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Panda (Classic) John Dragon Man's Seat Marbella Fun

Introduction

Well guys and girls. i could not help my self when i saw this come in to our local scrap yard.

1994 Marbella with 20,079 miles on the clock. looks like it has not gone around the clock as the interior and parts of the engine and gearbox still look like new.

heres some pictures of how i came to it at the scrap yard:


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here you can see the melted wire:
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Stand by for some more pictures, and of course online video logs via Youtube!


bit of a story of how i found the car:

A few days ago (on the 23rd) me and a friend, went around another friends house. i parked up and used his (the friend we went around to see's) car to go down to the scrap yard (he is not far from it).
we had a good walk around and my friend found some more sound proofing for Talon (as he is very good at this) and some other odd bits (which i was told i could have for free - best scrap yard ever!).
on leaving the scrap yard a lorry came down the driveway looking for a way through to a business place. we told the lorry driver to follow us to where he needed to go as my friend knew the way to it.

on the way we passed a place i use to work at. as we went past the friend i brought with me noticed a seat marbella parked up in one of the car park bays. i didn't see much of it and only the back of the car, but noted the unusual reg number.
anyway. a day or so later (on the 26th) the same friend who spotted the car went to the same scrap yard we visited on the 23rd to get some bits for his car, and what car just so happens to be sat in the row of cars ready to have all of there vital fluids / environmental hazards removed? the little seat marbella. so he gets on the phone and rings me up.

I then ring up the scrap yard and ask them to hold the car and not to put it through the scrapping process as i would like to know if they would sell it.
they told me that it came in late on the 24th and i was lucky to catch it just in time. they gave me a price of £350 which was quite a bit for me so i was not really that bothered. my friend told me it was in good condition with no rust.
so i was just going to go down after they processed it for scrap as i wanted the rust free doors off it. (i know Sisley owners and Marbella doors.. :rolleyes:)

anyway. this morning (27th) i got a phone call from the scrap yard.
"you were interested in the marbella? i've stuck it to one side for you if you want to come down and have a look at it..."

well i could not resist.. even if it was just to see how good them doors were.. (ohhh those marbella doors..:yum::p:p). i drove right up to the gates and parked up. walked in and was greeted by this happy.. yet sad looking little red marbella.

well i looked around it found i could not get the bonnet open, would not pop up when i tried to open it. i did in the end get it open and soon spotted the "causes of death fault".
a really melted wire leading from the alternator that should of been connected to the starter motor, it somehow worked free and arced to the engine block causing the alternator to lock up and burn the diode bridge out. it also had short run issues like quite a bit of water logged oil in the oil filler (these engines get that, its normal), a smashed front headlight, on the inside the drivers side seat belt has been worn by something causing it to fray, and it is also missing a wing mirror.

inside the car was a notice saying that the car will not start and it was to be towed for scrap at 13:00 on the 24/04/13. i also found some paperwork with the previous owners name and address. (i was later able to track down the previous owner using this and retrieve the super rare parcel shelf! :D)

well despite the niggles that it had.. i just could not help myself... the car was rust free, solid as the first day it was put together.
so i end up talking to the guy on the weigh bridge and he said that i could take it for £325... delivered to my home address.:slayer:

and so, i now own a 1994 Seat Marbella "Fun" :D

it just so happens that my brother is taking driving lessons and i think that it would make the perfect car to welcome him into the life of driving a car.
keep this hush hush.. he does not know yet that this will be his car. ;)

Edits:
As of 17/08/2013 the car is now back on the road after its scrap yard rescue!!! High Five!
soon after the car was put in my brothers name as it made the insurance go down a lot.

Edit: This is a photo of the marbella when my brother sold it:
thats great! is it GL-3 spec though?

On the back it states the following:

EXCEEDS SERVICE LEVEL GL5, API MT-1, API GL5, MIL-PRF-2105E, MACK G0-J, PG-2 LIMITED SLIP.

Sounds like it's reasonably good grade to me and according to here, is a universal choice of gear oil:

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_oil[/ame]

I'm happy at least :D

Si
 
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Damn it, didn't notice that in the advert. I hope it's not hypoid stuff I've put in. Didn't see it written anywhere on the bottle but will have to check tomorrow now.

Hopefully they do a hypoid and non hypoid version of this Lucas stuff :eek:

If not I had better do a quick oil change at some point!
 
hmm ok, so i will just treat it as a panda gear box and use the good ole SAE 80w90 GL-3 (aka ZC90) gearbox oil. right. glad that is cleared up!

Today:

i have found out that red hammerite is the exact same colour match as the paint on the marbella.

i have sorted the vandalised fuel filler pipe, that includes sanding down all the rust that occurred when the A'holes tried to pinch fuel from its tank. (as you rember from my last video, me showing the damage where some one tried to prize the fuel filler off with a screw driver.)

undersealed the whole rear drivers side inner wheel arch, yes even the filler pipe as the galvanized finish was starting to fail.

fully striped down the rest of the inside of the car, and dash to clean it all. now it is half way back together and dash replaced.

both headlights changed for panda headlights so they match, and all wired in.

and checked gearbox oil level... its low. unsure how low.

here.. have some pictures.. go on take a few..







































ok that was a fair few photos.. well being as i am on a roll.. have a video too!

