Panda The Marshmallow is getting ready

[The Panda Nut]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Good choice of car. At least they are generally straightforward to fic up. You have a full on project there though.

 

[rmjbn1]

Lucky they are such tough little things
Great to seeing it get the love it deserves!

 

[Tonymik85]

Today was fun, again.
I unplugged the spark plugs and unscrewed ine to check it an look into replacing them all.
Afterwards I removed the starter motor (with great pain due to the bad position), and I’ll take it tomorrow to be refurbished.
Fingers crossed it will start easyer

 

[Tonymik85]

One more day closer to have the Marshmallow on the road.
Replaced the spark plugs today - I thought it would be easier.
Also, took the starter motor in today to fix it BUT to my surprise, it was too far gone.
No wonder it turned so slow.
New starter motor in. Messed up a bit and had to reposition the ground in it’s proper spot. Reassembled everything back again.
Now it starts right away. Happy how it turned out. It’s my first time working on a car and every little bit brings me joy.

One more thing left under the bonnet: fix this nut that should hold the airbox, so I don’t drive around with parts held together with zip ties

Next up, a touch of paint here and there, reattach the broken driver side mirror aaaaand… MOT. Or how we call it in Romania, ITP - technical yearly check.

Fingers crossed I will find no other issues.

 

[Tonymik85]

Had a quick trip by the garage today and I managed to glue in the airbox holder nut with a strong 2-component glue.
Rolled some paper on a nail and fitted in the nut, snug.
Now we wait.
I’ll me using copper spray on the bolt to prevent them from rusting shut.

 

[Tonymik85]

Dad said he fixed de rotten spot in front of the left back wheel. Not to bad…
Some spray pain incoming.
Marshmallow has been through a lot, and while it’s not that pretty to look at, it’s exactly what I was looking for: cheap, accesibile, easy to maintain.

Soon on the road

 

[rmjbn1]

I think it looks great

Interesting to see yours had rust in the rear sill. Some do some don't.

I pour a bit of old oil into the sills through the rubber bung in the rear wheel arch to protect it every oil change. It runs out through drain holes so put something down to catch the drops.

How is the rear axle? The spring pans are usually the first things to rust in the British Isles.

I also treat: engine oil sump pan, coolant return pipe in front of engine, and mud trap behind the front springs.

 

[Tonymik85]

Had a quick trip by the garage today, and saw my dad finished the bodywork he started.
To my surprise, his painting skills and lack of attention to details is progressing yearly. A poor job overall. Almost worse than before he started but he’s my dad and I appreciate his work. Also, it’s just a cheap car and I’ll do some damage control on my own when I’ll get the time.

I stuck the airbox holder nut with some bicomponent glue a few days back, so I had the please to screw in the airbox.

The left side mirror it’s back in it’s place and all I could do was give it a wash and a scrub.

There is actual mud inside the door rubbers, so I’ll be detailing those at a later date.

Mechanically, there are 2 bigger things left and some minor touches:
1. Change the distribution kit (belt, roller and water pump)
2. Bend into place the exhaust pipe that has a big curvature in the middle
3. Check all brakes and if good, give them a good clean
4. Fix the hood cable and lever
5. Replace the antena as it’s broken off
6. Look into replacing the driver seat

I’ll try to come back with some pictures soon

 

[Yolanda]

You don't say how many km's it's done. As far as the underbody is concerned, I use a mix of old engine oil and kerosene mix in a sprayer I've got (photos on here somewhere) You can get the mix into all the concealed places just keep the spray away from any bushes etc.

 

[Tonymik85]

I think it looks great

Interesting to see yours had rust in the rear sill. Some do some don't.

I pour a bit of old oil into the sills through the rubber bung in the rear wheel arch to protect it every oil change. It runs out through drain holes so put something down to catch the drops.

How is the rear axle? The spring pans are usually the first things to rust in the British Isles.

I also treat: engine oil sump pan, coolant return pipe in front of engine, and mud trap behind the front springs.

Hi there, thanks for the tips.
Everything underneath has surface rust, especially since it sit still for ±2years, and grass grew under and around it.
So I'm surprised I'm not Flinstone-ing around in it

It has ±175.000 km so far.

I just limped my way to the mandatory technical inspection (MOT in the UK, ITP in Romania), as it was my first time driving it. I was afraid not to hit anything until it was road-legal. Tomorrow, it will be officially road worthy.

As I stopped, a lot of oil smoke came from under the bonnet and it scared the crap out of me.
Oil had been dripping from somewhere right on the flexible bit of the exhaust, soaking it, so when it got hot... it smoked.
I'm curious to see how expensive that part is going to be: probably some O-ring from the gearbox, adding extra oil if needed, fixing some grinding noise from the front-right axle (or whatever it's called)... also, doing the geometry would be advised, I guess.

