General Rear axle question.

[Scotty100hp]

Hi, would I be correct in thinking that all the near side spring cups on the Panda and 500 appear to dip slightly?

 

[koalar]

Hard to tell from the photo but I am guessing your talking about the nearside slightly twisted round (lower) towards the road than the off side

If thats the case then every panda I have looked at, its yes

Whether they came out of the factor like that I dont know

replacement 3rd party axles don't, there level

 

[Scotty100hp]

Hard to tell from the photo but I am guessing your talking about the nearside slightly twisted round (lower) towards the road than the off side

If thats the case then every panda I have looked at, its yes

Whether they came out of the factor like that I dont know

replacement 3rd party axles don't, there level

That’s why I asked, bought a new replacement one thinking mine was bent and it was exactly the same. On the plus side it turned out mine was fine and I didn’t have to modify the new one to fit my 100HP.

 

[Scotty100hp]

It does seem a weird design though as the spring is not in full contact with the cup.

 

[koalar]

It does seem a weird design though as the spring is not in full contact with the cup.

yep seems weird to me also

I have knelt down in car parks and looked at the rear spring when there were more pandas about. I thought my cars looked wrong

everyone I looked at was the same.

my 05 and 06 were the same, never looked at my 2010

 

[DaveMcT]

The spring tops have a rubber cushion. I fitted cushions to the bottom AND the top. The axle seems to suffer less abrasion between spring and bottom plate.

 

[Corranga]

That’s why I asked, bought a new replacement one thinking mine was bent and it was exactly the same. On the plus side it turned out mine was fine and I didn’t have to modify the new one to fit my 100HP.

What did you buy and where from?

I need a 100hp rear axle and the advice seems to be all over the show on what does and doesn’t work. Did you have to drill for the ABS sensor?

 

[portland_bill]

I think they are both supposed to be level, but were wrongly jigged at factory. I have also looked under quite a few, and found they all dip, but not all the same. Some aftermarket replacements also dip, as they are an exact copy of the original. (Mine also came with most of the little brackets for brake hoses, etc., also bent. I saw a whole pile of them, all new, all exactly the same. I guess the original they copied had been damaged in transit, and got copied exactly. From that, I assumed they would have got the metal thicknesses right too.)
If the latest aftermarket axles have straight spring cups, that is a good thing.

 

[DaveMcT]

If the car sits level don't worry about it. It the car is higher on one side the easiest solution is a spring spacer to adjust the issue. Obviously, the best of all is a properly made axle.

 

[Scotty100hp]

What did you buy and where from?

I need a 100hp rear axle and the advice seems to be all over the show on what does and doesn’t work. Did you have to drill for the ABS sensor?

Sorry didn’t word that very well. Didn’t actually need to fit the new one, when I stripped it down and cleaned up the old one it was actually pretty good. It does appear to be sitting slightly higher on the near side still, but as the new beam was exactly the same there didn’t seem much point in going to the hassle of cutting/drilling and welding brackets onto it. The drum brake version is do-able, there’s plenty of them been done on the 100HP Facebook pages but no-one as yet has done a guide with pictures to show what exactly is involved.

 

[DaveMcT]

The OEM 100HP axle has a dirty great slot cut into the spindle mounting bracket at 12 o'clock which clears the ABS sensor.

There is no need for a guide. You remove the original wheel hub from spindle. Now remove ABS sensor and spindle from the old axle. You can now mark the ABS position on the new axle and drill a suitable hole to clear the ABS sensor. The result will be stronger than OEM as there will not be a 12mm wide x 20mm deep slot chopped into the stub axle mounting bracket.

 

[Corranga]

There is no need for a guide

Is that starting with a drum brakes Panda axle like this one:

The Original HD Rear Axle for Fiat Panda 03- 4MM Thick spring pan NOT 4X4/100HP | eBay

The new axles from IM Axle Specialists are manufactured using tried and tested processes developed over many years to ensure the part gives you both performance and reliability that matches or exceeds the Original Equipment part.

www.ebay.co.uk

rather than the too wide 500 one
What other things need done?
I think I’ve read brake pipes and that there’s a mounting hole or bracket missing unless I misunderstood.

