Panda Leeds/Bradford - 100HP rear axle

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Panda Leeds/Bradford - 100HP rear axle

pandacheck

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Hi All, I’ve had my 100HP for 12 years, I’ve bloody loved it, and still do. But my local garage has told me it needs a new rear axle, and said it want a job they’d do. Only one ramp and just want easy jobs all day.

I phoned the local Fiat dealer and nearly died at their cost £1750 for the part alone!! I’m aware from the forum that the replacement axles you source need modification, so needs to be someone in the know.

So I was hoping someone on here would know a great little garage or mechanic with access to a ramp who could source and replace near Bradford / Leeds way?

Any help would be appreciated, as the cars just sitting outside the house, and I need it up and running again.

Thanks for any assistance or help.

Cheers,
Corry
 
and, if you look on eBay, you’ll find that new subframes are sub £200 and are claiming to be made with thicker metal, some with 5yr warranty
 
The 100HP uses different wheel spindle stubs. In (almost) every other respect it is the same as the ordinary Panda axle. ABS on 100HP is at 12 o'clock. the drum brake version is at front side of axle.

Remove The 100HP stub spindles from the old axle. The old M8 studs will be rusted so cut off the excess and unscrew the nuts (see below). Temporarily fit the stub spindles to the new axle and mark the ABS sensor location. Remove the stub axle and and drill/cut a clearance hole for the sensor. Prime and paint the exposed steel.

The stub spindles are made with inch long studs and M8 nuts. The exposed threads rust and cannot be cleaned. You can try forcing off the nuts, but the threads will probably strip and you will be left with a spinning nut and no access to cut it off. A garage will cut off the excess studs then when its removed weld nuts to the fragments and unscrew them. A DIY could run a die nut down the threads but it's a big faff. Replace the studs with HT bolts and thread lock.
 
The 100HP uses different wheel spindle stubs. In (almost) every other respect it is the same as the ordinary Panda axle. ABS on 100HP is at 12 o'clock. the drum brake version is at front side of axle.

Remove The 100HP stub spindles from the old axle. The old M8 studs will be rusted so cut off the excess and unscrew the nuts (see below). Temporarily fit the stub spindles to the new axle and mark the ABS sensor location. Remove the stub axle and and drill/cut a clearance hole for the sensor. Prime and paint the exposed steel.

The stub spindles are made with inch long studs and M8 nuts. The exposed threads rust and cannot be cleaned. You can try forcing off the nuts, but the threads will probably strip and you will be left with a spinning nut and no access to cut it off. A garage will cut off the excess studs then when its removed weld nuts to the fragments and unscrew them. A DIY could run a die nut down the threads but it's a big faff. Replace the studs with HT bolts and thread lock.
You’ve done this before..!
 
You’ve done this before..!
A few people in the 100hp Facebook group have ground a bit off and drilled and ground a new ABS hole

There’s a blog somewhere and a few pictures on here

Some ebay adverts say they fit the 100HP they didn’t

It’s not a difficult mod if you have access to a few basic tools but as of a year ago there wasn’t a plug and play solution.


I can’t recommend anyone in the Leeds, Bradford area most small body shops should be use to the fabrication


 
Have you tried ‘Turin Motors’
I’ll have a look, thanks.
The 100HP uses different wheel spindle stubs. In (almost) every other respect it is the same as the ordinary Panda axle. ABS on 100HP is at 12 o'clock. the drum brake version is at front side of axle.

Remove The 100HP stub spindles from the old axle. The old M8 studs will be rusted so cut off the excess and unscrew the nuts (see below). Temporarily fit the stub spindles to the new axle and mark the ABS sensor location. Remove the stub axle and and drill/cut a clearance hole for the sensor. Prime and paint the exposed steel.

The stub spindles are made with inch long studs and M8 nuts. The exposed threads rust and cannot be cleaned. You can try forcing off the nuts, but the threads will probably strip and you will be left with a spinning nut and no access to cut it off. A garage will cut off the excess studs then when it’s removed weld nuts to the fragments and unscrew them. A DIY could run a die nut down the threads but it's a big faff. Replace the studs with HT bolts and thread lock.
Thanks for the time for that response Dave. But way above my ability, so will save that to take to a ‘friendly garage’.
A few people in the 100hp Facebook group have ground a bit off and drilled and ground a new ABS hole

There’s a blog somewhere and a few pictures on here

Some ebay adverts say they fit the 100HP they didn’t

It’s not a difficult mod if you have access to a few basic tools but as of a year ago there wasn’t a plug and play solution.


