Sublime Pandamonium II
Discussion
Okay a quick once offer with a mixture of washing up liquid and soda crystals...
...two Speedlines and three squigles.
A nice chunk missing out of one rim...
...and a bit of straightening around the weight of another...
...apart from that they're all fairly decent. Trying to decide between a wire brush and paint stripper or sand/media blasting.
...two Speedlines and three squigles.
A nice chunk missing out of one rim...
...and a bit of straightening around the weight of another...
...apart from that they're all fairly decent. Trying to decide between a wire brush and paint stripper or sand/media blasting.
So because I've been spending time and money on my Alfa my Fantasia decided to put her parts on. The starter solenoid became intermittent and eventually stopped. Just in time for me to need to get a vital part for the Alfa an hour before the M.O.T was due. 
Nothing unusual for Pandas as the starter motor is mounted directly under the heater matrix and sometimes condensation drops on to it. You need to keep the starter motors shaft clean and well lubricated.
I've used wet and dry lubes in the past, copperslip and grease attract dirt and dry up causing problems later. The best stuff I've found is some domestic chain lube. Nice and wet to slip into the cog and spindle then drys to a fluid consistency ideal for keeping things in motion.
Sadly this didn't solve the problem this time around. I opened the cap cover to find...
...one of the terminals had dried and snapped off inside.
I needed to fit my Punto starter motor from Guff II (don't worry it's a spare one). The problem is...
...the Punto motor has a round terminal for the relay live.
I don't want to damage the Panda loom as I will be retrofitting the original motor once it has been reconditioned.
D.I.Y adapter cable.
While I had the bonnet up I refitted the new coil, replaced the condenser with the new one I bought ages ago and checked the plug gaps. All is well in the world and the phantom flat spot is almost eradicated.
Nothing unusual for Pandas as the starter motor is mounted directly under the heater matrix and sometimes condensation drops on to it. You need to keep the starter motors shaft clean and well lubricated.
I've used wet and dry lubes in the past, copperslip and grease attract dirt and dry up causing problems later. The best stuff I've found is some domestic chain lube. Nice and wet to slip into the cog and spindle then drys to a fluid consistency ideal for keeping things in motion.
Sadly this didn't solve the problem this time around. I opened the cap cover to find...
...one of the terminals had dried and snapped off inside.
I needed to fit my Punto starter motor from Guff II (don't worry it's a spare one). The problem is...
...the Punto motor has a round terminal for the relay live.
I don't want to damage the Panda loom as I will be retrofitting the original motor once it has been reconditioned.
D.I.Y adapter cable.
While I had the bonnet up I refitted the new coil, replaced the condenser with the new one I bought ages ago and checked the plug gaps. All is well in the world and the phantom flat spot is almost eradicated.
FrankenFiat II
This one is kind of pre-built but for the price of a cam' and clutch £120 I've got practically a turnkey unit.
So what we have here is a Punto 60 1242cc engine...
...866 Punto 75 cam' and black box distributor (that may yet find it's way into a skip)...
...nearly new clutch...
...and a Golf Driver 1.6 carb' 36 instead of 32.
I'll give the bike carb's a go at some point but the Golf carb's have been balanced to the engine and used a standard Panda/Uno airbox.
I'm thinking of fitting this engine to my Fantasia so I can strip clean, and rebuild the original 999cc FIRE engine as part of the cars restoration plan. I am still undecided as to use FrankenFiat II in Guff II as it's pre-built and technically cheating (the car could be up and running in a few hours if I do use it and I have until September 9th now).
This one is kind of pre-built but for the price of a cam' and clutch £120 I've got practically a turnkey unit.
So what we have here is a Punto 60 1242cc engine...
...866 Punto 75 cam' and black box distributor (that may yet find it's way into a skip)...
...nearly new clutch...
...and a Golf Driver 1.6 carb' 36 instead of 32.
I'll give the bike carb's a go at some point but the Golf carb's have been balanced to the engine and used a standard Panda/Uno airbox.
I'm thinking of fitting this engine to my Fantasia so I can strip clean, and rebuild the original 999cc FIRE engine as part of the cars restoration plan. I am still undecided as to use FrankenFiat II in Guff II as it's pre-built and technically cheating (the car could be up and running in a few hours if I do use it and I have until September 9th now).
There have been a few horror stories floating around the forums about cars being stopped for having tyres sticking out of their wheel arches. These stories vary from a verbal warning to a £100 fine and up to six points. Construction and use regulations being spouted about like Jehovah Witnesses when you mention the word Darwinism.
Now the rear of Guff II isn't an issue but the front...
...is borderline (thumbsnap has crashed again so the rest will be booked on my face).
This could be compensated for by the weight of the engine when installed but I don't want to either take that chance or have to stick stupid "J-Tuner" arches on the car.
So I go the other spare hub mount...
...cut a section out of it...
