Lancia Motor Club

As many of you already know, a 3rd series Berlina has joined the fleet. It was an inexpensive purchase, bought for my wife - well sort of....it was an Appia or an iPad !

The plan is to put it back on the road as cheaply as possible and then use it as much as we can, ideally everyday.  I currently use a 36 yr old or 40 yr old Renault 4 as everyday transport for all my local runs, vines , shops, chores etc, so it would be nice to have a Lancia to take over some/all of these runs

It means though, that I cannot go to the lengths that I have for the Aprilia or furgoncino, so a "Time Team" approach is called for. That is , reveal everything, record it, clean it , protect it and then cover it all up again ! So in the future someone else can go mad, knowing what is there.

I do not want every small hole repaired, dent knocked out or the best paint job, just a car that goes , stops and looks presentable.

It should be possible to use an Appia everyday, they were very reliable cars in their day and they are beautifully made and all the mechanical bits are available and , more importantly, cheap! Therefore it doesn't matter if you break it .......

I apologise to the purists, but here goes !

Spit, polish and fingers Xed!

Yeah, why not, not you've got all that free time on your hands and idle men make partners nervous, its good to get your hands dirty again.

Keep us appraised and hoping we on the forum enjoy your travailles as much as you evidently do.


P

Jules has just seen the Appia for the first time - never even seen a photo .......

First reaction: "It's bigger than I thought, but very cute" and "I think she will look nice in Dark <Lancia> Blue"

Result !

I see it comes with a its own set of worry beads hanging from the mirror.  And you will need a period radio.  I look forward to a viewing. A sensible buy.

...or a period blanking plate, hidden amp and ipod lead - or just enjoy the V4 music...

David

Been raining today so cannot do anything in the vines, so time to "get my hands dirty" ! (plus I did hide in the garage for a few hours yesterday)

I have stripped, cleaned and painted the passenger floors and the boot and readied the engine for removal. It is actually a reasonably quick process so long as nothing is seized, bent or broken

A quick "how to remove an Appia engine and 'box" :

Remove the bonnet - the hinges are held in by 2 bolts and you just remove the one nearest the hinge, slacken the other and slide the hinge sideways to release the pin, simple and effective. Don't forget to remove the bonnet stay first - split pin and pin

Remove radiator - this gives much better access to everything else, indeed I would remove the rad first to do any work on the dynamo or starter motor which are well hidden on a LHD car, because it is so quick and then you can do everything from above very easily (and I HATE crawling around on the floor)

Remove Dynamo/Starter motor - once the dynamo is unbolted, you can move it forward and then get at the wires in comfort !

Remove the gear-lever linkage bolt - bit of a fankle, I used a long socket extension on the top and a 14mm spanner around the back - I left the bolt in place and in neutral so that ....

Underneath, remove the bolt connecting the exhaust from the cross member, 3 bolts connecting the propshaft (hence leaving the 'box in neutral so you can turn the shaft) - rear wheels off the ground. Remove the speedo drive, disconnect the throttle linkage, clutch linkage (difficult on this because it was very bent)
Remove the 3 exhaust manifold nuts with a very long (2') extension, remove bottom engine mounting bolts

Then back up to the carb side of the engine, remove air filter, distributer cap and leads, choke cable, heater control cable, air inlet cable, coil leads, petrol feed , oil pressure line, water temp wire, coil wire etc - marking everything up of course

Last thing to remember is the gearbox mounting bolt - found inside the car on the prop tunnel

If nothing is seized or bent, it should take about 2 hrs to get the engine ready to take out .....in theory !

I haven't got beyond this stage because I am going to borrow an engine hoist later in the week, so hopefully I haven't omitted anything. Time will tell.

your as bad as me for loads of projects , its nice to see "normality" is in other places than north wales, keep up the good work  ;)

Yes - project juggling !

20 mins this morning to do the final removal. Very straight forward, needs to come forward slightly and then very steep to miss the bonnet scuttle. Difficult to avoid scraping the tunnel, so will need to protect that area well on the furgoncino

Over the weekend I prepped the engine bay, sprayed a degreaser on the whole thing, left it for a while and then pressure washed it ! Pushed the car into the sunshine to dry ....... quick rub down and treat the rust with "fertan" - needed 2 coats


Today, removed most ancillaries and masked up the wiring. Quick coat of stone chip and all looks nice and clean. Same with the boot

Engine is partially seized - will do 1/4 turn - so I poured some paraffin down the bores to help get things moving ..... 

Wow...thats cleaned up nicely.......looking quite decent into the bargain


P

P - to answer your question on the furgoncino post - I came across the 3rd series by chance.

I was missing a few bits for the van and then Alan (from whom I bought the furgoncino) put the 3rd series for sale on the forum, so I dropped him a quick line - 20 mins after he had advertised the car!  - and suggested the best thing to do was park the car outside his shed, put every Appia part he could find in it, and then I would buy the lot ! It seemed the surest way to get all the bits I needed, plus a car to copy ..... A price was agreed for car/parts and delivery and here we are !

All I had to do then was to persuade Juliet that it was the car she had always wanted .....

Thank you Simon, what a delightful turn of events, having said that Alan is a great guy to deal with.

As ever being in the right place at the right time and asking the right questions is a boon!


P

Coals to Newcastle Simon.........ice to the Eskimos........whatever suits best!

:)


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1940S-RENAULT-DAUPHINOISE-/261419652036?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cddd353c4

P

Just to be clear have you painted over the Fertan?

Cracking progress...  "Make hay while the sun shines", or in your case "rebuild Lancias while the rain pours".

Where is the rally trip meter going to mount :)

David

So that is what the boot floor is supposed to look like!!!!

Mine is solid but more patches than a patchwork quilt!!!!!

Good work Simon, keep the photos coming.

                                   Andy

David - yes painted directly onto the fertan, v quick scothbrite to remove any loose oxidation, then sprayed with stone-chip, not perfect but very acceptable

Andy - very lucky that the floors are as good as they are. Worst bit is the rear valance but apparently that is normal and should be easy to fabricate.

P - don't tempt with such delicacies - Jules would not approve !



The paraffin has worked its magic, engine turns over nicely - paraffin pouring out of the inlet manifold and exhaust manifolds ....... A couple of the valves are still a bit lazy, but all OK. Still planning to strip the engine and see how it works

Today - "A Little Shop of Horrors" !

The engine is turning over nicely, so it meant I could remove the gearbox. It is very similar to an Aprilia in that you remove an inspection plate on the bottom of the box and rotate the engine to get at each of the 8 (6 on an Aprilia) clutch cover bolts. Once done, you undo the bell housing bolts and lift off the 'box.

Then you undo the central peg-bolt on the fork so you can slide off the plate and cover. Last thing to do is push out the fork rod, taking the clutch arm with it.

