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Panda (Classic) Pandamonium

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Panda (Classic) Pandamonium

Re: Fantasia

Liquid Knight said:
This arrived today. :)

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I'll get the red Panda covered as if the engine works.[/QUOTE

That's one expensive meercat.....

costing you all your hard earned panda street cred :D
Click to expand...
 
Against all odds (probably best I leave that statement there) The manifold is finished. :)

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I did a run of weld around a smaller pipe for the water channel and fitted a longer bolt to the left bank lower mount while I was at it.

Trial fitted to the engine again...

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...looks pretty good to me...

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...the standard Panda choke cable is a near perfect fit (while the dash is out, should be even better retrofitted) and the longer bolt?

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Is there to mount the adjuster screw in a convenient accessible place.

Just plumbing in the radiator, fuel lines, HT circuit, fuel pump (wired to the coils switched live) and a few other things before we will finally see if the engine works.
 
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Some moderate Pandaing today. The plan was to finish the horn fitting job by refitting the inner arch trims I ran out of light to do before.

Then this happened...

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...bugger. :bang:

So I checked the bulb; it was fine, opened the light to check the terminals; they were fine, looked under the bonnet to check the relay; it was fine, used a multimeter to test the circuit from the relay to the bulb; "Beeeeep" for the live and "B-b-b-b-b-beeep-b-b-b-b-beeep" for the earth. I think it was Morse Code for you've pulled a wire out hanging the bumper you pillock. So the horn trumpets were undone and removed so I could get to the bumper mounts, undid all of those (just as well I hadn't put the inner arch trims back), removed the bumper, cut away the seal around the terminal block and it looked perfectly fine. :confused:

I tested it with the meter again and it was a constant "Beeeeeep". I turned the lights on and they both worked. (y)

Take it apart, look at it and put it back together again. If only everything in life were so simple.

Given my recent brush with ill health I decided to clean all the moss and stuff from under the bonnet and heater matrix. Knowing my luck I'd contract Legionnaires disease and my French isn't that good.

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While I was at it washed the rest of the car for the first time in three months...

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...just as well I'm planning a respray next year the grinding sparks and moss have taken their toll on the original paint.

Just needed to check once more before I called it a day...

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...I'll put the inner arch trims back on next time. ;)

In Guff II news I retrofitted the original radiator to see how I am going to plum the hoses in place...

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...looks fairly straight forward as effectively all I'm doing is bypassing the absent heater matrix. So the pipe from the radiator to the matrix can go straight to the engine instead. The car will need two and a half fewer liters of coolant so that's another 2.5 Kg weight saved. :)
 
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Like this...

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...again I see no reason why it shouldn't work. The same way I see no reason when an engine made with the block from one car with the head from another, cam' from a different car and timing gear from three different cars won't work either. ;)

I like to be pessimistic that way I can be either right or pleasantly surprised.

In Fantasia news the final parts (I can think of) are on their way for the M.O.T...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230865444690?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

...it's open season on brake pipes round here nearly every car I've been told about failing the test has been due to this. The copper pipe on the Panda were replaced a couple of years ago and I'll clean the rubber hoses and connections when I put the inner arch trims back and do the steering rack gaiters.
 
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You know that point where you stop being an owner of a car and become mildly obsessed?

I cleaned the inner arches of my Fantasia today.

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Thumbsnap is down at the moment so I'm trying Facebook. Sorry if it doesn't work.

The advantage of having two Pandas came into its own today as the red Panda now has a complete HT circuit. I'll wire up the fuel pump tomorrow but I've been called into work tonight. This has limited my Pandaing as well have having to put the garden fence back up after the storms earlier this month. Pity you can't weld wood. :rolleyes:

Metal fence?
 
Classic before and after photo'.

Some more pandaing today. The new steering rack boots arrived in the post so I set about fitting them. Upon inspection I discovered that the ones on the car were fine but leaking due to being fitted hamfistedly with old cable ties. Probably the same six toed doltish divhead who fitted a pair of brake pads and various other bodges I've discovered on this poor car. The sad thing is the husband and wife owners from new either used a Fiat garage (Desira Norwich) or the same local garage that keeps failing cars for £300+ brake pipes. :rolleyes:

So the inner arches are finally back on as are the rear trims. Now, because the plastic clips has perished over the years I needed an alternative way of fitting them.

Whenever I buy a set of car speakers I put the cables, screws and mounting thingies in a corner of my shed. There are two reasons for this first; most opportunist thieves carry screw drivers so using the cross headed screws provided would make their lives too easy (any delay increases the chance of kicking the merde out of them) and second if you have a decent stereo and half way decent speakers not having decent cable is like spending thousands of Pounds on a tailor made suit and wearing a Poundland theme tie. :silly:

Anyway to get to the point I used some of the mounting thingies...

