Panda (Classic) Pandamonium

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

So I had today all planned...

With the car up on ramps take the gearbox sump plug out and drain the oil.

From the state of it I think it's fair to say it's the first time the oil has been changed.

Remove the three wheel bolts securing the wheel trim.

Remove the drive shaft retaining nut.

Place the jack in a safe location under the lower wishbone mount.

Elevate the car high enough to remove the wheel and ramp.

Remove the 17mm bolts holding the brake caliper on and tie the caliper to the inner wing so the brake line doesn't get stretched or broken.

Now that's safely out of the way undo the 12mm bolts and take the disc off.

Next remove the 17mm nut from the bottom ball joint.

The two 13mm nuts and bolts from the track control bracket from the upright.

The 17mm bolts from the upright.

The 13mm nuts from the strut top and...

...the upright completely.

With a ball joint splitter (someone had borrowed my big hammer) remove the bottom ball joint from the wishbone and...

...slide the hub off the driveshaft.

Now the hub assembly is off remove the 17mm bolts from the back and disassemble it.

Reassembly and refitting is just as easy.

While I had the hub assembly off I changed the CV boots as well.

The drivers side was shot and I discovered the reason why the passenger side was leaking.

The pillock who had fitted it trimmed the outer edge to fit it and then used two cable ties to hold it in place. :roll:

I use a bicycle tyre lever myself.

Anyway I got the car back together...

...just in time for the weather to turn to crap.

So that's tyres, wheel cylinders, compensator valve, track rod ends, bottom ball joints, gearbox oil, brake fluid and brake discs. Just a day of welding and new front pads for the Panda to be ready for M.O.T. This is probably the most I've done with a car without a fail sheet as a guide.

Why brake pads? Well whoever bodged the CV boot also replaced the brake pads on the drivers side but not the passenger side. :bang:

Also I'd like some red or green stuff ones to go with the groovy discs.

...and it all went according to plan. :woot:

Time for a beer.

 

[pandamonius_maximus]

I've just done the outer CV boots as well and to add to this; if only the outer ones need replacing you can just undo the 2 bolts that mount the strut to the hub and pull back the hub assembly (leaving the bottom ball joint untouched - these always get ruined by splitters so this is a massive plus!.

Anyway, then you can start removing the boot to expose the CV joint. There is then ample room to squeeze the circlip that holds the driveshaft to the CV joint and slide the driveshaft out (back towards the gearbox)

Then the old boot will slide off and the new one back on and all without having to drain any oil...

Unfortunately the other boots often need replacing even more regularly so this cheat cannot be used

 

[Liquid Knight]

Both ball joints and CV Boots needed doing and I wanted to check the inner bearings for wear so it made sense to do both at the same time. Also it's much easier to do CV boots on a bench.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

After getting two days work done yesterday and a favorable forecast I was looking forward to getting the sill welded up this morning, painted this afternoon and pre-flight checks ready to book the car in for M.O.T when the Payday Fairies visit.

BBC Weather strikes again.

This evening's rain is here now and much as I enjoy using power tools in wet conditions I have to be fit for work tomorrow and can't risk it.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

I got the front half of the sill and floor patched up. No photo's to say I'm not happy with the finish would be the understatement of the decade. I'm considering forgetting about the M.O.T and waiting until I can afford the new sills from Italy.

Something I was chuffed with was the fact the car started first turn of the key despite the stereo being on for two days.

The Petrol smells a bit off (it is six weeks old) so I'll have to give the old girl a run to the M.O.T to burn the crap out.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

So the Payday Fairies came yesterday and I have been weighing up the options for this month.

1/ Patch the sill (Grrrrr!), get the car M.O.T'd and back on the road with my insurance renewal due as well.

2/ Buy a new sill and wait another month for the M.O.T and get the car back on the road mid-November (sill £100, paint £25, time means the insurance will have to wait as well).

Just double checked and my insurance isn't due until the 8th of November and the Payday fairies are back on the 15th So if I get the car patched up for M.O.T and she passes I only have a week or so to cycle to work.

Hmmmmmm. Decisions eh?

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

I don't mind patching up for now and replacing the sill completely when I can afford a new one (or two). The real sting of it is I was offered half a dozen sills, rear quarter panels and wings for a Panda when my local parts place closed. £50 for the job lot but because I weren't planning to have another Panda at the time I passed them up and they went for scrap. :twisted:

So I had today planned (here we go again). First off I overslept. Stupid night shift. :roll:

Then I was planning to photograph all the work I was doing with the car today and it started out okay...