First problem was the flywheel, I put the engine at TDC on #1 cyl (checked it was on firing stroke etc) and looked for the "0" mark. No mark ! After careful cleaning of the teeth I found it 90° around the flywheel, so the flywheel has been off and put back in the wrong place ...... would have made timing interesting

Next, I couldn't undo the sump plug, so I undid the sump bolts with a large bowl underneath. Bit surprised when water started cascading out in pretty rivulets ..... not normal I thought. Then the oil came out - but is was red ! I had put some paraffin down the bores, but not that much. When the sump came off, it was a real mess in there, so it means rather more investigation .....

When draining the oli/water from the bowl, I did find a core-plug in the bottom (not rusty) so I suspect that the engine has popped one of its core plugs whilst standing in sub-zero temps. Hopefully they did their job and protected the block and the engine has not been run since, so fingers crossed

Oh dear....hoping its not as bad as it looks, fingers crossed


P

Frank - we'll see !

Cleaned up some more of the floor today , just the driver's floor to do.

Plus , started putting the final bits together for the furgoncino engine. Great help having the 3rd series along side .... cleaned up some bits ready to go back on

Simon, you're like an English version of that cartoon character the Tasmanian devil......you just blitz things and days later the whole thing is nearly finished!

Great stuff, will have to pick your brains some more


P

Simon - its starting to look like someone cares!!   If there is a "serious problem" with the engine I can't see it setting you back more than an extra day and a half...

Frank - what I like about this forum is that while Simon or James can make more progress in a week than me in a year it shows that what CAN be achieved in short order if that time were to be available.  Robin's Fanalone for the NEC thread is another I turn to in the "will it ever get done" mood.  My windfall tree and hedge is out of the way now, "just" a concrete retaining wall, fence, trellises, replant to do before I can get back to the cars - or the rest of the garden, diy, kids activities.

David

Oh dear, that does look messy!  Indeed hopefully there is no real damage!

Simon, have you compered the series 3 berlina engine to the furgone engine?  The rocker covers on the furgone seem series 3, but al the other mechanical parts seem more like series 1 to me?

Maybe an interesting comparison having both together on the bench...

Have been working on both today. The head has most differences, the heater take off is on the back of the head on the van (square valve on top for 3rd series) , other blanking plates and undrilled castings are the main differences. The furgoncino head is a '58 and the 3rd a '62.

Other obvious differences are the dynamo and fuel pump, the flexi to the oil gauge and the front pulley nut - the 3rd series has no starting handle option.

Otherwise, the furgoncino engine is ready to be coupled up to the gearbox and can then they can go in. I finished the bottom end today. The picture of the sump shows 4 short pieces of threaded rod used to hold the gasket in place whilst fitting the rest of the bolts . Couple of photos of the heater tap, before (degreased) and in bits

The 3rd series engine may not be too bad...... I took the oil pump off and it was still filled with clean (albeit red) oil and it was definitely a core plug that went (poor photo with long screwdriver showing the hole). I will separate the block from the crankcase and do all the core-plugs at the same time.

Been quite busy, finished the driver's floorpan, then tiger-sealed all the seams before painting the whole lot in black ...... looks nice !

Whilst waiting for the paint to dry, I took the 3rd series engine apart so I can see what it needs before ordering the bits from the Appia Consortium.
Fortunately , not as bad as feared. The head came off quite easily. Once the rockers, headnuts and pushrods were out, I lifted the the engine by the head, hovering 1/2 inch above the bench .Using a rubber hammer and then a wooden wedge, worked the head off, lifting the engine a bit at a time in case it came off in one go !

The headbolts have 3 washers under each nut, a copper one against the head and then 2 more above that. Nuts removed in the correct order !

The bigends are very nice, on a couple they are just wearing through to the copper on the upper bearing, but no scoring and even wear across the surface. Having measured the bigends, they are 46mm suggesting that they are standard, so a new set of bearings is all that is required.

The pistons are standard 68mm and not overbored. You can just feel a slight lip at the top of the bore, but not enough for a rebore/new pistons. The only thing that I will need to deal with are the top rings which are a bit floppy ! A new set of top rings may be enough , otherwise I will have to machine the grooves and find some oversize rings. On the calipers, it seems that the play is a mix of groove wear and ring wear so let's see !

No rings broken , but all the oil rings are stuck along with the one above. If I am careful, I should be able to free them all off. I am not planning to remove the mains, considering the good condition of the other bearings, they should be OK and to remove them means a lot more work and retime-ing the engine, which I would rather not do ! (I sought a second opinion on this !)

Next is to remove the block from the crank-case so I can replace the core-plugs. I think I can do this without disturbing the cams/mains/timing but need to check before I start ....

Could have been a lot worse !

How much effort would it be to re-time it if you did want to look at the mains?

David

It is probably less the re-timing and more about disturbing the mains, they are full circle bearings. They do not have bolted caps so are not straight forward to check. The mains sit in castings at the front and back of the crank (2 bearings only) so you need to remove everything to get at the castings and then the castings can be difficult to remove.

Going back to the original remit - keep it quick and simple

The engine seems very good, I would be surprised if there was a mains problem, so I'll take the risk .....

Bit of Bling today

Before and after showing the seats. They cleaned up nicely but the shampoo could not do much to repair the water and mouse-damage in one corner. Although the damage is not visible once fitted, I will have to remove the cover at some point and resew it.

Fitted a new panel behind the seat as well, although this may have been fabric originally - I don't know because nothing was there !

I didn't have the seat frame in tan (replacement seats) , just the original grey, so I took the damaged vinyl off and polished the aluminium (!!) frame. The sill covers and the parcel shelf are polished aluminium as well so it's not too outrageous ....

Next thing is to repair the tunnel cover and seat support, made from pressed ally sheet and mortice and tenon jointed wood frame, lined with cloth and webbing - completely mad piece of over-design, but you get used to that with Lancias ...... especially Appias

This posting is the 'how to restore a car in two weeks'.  My postings are the 'how to restore a car in ten years' kind....

Simon,

Were you able to check if there's a lot of dirt in the crankshaft oilways?  As in the superjolly engine I was very surprized how much I got to clean out.
When moving a drill through the oil holes of the big ends it came out full of 'grey mass', which prompted me to take the engine apart for cleaning/inspection. 

Couldn't agree more Dikappa, hes like a one man factory production line......brilliant!

P

PS Dikappa you have mail

I like the ali seat trim.  Got a photo of the wood bit?

David

A couple of photos for David showing the wooden bit, all that to support the front of the seat and provide a bit more sound deadening ! That was probably an hour's work for somebody at Lancia in 1962. I suspect it will take me half a day to restore it !

