1972 Fastback

[Panda Matt]

I bought my car on 21st August 2002. I was moving to the Isle of Wight to live with my girlfriend who had a job here, and had decided to keep it.

I needed something running, and big enough to move house in (my brother had inherited my last Panda, and the bug was in pieces).

I was really after an air-cooled van, but fancied a squareback type-3, but ended up with this instead, as it was the best I could afford at the time.


Went to essex, stayed in Romford with a couple of friends. I hate that Lahndan, but had arranged to see a few cars in one go to minimise the disruption.

Bought this one as the best of the bunch. Named 'Gina' by the previous owners. Went to B&Q to stock up on electrical tape and striped it in the carpark before driving ~240 miles home to Bolton:


Car ran like a dream other than a scary petrol leak on to the exhaust which I noticed back in Romford...

Drove it round like this for a while, then had some fuel system gremlins. Sorted them, then failed the MOT. Nearly bodged it for just another year but bit the bullet and decided to get it sorted properly:

Was much worse on the passenger side for some reason:










etc...

Decided to get it sorted by a local firm specialising in "classic german car restoration". IVS. They had helped out with some of the fuelling problems, seemed friendly and efficient and had been recommended by a VW and Porsche owning loose aquaintance.

Car went in March 2004...

[Panda Matt]

...I had said I was in no desperate rush (as I was struggling to afford it!). Took out a loan to pay the 70% deposit required, and work commenced at a gradual pace.

I stripped the car there in a couple of weekends, and then the work started proper:
Chassis:

Body:






In the process, extra problems = extra money had been found, which I paid out for...

Got a set of replacement doors and fibreglass wings:

(Late Nov 2004)

Shell painted Jan 05:

[Panda Matt]

2005 passed slowly, and then, around August time, I was told all was well and that the car was ready. Oh, and that more stuff had had to be done to get it through the MOT(!?!??!), and I owed another hefty wodge of cash. This is where the good people of R-R helped out and suggested things which helped bring the bill down.

Trading Standards told me off the record that I was not the only person that had an issue with this particular company.

<edit> Found the old thread on Retro-Rides</edit>

As I was saying, picked it up, went off to work, got about 10 miles and then a lot of smoke from the engine. I was not a happy bunny.

I think in retrospect that it was an excess of oil in the engine spat out over the exhaust. The brakes were very dodgy (were fine back in 2004!) and I had a flat tyre...

After much to-ing, froing and other problems (paint finish, missing parts, etc etc...) I actually got my car back in June 2006.




It's not perfect, needs an interior, needs the leaks stopping, needs lowering! and a few bits and pieces, but I've had a lot of fun driving it now I've got over the feeling of being ripped off.

Since those photos:
New tyres (from the very helpful and well priced blackcircles) on wheels I got for much cheapness by accident from a friendly guy in Stockport.

New discs, pads, front calipers - intended for CaRS, but master cylinder went - replaced that. (Thanks to T3D for helpful advice and quick response, shame about City Link. Then handbrake cable went before MOT, so did that, bought drums and shoes just in case - didnt need them!

Sorted out the heaters, got some halogen bulbs, a few bits of tidying around and about, now looks a little something like this:

[Panda Matt]

Future plans (need to put this on to help kick myself into doing them):

• Rear seatbelts - friends get worried at the lack of safety features and would be happier to go in the car more frequently with them
• Gentle (1 spline) lowering to the front - can't whack it too hard with the stick due to road conditions
• Find a garage/workshop to use to get out of the weather. May have something for next year, but it's at least 6 months away at present...
• New window seals all round, combined with some polycarb windows
• Look into polyurethane bushes, and sort out some new shocks.
• Collect all the little bits and pieces that have been lost - seals, knobs, etc etc... and get them stick on!
• Oil temp/oil pressure gauges. Rev counter would be nice
  [s]
• Quickshift kit - original gear lever, but the clever little metal bit that reduces the throw . Done 20/01/07
• chrome/polish wheel nuts. May need the wheels to be slightly darker grey for the full effect...
• Strip and clean down floor in preperation of... Done 08/04/07
• Fit carpet (bought already - from Spirit of the 50's (website seems to be down at the moment)). Get seats recovered - maybe new seats? Get vinyl for sides
• Get manifold made to fit supertrapp muffler and fit!

Fingers crossed for the R-R show next year (yeah right...)

Matt

[Panda Matt]

So the other weekend, I took out the seats:


Stripped the floor:



Found a nasty looking hole (and lots of smaller ones):


Coat of black 10yr old Hammerite:

Followed a couple of hours later with a coat of poo-brown special offer Hammerite:



Now only smells a little bit of paint still - going to get that hole sorted (anyone got any decent type 3 part floorpans they don't want) and will attempt carpet fitting next weekend!

For anyone interested, the floor stripping was nervewracking at first when I saw the amount of crud being removed - but the wire brush on the drill is great - just attacks the rusty bits. The 7 or 8 or so smaller holes have been filled with mastic (roof seal stuff in an adhesive tube, about £3.50 at B&Q, probably much cheaper elsewhere) - I just squeezed a load over the hole, then used a spatula to even it out. The bigger holes around the seat base have now been welded!

also rerouted some of the wiring whilst all the seats were out - and put the battery in properly. It's amazing how much better the car looks with the floor all being one (non-rusty) colour.

Matt

[Danny Lord]

Looking good Matt, kinda looks like a JEANS bug (but a Type 3 version!!) any plans to do the seats in Denim?

Danny.