Ownership Verified: My Italian soft-top, rarer than a 599 GTO.

People still keep taking the piss, without even seeing it. (Which would make them laugh more.) You tell them you own a Panda and it's like Peter Kay just slipped on a banana.

Meh, let em, it comes with owning anything wacky and people tend to be idiots, I normaly hate anything Italian, small and underpowered, yet I like your panda it its awfullness.....something about those little absurd motorised soupcans has it's charm, the fact they are a constant source of amuzing 'how the hell did that happen?" stories helps to :p
 
Last edited:
They're H4 headlights, almost al of them suffer from terrible lighting quality. A relatively cheap fix is getting one of the higher output H4 lights, such as the Philips X-Treme Vision or Osram Night Breaker Plus, they're not expensive, and made a huge difference on my 190E, and a few of my friends' cars.

Most terrible headlights are of the H4 variety because it's cheap and easy to design around H4. Top priority in an econobox.

Not all H4 headlights are crap though. I've found a few with surprisingly good light output. All of them of the new clear plastic type.
 
It has this type in ATM.

410.jpg
 
I just remembered that, around 1990, some relatives of mine drove a Panda from Gaia, in northern Portugal, to Lucerne, Switzerland. 5000 km round trip, three people and luggage, no problems iirc. Of course, most Pandas were in a slightly better shape back then.

It must have taken them a few weeks? ;)

Meh, let em, it comes with owning anything wacky and people tend to be idiots, I normaly hate anything Italian, small and underpowered, yet I like your panda it its awfullness.....something about those little absurd motorised soupcans has it's charm, the fact they are a constant source of amuzing 'how the hell did that happen?" stories helps to :p


It's not awful, "Beneath this faded, ruined exterior, beats a heart of pure..." Gold. :jeremy:
He rattles, then the rattle stops and then a new rattle appears. Every journey is an event.



Not that suprising, but I haven't seen another classic Panda, come to think of it, I don't think i've seen one since about 1995. :lol:


EDIT: Horn disconnected and dim-dip resistor secured.
 
Last edited:
It has this type in ATM.

410.jpg

Oh... OH. That's the predecessor to the H4, called P45t. Not halogen, even. I didn't think there were any passenger cars newer than 1980 that used them.

There's an unofficial halogen version of the P45t. It's essentially an H4 with an adaptor ring welded to it. It isn't ECE approved for road use, but who's going to notice? I have no idea where to find them in the UK though, sorry. I'd try somewhere where they sell tractor parts or similar, maybe a well-stocked auto parts store. Lots and lots of 60's and 70's tractors are still in daily use and they often use P45t's. Vintage bikes do, too. Maybe some kind of bike shop?

10bJ0.jpg


edit: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RING-AUTO...ltDomain_3&hash=item4842932107#ht_1292wt_1165
 
Last edited:
I'd also measure the voltage on the back of the bulb connector when the car is running and the headlights are on, with the bulb plugged in like normal. If the voltage is lower than what you get over the battery terminals (again, with the car running) you have a voltage drop somewhere and that's not good for light output.

Rather than sorting out the old wiring I'd just run new wires straight from the battery, via relays, to the headlights. Use the car's original wiring to control the relays. I can draw you a simple diagram if you want. If you're new to auto electrics this is the perfect case (and perfect car) to start with. :)
 
Even my car, a 1972 design, uses H4 bulbs.
 
Even my car, a 1972 design, uses H4 bulbs.

My guess it that it was an optional extra back then, or even more likely than that, an upgrade by some previous owner. Halogen retrofits were hugely popular back in the 70s/early 80s.

Even the Kadett D didn't use H4 as standard. It was either an optional upgrade or something that was changed during the life of the car, but even the slightly better spec version with the square headlights didn't have H4 at first.
 
Even my car, a 1972 design, uses H4 bulbs.

You bloody aspirational Germans.

British Leyland used H4 by the early 70s too IIRC...

Are you sure Fiat didn't fit Pandas with oil lamps or candles? :p

But, Fiats from the 70's weren't made from tin. :p
It's a utilitarian car, candles are too expensive.


My guess it that it was an optional extra back then, or even more likely than that, an upgrade by some previous owner. Halogen retrofits were hugely popular back in the 70s/early 80s.

Even the Kadett D didn't use H4 as standard. It was either an optional upgrade or something that was changed during the life of the car, but even the slightly better spec version with the square headlights didn't have H4 at first.

Who needs headlights when the paint is immaculate and shiny?

.........


OK, TBH the side that shows even worse light than the other is the bulb type above, the good side i've no idea... didn't look.
Also... my battery light only appears at night. Regardless of if my lights are on or not. It's about half as bright as the handbrake light.

and finally, guy at work "I saw your new car.... :lol: does it turn into a supercar at night? I haven't seen a Panda in years." This from a guy who rides a bicycle.


Having a straight steering wheel is the bestest. :mrgreen:
 
My guess it that it was an optional extra back then, or even more likely than that, an upgrade by some previous owner. Halogen retrofits were hugely popular back in the 70s/early 80s.

Even the Kadett D didn't use H4 as standard. It was either an optional upgrade or something that was changed during the life of the car, but even the slightly better spec version with the square headlights didn't have H4 at first.
I got the workshop manual on my phone. Will look it up tomorrow and clarify ;)
 
My guess it that it was an optional extra back then, or even more likely than that, an upgrade by some previous owner. Halogen retrofits were hugely popular back in the 70s/early 80s.

Even the Kadett D didn't use H4 as standard. It was either an optional upgrade or something that was changed during the life of the car, but even the slightly better spec version with the square headlights didn't have H4 at first.
The workshop manual lists "H4/P43t" as "normal headlights" and "A12/P45t" as "halogen headlights" (p. N-52). No indication is given which came as standard with which trim level, but it looks like the reflectors were the same anyways, only the bulb holder had to be changed for a conversion.
 
My horn spring and ashtray have arrived... shes almost ready for concours.

.............

Fixed
Quick service oil/air/plugs.
Indicators
Steering wheel


Needs to be fixed
Steering center/horn spring


Need to order:
Rear sunroof clip.
2 elastic roof straps
Aerial
Cheap stereo
Headlight bulbs that work
Get key cut
Lockable fuel cap
Boot lock


Parts fitted
Ashtray... for a non-smoker. :mrgreen:
 
Last edited:
Hope you don't mind, I was bored and made a universal "how to bypass shitty headlight wiring" diagram. Applicable to any car that doesn't have computers yelling at you for broken bulbs. I like screwing around with simple wiring jobs like this and I'd do this in a heartbeat to any car where I found the headlights to be weak.

vKkbp.png
 
Last edited:
Hope you don't mind

Never. I meant to ask what headlight setup other Pandarers use.


....

Also this is the best/worst game ever.
Google Streetview, random Italian city. How fast can you find a classic Panda? If it takes more than 30 seconds, i'll be amazed. :cool:
 
Also this is the best/worst game ever.
Google Streetview, random Italian city. How fast can you find a classic Panda? If it takes more than 30 seconds, i'll be amazed. :cool:


You know, that's such a daft game it's brilliant. I'm clearly not very good though, because I got 58 seconds once and 1:27 in a small town. :lol:
 
You know, that's such a daft game it's brilliant. I'm clearly not very good though, because I got 58 seconds once and 1:27 in a small town. :lol:

I once found one in 5 seconds, turned around there was 2 more. :mrgreen:

Lots of mk1 and 3's... and the stupid Marbella. Haven't seen a mk2.
 
Top