Second, a picture of the side showing the windows down - why ?? Because they can ! Non of the windows worked, a couple moved a few inches, but after lots of WD40 and cleaning of the runners,  refitting the winder mechanism and generally making sure that it was all correctly put together, they all work now .... they still need new felts, but I can do that once she is back on the road, I am trying not to get too distracted by detail ! Whilst at it I got the door handles and locks working as well, everything was gunked up with 50 years of grime. The doors now close with a lovely clonk ! Next is to repair and paint the inside of the doors and frames , then fit the door trims

The seat runners were quite stiff and wouldn't slide easily so I dismantled them, cleaned everything and re-assembled. The little al/rubber wheels had obviously not been turning, the rubber had become distorted and swollen. I trimmed off the lumps to make them round again and then greased them using brake grease so as not to cause further distortion. Not ideal , but they slide nicely. Pet hate is a seat that is impossible to move !

I think the seats must have come from a RHD car because the lever is on the passenger side now. It is connected to the other side by a long bowden cable. A certain amount of driver passenger cooperation will be required to adjust the seat

Last picture, Dog has  just started on the bodywork, an hour yesterday working on the crumpled front wing

I'm impressed by the rollers in the seat runners.  Same for all series?  What other models have that?

David

I was chatting with someone earlier who asked why I removed the gearbox by undoing the bolts via the plate under the gearbox - I referenced that I do the same on the Aprilia and he asked why (he has an Aprilia) ?

I suppose I do it that way because it was the way I was first shown. However, I am assured that on an Aprilia you can remove the gearbox by undoing the bolt on the fork and releasing the gearbox , leaving the clutch and cover plate attached to the flywheel.   It should be possible to do the same on the Appia.

The advantage by doing it with the bolts on the flywheel is probably more evident when you put it back together , because there is no need to centralise the clutch plate because it is already on the splines.

I hope that makes sense !

YOU , ARE A BAD INFLUENCE !!!!! I've been looking at my s2 today and thinking of just putting it on the road and using it, its rough but better on the road than sat there looking sorry for itself , needs brakes overhauling, exhaust replaced and a starter motor, weekends work really

Good !

The more cars up and running the better ..... I know you can only drive one at a time, but if it's raining (or more likely, snowing in Wrexham !!!) , you don't want to use the nicest, but you do want to turn up in a Lancia  ;D

EXACTLY!!!!

I suppose it was inevitable, but I have ended up stripping the engine completely ! The cam followers were utterly gummed up and I could not remove the last two. No amount of WD40 and wiggling/tapping etc would get them out , so to access them I need to remove the cams and then tap them out.

Obviously the block was separated from the crankcase in order to replace the core-plug, and at that point I still intended keeping the crankcase intact, but couldn't shift the followers .....

To remove the rear main, first you remove the flywheel, followed by the rear oil seal (although i think you can still remove the bearing with it in place) then the bearing. Once you have undone the nuts holding the casting, there are 3 threaded  holes (M8 x 1.25) into which you fit bolts 40mm min, then tighten slowly, in rotation - 1/2 a turn at a time to keep the bearing square.

When the rear bearing is out, the crank can be easily withdrawn (having removed the timing chain and wheels)

All very nice, the front bearing is perfect, nicely run in , the rear has just touched the copper in a couple of places. If I can find a standard main, I will replace it , but otherwise it can go back as it is.

Still got to remove the front cam bearings, they are very tight as well. It seems that the water in the engine has made everything sticky, not corroded, but a pain to dismantle. I think it may be easiest to remove the caps behind the flywheel and push the cams out.

The pistons are sitting in paraffin to try and free off the rings, the block has been cleaned - in and out,  and the rest of the bits are waiting to be cleaned

I now have a very long list of bits to send to Don Cross at the Appia Consortium !

If anyone has a "Janet and John time the valves on an Appia engine" I would be very pleased to hear from them !

A bit more grief and cost Simon, but when the extra few bob spent and hours added to project, you've an engine for life!


P

From a selfish point of view I'm delighted.  A real treat to see it come to bits.  I love that chunky little crank.

Fingers crossed its mostly "clean it up and put it back together".  As you say with one of the bearings "nicely run in".

David

Some more engine-porn for David !!!

Removing the rear plugs for the camshaft was done on the floor so I could stand on the crank-case to hold it still. I used a Fulvia wheel brace to remove the nuts, I don't have another 14mm Allan key, plus it meant that I could get a spanner close to the casing and support the key at the same time. The plugs were v tight. Once off the cams tapped out easily and then I could finally get at the followers ......

Started the cleaning up process, it is probably the dirtiest, stickiest most gunged up engine I have ever had to clean ! First step was a scraper and stiff brush in the parts cleaning sink (paraffin) and then a degreaser (Swarfega) and pressure wash, final step will be to scrape off the last bits of gunk and then clean with acetone. All the oil ways have been cleaned through as well

Yum!!

Hi Simon,

I have a factory appia shop manual, any help if I make a copy?

If it is in English , I would love a copy !

It is!

Thanks, hopefully a workshop manual is on its way ........

A couple of hours today whilst the girls were away. The frame for the front seat has been rubbed down and painted, ready for the trim to be glued back on. Also finished cleaning up the crankcase. Not perfect but I can't spend anymore time on it. Found a nice set of followers out of my spares because I cannot be 100 % sure the ones I took out will be OK. I had to hit some of them quite hard.

I ran a flexihone down the follower guides to remove any vestiges of the varnish/glue that caused them to stick. All nice and clean now.

Whilst the hone was on the drill I deglazed the bores. Finally I removed the core plugs from the block and have given it all a final wire brush and degrease, ready for the block-paint when it arrives.

I have posted an ad on the "spares wanted" but does anyone have / know where to get the following rubbers for the berlina: central door rubbers, boor rubber, door handle rubbers

I would be happy with good secondhand ......

Thanks

http://www.cicognaniguarnizioni.it/en/lancia

Thanks Ade, it even has prices ......

Block paint arrived this morning, so I've gone green - not for the purists, but I did warn you !

I cleaned and re-glued the trim on the seat frame and did a bit more on the interior. I received an order of carpet/felt/vinyl etc from Woolies so I have underfelted the passenger side. I also bought some simple black stretchy lightweight carpet which I have glued onto the sills and then a heavier weight carpet for the lift out carpets. All undo-able if one day I feel rich enough to redo all the carpets in wool. I have kept all the old rotten bits

Feeling a bit light-headed from the contact adhesive ......

The rear wheel arches were missing the vinyl trim so I have glued some tan (looks better in the flesh than under camera flash) vinyl over the underfelt, refitted the side panel and back seat - getting quite comfortable

Trust someone to put their big feet all over your nice new carpet ;D

Brian
8227 8)

It's funny but you only see the size 10&1/2's on photos, not under normal light ! Now the carpets are finished , I must hoover it all properly

Yes , the carpets, seats and trims are done, not perfect but useable for the first time in years. There are seams that need to be resewn, the colours are mismatched and the doors still need to be done ........

The lightweight carpet I bought is ideal for the sills and tunnels, it is slightly flexible. I found that if I cut the piece to roughly the the right size and shape, spray-glued both surfaces, then you can fit it, pull it into shape and then tidy it up with a sharp Stanley knife - not for the purists !

