Lancia Motor Club

When I first got my B20, I was surprised when a man I met said to me..'I remember one of them breaking down outside our garage back in the 60's, had a leg out of bed'
Anyway I searched high and low and managed to find it, it lay in a small garage at the rear of an old house in Dublin. I met the owner, who was a bit suspect at first, but when he saw my car, assumed I wasn't a gold digger, and let me see the car. A blue 3rd series, covered in dust and grime, with no engine. However there was an engine, wrapped in greasepaper, sitting on a pallet, in front of the car. I gave the car a quick look over, but at the time, was more interested in 'doing up' my own.
10 odd years later, and the mans son contacted me, wondering if I'd be interested in restoring the car, as the owner was getting on a bit, and he'd like to see his dad enjoy the car once more.
We picked up the car today, 2 owners, 27,000 miles and apart from a tatty interior and a slight bit of rust on the os doorskin, the car is in amazing condition. The paint has cracked (it was resprayed from its original white at some stage). The best part was the engine. When I mentioned the story about the conrod, the owner said 'Oh yes, thats true, luckily for me I managed to buy a NEW engine at the time, I still have the old one'
I'll post a few photos as soon as I can. The owner had attempted a restoration years ago, but it never happened. He'd removed a lot of bits from the car, but everything is there.
And no, its not for sale...

What a nice story, look forward to the pics. :)

Hello Kevin
Certainly a great story.How about sending it to Jack,together with some pics as Roger suggests,so everybody reading VL can enjoy it as well.
Kind Regards
Tim

Its the stuff of dreams - upto the point where there's a new engine in a crate which you'd never EVEN dream of...

David

First light of day...

And some more...

Kevin,
What a magnificent find, just like all your christmas's have come at once ;D

Best of Luck
although that seems to have arrived already ;D

Brian
8227 8)

A few more...I've since managed to locate the original owners son, he's going to try and find some photos of the car from way back. His father was a racer in the 40/50's and raced the cars to have of the day, C and D types, Ferraris etc. Obviously a man of taste if he chose an Aurelia as his daily driver.

...

Wow! I think you could also send pictures into Classic & Sportscar or similar - ideal for the lost and found section.

Superb!

Metalwork finished, ready for paint.

Do you have any pictures of that "new engine"? It would be interesting to see details, finishes, and which series motor it was.

Thanks,

Geoff

What colour are you going to paint it? You should really do it in the original beige, like Geoff's car.
Here's a pic of a 2nd series in beige.

After a bit of arm twisting, we convinced the owner to use the original colour. (He wanted it black). The idea is to refurbish as much as we can so as not to 'over restore' the car.
The engine is a 3rd series, I dont know how he managed this, but the old block which I have, has the same serial number as the new engine. Maybe it was something they did back.

You've got to love that. Do yo think both engines were stored 46 years ago? If so, they were having fun with those numbering stamps back then too!

My wife says that knowing the propensity of Lancisti to squirrel things away she isn't in the least surprised at the presence of a new engine!

Paint at last !!

Looks good in the original colour!

Well Kevin I never tought I'd see the day ! when I first saw the B20 in the garage I could not believe my eyes. After you told me to go check out two fulvia's in a garage and  Y10 then the owner shows me the B20 I was awe struck. I could see from his mood he would never part with the car. I got on well with him and had agood chat and managed to rescue the Y. The two Fulvia's are knackered!and only good for parts. My Daughter Natalie drove the Y for  two years and passed her driving test with it. Alas the fulvias are still there at least they are dry. I also rescued a sub frame fo a fulvia from under the bench and it's in it's way into my Fulvia I can tel you that was some find !

Another view with painted wheels and polished chrome bits attached. the aim is to get the car up and running for the annual Terenure Car show in Dublin, where, if I have anything to do with it, it will win Best Car of the Show.

Kevin,
Looks very good - should be a shoe in  ;D

I was hoping this post would be the one showing a photo of a rolling finished car wainting an engine refit and a few bits and bobs, but alas no...
The owner of the car, for reasons which baffle both myself and my friend who did the bodywork, has decided he does not want the car finished, and wants to arrange collection, and put it back where it lay for nearly a half century.
The body is finished, glass fitted, newly chromed grill, bumpers etc fitted, brand new wiring loom, interior refurbished, 4 new Michelin tyres, a new stainless exhaust. Engine not refitted.
I'm stunned  :'(

A shame - but these cars get under people's skin.