I can’t recommend anyone in the Leeds, Bradford area most small body shops should be use to the fabrication


Thanks, I’m going to try Turin Motors on Monday. 👍🏻
 
My instructions would work for anyone with garage skills. 100 HP has the ABS hole (slot actually) at the top. After-market axles have the slot/hole at the front of the axle spindle (left on LHS right on RHS). It's not a big job to do the mods so nothing excessive in labour costs.

When I did mine I took the axle brackets off the car. I was glad I did beau the bolts were fitted so they'd have never been removable on the car. It sounds horrible but yeah side has just three bolts. Brake pipes will have jammed flare nuts. I warmed mine with a ciggy lighter - just enough to soften the plastic coating and they came loose no problem. I spread anti seize grease over the new bare area to prevent corrosion.
 
I’ll have a look, thanks.

Thanks for the time for that response Dave. But way above my ability, so will save that to take to a ‘friendly garage’.

Thanks, I’m going to try Turin Motors on Monday. 👍🏻
For some reason my browser is saying that the links to Turin Motors site is untrustworthy, and the only other link is from 2020…don’t know what to read into that
 
Can you get a phone number via Yell or Facebook whatever.
I ditched Facebook years ago, got sick of seeing what other folk had for breakfast/dinner/tea, ‘unique’ cats doing what all cats do, selfies and adverts for funerals…twitter banned me for tweeting musk to ‘go play in space’ so now I only do forums
 
I phoned the local Fiat dealer and nearly died at their cost £1750 for the part alone
At least there's an affordable aftermarket option for the 100HP, even if it does need a little modification and fettling to get it to fit. Given that IM axles already have the brackets and jigs for the disc braked 500, it surely wouldn't be that much work for them to do one for the 100HP. Maybe if enough folks from the forum got together they could be persuaded to run up a batch?

Just be very glad you haven't got a 4x4 Panda. The rear frames on those are completely different (basically an assembly of welded tubing), twice that price even if you can get one from Fiat, with no aftermarket alternative. They're just as prone to rusting, and once it takes hold, those cars are probably scrap.
 
Anyone with a 169 4x4 should have the rear subframe off the car and patched up while it's still possible. Wait for an MoT failure and there won't be anything left to work with.

169 4x4 rear swing arms do appear on eBay but the central subframe is near impossible to get The later 4x4 has an axle that looks more like the 2WD version. It might fit the 169 but the drive shafts will not be the same and you'll take a gamble on the diff fitting with the later axle.

If I had a 4x4, this would be on my shopping list. The pivot pillars look the same as 2WD but it has all the other stuff. You could swap the brakes or use the ones on the axle.

 
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The job does not need a Fiat specialist

This would be an expensive way to go

It’s not a complicated swap with the correct equipment. It’s not a complicate fabrication job to modify the axle

What is complicated is to find someone who is willing to do the job at a reasonable price

20 years ago you could have gone to virtually any village garage and they would have sorted it. They have pretty much all gone now.
 
My local garage (their main mechanic loves Fiat Pandas) would happily do the job but Teignmouth is a long way away from Leeds. They can't be "that" unusual.
 
@Eklipze3k left a good review for DC Autos in Emley near Huddersfield, don't know if that's maybe a bit far for you?

One issue I can see is a garage not being happy about modifying and fitting a non-standard part.

Even though it's been established on here the two axles for 2WD cars - disc / drum brakes - are identical apart from the flange for mounting the hub.

Personally, I would order a new rear axle and first get it modified if you don't feel happy about drilling holes in it yourself, then find a garage to remove the old axle and fit the new 'universal' one you're providing.
 
The job does not need a Fiat specialist

This would be an expensive way to go

It’s not a complicated swap with the correct equipment. It’s not a complicate fabrication job to modify the axle

What is complicated is to find someone who is willing to do the job at a reasonable price

20 years ago you could have gone to virtually any village garage and they would have sorted it. They have pretty much all gone now.
I'd agree with this.

Nowadays, many so-called mechanics are nothing more than fitters; fine if all that is required is to unbolt a part, take a replacement out of a box, and bolt it back on, but hopeless if the part doesn't quite fit (not that unusual with some aftermarket parts) and requires a bit of fettling.

Two further thoughts for anyone needing a non-DIY solution to getting a 100HP beam replaced; both small independent bodyshops and classic car specialists are more likely to have the necessary skills to fettle aftermarket parts. Bodyshops spend a lot of time removing and replacing suspension components; this would be bread and butter work to them. They've also got all the welding and cutting equipment anyone could possibly need to modify a standard pattern Panda beam.

This is a case where thinking outside the box might prove helpful.
 
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