 

[Tonymik85]

You don't say how many km's it's done. As far as the underbody is concerned, I use a mix of old engine oil and kerosene mix in a sprayer I've got (photos on here somewhere) You can get the mix into all the concealed places just keep the spray away from any bushes etc.

Hi there, as we see snow occasionally, in Romania, the roads get salt and other components treatment, so the underbody gets hit from time to time with "stress agents"

As mileage goes, the Marshmallow has accumulated ±175.000 km so far, which amounts to ±109.000 miles

 

[koalar]

Oil had been dripping from somewhere right on the flexible bit of the exhaust, soaking it, so when it got hot...

Might as well check for the worst case first as it only takes a moment to do

The bottom of the gearbox is directly over the flexi

Engine off

Put your finger in the gearbox inspection hole and feel inside

Koalar random thoughts | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

Clutch, gearbox problem You can see the pessure plate here And from further back The inside is normally covered in oil if the input seal/bearing has gone

www.fiatforum.com

If it's covered in oil the input bearing and seal will need replacing, which is a gearbox removal

Hopefully it will be dry as everything else is cheap, quick and easy, there's a rubber seal behind the coils, gear selector and cam cover all know to randomly fail

 

[Tonymik85]

Might as well check for the worst case first as it only takes a moment to do

The bottom of the gearbox is directly over the flexi

Engine off

Put your finger in the gearbox inspection hole and feel inside

Koalar random thoughts | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

Clutch, gearbox problem You can see the pessure plate here And from further back The inside is normally covered in oil if the input seal/bearing has gone

www.fiatforum.com

If it's covered in oil the input bearing and seal will need replacing, which is a gearbox removal

Hopefully it will be dry as everything else is cheap, quick and easy, there's a rubber seal behind the coils, gear selector and cam cover all know to randomly fail

Thanks, I'll check. I think I'll have to get it to a service for the repairs, as I don't feel comfortable working on it at this extent... I have something holding me back from removing the gearbox and all...

 

[koalar]

Thanks, I'll check. I think I'll have to get it to a service for the repairs, as I don't feel comfortable working on it at this extent... I have something holding me back from removing the gearbox and all...

Got my fingers crossed it will be fine

 

[Tonymik85]

So I passed inspection.
Looking forward to drive around in it. Feels a bit small and the seat could be better… I’ll be looking at options.
But first things first.
Mechanics should be addressed and afterwards, the details.

Here are some pics from this evening.

 

[Tonymik85]

Hello all. It’s been a few days and I’m starting to like this little machine. I prefer it to my wife’s A3.
It’s the kind of car that I don’t bother turning around and checking if I closed the door
It still has some way to go to make it my own, to feel a bond with it. Still some technical things to address that give me a feeling that I’m overlooking it’s wellbeing.
Almost done with moving it to my name… bureaucracy in the Balkans… Who knows, knows…
Anyway, “invested” in some cheap wipers, ordered a Radio and Antena off of TEMU and I can now make a list of what it costed me so far:
- Alternator
- alternator belt (new)
- Starter motor (new)
- Car battery (new)
- spark plugs (new)
- Air box
- wiper system with motor
- left mirror
- head rests for rear couch
- oil, filters, gas and a few cans of spray (WD-40, rust removal for nuts) and spray paint
- headlight clearing solution
- radio (new)
- antena (new)
- wiper’s fluid
- wipers
- safety road kit (medical kit, fire extinguisher, 2 reflective triangles and 1 reflective vest) - mandatory in Romania.

All in all, together with some taxes, insurance & 1 full tank of gas, I spent:
- 500€ on the car
- 550€ on parts & miscellaneous
- 0 on labor, as I worked with my father on it, in his home garage

It’s not pretty to look at, but I and my daughter enjoy it, the engine starts and runs fine, so I think I got my money’s worth and then some.

 

[Tonymik85]

Now, I’m turning to you all with a question:
Is there a more comfortable, maybe even lower seat for the Fiat Panda 169?
It’s quite uncomfortable for me, as I’m tall and the seating position is high and stiff.

 

[jrkitching]

Is there a more comfortable, maybe even lower seat for the Fiat Panda 169?

You can fit most of the seats from the 500 with a slight modification. Some. but not all, offer better side support and may have height adjustment. There are plenty of threads on this forum from folks who've done this.

It could also be worth searching for a secondhand Panda seat, since yours may just be worn out. They do tend to collapse in later life.

 

[Tonymik85]

You can fit most of the seats from the 500 with a slight modification. Some. but not all, offer better side support and may have height adjustment. There are plenty of threads on this forum from folks who've done this.

It could also be worth searching for a secondhand Panda seat, since yours may just be worn out. They do tend to collapse in later life.

Thanks, I’ll look around some more to figure out some options. I saw people installing mostly Fiat 500 seats (on the Forum) but there were also a select (brave) few that went outside the comfort zone with Lancia seats.
I find the base a bit too high, and the back support, while it’s seen better days, it is quite rudimentary with no lateral suport.

I’ll come back with details once I find a proper candidate.