The front seat is adjustable without the help of the passenger, the long springs (seen in the second photo) help . I had to alter one of the seat mountings because I think the passenger side has had a bump at some time and the floor/sill was distorted (doors also changed this side)

The original front rubber mats are remarkably good, needing a good clean with degreaser and once finally fitted, a coat of rubber care. I still have the aftermarket mats which did a good job of protecting the originals

Once the interior was done, I moved onto the brakes, the master cylindre and pedal assembly have been removed and an initial clean done, the m/cyl itself is not scored, so hopefully a deglaze and new seals will be enough

Good to see another "everyday Appia" making its way back onto the road - well done J !

I don't think you need to be too worried about carpet that is then covered by original mats...

Cracking on eh!!

Want to come and stay here for a couple of weeks ;)

David

David, I've got a couple of jobs lined up for you ......

Still raining here ( we need it so not complaining) so between other jobs I finished the prep and painted the pedal assembly. Some small differences with the furgoncino, but very similar. Castings the same but different casting numbers. Biggest difference is that the van has a rod linkage for the carb, the S3 has a cable system. The bowden cable is not a standard type wire, it has a wound brass sheath to make it stiffer !

The master cyl has cleaned up well, the hone did a good job. All ready for new rubbers. My brake fluid reservoir is stuck solid and I cannot undo the retaining ring, but fortunately I had a spare which has come undone relatively easily. This now awaits new rubbers as well - the list sent to Don was very long .....

Typical Lancia details, the reservoir piston rod has a hole drilled through it so you can insert a pin to block it and then undo the plunger button. The master cyl has a daft number of springs .....

Lastly, bounced the valves out of the head and gave it an initial clean ready for more intensive therapy over the weekend

Simon,
I can see the rubber hammer and the piece of wood that I assume was used to "Bounce the Valves out of the head", never having come across this method before, how does it work please?

Brian
8227 8)

Hi, the "piece of wood" is actually a tube with access holes and a rounded top. This sits on the top of the valve and then you smartly tap the tube " or 4 times. The collets then just pop out. If you are too vicious the collets do fly out ! An old Harry/Bish trick ......

Do you hit the valve or the spring retainer?

David

Thanks Simon,
looking closer I can now see it isn't wood ::) seems like a good way to go for ease.
Brian
8227 8)

That is such a cunning and simple tool. However, being a coward and having lost bits, sometimes permanently, I would want to place a tube around the valve spring, extending say 75 mm above the top of the valve, to contain the collets when they 'popped out.  It is either that or chicken out totally and use a conventional valve spring compressor. I have only ever done this on a Gussie engine, will a conventional tool fit on the other narrow V engines?

                                             Andy

A conventional compressor works on an Aprilia.

David

Does anyone else think that where Simon lives there must be a time bubble where there are 48 hours per day, I have no idea how he gets so much done in such a short amount of time AND carries on a business/has a life etc.......

Peter

That thought had occurred to me also Peter, several times ............ Chugga falls into the same category !!!!!!!

                                       Andy

Peter, the days are the same - I just have a VERY tolerant wife ......

Hooray ! Dog is back, he's been away for a while so no bodywork done in the interim. He has started on the passenger side today and thinking about some of the consternation caused by James' Appia, I am a bit reluctant to share these pictures, but here goes and I'll keep my head down !!!

The worst holes have been repaired and rest have been glassed. The front wing was so wrinkled, the only solution was to skim it with filler. Dog needed the lights so he can check alignment and fit, so while we were at it I gave them a clean up and paint. A before and after on the headlights , the side lights have cleaned up really well. The side repeaters are a different matter, requiring a major overhaul. The back is completely rotten and I think the only solution is to replace the bulb holder, grafting on a later piece

I have shown a picture of a Fulvia/Flavia door light alongside because the back bit is very similar to the Appia back bit, 2 contacts instead of 1 on the Appia. Has anyone got another of these that I can buy ?

Lastly, staged shots of the valve tool showing the shape and size. I do not know if I can use a normal valve compressor tool, I think not because the centre valves are very deeply set into the head. Otherwise it is 2 people to put the valves back, one to press down on the tool and the other to fit the collets

I believe wales and france are very similar, except the patient wife part  :D Simon I will look for you tomorrow while going through my appia parts, I've almost sorted everything out into boxes now and i'm sure I have a couple that I could spare you , one request though is to harras me as I will forget !!!

sent you an email, got a lamp unit for you, j

Thanks James !

I have been busy in the vineyard this week , staking new vines and first treatment - a liquid sulphur to help prevent "Excoriose"  (a fungal disease that can rot the wood) so it means that I haven't done much in the garage !

But Dog has !

One side is ready for primer, the rotten rear valance has been cut out and replaced. Other dings have been pushed out and filled. He has started on the driver's side and so hopefully we can move onto 2-pack primer tomorrow.

Once that is done, we are going to leave it to harden fully and I will get back onto the mechanics after I've had my mid-life crisis next week (so there will be no news for 10 days or so). I plan to put her all back together and do the Controle Technique (MOT) with her in primer, then take the chrome off again and paint her. There is a reason for doing it this way, but it is too complicated to explain !

A couple of other pictures showing the indicator repeater lamp with Fulvia door lamp grafted on and an experiment I am trying with a side-exiting exhaust....

What a mad day ......

Car ready to paint, and we were all ready to go by 10 am - but at the last moment a change of plans meant that we had to move everything. But no transport, alternative location or anything. So a lot of favours were called in !

A Polish friend of a Polish friend lent me his car transporter,along with an empty jerrycan and a list of maladies for said vehicle. At this point I knew it wasn't going to be straightforward. 40 km trip, diesel bought, tank filled, van jump started and we were off. First problem came when we tried to restart the van near home - I could smell burning so opened the bonnet to witness flames coming out of the starter and licking up the front of the engine .......

No fire extinguisher, so I pulled the overflow pipe off the rad, sucked up some water from the expansion tank and blew it onto the fire , phew !

Jumped the van and off again. Then we couldn't push the Appia out of the drive, so dragged her out behind the 4L before dealing with the wayward electrics controlling the winch.

Off to the pig farm - Jim lent us his barn for painting, although the day was warm, still and ideal for painting undercoat outside. We decided to keep the Appia on the transporter for painting and all went well until we had a sudden April shower and, because the van wouldn't start, had to push the them both into the barn and rearrange the compressor etc. The barn electrics were very dodgy - I didn't realise at first that the barn electrics consisted of a series of extension leads that interconnected and they all arrived back at a single socket. In effect we had a powerful compressor at the end of 200 yards of cable, so it would not run

That got sorted !