...took the plastic trim off the arch to see how bad it was...

...not too bad after I cut all the rot away...

...tack welded the inner and outer rear wing together, made a panel and seam welded it in place.

Welded up a bit inside as well just so the cosmetic grind and flap didn't weaken the weld surface.

All I needed to do then was cut a few flaps so I could curve the edge and seam weld the gaps.

That's as far as I got with the camera. I settled into a rhythm and completely forgot to take photo's so some after shots tomorrow as it was too dark by the time I stopped.

 

[panda panda]

Re: Fantasia

Oh you just go looking for trouble taking off plastic trim, it's there to hide the rust you sadist!
When Fantasia's finished fancy fixing Fizz?
Seriously, :worship: what you're doing here.

 

[Liquid Knight]

I only lost four hours today in my Mini days I went into my shed with a pile of panels and the complete works of Slipknot for forty one hours and pushed my Clubman 1275GT into my mates booth ready for paint without any filler.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

Interesting thing welding in the damp and fog. The moisture in the atmosphere can become plasma in the arc. Resulting in porous welds and a brighter blue spark. Not so much of an issue with M.I.G welding as the dip transfer technique doesn't require as much of an arc to work and the gas shield takes care of a lot of the moisture. Having said that dip transfer whilst upside down is a pain in the cheeks. Anyway the sills are done, so far as to say patched up ground, flapped and Hammerited.

Just as well really this is all the metal I had left...

...just a couple of fiddly jobs to do pre-M.O.T and hopefully I'll get that booked for my next day off.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

Woe; woe and thrice woe. It's insurance time again. Rather than solving world debt this year I'm paying the more than reasonable sum of £239.12.
Thank's to Simon from Adrian Flux Insurance for being the most patient call center representative ever. I'm sure a recording of the conversation will end up being scripted and used in a civil court at some point or a Radio 4 afternoon play.

Thank's to the M.I.B for doing their absolute best to ruin my life I can no longer pay by installments and the payday fairies don't visit until next week. Even though it would be a deposit of £34 and £20 a month this was not an option. So I cycled trough the rain, mud, spilled diesel, road rage Muppet drivers and other crap into town, put some money into my account to ensure there'd be enough to cover the policy in one go.

As annoying as cycling through weekend traffic is, especially in King's Lynn where filtering is regarded as witchcraft and offenders have been burned at the stake for it; I found a great deal of amusement from this necessary evil. Just as the filtered and frustrated drivers were about to move I was a mile away and on a cycle lane that runs along the River Great Ouse (sounds nice but you get an arse end view of South Lynn's ghetto district and some industrial units the other side of the river; not that you can appreciate the view at all due to the amount of dog poo you have to avoid) out of town and out of range of any abuse.

So the important thing is I'm insured the car is taxed and nearly ready for M.O.T.

Also as it's been paid in one go I no longer need to worry about paying £80-£100 a month so that can go towards my red Panda and general Fantasia upkeep (or other projects just in time for a certain 4x4 to be rehomed; typical).

Instead of doing the little jobs on the Panda I ended up working on my sisters Daewoo Matiz. I'd parked the car out of the way and in gear. Someone (probably my nephew) had been in the car messing about as boys do, pretending it's a rally car (Rally a Matiz? Hmmmm) and had jammed the handbrake on. Subsequently the car would not move. My sister couldn't tell if the clutch was slipping or the wheels spinning. :bang:

Does it smell like a urine stained mattress that's been set on fire?
No! Why?
Well it's not the clutch then.

Sure enough the passenger side front wheel had dug itself down to the wishbone. So I used the mighty Panda to pull the car out far enough to get to the rear drums. Hit them a few times with a hammer and they were properly stuck. Jacked the car up, took the wheels off and belted the crap out of the drums with a bigger hammer, put two nuts on the studs and cranked the wheels round with a six foot length of bar and then the jack handle. It moves now and the keys are well hidden both from my nephew and sister (she's the one who nearly drove my Subaru Justy down a twenty foot dyke when I gave her a one and only driving lesson. Yet she still wonders why I haven't given her a lesson in my Panda).

 

[purple haze]

At first I thought..... Ehhhhhh..???

Then I realised it was Saturday night...

 

[Liquid Knight]

You can tell it's been too long when your thread ends up on page two.

Right the payday fairies visited today and I need to get the stick out of my backside and set a few targets.

The Fantasia will be back on the road M.O.T'd by next payday. This could be more problematic as it sounds. I needed to move the car today and the brakes were spongy again as if there was air in there. New slave cylinders, new bias valve, new pads, new shoes, new front discs and the brakes still aren't right. The exhaust stank as well, stupid new petrol and it's limited shelf life.

