Sublime Pandamonium II

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Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Friday 1st June 2012
quotequote all
Sump...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221038510888?ssPageName=...

...check.

Brake discs...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190641823089?ssPageName=...

...check.

Mirrors for M.O.T...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260785756185?ssPageName=...

...check? wink

I love it when the Payday fairies visit.

Dirty welding (sills, floor and inner wings), paint, finish mounting the harness, build and fit the engine, fabricate the exhaust, fabricate the inlet manifold adapter and (time and budget permitting) Polycarbonate the rear windows.

FOUR WEEKS TO GO!!!!!!

SVX

2,182 posts

211 months

Friday 1st June 2012
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You are as mad as a box of frogs! What an insane build, looking forward to seeing the finished article.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Saturday 2nd June 2012
quotequote all
Okay another pesky M.O.T job taken care of thanks to an eBay purchase.





I found a use for the discs I drilled out of the seat last year. smile

Luckily I know a very understanding M.O.T tester. wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Sunday 3rd June 2012
quotequote all
Because I'm not cleaning parts and making the car look like a new build someone suggested I paint the roll cage with a brush. I'm too effected from the fumes to care how crap it looks. silly

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Sunday 3rd June 2012
quotequote all
Do you know what? I think he was right...



...perfect for the old racer dragged out of storage look I'm going for instead of a new build.

Of course it isn't unusual for me to be playing with straps on a Sunday afternoon.



That's another M.O.T job done. wink

Weather permitting I'll be doing the dirty welding tomorrow. Two problems with getting the car painted this week; first I only have one bottle of thinners, thanks to the extended bank holiday can't get any more and second damp air is rubbish for painting. frown

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Monday 4th June 2012
quotequote all
Sorry about the lack of photo's today. I've been busy working on the car rather than being a shutter bug.

Anyway the sill is patched, rear arch replaced and I've cut the rusty filler hole out and replaced the metal, cut a hole big enough for the cap and screwed the neck in place.





Now I have a dilemma. If I drive to work this month I can be home in time to do quiet jobs to the car, but if I cycle to work this month I'll have quicker reaction times for the quarter mile and weigh a bit less.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
I've had to sit and work this one out and it appears by my calculations (not taking the weather into account) that the 750 will not be ready for the £999 Challenge June 29th. All the parts have come together and the FINE engine will be ready. It all comes down to two factors. I only have three days off work between now and then to do it and the DVLA still haven't sent a log book out, an essential part for the "four wheels and an M.O.T" rule.

I want to lift the Fantasia engine out for a spruce up, strip down and rebuild anyway so while I'm doing that I can fit the FINE engine, enter the event and put the car back to standard later.

The whole reason I wasn't disappointed that I won the 750 on eBay was because I didn't have to put the Fantasia at risk on track but yesterday for every step forward I took three back. Typical day with a rust Fiat I know but I'd rather get the job done properly than quickly and having to rush means I'd be going against my own ideals.

I have three days to get the car ready and it'll be a day to put the engine together fit it and get it running. A day for paint and another for the M.O.T pass or fail.

Realistically the Fantasia is my only option. frown

On the plus side I'll have a year to get the 750 ready. wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Not much of an update I'm afraid. Before rain stopped play I managed to get some Hammerite on the sills and trial fit the new grille.







But the Punto GT brake conversion and bits will be on eBay later. smile

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

255 months

Wednesday 6th June 2012
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Very nearly factory finish on those panel gaps wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Wednesday 6th June 2012
quotequote all
Mr2Mike said:
Very nearly factory finish on those panel gaps wink
That's the best thing about the Panda the hinges are exposed and easy to line up to where they were. hehe

Conian

8,030 posts

201 months

Wednesday 6th June 2012
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I demand a red victor 3 tribute paint job, or I want my money back!

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Wednesday 6th June 2012
quotequote all


Too many Red Panda's on this forum already. wink

Besides Andy hasn't accepted my challenge yet. hehe

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Friday 8th June 2012
quotequote all
The sump arrived today. smile

As expected I've needed to modify the oil pick up pipe from the 1108cc head donor to fit...