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...screws and some plastic washers.

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As far as I can tell the Fantasia is ready for M.O.T and I'll get the old girl booked in for one of my next days off. :)

The red Panda is starting to look rude...

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...I'm looking forward to seeing if it blows up.
 
Anyone hoping for a Christmas miracle?

I was thinking the Fire Service would be less busy so...

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...tank and pump installed temporarily. ;)

Primed and there was a bit of leakage from the carb's. In a urinating out of the float chambers kind of way. So either the floats are porous or the seals are gone. (n)

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A minor set back, fuel going in means the carb's should at least work-ish so I continued. I locked the choke open and the starter motor couldn't turn the engine quick enough for the engine to run. Then this happened...

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...the timing belt skipped off the adjuster and wedged itself between the cam' pulley and...

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...block. :(

I re-aligned the timing and tried again with a booster battery to speed the cranking over up. Still nothing. The engine doesn't turn over quick enough and I don't think the engine is making enough of a vacuum for the fuel to reach the cylinders properly.

Back to the drawing board.

The lack of fueling could be because the manifold is too long or the carb's needing new floats and/or a service.

The cranking speed could be due to the Cinquecento starter motor not being powerful enough to turn the Grande Punto block. The problem there is it has a Cinquecento flywheel so the Grande Punto starter motor won't fit, the Grande Punto flywheel won't fit the Panda box so more head scratching there. Even if I can get the engine cranking over fast enough to make enough vacuum for the fuel to reach the cylinders the timing belt could vandalise itself properly.

If I had gone for a simple engine swap the car would have been done ages ago.

There's still enough time to get hold of and fit a donor 1242cc 8V engine to take the hybrid head, carb's, manifold and distributor so even though the Franken-Fiat engine failed the project goes on. :)
 
thank the gods its a non interface engine!

hmm maybe grab the starter off the 1400? on the panda 999cc block you will only be able to get 2 bolts in. you do have to file down the locating lug on the starter too.

i know it works because that is the starter that i have on my panda, and yeah it really turns the engine over well. the original panda starter was only 0.8kw. i cant remember the exact value but this one i have on now was like over 5kw! produces almost as much power as the engine its self!
 
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Thanks for that. I'll have a dig around in my shed tomorrow. :)

Okay I got bored. Ben Hur must be seven hours bloody long. Anyway I wanted to get to the carb' issue as whatever FIRE engine is going in the car they will be part of it.

So I clamped to opened the float chambers will a little trepidation. Justifiably so when I discovered this...

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...it looks like Radweld but it actually rust from the inside of the bikes tank. The pillock who owned the bike must have ran the poor thing without a fuel filter.

Okay to test the floats is basically the same as any ballcock. You simply immerse it in water...

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...and check for bubbles. At the same time soak the old gasket so it's easier to clean any oxide off it before reassembly. I will replace them when the payday fairies allow it.

Now to test the float valve. Gently blow into the inlet...

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...and wiggle the float up and down to check it seals airtight. No problems with either so I just needed to clean the rust and crap out.

I recommend one of these...

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...an old Oral B Plaque remover. The different length bristles get into places you can't with a conventional flat brush and the flaps make light work of heavy deposits.

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That's better. I also blew through the main pick and jets to make sure they weren't blocked. The butterflies and diaphragm valves are all happy as well.

Now the other side...

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...bugger! It's always the last screw. :bang:

Drilled the head off...

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...went through the same process as the other side and replaced the knackered screw with an Allen bolt.

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That's one issue eliminated. Now the rest. ;)
 
Why show Ben Hur at Christmas?

According to the story the guy watched Jesus die. It's an Easter film surely. :rolleyes:

Thankfully it's also Issac Newtons birthday and there is actual evidence he existed. ;)
 
Fantasia

Following yesterdays near death experience for my FrankenFiat engine I thought I'd spend a little time with the Fantasia today. The battery had been on charge overnight so I turned the key to hear the motor whirring away to itself. The car has been stood too long and the starter solenoid was failing to engage the flywheel. Got the bonnet up, air box off and clicked the socket to the ratchet just in time for the heavens to open. :rolleyes:

Sod that it can wait. I'll take the starter motor off, clean and lube it on my next day off. ;)
 
Grande Punto block, Cinquecento Sporting head, Punto 75 cam, combination of new Panda, Cinquecento and Grande Punto pulleys, new Panda timing belt, Panda 750 distributor, Punto 75 exhaust manifold, home made inlet manifold to take a pair of Yamaha TDM 850 carb's.

Apart from that it's stock. ;)
 
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