...found an off cut of roll cage tube...
...cut that in half length ways...
...welded it in place...
...even though I had good penetration I welded up inside as well...
...flap the outside nice and clean and cut the excess from the top...
...I then welded a small plate in place to tidy the bottom of the pipe...
...and all that's left to do is borrow my mates pillar drill to make the new holes.
It'll either work brilliantly or not at all. Either way it's cost me an hour and a couple of bits of scrap.
Now the rear of Guff II isn't an issue but the front...
...is borderline (thumbsnap has crashed again so the rest will be booked on my face).
This could be compensated for by the weight of the engine when installed but I don't want to either take that chance or have to stick stupid "J-Tuner" arches on the car.
So I go the other spare hub mount...
...cut a section out of it...
...found an off cut of roll cage tube...
...cut that in half length ways...
...welded it in place...
...even though I had good penetration I welded up inside as well...
...flap the outside nice and clean and cut the excess from the top...
...I then welded a small plate in place to tidy the bottom of the pipe...
...and all that's left to do is borrow my mates pillar drill to make the new holes.
It'll either work brilliantly or not at all. Either way it's cost me an hour and a couple of bits of scrap.
Liquid Knight said:
It'll either work brilliantly or not at all. Either way it's cost me an hour and a couple of bits of scrap.
I had neglected to check a very important thing. 
The bottom of the shock is square not round.
So it doesn't work. At least I have some modern art for the next exhibition.
So why way I taking the Fantasia hub apart?
The CV joint was hemorrhaging grease. The metal clip was as tight as humanly possible but bloody useless so it's now in the bin and replaced with an industrial cable tie.
Back on the camber issue...
...with the lower bolt in place and the hub mount pushed as far back as possible (to the brake line holder) there's almost a whole hole's worth of adjustment.
With the bolt in place we can see there's a good five or six millimeters to play with. That would be enough to move the Guff tyres back under the arch and require nowhere near the amount of fabrication.
I'm sorry, I think I've completely lost track of what is going on.
So you have an Alfa, the Fantasia and Guff.
Alfa is your daily driver.
Fantasia is a restoration? What is actually wrong with it?
Guff is a race/rally car - for what exactly? When?
I need a synopsis like you get at the start of every episode of a drama serial
So you have an Alfa, the Fantasia and Guff.
Alfa is your daily driver.
Fantasia is a restoration? What is actually wrong with it?
Guff is a race/rally car - for what exactly? When?
I need a synopsis like you get at the start of every episode of a drama serial
moribund said:
I'm sorry, I think I've completely lost track of what is going on.
So you have an Alfa, the Fantasia and Guff.
Alfa is your daily driver.
Fantasia is a restoration? What is actually wrong with it?
Guff is a race/rally car - for what exactly? When?
I need a synopsis like you get at the start of every episode of a drama serial
My Fantasia is my daily (when I don't cycle) drive. I bought the Alfa because Guff II (the other Panda) wasn't going to be ready in time for the PPC £999 Challenge that was supposed to be happening tomorrow at Santa Pod but has been canceled. The Alfa took a lot more than predicted to get through the M.O.T so she's now sold to an enthusiast who will be picking the car up Monday (hopefully) and I can recoup some of the money spent on her. I would like to keep the Alfa, take the Fantasia off the road to fully restore but life has an annoying habit of getting in the way of such things. So you have an Alfa, the Fantasia and Guff.
Alfa is your daily driver.
Fantasia is a restoration? What is actually wrong with it?
Guff is a race/rally car - for what exactly? When?
I need a synopsis like you get at the start of every episode of a drama serial
For restoration the Fantasia needs new sills, new rear 3/4 panels, drivers side wing, inner wings, front valance, new roof and a complete respray in the original green. There have been repairs in the past that have left the car three different colours. I could take the engine out, strip and rebuilt it but I'm waiting for new crank bearings.
There's nothing wrong with the car but being the last green Panda Fantasia left in the UK (making the car rarer than any Maserati or Ferrari) I'd like to give the car the attention she deserves.
Guff II will (hopefully) be finished for a non-official £999 event in September.
Once the Alfa is collected I'm off to look at another Panda.
It could also fold down to act as a windscreen shield in case I have to drive through Peterborough. We get a lot of lampers and Hare coursers round here so a nimble little 4x4 with a gun turret would be ideal. Any dog running loose on farmland is subject to the dangerous dogs act and can legally be shot on site provided they pose a danger to either the public or livestock.
The Panda has a significant load space in case I miss the dogs and hit the owners by mistake.
The Panda has a significant load space in case I miss the dogs and hit the owners by mistake.
Liquid Knight said:
I had neglected to check a very important thing.
Surely this was doomed to failure as a concept if you were hoping to reduce the track? Making extra space would only have allowed you to change the camber (which you could probably do just by slotting the existing holes and welding washers over the ends).Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff