Turbo Build Ep. 1: What's needed to turbo a Fiat Panda 100HP

[@Dave5843-d9m]

I have fitted a 1.2 Fiat 500 back axle to a lesser spec Panda. The anti roll bar and softer springs significantly improve ride and handling. The harsh riding 100HP improves with 1.2 Fiat 500 springs but there is not enough space for the wider axle (wider wheels).

[@beniebe6220]

Where is the 500axle wider, only at the wheels or also where is is connected to the bottom of the car?

[@Dave5843-d9m]

The 500 axle has an integral anti roll bar and is wider at the wheel spindle mounts. Everything else including chassis brackets is the same as 169 Panda. A simple swap will not work on 100HP because the wider wheels plus wider axle are too much for the wheel arch space.

[@eduardobenito7043]

This looks great! Looking forward to this next set of videos.

[@christophwohlfarth5395]

Thanks for the informations. Tjet Swap ist still in my list. Iam not shure if its easier to buy a crashed 500A. Wait for Part 2

[@Pandamime]

If you can get a crashed a500 for cheap hell yeah that's better. Whatever you don't use you can sell. You can use the seats, rear axle to make the back wheels wider, the brake calipers and anything else. So many things you can use with a crashed a500.

[@chrispietersen804]

Would love to see you carry out all of these mods! :)

[@Pandamime]

Just working on the next video! Hoping to get it out in the next few days. Annoyingly the video quality isn't the greatest and I couldn't record some stuff due to where I live. Hopefully I will be able to explain a lot of the stuff properly!

[@chrispietersen804]

Pandamime I'm doing the exact same conversion, I managed to acquire an entire Abarth 500, wrecked at the rear so will be planting everything from the abarth into the Panda.

[@guoda852]

I want to super duper turbo charge a Panda too.

[@catherineemelyanova5250]

Mak is on the attack

[@Pandamime]

Like a baus!

[@Shamap37]

Hi, Great job! I have a kind of related question; do you know how many can bus networks are in fiat panda? What are their structure? I didnt managed to find any good information about it....

[@Pandamime]

Generally there is CAN A/B/C where C is the high speed can bus where the ECU communicates with say the ABS node. The B line is a little slower but that's where the communication occurs between the instrument cluster or the radio. Finally C can is for anything else. Basically C is the highest priority messages and and A are the lowest. There is an eLearn for the Fiat Panda available if you go to the Fiat forums.com website which will have all the details about the Fiat Panda

[@Shamap37]

@@Pandamime thanks!

[@Pandamime]

No problem :)

[@jochem1986]

Can I run an Abarth clutch with the original Panda flywheel and still use the 6-speed Panda box?

[@Pandamime]

I would imagine no

[@jochem1986]

@@Pandamime Thank you for the quick response. What would you suggest for a clutch and flywheel combination in order to retain the Panda 6 speed but handle the torque?

[@Pandamime]

Plenty of people have used the basic LUK clutches. Just make sure you bed the clutch correctly. Slamming the gas on a freshly installed clutch will be a bad time

[@jochem1986]

@@Pandamimethat’s awesome! I’ll go for that option! Thanks!

[@jochem1986]

@@Pandamime I have ordered the clutch kit from Protoxide. Should hold quite a lot of torque.

[@antonioserra3261]

I found a fiat 124 abarth engine (1.4 turbo multiair)... do you think it will be the same to put it into the panda's engine bay or it won't fit??

[@Pandamime]

I'd be worried about engine mounting. There is a video of a guy that compares the abarth 500 and an abarth 124 blocks and there are some areas that are different. Having said that, the multiair engines on the a500 or a124 are the same specs as far as I am aware. Personally I'd suggest to stick with either a500, TJet bravo (preferably the 150bhp variant) or a punto TJet. They are wider available and cheaper.

[@antonioserra3261]

@@Pandamime thanks for the informations... i am italian so it should be pretty easy to find anyone of the engines we are talking about. 😉

[@jsn9483]

How much power can the stock gearbox withstand?

[@Pandamime]

No real answer to that. No one's destroyed the standard box but there have been plenty of pandas around the 170/180 hp mark handling the power no problem

[@jsn9483]

@@Pandamime I see. Hoping to do my swap soon

[@jsn9483]

@@Pandamime does the engine come with the turbo

[@Pandamime]

Like if you can manage to get the engine with the turbo from a donor car that's a plus

[@icsunonova]

first i thougt the tjet doesnt have a retuun line either? and cant u just rn the cable from the body to the ecu?

[@Pandamime]

TJet has a return line so you will also need the abarth fuel pump which has the i/o for the fuel. You do use the body to ECU wiring but you have to alter it a bit. You need the ECU plug changed to the ECU you will be using and introduce wires for the turbo pressure sensor which are two wires.

[@icsunonova]

@@Pandamime can u explain that a bit more?or do a video about it? i only thought if u use the loom from the tjet engine to the ecu it will be enough? why it need wires from the body computer?

[@Pandamime]

The wires on the TJet are fine, no need to change that. The plug that is on the body engine loom that goes to the ECU is different because the ECUs are different. The TJet ECU is a Bosch ME7.9.10 whereas the Panda 169A3 ECU is a Bosch ME7.6.3 (I think that's the version). So what you need to do is replace the plug that goes to the ECU on the body loom. This will allow your ECU to communicate with the body computer through the CAN network, control the boost pressure sensor, the AC clutch and power the ECU (among other things).

[@icsunonova]

@@Pandamime but how does a non turbo body computer control boost?

[@icsunonova]

just askking cause i want to do a swap too

[@misterpigeon5059]

This guy talks for a whole 7 minutes without showing anything worth wasting time for.

[@Pandamime]

Hey John, apologies but what info are you looking for exactly?