...and the sump is a perfect fit.



Now I need a gasket and a dozen bolts.

Conian

8,030 posts

201 months

Saturday 9th June 2012
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thats the cleanest sump...... EVER!

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Sunday 10th June 2012
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It's aluminium. It'd be mirror polished if I were building a 'rod. wink


I do feel guilty about not painting the block now. Maybe a once over with a wire brush before I fit it.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Tuesday 12th June 2012
quotequote all
I had to make a difficult decision today. The Panda will not make it to the PPC £999 Challenge on the 29th. There's too much work to do to the red car in the time I have and I can't risk destroying the Fantasia not only because the car is so rare but because I'd be carless if anything were to happen (considering I'm building the engine out of parts of six different engines I'm convinced it will either not work at all or explode).

So I need a new target. There are a couple of RWYB days at Santa Pod in September so the project continues.

Fitted the block and used a flat battery to test the starter motor...



...I then test fitted the head, inlet manifold and spare carb' to see how much clearance there is from the top of the car to the base of the bonnet.



Once the rest of the engine is fitted I can paint the inside of the car and get back to the rest of the bodywork.

kamilb1998

2,220 posts

177 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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This popped up on my Facebook news feed today; http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-PANDA-4X4-/15083558...

Are you bidding? wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
She's lovely but the early 999 FIRE engine'd 4x4 had transfer boxes made of toffee. For £3000 I'd want a Mk I 965cc car instead of the Mk II. The FIRE engine is arguably better but the drive train and suspension on the Mk I was so much better. The Mk II was a little softer so the car was better on the road and had a more refined interior as well taking the rawness away from the car. My FINE engine should be making twice the torque of the 999 FIRE engine so I'd be interested in putting it in a ropier 4x4 like this one...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160819983538?ssPageName=...

...just to drive it up a cliff. wink

Speaking of the FINE engine; here it is...



...does anyone else know what the holes in a Panda bumper are for?



Yep fitting the manifold the the head with a couple of extensions.

I wired the engine up to and she wouldn't turn over. Followed the usual suspects and narrowed it down to a old engine earth and the I found in my shed was the perfect length to fit to the copper nut that holds the cam' belt tensioner in place.



My guess was the copper nut would be the best contact point. As the engine doesn't have oil I only turned it over a few times and as soon as I fabricate either a manifold adapter for the Webber or manifold for the TDM carb's I see no reason why the car won't run. smile

The Cinquecento clutch means the pedal doesn't move as much. I was concerned for a few moments but realised this was because the difference in the length of the actual pedals and not an issue with the clutch itself.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Thursday 14th June 2012
quotequote all
The aftermath or the shortest "long term" hosepipe ban in Anglia Water's history I got to clean and polish the Fantasia properly today. smile



I really must get the headlight changed and fit the new grille but I'm waiting until I get the new sills fitted so I can paint the whole car at once. She looks nice in the photo but up close you can see previous repairs and the replacement tailgate means the car's four different colours. Perfect. wink

I'm sure the Panda 750 radiator would be fine for short usage on the track or strip but I need to be able to drive the car there and back as well so a little practicality is in order. I measured the recess between the front valance and fan. In theory I have 69cm wide, 30cm tall and up to 6cm deep to fill so I raided the shed and found the old Cinquecento radiator and expansion tank.



Fits with room to spare and...



...a couple of holes in the valance for to fit with the original brackets.



I tried a few places for the expansion tank and decided it would be best on the passenger side inner wing near the strut top.



Just need to make a couple of brackets up to mount it. smile

While I was in my shed I went through my collection of washer bottles and think this Triumph one mounted on the bulkhead above the steering rack will do nicely.



I'm looking at Fiat radiators because it's the one I had in my shed and because the terminals for the temperature sender should be the same.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

183 months

Monday 18th June 2012
quotequote all
I've cheated. Instead of making a template for the inlet manifold I've photocopied the old gasket. wink



Should be easier to work from.