All the more reason to appreciate your own B20.

David

what a shame !! have you got any more photo's of it anyway that we could see as it was a rare sight to see such an origional car! maybe he's run out of money for the time being, this is the most common killer of project cars and so many cheap projects turn up for sale because the owner has simply run out of funds which is a real shame for them to sell after the work they have done or had done

The problem is not money, well it is, but not the lack of...I think he cannot understand the sheer amount of time and effort involved in getting his car up and running again. He sees the car as it is, and cannot really 'see' what work went into it. His son was the driving force behind the rebuild, but as he lives abroad we have not been in contact. I'm hoping he will intervene and at the very least, let us finish the project. After that, I'm not bothered, but I'd like to see the car driving again. My friend is annoyed at he runs a restoration buisness, and prides himself on his workmanship.

hi kevin, fully sympathise, this is why i got out of bodywork / restorations on a proffesional basis, most people dont realise how much work goes into a propper restoration or paint job, the body work is probably the most labour intensive part of any rebuild yet so under appriciated especially by those who dont really know what they are looking for, my friend and ex work colleage now owns his own body shop and i hear some people slate him for the prices he charges however in my eyes for the standard of work he produces he's way way way toooooooooooo cheap!!!! he qouted 3k to do the body work on my friend matty's appia, i wish i'd let him do it because i spent nearly a month solid on it , it looked like michael flatly and his team had used it as a stage especially the roof it was un believable and with hind sight 3k would have been a bargain! i hope the son does realise how much work has gone into the project so far and gives you the go ahead to finish it

The wiring loom was the final straw. The customer had no problem spending 3k on chrome plating (which I did not think was initially that important), but was annoyed at being quoted for 1800 Euro to remove, make and refit a new loom. We actually had the loom made, its colour coded, plus each wire in the engine bay is covered in black shrink wrap so as to look original. The sparks also managed to get the original voltage reg and flasher unit working. This also included a very nice wiring diagram for future referance.

Oh Dear !! ??? I hate that, never start questioning how much a restoration is costing ,if you do you'l slit your rists or have to sell a kidney. My Fulvia has cost €10,000.00 at this stage with a lot of the work done by Kevin and myself. I hope it gtts started again I was looking forward to seeing it finished.

There could be hope yet !!  The son has been in touch and talks are under way to see if we can come to some kind of compromise.
Oh, and by the way Dave, I'll be around to collect that kidney, I've a buyer... ;D

Well, a bit more news. The owner wants me to re-fit the engine. OK so far, but when I mentioned that regardless of how 'new' it is, to simply start a engine, especially one with white metal bearings, would be very risky without at the very least, removing the sump and bearing caps to have a good look...trouble is....he wont let me. he wants it fitted as is. To be honest I'm a bit terrified. Firstly, its not mine, and I could not accept resposibility for anything going wrong. Anyone have any ideas, suggestions...I'm considering washing my hands of the project, although I really would like to see the car up and running.

Does the dad or son know anyone else with an Aurelia - or something prewar?  If they had someone unconnected with anyone doing the work, but who understood these things...

David

Kevin.

Given my experiences with the white metal bearings in the Dilambda engine my advice would be to proceed with extreme caution. If the owner insists on your fitting the engine as is then having changed the oil, remove the spark plugs, disconnect the live feed to the coil and spin the engine until you have pressure registered on the gauge. It is vital to have plenty of oil on the white metal bearings before firing the engine up as I know to my cost!

Robin.

Well, after much consultation, the car finally arrived to my workshop today. I now have 50 % of the B20's in Ireland at my home. Did a little work on it today, got the gear (column) linkages connected up, and the dash fitted.

...and a better picture of the Clan please!!

I wondered what it was, :o i thought it was one of red things that begin with a F ::)

This is the Clan, part owned by myself and a friend. A racing project yet to be started. So far all I've done is the cage. Its the Alfa boxer engined version as opposed to the Imp engined models. This particular car was never built, but was used as a promotional 'shell'. The cars were briefly built in Northern Ireland before the company went bust.

Well Kevin I was impeessed with the B20. Fantastic paint work, But not only that the origionality of the fittings, very impressive. I was thinking about the engine ( little else to think about) I reckon it's a bit tight, you should be able to turn the pully by hand with no resistance. I remember working on an old Vauxhall engine with my Dad back in the 70s White metal bearings ect. He put the bearings wrong way round and the crank would'ent turn. He took them out and reversed them and the engine turned fine. ::)

Is there a knack to setting up the column gearlever to a 'central position'. The linkage had been removed from the car years ago. I've gotton everything back in place, but cannot manage to select gear properly.
My own car has a floor shift, so I've nothing to go on.

Have you tried the lump hammer ?  ;D

Reunited with it's family  ;D

1953 Aurelia B20
1963 Flaminia Coupe Superleggera
1973 HF 2000 Coupe
1954 Aurilia B20
Clan (Yoke) very distant relation to an Alfa... ahem..

I'm Speechless :o

Brian
8227 8)

Its a pity the interior of my workshop doesn't match the quality of the cars. I've buckets of white emulsion lying around for years, plus sheets of interior roof cladding...I never get a chance to finish it as much as I'd like. I've even got a waste oil burner for the winter evenings...

With a couple of white cars in now's the time to the garage white while nobody will notice drips.

David

Started work refitting and 'fettling' tonight. A pal told me long ago, to start at one corner and work your way around the car. So I started on the left front. Fitted the headlamp and indicator lamps. (Car has already been re-wired). We decided to fit modern headlamps with halogen bulbs. The original Carellos are still with the car, and in exceptional condition, no corrosion, and good clear glass and shiny reflectors. Worth preserving. The man who did the re-wiring fitted wires for both the modern and the original lamps so they can easily be switched without interfering with the connectors.
With the car on axle stands I was able to get a good look underneath....I was stunned, not a hint of corrosion anywhere, apart from a few jack marks on the sills, the underneath could be from a car a few years old. On removing the drum, the shoes and cylinders were clean, with very little wear. Apart from the brake hose having perished the assembly looks new. I have as yet to strip the cylinders, but they are operating freely.
The oil change sticker is dated April '61 at 17,000 km, it now reads 23,000.

Well, finished the front brakes. Cleaned cylinders, new seals and hoses...job done. The cylinders were not too bad, just dirty, so hopefully they will be ok. The master cylinder, however was a different matter. Full of a semi solid varnish like old brake fluid, it needed a few days soaking before it was clean. The brake/suspension resovoir is really bad. The brake plunger is stuck in the 'down' position. I cannot move it. I've dismantled the suspension section easily enough, but I need to pull the brake plunger up, in order to remove the puller knob, and then in turn the lid of the resovoir. If anyone has any suggestions, they will be appreciated.
At this stage, I felt I was spending a huge amount of time, and getting nowhere. Working a few hours each evening is not ideal, 'specially with 2 overactive kiddies looking for attention.
I decided to take a day off work, and fit the engine. My biggest fear was the fact that its never been run, and the only oil its ever seen was during assembly (40 odd years ago). So...what I did was this. Firstly squirted some oil thru the spark plug holes. Then poured some down each pushrod tube. I removed the top of the oil filter housing, poured a litre or so into the cylinder, then using an old type syringe type greasegun, forced another few litres through the small hole which feeds the crank oilways. Every so often I'd turn the crank by hand, eventually oil escaped through the crankcase to the oil feed pipe to the dash clock. I had the engine on the bench, with a pressure guage connected to this outlet.
Eventually I connected a battery, and with a friend holding it steady, turned it over on the starter. Withen a few seconds, I had a decent oil pressure reading.
We then fitted it to the car, with new mounting rubbers.
A huge leap forward, so hopefully the end will not be too far away.

Kevin,
nice to hear things are progressing well - sounds like it'll be a great car!

Good to see things progressing, are you keeping in touch withthe owner regardin progress. :)

Kevin, what  fantastic project and I can just imagine the excitement/relief at getting the engine to turn over with good  oil pressure and no horrible noises !!!!  All that care and effort you put into getting oil into the system before you turned it over definitely paid off.

A little advice please, you say that you will fit modern headlamps, what make/model do you propose to use?  My car came with Lucas units and, if I can't have the right ones, then I may as well use modern halogens with all their advantages.

Good luck with it all and please keep us advised of progress.

                            Andy

Kevin, I have been following your efforts with this unique car with great interest and I've just remembered that when searching for wheel cylinder kits and other brake spares I saw reservoir units offered!!! A scrabble through my scribbled notes reveals that you might like to look at www.casadelfreno.it   I'm at much the same place as you with regard to the brakes but have yet to attack the reservoir so I've not asked a price !!!!

Good luck with it and please continue to let us know how you are getting on.

Best wishes,

              Andy

I used Wipac headlamps. They came as a unit, complete with plastic bowl, and chrome retainer rings. They have a 'period' look to the glass, so dont seem too out of place. They fit very neatly into the original metal bowls, and the original chrome surrounds complete the effect. I'll post a photo as soon as I find my camera. My 3 year old daughter had a habit of 'collecting' things.

Hi Kevin, thanks for the tip on the Wipac headlamps, do you know which model you used, I've looked on their website and, to me, its not an obvious choice. I do want to have something appropriate so your help would be appreciated.

Today has been attack your brake reservoir day, something I had been putting off !!! Well, mine is like yours Kevin, the suspension side, nice and clean and oily, came to bits and was reassembled without any problems. The brake side, let's just say was 'a bit different' !!!!!  The plunger was seized solid in the down position and I just could not release it. After a while, in frustration, I undid the 4 screws holding the top on and gave it a light tap with a block of wood, this released the top which could then move slightly and that gave a degree of movement to the piston, which I eventually managed to rotate. Having got that far, two thin bladed scrapers under the top were enough to persuade the top to lift about 3mm. After that it was relatively easy to get the piston to move freely. The only tricky part of the dismantling process after that was to remove the top of the plunger and thus allow the top to be removed. This was achieved by grasping the shaft of the plunger, through the coils of the spring, in a pair of thin nosed pliers with a piece of 320 grit emery paper to ensure a good grip. Fortunately, the knob was then able to be unscrewed by hand  and thereafter everything came apart easily. The seal was in appalling condition, just a slimy sticky mess of rubber and brake fluid which sticks to everything nearby like the proverbial does to a blanket. Time to try to get new seals !!!!

Good luck with yours Kevin, hopefully you will have already found a way round the problem.

Regards,

             Andy

Kevin, one more thing about the reservoir unit, Jim reminded me that he unscrewed the cylinder from the main body of the unit and that, he felt, definitely contributed to the the freeing of the piston.

Good luck,

               Andy

The lamps I used were Wipac Quadoptic Split Beam Units. Part No. S4695, which are for RHD cars without side light aperture. They came as a kit of 2 lamps, halogen bulbs, bowls rims etc. The bowls they come with fit neatly into the original aperture. I chose these because although the original Carellos are in perfect condition, the owner wanted to keep them safe from potential damage.
I managed to get the resovoir apart, in much the same way you described. I'd dumped the complete unit into a container full of 'Jizer' so everything was well soaked. The plunger seal had been transformed into a mass of black goo. Anyway everything is now cleaned and ready for re-assembly. The only part I need is a thin enough 'o' ring to seal the plunger unit with the casing.
On my own car I'd never dismantled this unit, so it was a learning experience. It's well worth doing, if only to see how the unit works. I shudder to think how much this would cost to manufacture these days, considering the amount of component parts and the various types of metals used. Even a simple wheel cylinder has 11 seperate parts made of at least 7 different metals. A cyl from a Fiat Ducato has 6 parts, 4 of which are cheap cast iron.
So here's a query for all you Aurelia experts out there. After I fitted the engine, I noticed a neatly 'cut' mark on the steering shaft. The shaft was touching the metal spring which secures the top of the fuel pump to the base. The pump, i'm certain is original, its a Fispa unit, with a 5 screw diaphragm. No matter which way I mount the top of the pump, there is no way I can see to avoid the shaft touching the pump. The engine is properly secured, on new rubbers, and the pump can really only be fitted one way, in order for the inlet and outlet pipes to line up properly. The fuel pipes are the original yellow coloured 'spiral' type, with correct banjo and screw type end fittings. I'm at a loss as what to do. My own car has an electric pump (the original pump 'hole' is blanked off) so I've nothing to compare it to. Of the other 2 Aurelias in Ireland, one has an electric pump. The owner of the other one is on his way to South America to drive his Mustang along the Bolivian 'Death Road' for the next month or so...
Its really very odd, even as it stands, the pump seems to be very close to the shaft. To remove the pump would require undoing the shaft, which on this car, also means undoing the gear selector shaft from the steering wheel.
Any ideas would be welcome.

Bit of bad news I'm afraid. The owner of this car passed away suddenly last Friday. I had a brief conversation with his son. He did say to me that the car is to be finished, but I'm certain that once the initial shock has passed, this may change.
Its a shock to me as I was only speaking to the owner the previous week, he couldn't decide between coming to see the car, or watching the rugby on telly.

Well, I've some news. Charleys widow and two of his sons called to see me last weekend. She wants the car finished and the family have agreed its the best thing to do. It'll take me a while to get 'into' it again.

Thats good news, but bad news about Charley, it's a pity he did'nt get to see it.  :(

Finally back on track, and some progress. As I have no ramp, work was slow and tedius. Apart from the fact that I'd lost interest to a degree. It was proving difficult to impress upon the owners just how difficult, and time consuming it is to re-comission a car left standing for so long.
I moved the car to a friends workshop. He has a spare ramp, and allowed me to use it, and also agreed to help out when he could.
I fitted a new exhaust, overhauled the rear brakes (I'd done the front previously), had the fuel tank out, cleaned and sealed.
So last weekend, we finally 'turned the key', with a little coaxing it finally fired, ran for a few minutes till the carb ran dry. Fuel pump is either not working, or needs to be primed.
Now, when I got the car, it had several boxes of parts, as the owner had dismantled bits of the engine bay (why I do not know).
One vital piece is missing....the throttle linkage. This includes the bracket bolted to the manifold, plus the two adjustable links.
So the search for a new link begins....

A good friend of mine let me use his workshop and ramps to work on the brakes and exhaust. I fitted a new stainless system, and regards the brakes, the only new parts were flexi hoses and seals. All cylinders were cleaned and honed. As you can see, the plunger is 'up' so no leaks.
Notice the bootlid handle, is it a period accessory, I've never seen one like it.
More to follow. For the present, the engine runs, I can select a gear, drive forward, and stop....

Absolutely wonderful news Kevin.......you are an oasis of all things Aurelia on the Emerald isle.......keep us up to speed.

P

Great progress Kevin. Well done.
I have the same after market boot lid handle on my 1st series B20 and I think you will find they were probably offered originally for the Aurelia's where the bootlid was released from inside the car. On the later cars where you rotate the RH number plate light to unlock the boot, I cant see the point of having an extra handle as well? On my car, the handle is below the number plate.
I have a similar after market handle (not fitted and chromed brass without any writing) for Jacky's B24S Convertible whose boot is also opened from inside the car.
By the way I have a number of complete fully reconditioned brake/suspension reservoirs if you still have a problem although if your plunger is up you should be OK.
Chris

Well, today was a big day. Did a few checks, filled the pot joints with oil, checked water, oil etc. Fired her up, into gear and went for a short spin (very short). About half a mile up a quiet country road, did a 2 point turn and back. All works well...
A few little issues, rad boiled a bit, but on checking after it had cooled down, what I thought was a leak turned out to be an air lock, forcing water out of the overflow. Clutch needs attention as the 'bite'point is just at the end of pedal travel. Gears select with no problems and gearbox is very slick, no noise from 1st gear. I was worried most about the gear selection as the column shift had been dismantled and I only had the worshop manual pictures as a referance.
Even the rad flap thermostat works. The oil pressure guage does not however, I know the pressure is good as I checked using a guage, so thats a job for another day.
I'd like to fit a water temp guage. My own car has one, there being a switch tapped into the top rad pipe assembly. Any ideas as to fitting one ?
Still a lot of work to do, fitting door glass, lamps, dynamo is not connected so I dunno if it works properly or not, plenty of wiring to be sorted as well.
Rear shocks are an issue. The original lever arms are gone, being replaced by shocks. The bushes are well perished, and rattle a bit.
Aiming for a finish date before June, for the annual Terenure Car show, where I've arranged for the car to be pride of place on the main sponsers stand.

Even more good news Kevin, great to get to that point and find out things aren't too bad, when is the Terenure show....maybe I'll google it!


P

http://bmwclassicsireland.com/events/terenure-classic-car-show-2012

8th of July on this Kevin, its correct?


