General How effective is the demister?

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General How effective is the demister?

Doppietta

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Hello!

My experience with air-cooled engines in on vehicles without roofs or windshields, so I'm curious how effective the windshield demister is when everything is working as intended.
 
The 'de-mister' facility on the 500 is remarkably good. As long as both 'under-dash' vents are "shut", and therefore routing all the hot air up to the screen, I have found that the screen clears quite quickly. Enough heat comes through from the engine that you will be nice and snug in a 500---I have found that I often have to limit the hot-air flow with the control behind the seats. I have never heard Peter complaining of having a cold car, and look where he regularly drives!
 
I'm glad to hear that! I'm used to hearing people with old Beetles complain about how useless the heat is. I can bundle up in the winter, but I care about being able to see the road.

Thanks!
 
Air cooled cars give some warm air almost instantly, a they do not need to heat up lots of coolant. With a rear engined car of course, some heat is lost in the trunking to bring the air forward, the 500 has a shorter distance to travel than the Beetle. The Beetle carried its heating air in tubes inside its sills. These tend to rot with age, allowing a lot of the air to escape, and of course, more heat loss. A Beetle, or VW van, can give a lot of good hot air when in proper condition.

A problem for later is when the heat exchangers start to rot. Any escaping exhaust gas is then directed into the cabin, not good, so one's nose needs to be on alert at all times.

My first car was a DAF44, an aircooled front mounted flat twin. It would defrost its windscreen as quick as the heated screens today.
 
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Welcome to the Forum "Doppietta"---Correct me if I am wrong, but i think that you are our first member from Japan. Have you got a Cinquecento? If so, what sort?
 
Welcome to the Forum "Doppietta"---Correct me if I am wrong, but i think that you are our first member from Japan. Have you got a Cinquecento? If so, what sort?

Seconded. Welcome! There seems to be a small, but robust Japanese Cinquino contingent on Instagram, but you're the first I've seen on the forum.
 
Thanks! I'm excited to be here.

I registered so I can educate myself as I assess the feasibility of a '66 RHD 500F that's for sale near me. The same shop has a LHD giardiniera, which is way out of my price range!

The 500F has been sitting indoors for ten years and while the body seems solid, I haven't gotten all the way under it (I reached under with my phone to snap some photos, which were encouraging) and they haven't run the engine.

I'm figuring out how much parts (and shipping!) are going to cost me and trying to get more info in general.
 
Being that you are in Japan, a RHD car might be the more sensible (but maybe not quite as 'cool') Parts are very accessible from a number of suppliers in Europe. If you contact me direct ([email protected]) I am very happy to give you a list of the main suppliers.
This Forum is just about the friendliest of them all, with everybody happy to help.
Although Abarth is the most widely known of the 500s tuners, Giannini (another Italian company) was a very good and respected tuner. Abarth ended as a separate comany in 1971, but Giannini was still tuning the 500s when the '126' came on the market, so utilised 126 components where possible. In May 19993, Giannini was supplying small batches of '590 Corsa' replicas to the Japanese market.
Where about in Japan are you?
 
I've driven mine in near 0c temps and i have to close the heat vent a bit to stay comfortable or i get too hot. Its not a big interior so it doesn't take long at all to get warm inside. Of course air leaks in from all over but it's not that big a deal.
 
Being that you are in Japan, a RHD car might be the more sensible (but maybe not quite as 'cool') Parts are very accessible from a number of suppliers in Europe. If you contact me direct ([email protected]) I am very happy to give you a list of the main suppliers.

Where about in Japan are you?

I'd absolutely prefer RHD here. The fact that the giardiniera's LHD makes it marginally less frustrating that it's impossibly out of reach.

I'm on the east coast, a hair north of Tokyo. We never get snow and they never salt the roads.

Unfortunately, kei cars (the cheapest class of vehicle to register here) were limited to 360 cc until 1976, so the 500 is too big to be registered as such, even though the external dimensions are within the requirements. Looking at the title, I see it is legally considered a five-seater, which I have to assume is just because it's not a kei. Keis have always been limited to four seats.
 
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