Might be a newbie tracing a Panda Dance

[Velocemitch]

Hi I'm new to the Fiat Forum, been on a few Alfa forums etc for a while though

I'm looking to trace if possible the owner of a Red Panda Dance, Reg J516 SPA. It's currently for sale in Yorkshire and my daughter is dead keen to buy it as her own car has just died (Again!!!).

I spotted the little Panda myself with a for sale sign at the side of the road, it looked really tidy and I sorted wanted to take it home and cuddle it... if you know what I mean!!

It's obviously been looked after and had a Fiat Forum sticker on the windscreen, so obviously a link to here somewhere in it's recent past.

The current owner seemed to have taken it in just to sell on, as far as I can work out. Seemed a genuine enough guy though and as I said the Car looked very tidy.

Anybody know anything about it?, good or bad?

 

[Velocemitch]

Well, decision made deposit paid and we are now the proud owners of (another) piece of Italian history.

This certainly seems like a clean little Car, a full service history, bill of original sale, loads of MOT's 72000 miles in just under 20 years. Seems to drive nice too, the only things I could find wrong were...

Slight play in NS rear wheel, not sure how the suspension bushing works, or it might be a bearing??.

There's headlamp bulb out

A couple of dings in the bonnet, small amount of bubbling near one of the rear arches

Spare wheel missing, couldn't see how it was fixed either, but it obviously sits under the bonnet on the right.

A small bit of rot on the drivers side in the boot, where the wheel arch joins the floor. Seems like a seal has failed and the old tin worm has sneeked in. I wish my Alfa's were only showing so little of the stuff....

Brakes need a good shove to work, and I couldn't see a servo, so I guess it's just an old school set up, is this the case?..... less to go wrong....

Paid 625.00 for it.... seems about right to me any thoughts from the resident experts then??

 

[Nathan126]

I'm pretty new in the classic panda section myself
Congratulations on the purchase

Price is subjective, if you feel happy with what you paid then fair play
Spare wheels aren't fixed on 2wd models, you may source another from a cinq if you can't find another panda one.

Seems good with FSH and all that history, get some pics up

 

[Pandarus]

Welcome to the Panda section!

I think £600 is a good price for a Panda these days - some cars are fetching serious money now.

The dance is a 903cc pushrod engine, good choice! The spare just sits on top of the engine pay on the right hand side. Plenty of Panda spare wheels come up, I'm sure you will find one ok.

Good luck, would love to see some piccies if you have a chance

 

[Velocemitch]

Will post some pics when I get a chance.

I was quiet surprised to see it had a pushrod engine, thought it would have had the FIRE in it and I didn't realise the Italians still made pushrods as late as 92, they were normally ahead of the game.

What's the background to the engine then must be a fairly old unit I'm guessing ?.

Don't suppose we can have a problem with timing belts either

 

[Pandarus]

Will post some pics when I get a chance.

I was quiet surprised to see it had a pushrod engine, thought it would have had the FIRE in it and I didn't realise the Italians still made pushrods as late as 92, they were normally ahead of the game.

What's the background to the engine then must be a fairly old unit I'm guessing ?.

Don't suppose we can have a problem with timing belts either

They also used the basically the same engine in the Cinq / Sei - it's the 903cc converted to 899cc to comply with some Euro regs.

Fiat have used this engine for several years it was in the first Pandas and also the 127 so it is tried and tested

 

[firstcar-Y10]

Slight play in NS rear wheel, not sure how the suspension bushing works, or it might be a bearing??.

A small bit of rot on the drivers side in the boot, where the wheel arch joins the floor. Seems like a seal has failed and the old tin worm has sneeked in. I wish my Alfa's were only showing so little of the stuff....

Brakes need a good shove to work, and I couldn't see a servo, so I guess it's just an old school set up, is this the case?..... less to go wrong....

Paid 625.00 for it.... seems about right to me any thoughts from the resident experts then??

play would be a bearing I would have thought, big solid axle with one big central bush and two radial arms with bushes either end and bushes top and bottom on the rear shocks. That's it. Bushes on the arms do wear but they are replaceable (contrary to what Fiat say) but not an easy job. Arms on and off no bother but the bushes are not really designed to come out so needs a press - garage job really. Also check what state the arms are in before you start buying bushes as they do rot too. Bearings change dead easily too. remove the hubnut, wheel, and brake drum and it's off.

No brake servo so yes, good shove is normal.

Rust where the arch and floor join could be a real heartache, investigate and jump on that ASAP as it will be rotting in from the seam in the rear wheelarch where 3 sheets meet and it's nasty to fix when the rot gets hold.

Otherwise sounds good, hope you're very happy together.
Andrew

 

[panda4x4sisley]

I have a 903cc Panda, when i started using it i was sceptical of the pushrod engine, but now i love it. no timing belt, its simpler, and its still 45bhp.
only problem is when you order parts from the motor factors, you have to tell them about 5 times that its the 903 and not the FIRE engine.

 

[Velocemitch]

Must admit it does seem a very smooth little unit and although it's only 45 Brake, it seems to pull the little thing along well enough.

Thanks for the warning on the boot floor, I will have a good look sometime, I've got a garage full of dismembered Alfa at the moment so it will have to wait in line. I will gum it up with seam sealer though to hold out the moisture.

Just a quicky on wheels, Cinquecento wheels have been mentioned but do Seicento ones fit?, I've spied a couple in a scrapyard next door to my office, they look to be 'sporting' ones, but I expect they will have steel spares???.

 

[Pandarus]

only problem is when you order parts from the motor factors, you have to tell them about 5 times that its the 903 and not the FIRE engine.

yes indeed

 

[Nathan126]

Cinq/Sei wheels are exactly the same size. Steelies are much the same, alloys are visually different and weigh a bit more than steelies

 

[Pandarus]

Cinq/Sei wheels are exactly the same size. Steelies are much the same, alloys are visually different and weigh a bit more than steelies

This has been discussed at length on here before.

I remember something about the speedo read out being affected due to wheel size but don't think spacers are required

 

[VmanC]

The wheels will fit, speedo will only be out if you use the tyres too. If you transfer your tyres to the wheels the speedo will be fine.