The project Panda (yes the Fantasia isn't a project) will have an engine that works by Christmas (or at least all the bits I have together to see if it works or not) and will be sitting on matching wheels to see what wheel arch modifications I need by the end of the month (Punto GT brakes?).

For the Fantasia I need to re-bleed, check the brake lines and possibly the master cylinder to find out what's wrong and where the air is getting in.

Right that's the list for now. I'll make a start tomorrow afternoon when I get up.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

I've been having fun with the Fantasia brakes again in the search for the sponge. With no sign of fluid anywhere on the car It's a one way problem.

After re-bleeding the whole system for the forth time I noticed the bleed nipple on the passenger side front caliper had worn threads...

...so I replaced it with a new one that...

...sheared off. :bang:

At least it made a good seal when I tested it I put the car down and drove the car down a private track the brakes were spongy still.

At this rate the red one will be finished first.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

So it's obvious there is no air in the system. When the rear cylinder went and took the compensator valve with it. Without a release of back pressure could this have knackered the seals in the master cylinder as well?

I'm planing to bin the 750 master when I fit the Punto GT brakes and use a twin cylinder pedal box. The Cinquecento master was barely enough to work the brakes on the Guff racer so this would be better if I want the set up to work properly.

I'll take the 750 master off in the morning, inspect it and fit it to the Fantasia to see if this solves the problems. Then order a seal kit for the original master and keep it as a spare.

 

[Liquid Knight]

I love internet forums. Just when I think it's one problem someone suggests another that's just a possible and would present the same symptoms. So today I'll have the Fantasia up on ramps so I lay underneath her watching the flexible brake hoses to see if they move or balloon at all. The drop in line pressure could be due to this as much as failed seals in the master cylinder. It doesn't cost me a Penny to check and despite being bloody awkward to do the rear brake hoses are a cheaper repair as well.

In red Panda news, the templates for the inlet manifold are back at Optima Stainless Steel and should be done in a week.

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

So from under the car I got my assistant to press the brake pedal and I'd look for movement and signs of bulging.

Easy to get to eh?

All looked well and there wasn't any movement I could notice.

As planned I took the master cylinder out of the red Panda and stripped it.

Cleaned all the components and put it back together.

I'm getting fed up of these early nights so I found an old ceiling light and duct-tapped it to a step ladder.

I've swapped master cylinders and will bleed the system again in the morning. The Fantasias master cylinder fell apart as soon as it was off the car. Even though the seals look new there's a gauge in the secondary cylinder seal and none of the pistons have been cleaned. Thick black sludge in the slots reducing the amount of fluid being moved. Hopefully this time tomorrow I'll have brakes if not I'll bin the whole lot and start again. :bang:

 

[Liquid Knight]

All this has left me hungry so I've order a Tacho'...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180780864950?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

...for the red Panda .

 

[panda panda]

All this has left me hungry so I've order a Tacho'...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180780864950?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

...for the red Panda .

You chav

 

[Liquid Knight]

Fantasia

Throughout my short time within this reality I have read about many dubious and curious topics. The existence of unidentified flying objects, the Loch Ness Monster, conspiracy theories about the assassination of John F Kennedy and Kurt Cobain; the existence of God and Harry Potter. This has all be well documented, critised, argued, proven, disproven and wars have been started over some of them.

Having said that in the six thousand years or so since human beings have been able to communicate their endeavors via the medium of the written word to my knowledge there has not been one single recorded incident where a stud extractor has been successfully used to remove a sheared bleed nipple from a brake caliper. :devil:

With that in mind I took the calipers off the 750 and cleaned them...

...before and after cleaning.

So we human beings are creatures of habit. The last four vehicles I have bought brake fluid for have been the BMW E36 320 track day £999 Challenger, my GPZ1100, Fiat Coupe with Brembo brakes fitted and my GSXR7-11. The last five times I have bought brake fluid it has been the low viscosity Dot 4 stuff.

Can you guess what I've done yet?

That's right I bought the wrong brake fluid.

The lower viscosity stuff was thin enough to pass the seals in the master cylinder giving the same symptoms as knackered seals or air in there.

So I took the front calipers off...

...fitted the tidy shiny ones...

...bled the systm through with the correct fluid and I now have brakes! :worship:

Not only do I have brakes but they are the best feeling brakes I have ever had on a FIRE engine powered Fiat. :slayer:

Pity it took so bloody long for me to realise eh?