Paint went on well, thin coat of etch primer over everything and then a good 2K filler primer back out in the sunshine. By this time it is 6pm and we haven't even had a cup of tea, let alone a biscuit

Back home without further ado and the Appia came off the van easily and then with Juliet's help (and approval !) we pushed her back into the garage , breathed a huge sigh of relief, poured a glass of wine and collapsed in a corner

(sorry for all the pictures, but just flick through them and it's almost a video)

Couple more pictures

For all the struggles you make getting a car painted look easier than a drive through car wash...

David

Simon,
No need to apologise for too many photos, the more the merrier, as they're an inspiration to all of us..

Brian
8227 8)

great progress , well done  :)

Not much progress since the undercoat. I have been away (Haute Route - Chamonix/Zermatt on walking skis) and lame since my return, and Dog has been doing the neighbour's  HY Citroen.

But, guide coat done, body stoppered, engine bay painted and we have started to strip the underseal. David Laver coming to stay tomorrow so I will give him a scraper !

Dodgy village, ours - leave a car for a few days and someone nicks your wheels .......


Wheels actually removed for painting and new tyres. Tyres off, stripped and undercoated today. Topcoat tomorrow and new 155x80 R14's on Friday. The only option I had for this size was a "Nankang" and stocked by Longstone, although I found them locally at a very reasonable price.
The car still had Michelin X's on 3 wheels ..... (other 2 were ZX's which I have kept because they have a lot of tread and someone may want them for "exhibition" tyres)

Note the stamps and threads on the back for balance weights - stamp says "612" - I think, and all the wheels have different marks. I have no idea what they mean !

ps David managed to get away without doing any scraping .......

No scraping but a bit of heaving wheels and tyres in and out of cars and a garages.  Anyone else think that cream middle and blue rim might have been original?  The blue is a mid metallic so not original to this car which was built silver with lots of silver on it still such as the interior metal.  With Chugga's car in a "two tone" anyone got pictures of an original two tone car?

The rest of my "work" was wobbling piston rings and little ends and sucking teeth going "arhhh, well, 'spose it depends where you want stop with it doesn't it...and any more in that bottle its thirsty work here isn't it".

One moot point is how to fit a core plug - the particular one is below the block above the sump if that makes a difference.  Dry, with a sealant, or some kind of glue or filler over the top?

Another question - can the top part of the dash, the bit with fabric over it, come out without disturbing the wiring?  It would be nice to get the screen inner frame out and that fabric section out to paint rather than having to mask and then touch in with an artists brush.  No particular rush on that one as the plan seems to be to get it on the road and then, as with the Aprilia, bring the details up over time.  It should make a really nice every day car with a fresh engine, new brakes, newly painted but still with seats you don't need to dress up to sit on.  Nice robust plain rim wheels, cheap tyres, rubber mats, decent boot. 

David

dash top is 4 bolts into the A posts (2 either side) steering wheel off then it slides towards you with ease and leaves the bottom in place which is held in in a similar fashion , as for wheels, my car was grey originaly but 2 tone wheels, the 2xS3 cars I have broken (both blue 1 light metallic 1 lancia blue) had 2 tone wheels so I think correct

Have gone 2 tone ! Taken a lot longer esp since we had some paint interaction with microscopic traces of old paint.

Very pleased with the result. Centres are Old English White and the rims are dark blue. I have not chosen a classic Lancia Blue because Juliet wanted something a bit warmer, so couple of shades lighter.

Final picture once lacquered. Now sitting in the kitchen to harden fully ........

Tyre fitting tomorrow ?

Wheels look great - very classy. Just masking them up must have taken an age, getting the tape down into the gap and sitting properly. Well worth the time and effort.

The wheels took over an hour to mask up. We started with a length of 2 inch tape folded over on itself, leaving a narrow sticky bit, we slid this into the groove and attached to the centre, then carefully completed the rest of the middle.

For painting them, I found a large sheet of perforated steel which was perfect because it greatly reduced the paint "bounce" and kept things cleaner

Anyway, to complete the circle , as it were, a couple of photos complete with tyres and on the car. We had a bit of blue paint left in the gun so Dog "trusted" me to paint the rear wing just to see how it looked (it will all be sanded off again) !

The wheels are so pretty, Juliet doesn't want to fit the hubcaps.

Finally a picture of a towbar, I think from a Renault, which I hope to adapt for the Appia. I found a picture of an Appia 3rd ser on the 'net with a towbar but have been unable to contact the owner for more pictures of the mountings. A UK registered car sold to someone in Belgium ........

If its nice without hubcaps it will be brilliant with...

David

I will let J decide !

A few minutes this morning before the girls got up, petrol tank out and cleaned. What a mess ! The bag of rust/silt must weigh 2lbs. The float mechanism may be beyond renovation, it is rusty and seized and the aluminium is very corroded.

I degreased the tank and then cleaned inside and out using the pressure washer, pushing water through until it ran clean. The inside is lovely and clean now, but I will further degrease and "Slosh" it. Not everyone likes doing this, but I have done several and have always been happy. The Aprilia is now on its 3rd year following the treatment.

Everything is quite sane under the back of the car and with the tank out I have access to try out the towbar .......

Started fitting the towbar - the rear bumper is so tired, the best thing is probably just to weld a ball-hitch to it ......

However the trusty Peugeot 504 (found the ref on one of the arms) towbar is taking shape. The ends have been cut off, new holes drilled and bumper irons cut and welded. I don't feel too guilty about sacrificing a couple of irons, they have been welded up before, so were not pretty to start with ! The rest of the bumper fits without further mods. The new towbar fits inside the bumper with the plate hanging below.

I need the new exhaust (ordered today) to be fitted and the fuel tank replaced before I can finalise the position of the bottom triangulation bar, which I anticipate will be bolted to the battery box.

Apart from the irons, the whole thing can be removed without any lasting damage ......

Pillar drill is an early 20th century cast iron beast that I found in a garage, but works very well, albeit slowly

Second picture is the basic frame in place, before the irons were welded on. Final pic is with the bumper and ball in place

Holiday photos:

An Appia rear main and its housing.

The boot lid is heavier than he's trying to make it look, but perhaps a quarter the weight of a Vignale which takes attention just to open...

I really liked the way the bumper is fitted round the body.

David

Started the engine rebuild today. First job was a major clean and de-dust around the bench then fitted the new rear main to the housing. It took about 2 tons of pressure to remove it, but putting it back was really easy !

Bearing in the freezer for an hour and the housing in the oven (sorry Juliet) at 120° for 20 mins (medium rare)

It is vital that you get the bearing in the correct position because a pin locates it and you must line up the holes - and you only have one go at it before everything warms up and is unmovable ! The second picture just shows the end of the pin

PS the bootlid wasn't heavy until I filled it underseal and waxoyl - Back end has been been cleaned and "Schutzed" - only had 2 litres, so not finished yet, waiting on further supplies .....