P

Yep, thats the one. The Club normally has its own stand, with a good turnout. I've not been to too many of them as they usually clash with racedays, but I'll make an effort for this one.

Many other Lancias attend Kevin, might make the 200 mile round trip to go, if weather not Malaysian like!


P

So the first gears were NOT all noisy when new... 

What a treat you've had already with that car.  Keep at it !!

David

Not only is the gearbox nice and quiet, you'd never suspect it was 'crash' 1st. Also the propshaft doesn't vibrate and the front brakes don't judder. I'm beginning to think all these tales about Aurelia problems are old wives tales.
Later this evening I fired up my own car and went for a spin, first outing since last Oct. Now I have to say, there is a world of differance between the cars, considering mine has no sound deadening of any sort, no interior comforts, and no silencers (and a weird camshaft ala Mr Crowe RIP).

Well, it was too good to be true. Doing a few checks last night when on removing the rad cap, noticed that the header tank was empty. My fears were confirmed when I checked the dipstick.....and I was far from 'amazed'
Hopefully its only a head gasket and not something more serious. I've started to remove the heads, so will know more in a few days. The r/hand head looks the more difficult to remove. The steering shaft impeding access to the manifold. I did fit head gaskets to the B20 which was in the Mondello Museum, however that engine had been modified, and had head bolts rather than studs, which made things a little easier. It also had the studs which protrude through the inlet ports removed, and replaced with flush fitting 'dowels'
I suppose its not surprising, considering how long the engine was standing. Its a job I could do without !!

I remember having to extract a few exhaust manifold studs to get one of the heads clear of the steering column. But this was with a standard engine and it proved to be an easier job than I thought it might be. The only worrying point was tightening down all those skinny head studs with the thought that they would snap at any time – and then doing it all again 1000 miles later!

Good luck.

Colin 

I can rememeber on-off-on-off-on-off before I found the crack in the inlet tract...   You'll get the hang of it soon enough, and for you that will be a "life-skill".  Alas I can't remember any details or tips other than being careful to get the inlet manifold gasgets (and in my case shims) the right way round so it sits correctly between the two heads.

David

The Lancia Motor club ireland will be attending the Terenure show, probably the best quality show in Ireland. It's a nice venue and the weather is normally good. We set up a BBq and do lunch ect, we really make a nice day of it. If anyone wishes to attend we can make a weekend of it by throwing in a run through the local scenery somthing not to taxing on the saturday, and a meal, and a few pints of the black stuff the night before  ;D Could be fun !! ;D

Took the LH head off earlier this evening. Less than an hours work. Head came off very easily. The gasket is like sponge, I'd say the asbestos has crumbled to dust in places. The pistons dont look original. They are stamped 'made in england' with +20 and what looks like RSW stamped into the crown.
Re-capping the history a little, the engine originally broke a rod. (I have the original block). It was re-built with a new block (stamped with the same engine number). They must have used new liners as well, because the original liners are in the old block. That was almost 50 years ago, and its stood, never having been started for all that time.
As you can see, the head is almost like new.
Is it possible to pull the RH head without rmoving the brake resovoir. The column gear linkage also seems to be in the way. If I have time I'll have a go at it tommorow, although the little girl sitting in my own car may have other ideas.

Kevin,

I doubt if the reservoir would get in the way - it didn't on mine. But I don't know about the gear-shift linkage - mine had a floor change. The business about having to re-torque the head nuts after a 1000 miles of use on a new gasket is serious. I think my failure to do this properly (slacken the tension before re-torquing!) was the reason why I had to do the job again.

Colin

 Also on the subject  I have read the liners should be slightly proud of the block to achieve a good seal with the head/gasket.richard

I enjoy these photos as much as the exterior.

David

Right...got the RH head off today. Not as easy as the left. had to pull the steering shaft out of the way, plus the gear linkage shaft. Thinking back, I should have put it in gear. When in neutral the link closest to the manifold is in the way. I had to push it back towards the bulkhead to allow the edge of the manifold to clear.
I'll get the heads crack tested and lightly skimmed if need be. then get some gaskets, clean out the contaminated oil as much I can, and hope for the best !

