Rough translation as follows:
Joint for mechanical engagement - Fiat Panda 4x4 for off-road use
This modification kit is dedicated to all those who used to have the old Panda and regret (the lack of) its traction system. In fact the current Panda 4x4 has grown noticeably in comfort and habitability, but it certainly has a transmission system less efficient than its predecessor. It's after listening to the opinions of hunters, foresters and simple fans that Studio Prometeo have designed this joint.
The function is very simple: a lever placed in the cabin (behind the hand brake) allows you to choose between two types of traction:
either 4x4, with the front and back axles rigidly connected, as in the old Panda and in many other specialized off-road vehicles;
or 4x2, traction solely on the front axle; useful to reduce consumption on surfaces with good traction.
The kit is composed of the joint and the lever: the joint is installed in place of the viscous joint and the lever is mounted in the cabin.
The lever is than covered with the standard tunnel, to which it's necessary to carry out a simple modification removing the mounting for the rear cup holder. A small hole of 10mm diameter needs to be drilled in the body of the vehicle to allow passage of the control cables between the cabin and the joint.
Other modifications are not necessary, in as much as the system uses holes and mountings already on the vehicle. So the mounting of the kit is totally reversible.
The engagement lever integrates perfectly between the front seats.
The PROMETEO joint was conceived for off-road use on the Panda 4x4.
The joint was particularly carefully designed, all the external components are in stainless steel and the casing is in aluminium. The flange connecting to the propeller shaft is phosphatized. These features eliminate the problems of corrosion typical of vehicles that run on difficult trails. The universal joints are made by a very good marque (SKF) not of Chinese production…
The joint is made from materials resistant to corrosion and ideal for the most heavy-duty off-road uses.
The operation on the vehicle for the mounting of the control cables is reduced to a minimum.
As we said, the mounting does not involve irreversible modifications to the vehicle. Although it's a simple operation we decided to entrust the installation of the joint only to professionals. Therefore, this product only can be bought from and installed by the authorised resellers.
Like all Prometeo Meccanica's technical products the joint is made in Italy and guaranteed for two years. However, we specify that incorrect use of the vehicle off-road or inappropriate use of the joint on surfaces with good traction can damage the transmission components. We guarantee our product, you promise to us to use the vehicle (but) not to abuse it outside reasonable limits.
The Prometeo Joint is awaiting homologation and for now can only be employed off-road. The Prometeo Joint can be installed exclusively on Panda 4x4s equipped with the standard viscous coupling, or those made up till June 2008.