Crank-shaft and cams in. The rear main housing is very tight in the crankcase so in order to minimise the risk of damage to the new rear main, I fitted it vertically and also fitted the bearing/housing to the crank, held it in place with the flywheel bolts and spacers (note the fibre washers against the thrust surface) and then lowered the combined unit into the crankcase. A combination of pushing and , I will admit , gentle tapping with a rubber mallet,  pulled it into place with 3 nuts on the threads.

The cams are very roughly timed. I marked everything before taking it to pieces, so hopefully final timing SHOULD be easier !

All turns over very smoothly, with no initial "sticktion" - Old Harry word !

New timing chain. This one is not split, so you have to mount all 4 pulleys at the same time and slide them into position. I suspect I will cover timing in more detail later ........

I took the rest of the coreplugs out and fitted new ones. Firstly I cleaned up the seats and then smeared them in Hylomar blue jointing compound , tapped in the new ones (domed side up), seated them with a suitable socket and then gave them a good whack in the middle with a large pin-punch.
Hopefully they will neither leak, nor fall out

Finally started the process of cleaning up the pistons. 2 of 4 rings seized . The before/after shot doesn't really show how grotty and gunged up they were.

That's a real little jewel of an engine. No wonder Lancia had a reputation for quality.

Its even nicer in the metal than pictures.  A surprise was just how small it is next to an Aprilia engine.  Perhaps Simon could indulge us (well at least me...) with "side by side" photos. 

It would be an easy guess as to who could do side-by-side-by-side Augusta, Aprilia, Appia, Ardea.  Perhaps one year at the NEC forget the cars and just do bits?

David

Block on, 2 pistons cleaned up, rings and bearings in and fitted. Rear oil seal in place, flywheel cleaned and refitted. Just an excuse to post some piston-porn for David !

The ring grooves took some cleaning, The bottom rings were stuck and most broke coming out, but I used a piece of the broken ring to clean the grooves - I don't have one of those nice groovy things form Frost's . Polished the pistons, gudgeons and conrods  with a Scotchbrite pad  All nicely oil up and pistons move nicely.

Tank resin-sealed and ready to go back in and the new exhaust arrived today. Slightly different to the old one, so we'll see how well it fits. Very good price and arrived from Turin in less than a week from ordering.

That exhaust is like an anaconda whose just lunched........


;)

P

David, I am with you all the way there!!!!  Just do the bits!!!!!!

One of the great strengths of the Lancia brand has been engineering quality with innovation. How best to show this off? With just that on show! There are various ways of doing this, as you suggest with let us say engine evolution, one year could be the narrow V4s, from Lambda right through to a 16HF. Or maybe the sliding pillar front suspension, Lambda to Aurelia. What about monocoque construction, Lambda and Aurelia berlina shells on show. (I picked the Aurelia Berlina as the last of the pillarless saloons, am I right there?)

One downside of this is the huge amount of work and dedication it would require from individuals to provide finished engines/axles or whatever, either from a project or as a spare. Of course a uniform display would be required with items mounted in exactly the same way. This would be necessary to emphasise the engineering/innovation of the units. That in itself would be a major task.

I am up to assist in this if it were to be pursued and if I have any of the units required.

I think it was Don Cross who suggested a complete power unit and drive train for a car be used as a display. A brilliant idea.

The Show at the NEC attracts enthusiasts from right  across the spectrum of age, affluence and marque loyalty. there is one thing that unites them and that is their love of cars. All the club stands show immaculate cars, I think we should consider setting aside a good proportion of the stand to showing off what Lancia did best, not necessarily every year, that would be too onerous, but from time to time.

What think you?

                              Andy

 

My feeling is you only really start to understand this engineering excellence when you have worked on lesser stuff. BMCites just would not see it until they played with it. No harm in trying though.

What year did Don do the Aurelia chassis?  He had a spare gearbox of mine for that.  Anyone got photos?

David

Meanwhile, back at the ranch .....

Bottom end finished today, final 2 pistons/conrods cleaned up and fitted. They must have taken at least an hour each to strip, clean and refit.

NB number 4 conrod is 180° different to the other 3 , otherwise it fouls the cam. Apparently a well known Appia idiosyncrasy that can often catch people out !

All turns over nicely. The distributor drive and oil pump refitted. Hopefully I read the cam-followers correctly and fitted the drive properly ie on the firing stroke for number 1.  It should be fitted with the slot at right angles to the block with the small "half" towards the front. (Appia workshop manual). This means that with the dizzy fitted, the rotor points at #1 without the condenser fouling the block or anything else

The engine was very sticky and messy , so it has all taken a while to clean and re-assemble and now everything is clean, but I have not gone mad. The oil filter body has not been repainted for example - ratting ? Still not sure I really understand what ratting is !

I really like the original look of that exhaust!  Who supplied it please?

I need a decent exhaust system for my Appia coupé, but am wary after buying a new stainless 'Fulvia' rear silencer that is nothing like the original item from a UK supplier I once considered very reliable...

The exhaust came from Turin - advertises on eBay : http://stores.ebay.co.uk/marmitte-catalizzatori?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/marmitte-catalizzatori?_trksid=p2047675.l2563)

Delivered in under a week for 30 euros (whole system)

I have not fitted it yet so cannot vouch for the fit. Have a look at the furgoncino page for a picture of the downpipe  fitted to the manifold

Cleaned the head and refitted the valves. Maybe not for the purists, but the sucker on a flexible drive fitted to the electric drill (slowest speed and variable) was very effective. I found a suitable spring to hold the valves off their seats and ground forwards and backwards. Very staged photo !

The inlets just needed the fine grinding paste, but the exhausts had cobottom and then fine. The grinding paste is like the OLD Colman's mustard, a pot seems to last forever, pretty sure I have had this one for 20 years . I bet that's why they made the mustard milder so you use more !

The collets were remarkably easy, the head was firm on the bench and I was able to push hard enough on the tube to depress the springs and drop the collets in. Once they were all done, I gave them a good tap with a rubber mallet to check they were seated.

Dog had a few minutes to prep the back of the bonnet - don't worry it was well protected on the underside !

Gearbox is filthy and will take time ......

Its that cobottom again!

No cobottoms tonight

Challenging afternoon doing the valve timing, just as it was all going so well !

The head went on easily enough, torqued down in order, the valve gear was stripped and cleaned (no excuses for the extras pictures, it is a work of art !) Now I know why there are 3 washers per bolt, the head has been repaired and reground making it quite thin ! All the tappets are at the bottom of their threads and there are a couple of weld repairs in 2 combustion chambers.

The difficulty came when I was following the workshop manual notes. I set the timing up as explained and even with the other tappets backed off, the exhaust cam kept slipping after it had been set.

The idea is that you set the tappet gaps on #1 cyl 1mm oversize, rotate the crank to close them up, take the dowel out - first the inlet then move to the exhaust cam and do the same. However I found the cams kept moving, probably because the head was thin and I couldn't back the followers off far enough leaving pressure on adjacent valves . So finally I took the cam wheels off , set and jammed the cams and then refitted the wheels once the cams had been positioned manually and marked

Checking afterwards and I think I am less than 1/2 tooth out. Even with verniers on the cam wheels, they move when you fit the dowel.

