/s/f wheel bearing.
New tailpipe.
Re-set cam timing.
Full service and clean up.

After this little lot the total cost was about £250 and this is how she now looked............



Now for the fun stuff :D.

Again, briefly, this is a list of work carried out to bring her from the above picture to finished.

Go faster stripe made from cutting up a couple of viper stripe kits and making my own design.
Wheels and tyres from a 127 sport, refurbed by myself and fitted with 10mm spacers on the rear.
New standard shocks with new Spax coil springs lowering car by about 40mm.
Replace side repeaters with Rover items fitted with chrome bulbs.
Replace orange front indicators with clear ones, also with chrome bulbs.
Clean and paint suspension and brake parts as I go.
Remove gearbox, free off and lubricate clutch mechanism and gearchange linkage.
Strip interior, refit using light grey trim from another of my Pandas.
Fit Seicento Sei front seats.
Fit sportier pedals, gearknob, steering wheel, and chequered trim to door handles and horn button, plus red/grey overmats.
Make custom roof lining to tie in with chequers theme.
Fit radio/cd player & six speakers (2 x dash, 2 x rear side panels, 2 x rear parcel shelf ).

I think that's everything. If anyone would like to know more,full build details can be seen in these two threads which have been running since before day of purchase..

https://www.fiatforum.com/auction-watch/215832-another-red-mania-birmingham.html

https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-classic/219521-charmania-chapter-two.html
Do i see a Focus with Lexarse Lights :bang:
how many cars are down at that place theres loads

panda is looking lovely :) and its robin driveing it not BATMAN
I assume the Focus is owned by the place next door.
There are many Pandi at Vern's place. It truly is a haven of lost words and astonishment :)

Batman is definitely a Panda.
 
Thanks Didge, rev counter arrived today. (y)

As far as I can see there is only one decent place to put it, here.......



I will need to make a bracket for it though, what do you think?
 
Thanks Didge, rev counter arrived today. (y)

As far as I can see there is only one decent place to put it, here.......

I will need to make a bracket for it though, what do you think?

Yeah, it turned out to be a bit bigger than I originally thought when it arrived. I think that looks like a good place to put it, the base is removable from what I could gather so that might help with mounting it. As long as its visible whilst driving then that's perfectly fine (y)
 
Could be the best use for a useless Fiat ashtray (when I smoked and had the mark1 I always just tapped it out the quarter light anyway) :)

Well its certainly a place to put it. Not sure I'd want to have to look down that far but if you don't check it often then its not a problem, although in the case you might as well not have it...

On another note, what is your steering wheel?!?
 
Well its certainly a place to put it. Not sure I'd want to have to look down that far but if you don't check it often then its not a problem, although in the case you might as well not have it...

On another note, what is your steering wheel?!?

Just testing out positions, DM John suggested mounting it behind the instrument panel, which is what this is trying to represent !


The steering wheel is off a Y-10 :D
 
Just testing out positions, DM John suggested mounting it behind the instrument panel, which is what this is trying to represent !


The steering wheel is off a Y-10 :D

Oh I see. That works but wouldn't be in the way of the little picture of the car with all the fun lights on it?

I don't like the Y-10 steering wheel.... :(
 
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