Gaskets, gaskets and even more gaskets. I've a choice of 3, copper with 'modern' filler, solid copper and modern 'fibre' type. I've gone for the copper with modern sandwich material, so hope for the best. Although Peter Harding told me the modern fibre type work very well, with no need to re-thghten. The solid copper ones need to be annealed before fitting, but can be torqued much higher than standard.

Well, I discovered something interesting today. I was checking the old gaskets for signs of damage, when I noticed a 'overlapping' mark on both gaskets. What I think happened was that the previous owner had re-used the original gaskets. Re-fitting the RH gasket to the LH head and vice versa. When I had the picked up the heads from the machine shop, I was told that they both needed a few runs through the planer. One head being worse than the other.
Hopefully new gaskets will fix the problem, and that I have no issues with liners. The inside of the water galleries is red in colour, like old 'red lead' rust paint. Would this be original ?

Cannot believe its over a year since I last posted a reply to this !!    Anyway, after numerous repairs, helicoils, inserts, headstuds and various different types of head gaskets, I finally managed to get her going again. Even went up and down the road for a little spin. Still need to re check tappet clearances, some water leaks (hoses), but hopefully this time it all works out ok.

Kevin.....was waiting for the good news, fingers and everything else crossed for you. It looks even more stunning in the flesh, as if just off the assembly line, magnificent.

P

Excellent Kevin, so glad to see that real progress is being made and hopefully another B20 will be on the road in full working order in the near future.

We, well Jim really, are moving forward, but at a rather lethargic pace, hopefully that will pick up a little soon, but there are always little unexpected elements that pop out and bite you on the bum at the most unfortunate times !!

Please post some more photos, if for no other reason than to keep me motivated !!

                                     Andy

Drove the car up and down the road, everything seems to be in order (so far)
Just a few questions for you more 'in tune' than myself.
In the workshop manual, actually on the same page (I never noticed it before), it states a valve clearance gap of 1mm (for timing) and then a gap of .30/.35 (when cold)....what's this about ? Is it that you gap at 1mm, then time the engine, and then re set to the other measurement when the engine has cooled.
On my own car I just gapped at .35 and that was that.

I think they mean that you should set the gaps on No 1 cylinder at 1 mm for timing purposes, so that you are able to find the position where the gaps are the same when the exhaust valve is closing and the inlet is opening. That's the position where the piston should be at TDC. Regards, John

IT'S GONE !!!!
Finally.....my mate Alex, who has a few bits and bobs to finish off on the car, collected it just after we returned from the NEC. Fitted a new battery, fired her up, and drove onto the trailer. So, my job is done. I was initially asked to 'fit an engine, that had sat for over 40 years'    'fix the brakes, seized and gummed with 40 year old brake fluid'     'fix the fuel system, the tank had an inch of solidified 'goo'   and make a wiring loom.
All jobs completed, so now I have a space where a B20 used to be........

Happy days Kevin...look forward to seeing both B20s in their natural environments sometime next year


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It's been a while, but finally got the interior finished. More or less...

That interior is just superb. Pure class!

Very smart Kevin....loving every inch a brilliant B 20


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Amazing transformation from the start . It would be nice to take a drive in it , I never thought I would see the day when I first saw it about 10 yrs ago it looked like it would never make it back to the road. Well done ! ;)

I'm the only person who's actually driven it since the 60's. It still needs a clutch fitted, and a few small niggles, but we're nearly there. Just a reminder as to what it looked like when found.....a genuine 'barn find'

That is a magnificent achievement Kevin.

You truly have set the bar very high for me and my car!!!!

                                          Andy

The original Irish B20 Holy Grail photo.......did your heart jump in your chest Kevin?!

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Just a quickie on this. Here is a link to the guy who did the interior. Some more shots than I took myself, plus a few 'extras' thrown in for good measure. The original rubber mats are underneath the carpets !!

http://at-autostyle.com/lancia-aurelia-b20/

Kevin,  Sorry to hear Mr Farrell has died.  I have some correspondence from him from years back about his car.

What colour did you use to paint it?  Beige is an uncertain beast.  My 4th Series was originally beige, and I have recently found the "original" under the mouldings on the interior windscreen surround. 
I think it may be "Grigio Bettole" which is Lechler NF8080. I'd be very interested to know how you concluded what colour to use.

Geoff Goldberg I think used Beige Mirabello:


Paul Mayo

That really is a significant difference. Are they really that different in real life? I have yet to determine which black I will use, but I am sure it will be easier than trying to decide on a beige!