Whilst I had the head off, I checked TDC with a dial gauge to check the "O" mark and it is spot on

Lastly , a really useful little tool that came from Farnham Garages many moons ago. It enables you to set the tappets very easily, fits snuggly onto the top and the knurled edge means that you can hold it in place whilst you tighten up the nut, much neater than pliers !

Wonderful stuff - and what a lovely little tool.

Turns smoothly?

David

Before and after for the gearbox - couldn't decide which side to show, so added both !

Grotty, dirty job and the last of the really horrible jobs ....... Pressure wash, scrape, degrease, pressure wash, scrape, clean with white spirit, degrease and pressure wash ...... shampoo and blow dry

That is a true perfectionist. I am just going to load my spare HF box into the van for my trip south.....

Ha! Just thinking the same thing, but I'll drive the whole car. Great work by you and another Lancia work of art.

That gearbox looks so good and in my view there is no point in not cleaning parts, it save transferring the dirt around everywhere. I suggest you check the silenbloc in the gearbox support, mine was totally shot. Robush should have them in stock!!

Good luck with it all, you are doing a brilliant job.

                                              Andy

Thank you for your comments

I agree about cleaning parts, they are so much nicer to work on when they are clean. The silent block is cream-crackered and Don was able to supply one along with the myriad of other bits. Any other tips before it goes back together ?

You know how it is, like buses, you wait for one Appia engine to come along and then .........

Trying to work out how to couple them up and create the fastest go-kart in the west !

Appia Bimotore...........

What a pair...

Would the more patinated oil filter housing (that I prefer) transfer to the van engine?

David

Always controversial, but I have added an electric pump and filter to the fuel line. The filter in the tank had had it so the pump pre-filter should be effective , however since the tank has been thoroughly cleaned and resin-lined, there shouldn't be any muck !
The pump is a Facet, ultra-low pressure unit (1.5-4 psi) and similar to one I have been using on the Aprilia for a couple of years. I also bought a Filter-King filter/pressure regulator to fit at the front. Not decided yet whether to bypass the original pump or keep it in the system .....

A bit of vandalism though , has been to remove the copper line and replace it with rubber. The original had been badly squashed in places and the fuel line was so dirty, I felt this was the most sensible option.

The new pump fits behind the passenger-side, rear wheel arch and is attached to the aluminium baffle plate. The new pipes pass behind the rear suspension mounting , over the tank and where the feed attaches to tank and the outlet follows the original route. More photos when I can get under the car properly and everything is nicely undersealed !

Another little job was to dismantle the handbrake lever because the ratchet was not working. Typical Lancia over-engineered elegance, and would cost a fortune to make. The Renault 4 has essentially the same system but a quarter of the parts and non of them machined !

All cleaned and painted, ready to refit along with the repainted exhaust manifold

I'll forgive the rubber pipe if you post the TAV page for the handbrake.

Lovely stuff.

David

fitted exactly the same pump to my S2, good move  ;)

Hopefully all will be forgiven ......

James, have you left the mechanical pump in line ?

Just remember that picture every time you look at the free space on the floor where an ordinary handbrake might go.

But the ones on the floor usually work, while those under the dash don't! They can be difficult to reach, too.
Regards, John

Simon I've left the mechanical pumps inline on both cars, what I find with the s3 is that if its stood for a week or so the carb is usually empty, appia starter motors are pretty poor quality especially the insulation around the brushes and wont take a lot of continues winding over to get the fuel through, I origionally fitted a facet cube type pump on the s3 which has served well for over 10 years , I have a funny procedure with the car if its been stood over the winter, turn the ignition on with the bonnet open, tap the top of the carb (my float valve sticks if left for along period of time) listen to the pump race away and it quietens down as the carb fills, 2 pumps on the throttle and no choke and fires first time every time , honestly its the right move to make

I have the mechanical in place on the Aprilia and initially had the same sticky valve issue , as you say, tap the top of the carb ! But with regular use this has sorted itself out (touch wood)

I have added a picture of the reassembled handbrake which I am hoping will be effective once the rest of the system is freed off and adjusted. Probably like an early Fulvia, useless unless everything is free, lubricated and adjusted correctly - then it works pretty well ! I have a dash mounted handbrake on the Renault 4 which is easily reached if you take your seatbelt off ......

Count down is on for fitting the engine and box. First jobs were to finish off putting everything back into the engine bay and doing a final clean of wiring cables etc. I removed all the connections on the fuse box, cleaned the terminals and wire-ends before refitting, stripped the regulator and cleaned the terminals. Refitted the headlamp earths with new screws and washers , having stripped the surface underneath to get a good contact.

The master cyl, reservoir and pedal assemblies were all refitted. It all gets a bit tight in the bottom corner ! A neighbour has a pit, so rather than break my neck doing much more stripping of underseal and repainting, I will do that once she is up and running - in comfort !

The only problem today was that I dropped and broke my camera - terminal I'm afraid

Carb confusion

I have 3 carbs, 2 cars and a few questions if anyone can help

Marked on the top they are Solex 5, 6 and 7

5 is a C32 PBIC (#224465) - new
6 is a C32 PBIC (#482085) - off the 3rd ser
7 is a C32 BIC  (#17KZ)  - new , destined for the furgoncino.

The questions/problems are numerous :

The new carbs (5&7) have a pipe inlet and not a banjo and filter
The old carb (6) appears to have the main jet broken off in the centre of the choke tube - how did it run ?
Carb 5 appears not to have a central main jet
They all seem to have a different array of mixer(?) tubes - one has a wide bore tube and hockey stick (6) one has a hockey stick (5) and one has neither (7)

I think I can make a good carb for the furgoncino - the top from the old carb 6 on new base of 7, so I get a standard looking set up

I am less worried about the "look" for the 3rd series, especially since I have added the electric pump and filter-king, so put the base from 6 with the top of 5 or 7 but with the broken main jet.

Or use carb 5 - but there appears to be no main jet

PS the carbs are numbered (R to L ) : 5,6,7

If anyone has got any comments or bits to help me out, I would appreciate it !

Hi
just looking at your carb pictures
seems you have 2 with an accelerator pump and one without, one has the main jet/emulsion tube missing so that won't work. i think the carb without an accelerator pump will be the series 1 and the others series 2/3. have you access to Table 11 and Table 11bis? if not i can stick them on or email you them
Clarkey

pretty sure the "P" stands for accelerator pump and pretty sure the comercials didn't have an accelerator pump as standard , I'm sure Don fitted a later carb to the consortium van to get it to go a bit better

Thanks everyone (Tim as well) and I am hoping to get some bits from Don, others from a source recommended by Tim in Italy. Hopefully without too much outlay I will have 3 working carbs !

