Panda
4x4 Pickup
By
Chris Thomas
I bought the Panda 4x4 in 2002 as a standard, MOTd car, after
it had had a new engine and gearbox, for 50 quid.
A couple of weeks later I chopped off the roof behind the doors and
stripped the interior (I sold it and made my money back on the car). The
loss of weight now means the car stands about 2 inches higher and the
back end can easily be lifted clear of the ground. The shell has been
strengthened (if that's what you'd call it) by adding a piece of 2x4
along the roof behind the doors and along the sides of the load bay. The
standard seats were junked in favour of a vinyl covered item from a
motorbike sidecar. The passenger makes do with sitting on a tool box.
The dashboard consists of a sheet of aluminium with a fusebox and choke
lever. The car also has sunroof just incase the supply of fresh air runs
out.
Its been given a custom respray as you can see in a fetching shade of
sandy tractor paint and fence stain. Its been sprayed underneath in
brown tractor paint but that hasn't stopped a 4" square hole
appearing in the passenger footwell, or both sills disintegrating.
I fitted it with 14" Ford steel wheels with studded autograss tyres
to make sure it will never get stuck - it went through mud up to the
sills on its old, bald road tyres before fitting the studded tyres so it
should be unstoppable now. The new choice of tyres also promote 4 wheel
wheelspin when approaching any form of solid surface. During the recent
snow, my father drove it down the road (we live in the country on a very
steep hill). Going down the road he was the only car about. On the way
back up the hill he overtook 2 stranded land rovers - best 4x4xfar - I
think not!
A custom bullbar and sumpguard have been fabricated from an old tent
frame, a fireguard and some old aluminium signs.
The car is being used instead of an old Fergie TE20 tractor on my
smallholding and is able to carry 300kg of paving slabs or tow a car on
a trailer. It sounds cruel but nothing is showing any sign of giving
way!
As you've probably guessed the car is by no means road legal, nor will
it ever be, but it does everything I ask of it and never fails. The next
plan is a winch and possibly a roll cage to stop it bending in the
middle as a result of the expanding-foam filled, dexian supported sills.
Click
here to go back to 'Cars'
|
