endrop - for all your online needs
P1000133small.jpg
P1000133small.jpg

Panda (Classic) 1982 Panda 45

Overview Gallery Discussion

Introduction

I'm pretty sure most of the Panda section regulars will know this car, but I thought I would post a few photos of the latest edition to my fleet.

P10003703.JPG

P1000133small.jpg


It is a early 1982 Mk1 45, previously owned by forum member Cacciatore, and is possibly the second oldest Panda left in the UK. Unfortunately it has failed its MOT on a couple of bits of welding and a few other things, but I am very impressed at how solid it is especially for a 30 year old Fiat!

We picked it up last night and I was a bit worried it wasn't going to fit on our trailer! Luckily it did, just!
photo_25.JPG

photo_32.JPG


The plan is to do the MOT jobs over the winter once my Sisley is finished and then get it on the road in the spring and do a rolling restoration.
  • Like
Reactions: Palio, Pandarus, Most Easterly Pandas and 9 others
Click to expand...
Dragon Man said:
Mk1 i can say they are great >_<
Click to expand...

Mk1's are great, interiors are mad, sunlounger type seats, and the instrument cluster is just brilliant. And that one is a beautiful example! There is even less sound proofing than the mk2, so when you go a bit heavy on the pedals, it feels like you become part of the car :D
Only thing I am not too keen about is the spring leaf rear suspensions... I remember all the ones I drove made every corner feel like a touch and go experience, sometimes scary :D It made my car at the time (1975 a112 elegant) feel like a go kart.
The omega rear axle on the mk2 was a massive improvement on handling.
Anyway, congratulations, and good luck with restoration! (y)
 
Last edited:
Dragon Man said:
yeah, nice one man. after being in Palio's Mk1 i can say they are great >_<
Click to expand...

It is that Mk1 that made us go and look at this one.

leonsdada said:
Mk1's are great, interiors are mad, sunlounger type seats, and the instrument cluster is just brilliant. And that one is a beautiful example! There is even less sound proofing than the mk2, so when you go a bit heavy on the pedals, it feels like you become part of the car :D
Only thing I am not too keen about is the spring leaf rear suspensions... I remember all the ones I drove made every corner feel like a touch and go experience, sometimes scary :D It made my car at the time (1975 a112 elegant) feel like a go kart.
The omega rear axle on the mk2 was a massive improvement on handling.
Anyway, congratulations, and good luck with restoration! (y)
Click to expand...

I'm afraid the photos make it look better than it is, the body will need quite abit of work to bring it up to a good standard, due to previous repairs that have not been done particually well. The good thing is that the interior is perfect, which is probably the hardest thing to put right, the mechanicals are excellent and it is pretty solid underneath.
 
panda1408 said:
It is that Mk1 that made us go and look at this one.



I'm afraid the photos make it look better than it is, the body will need quite abit of work to bring it up to a good standard, due to previous repairs that have not been done particually well. The good thing is that the interior is perfect, which is probably the hardest thing to put right, the mechanicals are excellent and it is pretty solid underneath.
Click to expand...

That was my assessment from the detailed photos Norman sent me - quite a bit of work but well worth saving (y)

Couldn't quite tell what the underneath was like, but looked fairly rusty in places - hopefully just a wirebrush and underseal job - hope it goes well.
 
From what i can see with it on the ground, it is mostly surface rust apart from the two MOT failure points, infact it seems better than my Sisley was when I first got it. Hope to get it up on the ramp at work tomorrow to have a proper look around to see if there is anything I missed.
 
Well had it up in the air today and it is as good as I thought, found a couple of small holes in the front panel but hopefully nothing much. The drivers side sill all seems good as do the seams in the rear wheel arches which are just like new! I will be replacing the full passenger side sill as it needs a repair in the middle for the MOT and has a previously done patch at the back which is abit ugly looking. Luckily I have found a supplier that seems to have one in stock.

What also amazed me is that none of the suspension has any heavy surface corrosion on it, even the front disc stone guards are intact which I thought was unhead of! I am going to have to strip both sides of the suspension down anyway as one side needs a new driveshaft gaiter and the other a new balljoint so I will de rust and repaint everything when I do that. The entire underside will get the same treatment when the sill and front panel are sorted as there is a fair amount of surface rust and flaking underseal.

Just need to get cracking with my Sisley now so I can get started on this one:D
 
With progress on my Sisley stopped until there is space at work to finally paint it, I thought I might aswell get the Mk1 home and start doing the work for an MOT.

My CLX has been hibernating in our garage over the winter so last Sunday I did a swap with the Mk1 which has been in my Dads unit since I bought it. It hadn't ran for about 6 months but it started straight up with no issues:slayer:

So today the first thing to do was give it a wash and then take some photos as I know how everyone loves photos(y)



I then backed it in to the garage and got the front wheels off so I could remove the arch liners and front bumper to have a look at what needed to be done. Amazingly none of the bumper bolts were seized! The inner arches are remarkably good, just a few scabs that need abit of paint on them. The front panel is abit worse, someone has bodged it with filler in the past but it is not any worse than I was expecting.



Tomorrow I'm hoping I will get it up on our car display ramps so I can give it a good jetwash underneath before starting on the welding and suspension work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

New fiat user
  • Vehicle
Panda 2012+ Red panda
Replies
6
Views
206
Herts Hillhopper
Herts Hillhopper
N
  • Vehicle
Panda My New Panda project
Replies
0
Views
131
not moggie any more
N
K
  • Vehicle
Panda Panda Active
Replies
0
Views
146
Kernow 70
K
J
  • Vehicle
Panda 2012+ Panda 4x4 Twin Air
Replies
16
Views
393
The Panda Nut
The Panda Nut
J
  • Vehicle
Panda 4x4
Replies
2
Views
132
Johnspanda
J
Back
Top