                                      Andy

Beige mirabello looks more like a 50's Lancia colour to me than the other one. Close to Will Hows Appia and my 4th Series B20 which I think were painted at the same time by Peter Hardings then paint shop in the early 90's.
When I restored RPM388, Adam Tindalls late 4th Series B20 in the late 90's, Peter was using a different paint shop and the colour came out slightly paler. On reflection, maybe Will' s car is the paler colour. Anyway a very pleasing to the eye colour and a pleasant change from all the modern metallic silver and dark blue and black Aurelias. Dark cars show the dirt up more and when dirty the lovely lines of the car get a little lost.
Chris

Yes, Charley passed away ! He had been ill for some time. We were hoping to get the car finished in time even for him to be driven in it, but sadly this was not possible.
I'll have to check and see what colour he (Alex) used. The dash and interior trim pieces actually looked closer to the bottom colour card, almost a 'greyish' tint to the beige.

Well the day has finally arrived, after six odd years of work, the Aurelia is finished, tested, and will be displayed at the annual Terenure Car show in Dublin, taking pride of place on the AXA (who sponsor the event) stand. Handing it 'back to the owner' will be the difficult bit.
Little did the little fella in the photo realise at the time, but over 50 years later, he would be the proud custodian of his late fathers car....
I had a spin in the car today, in lovely sunny weather, down the backroads of Wexford.... and even though I own one myself, I can still see what makes them so special !

Brilliant Kevin, very well done.

Hope the new owner truly appreciates all your effort, good will and patience, big feather in your hat!


P

Lovely car Kevin - well done!

Discussing color is not easy, especially not on the web. As to what the B20 was painted, we looked all over for original colors, but there is no Max Meyer representation in the US. Lechler colors are not available here. Older Glasurit color swatches were referenced, but the best comparable was Alfred Tschudin's very well restored s.2 B20 in Switzerland, whose color was ASI approved as original as the early Lancia tan or beige. (not sure what that really means). I used the same here. The actual paint was a current Glasurit color urethane, closer to the lighter of the two that Paul shows above. Its also close to the Saratoga on the attached Alberton, and to Chantilly 177 on pg. 3 of the Glasurit. Its slightly tan, slightly beige, subtle and does well in shadow and in sunlight (worth checking).

Excellent Kevin, that is a brilliant outcome from the huge amount of time and effort that you have put into the car. I did manage to get to stroke mine today!!!!

                         Andy

Brilliant photo.  You can be rightly proud.

As to the sadness of letting it go I doubt it will be the last you see of the car...or the last Aurelia project that comes your way...

David

Well, today at the show had it's ups and downs... intermittent rain and sunshine for one. A cantankerous 7 year old daughter as well....
But the most annoying thing was that there was not even a mention of the car by the organisers. But considering the history of the car I'm a bit annoyed.
This in the only ever original registered Aurelia B20 in Ireland. It's been in the same family for 56 years. It's only had 2 owners and the first one was the first Irish driver to compete in an F1 race, the inaugural race at Silverstone in 1950. Never mind that the vast majority of classic on show are 'imports', I really was expecting a little more.

Shame to hear that Kevin, but don't worry, its story and uniqueness will come out over time, your efforts and the commitment of the son of the owner will eventually be recognised, it certainly has been on here!


P

Looks superb. I'm sure mags like 'Classic & Sportscar' would be interested in the story of this car.

Looks beautiful, as for the show organisers "Pearls before Swine"

Brian
8227 8)

Just a clarification taken off the site of the company who restored the body work etc......

This car was imported into Ireland new in 1953 by Joe Kelly, Ireland’s first formula one racing driver (he participated in the first race at Silverstone in 1950). He was also the owner of Jaguar C-Type, ZU 2357, and a Ferrari Monza amongst others. The car was then sold to Mr Charlie Farrell in 1958. He traded in a practically brand new DKW Sonderklasse against the car. It has remained in the Farrell family since then. The car was in storage from 1961 after a con rod came through the side of the engine block until 25th July 2009 when we were asked to restore the car.

http://classiccarcentre.ie/1953-lancia-aurelia-b20-coupe-third-series/#prettyphoto[group]/0/

Not heard from Kevin for some time, anyone got any news about his B20?



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