The spring cup on mine has gone, car is sitting low at 1 side so is going no where until I fix it.

 

[Scotty100hp]

The OEM 100HP axle has a dirty great slot cut into the spindle mounting bracket at 12 o'clock which clears the ABS sensor.

There is no need for a guide. You remove the original wheel hub from spindle. Now remove ABS sensor and spindle from the old axle. You can now mark the ABS position on the new axle and drill a suitable hole to clear the ABS sensor. The result will be stronger than OEM as there will not be a 12mm wide x 20mm deep slot chopped into the stub axle mounting bracket.

There’s no need for a guide if you’re familiar with modifying and replacing Panda rear axles. As the 100HP ages and more cars are falling foul to the problem (in some cases being scrapped because of it), other 100HP forums have questions about which rear axle will fit almost daily. Most of these people have never had to replace a rear axle, let alone modify one to fit. Being able to point people to a simple guide which shows where the holes have to drilled and where the extra brackets welded on a drum braked axle, would stop people fitting disc brake 500 axles (which are too wide) and alleviate peoples concerns.

 

[Scotty100hp]

Is that starting with a drum brakes Panda axle like this one:

The Original HD Rear Axle for Fiat Panda 03- 4MM Thick spring pan NOT 4X4/100HP | eBay

The new axles from IM Axle Specialists are manufactured using tried and tested processes developed over many years to ensure the part gives you both performance and reliability that matches or exceeds the Original Equipment part.

www.ebay.co.uk

rather than the too wide 500 one
What other things need done?
I think I’ve read brake pipes and that there’s a mounting hole or bracket missing unless I misunderstood.

The spring cup on mine has gone, car is sitting low at 1 side so is going no where until I fix it.

PandaRearAxle - pripyat

I had both OEM and an infamous eBay special for cheap on the bench. Comparison of materials used

pripyat.smugmug.com

This pretty much tells you all you need to know. This guy ended up using his original axle as he wasn’t impressed with the quality of the replacement. I think the axle you have posted is the one with the thicker cups which is the same as the one that I now have unused in the garage.

 

[koalar]

there are a few listing now with 51856918 mentioned, universal disc and drum

they should be a straight swap

I would confirm with the seller first.

 

[DaveMcT]

I just explained where the ABS sensor holes have to be drilled (if additional holes are needed). Use the spindle base as a guide for drilling. Alternatively use disc brake 500 wheel spindles** that have the ABS sensors in the same location as drum brake versions.

I mean 500 wheel spindles not the axle.

 

[benjybobs]

I'm interested in this thread too. My beam on the 100HP is starting to look a little worse for wear, though it may still be saveable. I'm not in a position to work on it myself really and my partner relies on it for daily transport, so I dont want it off the road for weeks whilst I fumble around.

Is anyone aware of any good specialists in the East lancs / West Yorkshire area who have this problem well understood? I know of a few beam replacement garages, but I wonder if this is a bit specialist, as the direct replacment is so expensive. It would be nice if there was garage familiar and ready to make some of the modifications mentioned on this thread.

 

[koalar]

I'm interested in this thread too. My beam on the 100HP is starting to look a little worse for wear, though it may still be saveable.

It makes a big difference if it does not require welding. Any garage should be able to help for a reasonable cost.

I'm not in a position to work on it myself really and my partner relies on it for daily transport, so I dont want it off the road for weeks whilst I fumble around.

most cost effective, but its not for everyone.

Is anyone aware of any good specialists in the East lancs / West Yorkshire area who have this problem well understood?

I know of nowhere in the UK that specialises in this, but its not a difficult job to replace or refurbish

I know of a few beam replacement garages, but I wonder if this is a bit specialist, as the direct replacment is so expensive. It would be nice if there was garage familiar and ready to make some of the modifications mentioned on this thread.

Direct replacement is no longer made.

modifications to a standard axle is probably the most cost effective if the original axle requires welding. Anyone capable of doing mechanical repairs will be able to modify and fit a axle for you. Its far simpler than most body shop repairs,