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Panda (Classic) Godiva -- the blue 750L (L is for "Low mileage")

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PIPPIN -- the blue 750L (L is for "Low mileage")

Well, having not "driven stick" for many, many years, picking up Pippin (the Panda formerly known as Godiva...) was one heckuvanadventure...! :eek:

It was fun, though! And I got him/her up to an indicated 70 mph, at one stage; but s/he cruises rather nicely between 60 and 65 mph. (It's a good job s/he doesn't have a rev counter...!) S/he also drove really well in heavy traffic in town... (it's the Shakespeare Birthday Weekend, here; and really sunny...). :D

Here s/he is, parked outside Black Cat Motors, in Stratford-upon-Avon: waiting to be MOT'd, serviced, and given a thorough once-over. (And I make no apologies for promoting them as a garage: they deliver sterling service -- which includes taking their customers all the way to pick up their new cars...! A big thank-you to John, the owner, therefore, for whizzing me up the A46 in his swish 4.2 Audi A8, earlier...! And for commenting that "It doesn't look like a twenty-three-year-old car, does it?") (y)











Thanks to everyone for their help and support -- especially to purple haze for bringing him/her to my attention...! :worship:

Watch this space...! :wave:

PS: Not a bad way to celebrate my 1,500th post to the Forum, eh...?! :cool:


2 August 2014
How Pippin looks now -- after a light fettling from VmanC... :slayer:

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Re: PIPPIN -- the blue 750L (L is for "Low mileage")

I'm not shocked at the rot, as I knew it was there. I was shocked when I saw the extent of the pandatape (pat pending) at Castle Combe, and felt the squishy crunchy stuff it was on top of! :eek:
 
Giacosa said:
:eek: I thought FF Pandas lived on beds of peacock feathers with occasional pampering by their human pets. Whats this one been doing, scuba diving?
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Quite possibly, before I got hold of it...! :eek:

Rest of the rot was in the usual place. Not too bad: but sorted, when I boughted(?!) it. :eek:

Seriously, though: the boot seal -- as panda1408 spotted -- had been flattened, at the top (probably in a previous century...); water had gotten in, and got trapped, at the bottom. Therefore, amongst the goodies I supplied to Vernon and Alan is a nice, new, Italian bit of rubber...! :)
 
I may vaguely remember pointing out the flattened seal, but I don't remember seeing any rot as bad as that on Pippin:eek: Funny how they all go in different places.

Vernon, I have seen the inner panels for sale on Italian ebay so that might be a source for them in the future(y) Looking forward to seeing the results on Pippin, a proper job as always:worship:
 
A few more pics of progress.........









When we took the tailgate off to gain better access to the rust at the top we found that the paint is a little lacking at the back edge of the roof and inside the top edge of the tailgate itself. Pippin is not alone here as I've seen this on other Pandas. Check yours!

I don't know why this should be though, surely the body is not sprayed with the tailgate fitted at the factory.







The new iridium plugs and Bosch plug leads supplied by Homeward have also been fitted.

Pippin has had repair work in the past, it looks to be solid still but the welding is rusting on the surface so this will need cleaning up and treating.
 
I forgot to mention that my metal suppliers didn't have the right gauge of mild steel for the repair section on the rear panel so I had a piece of stainless instead. Maybe from now on Pippin should be called a PanDeLorean.
 
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VmanC said:
Maybe from now on Pippin should be called a PanDeLorean.
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Homeward McFly Wait a minute, Vern. Ah... Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a Panda? :confused:
Dr. Vernon Brown The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? :D
 
homeward said:
Homeward McFly Wait a minute, Vern. Ah... Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a Panda? :confused:
Dr. Vernon Brown The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? :D
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Yeah, flux capacitors get a lot cheaper over the next three years so I built it in 2017.
 
VmanC said:
I don't know why this should be though, surely the body is not sprayed with the tailgate fitted at the factory.
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I'm fairly sure they are, if you look at an untouched car you will notice that all of the bolt heads for the hinges are painted body colour and underneath them is bare steel! Much quicker and more importantly cheaper to paint everything together rather than separately.
 
panda1408 said:
I'm fairly sure they are, if you look at an untouched car you will notice that all of the bolt heads for the hinges are painted body colour and underneath them is bare steel! Much quicker and more importantly cheaper to paint everything together rather than separately.
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Good point! Those robots need re-programming then. :p
 
Well work continues on Pippin. The repairs to the rear end and o/s door are now in primer, don't have a pic but this is the last one I took........



There are some repair sections like this on the floopan where it meets the sill, these have now been treated as per instructions from Homeward.......



They were solid but not protected enough by whoever did them. Finished pics to come.

At the moment Pippin looks like this..........



Don't panic, he's not going racing, these are just some convenient spare wheels I'm using to hold the corners up while Pippins steels go off to be refurbed. (y)
 
VmanC said:
At the moment Pippin looks like this..........



Don't panic, he's not going racing, these are just some convenient spare wheels I'm using to hold the corners up while Pippins steels go off to be refurbed. (y)
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Ooh! Nice. Very tempting.... :yum:

Seriously: looking good. Thanks to you both for your hard work... -- especially with the NEC looming.... :worship:
 
The more I look through this thread, the more I think I'm going to have real problems letting go of Pippin. As my first real Panda, I have to say I'm getting more and more attached to him. It's going to be really, really difficult -- like watching your first-born leave home... -- when the homewardette drives off in him, the first time.... :cry:

Going to have to try and transfer this affection to Betty -- who I know, objectively, is a much more special car: just not my first. And we all remember our first Pandas, don't we...? :rolleyes:

PS: I think I may have to join PA (Pandaholics Anonymous). Can someone let me have their number, please? And please don't tell me the answer is more Pandas.... ;)
 
Re: PIPPIN -- the blue 750L (L is for "Low mileage")

Homeward.
Are you still looking to sell? We'd love to adopt into our growing family it's like the UN on our drive.
Mat
 
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