 
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hmm ok, so i will just treat it as a panda gear box and use the good ole SAE 80w90 GL-3 (aka ZC90) gearbox oil. right. glad that is cleared up!

Today:

i have found out that red hammerite is the exact same colour match as the paint on the marbella.

i have sorted the vandalised fuel filler pipe, that includes sanding down all the rust that occurred when the A'holes tried to pinch fuel from its tank. (as you rember from my last video, me showing the damage where some one tried to prize the fuel filler off with a screw driver.)

undersealed the whole rear drivers side inner wheel arch, yes even the filler pipe as the galvanized finish was starting to fail.

fully striped down the rest of the inside of the car, and dash to clean it all. now it is half way back together and dash replaced.

both headlights changed for panda headlights so they match, and all wired in.

and checked gearbox oil level... its low. unsure how low.

here.. have some pictures.. go on take a few..







































ok that was a fair few photos.. well being as i am on a roll.. have a video too!

Seat Marbella rust fixing, dash cleaning and head light fitting - YouTube

Great work so far John! Would it be possible to change the bonnet and the grille to those of a mk1 or mk2 panda and they would fit properly or are there more structural differences? Same with the tail lights? Im guessing that's not your plan im just wondering if its technically possible.
 
I think you are right so it is no good, just the same as any other EP80w90 you can get from any motor factors(n)

My last post on this, I promise! I believe that even GL3 has some ep additives but not the type that eat yellow metals. GL 1 is completely non ep. GL5 (i.e. yours Si, will be packed with them).

I was assured by someone in the business that the Millers GL4 SAE 80 90 would be OK so I bought some but I'm not entirely convinced. I haven't opened it to smell for sulphur yet.
 
Great work so far John! Would it be possible to change the bonnet and the grille to those of a mk1 or mk2 panda and they would fit properly or are there more structural differences? Same with the tail lights? Im guessing that's not your plan im just wondering if its technically possible.

Aw, it's a Marbella, don't give it an identity crisis!
 
Im not saying its a good idea clack :ROFLMAO: Just curious as to whether its possible :)


I certainly hope so as this is the way I'm going with my Terra. It's definately not staying original in many areas so this mod won't matter. In the case of John's Brother's car I agree with John that it should be kept original given its condition.
 
I certainly hope so as this is the way I'm going with my Terra. It's definately not staying original in many areas so this mod won't matter. In the case of John's Brother's car I agree with John that it should be kept original given its condition.

Me too, god knows I love my originality!! :) just wondering how much was actually changed between the mk1 panda and the marbella structurally is all :)
 
you may have to make up a few brackets to fit the grill, but the headlights and bonnet will be a complete swap to that of a panda. even the heater matrix/cabin fan box.

i can tell you that marbella headlights are a lot better than a pandas :/

not much work today i think... i am in town all day.
 
Ok well seeing as I have failed at the oil I will redeem myself by explaining panda mk1 and marbella differences :p

The entire front can be made to look panda pretty easily as the bumper mounts in the same place and so do the headlights. Panda bonnet will fit no problem but because it has a different windscreen scuttle there will be a larger gap at the windscreen to bonnet interface. The marbella has a nice bonnet actually that goes right up to the windscreen (almost like one of these modern type cars one see's driving around :p). The panda grille though will need those top tabs welded on as the marbella grille slots into the front panel directly.

The side panels hide all the lovely ribbing pattern and are reasonably easy to remove but unfortunately leave a tonne of fixing holes which would need some kind fibreglassing / welding up.

The mk1 rear bumper fits fine as well but your tail lights are wider and so fitting the mk1 tail lights will leave a gap into the rear wing quarter. You cannot fit a mk1 tailgate to a marbella unfortunately as the hole is smaller for to accomodate the wider tail lights. You would have to cut this section out and weldin in panda tail light surrounding bodywork in order to get a panda boot to fit.

Other than that the car is the same :p

In fact I bought mine with the intention of building a mk1 replica which I think I have gotten as far as I can now (without doing some of those more major things mentioned above!).

No more side panels and panda mk1 bumper really suits it I think (with some custom mods to accomodate the wide wheels :devil:):
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linky to the latest pics

I am still debating whether I want to go fully mk1 with her, but I think there is a good case for leaving the car as it is now. The headlights are much better as has already been mentioned, (and more aerodynamic of course :p). I would like to add the mk1 tail lights and boot mainly for a weight thing (the marbella has a much deeper and so therefore heavier boot) which I am thinking more from a performance side than looks. I love the smaller mk1 tail lights of course though :rolleyes:
The front bumper though is deep enough for me to hide the intercooler behind without anyone knowing too much so mk1 bumper will be a difficult one to fit for mine. Perhaps with spacers but then it would look all a little weird.

That is all :devil:
 
I'm presuming this as I've never looked closely at a Marbella but there will be two nuts on the shock absorber shaft, one will hold the top mount as with a Panda, then ontop of that there will be a plate and the second nut that will clamp it to the strut tower.

So if I have understood the theory right there is just one nut holding the strut at the top to the bodywork. Must have happened later in the Marbellas life as Si's has 2 studs like a Panda. Seat must have looked at it and thought how can we make this simpler and even cheaper to make. The skinflints :p
 
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