Was also tempted to do a triple carb conversion for the bi-motore ......

Simon, No criticism intended.....but why not run a new section of copper pipe for originality if the old one is beyond saving?
Modern fuels seem to shorten the life of some rubber fuel pipes and copper looks so much nicer, even if its under the car.
Chris

To be honest, I probably will - the rubber pipe is to get me on the road again and is quick and easy, esp when adding pumps/filters etc.

Checked the furgone carb, indeed that's the one without accelerator pump.

I have here a brandnew solex 34PBIC carb I bought for a peugeot 403 some time ago, and it looks very similar.  I think is a chinese copy.  Anyone tried one of these on the appia?

here's the link: [http://www.ebay.de/itm/Vergaser-Solex-34PBIC-Citroen-ID-19-Traction-34-PBIC-Oldtimer-/191175442113?pt=DE_Autoteile&hash=item2c82f1bec1]

(hope this works as I do not have a clue how to do this?)

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Vergaser-Solex-34PBIC-Citroen-ID-19-Traction-34-PBIC-Oldtimer-/191175442113?pt=DE_Autoteile&hash=item2c82f1bec1

Just paste the link into the text and the forum-back-stage-magic-thingy will make it clickable for you.

David

I think the van should have a 30mm choke and 32 is already a step up - I do not know if a 34 is too far ...... wiser heads than mine will hopefully comment

I will soon have the bits to make the comparison between 32 pump/no pump (on the furgoncino)

Thank you David!

@simon: I have a 3rd series carb in incomplete and sad looking condition here for spares if needed, just let me know. (but it has the tube that's broken/missing on yours...)

just remind me how you checked the crank before you put it all back together, did it look OK or did you do some measuring?
Clarkey

Re Crank, checked with micrometer for wear and oval, plus mains checked for wear-tolerance - ie gap between crank and main with feeler gauges. The mains were within limits but changed anyway !
Big ends measured with micrometer at sides and centre.
All checked visually as well ....

Amazed that the crank was still standard and within limits !

Thanks for the offer of carb bits. Another box of bits arrived yesterday with various carb goodies, so I should have 3 suitable carbs now. The orginal can go back on the 3rd ser and I will try the new pump/non pump on the furgoncino and see which I prefer.

Got a date booked for colour?

David

If you have a bracket like I do on the D/S your passenger side it fouls the bigger series 2/3 carb it is OK when the engine is on it's mountings but cause a bit of cursing on installation.

Re colour - hopefully going to paint in 8-10 days time. Dog and I have been busy refurbishing a Citroen HY van in time for a birthday

Re engine fitting, I am not planning to fit the carb/linkage before it goes in. The LHD set up doesn't have the same bracket on the engine mount , so should be easier to fit it all afterwards ...... I think (having never refitted an Appia engine/box)

More prep before fitting.

The engine mounts were difficult to dismantle, I couldn't grip the central shaft to undo the top bolt. So I had to rebolt the shaft to a metal bar clamped in the vice and then shock it off with a hammer socket. Took a couple of attempts, but worked - everything cleaned and painted before re-assembly including a new earth strap on the driver's side.

I took quite a while stripping and cleaning the distributor. The bob weights were fine and no apparent wear on the shaft so they were just cleaned and not dismantled. The rest was stripped and cleaned before careful lubrication and re-assembly.

Having completely stripped the engine I wanted to make sure that the dizzy fitted correctly and didn't foul the head, inlet manifold etc.

I had initially set the drive as per the Lancia workshop manual, ie with the slot perpendicular to the block, however with everything fitted and timed, the capacitor interfered with the locating bolt for the dizzy, so I rotated the shaft one tooth back so it points towards the back of the head instead.

Sump bolted on and now the engine is ready for the box ......

Final picture for fun - the HY we have been working on produced this lovely advert under the old topcoat .... Dog has been prepping the bodywork ready for a repaint and came across it, shame , but the owner doesn't want to keep it !

Finding very little time at the moment, things growing like mad ..... plus difficult decisions to be made - we are obliged to treat against a little pest which is affecting European vineyards (flavescence dorée) and since we are organic, there is only one authorised product , AND IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE - think Aurelia !

Anyway back in the shed .......

I am fitting the clutch and plate to the gearbox before fitting the combined unit to the engine, I know others do this differently ... the actuator rod and fork is fitted first, then the cover is positioned with the forks fitting into the slots on the release bearing. The clutch release arm is fitted onto the spigot and the cam slotted into the stirrup.

You press gently on the front of the cover plate and it all slips home. You use a  bradawl/screwdriver to line up the fork on the rod and fit and tighten the retaining bolt. Fit the plate and it is ready to bolt onto the engine.

The advantage is that there is no clutch alignment to do since it is already mounted on the shaft. The cover is balanced (see drilled holes) and numbered - my red alignment marks may be visible

Final job was to fit the new silent block for the rear gearbox mounting - V V tight ! Not sure what the castle-ated nut is for , but I took it off anyway !

Getting closer to engine/box fitting

I know about the castellated nut Simon, because I got it wrong!!!!

The nut is on the end of a clamping cotter pin, it's rather like a bolt with an arc machined out of it. When the arc is lined up with the circular hole in the cast gearbox housing the silentbloc moves readily in the housing, it is tight but not overly so. When the castellated nut is tightened, the bolt is move aft, the arc moves aft and bites into the outer steel shell of the silentbloc, clamping it and producing a small dent in the shell. To remove the silentbloc it is necessary to loosen the castellated nut and drive the bolt/cotter pin forward until it is judged the arc is correctly aligned, at which point the silentbloc may readily be removed with a suitable extractor, such as the one that Jim made!!!. If the bolt/cotter pin is driven too far forward, say as if you are trying to drive it right out, then another dent is made in the shell and, as the arc is not aligned, it still cannot be removed. Guess who eventually got his silentbloc out with TWO dents in the outer shell!!!

By the way, it was,as usual, Don who told me where I had gone wrong and the right way to do it!!!

                                             Andy

Thanks, I got it half right ! I undid the nut, but had to cut out the old silent block with a hacksaw and then peel it out, it was completely seized

New one was still very tight even after being in the freezer for a couple of hours. Now its in (bolt tightened) I don't think it will move

Getting closer - between tractor repairs, racking the carignan (taking the wine off the lees) and cherry-picking (literally) I managed to connect up the box today

With the clutch cover and plate in place, the box was offered up, 4 nuts fitted and then the box pulled into place by going around the nuts a turn at a time

Once they were coupled (9 nuts in all) then the clutch cover was bolted up via the window underneath. I get the first bolt lined up and fitted, then turn the flywheel with a screwdriver, fit the next one and go round the coverplate , 8 bolts . Once all the bolts were loosely in place then it can be tightened and torqued up. Inspection plate refitted, clean oil ( EP 90), speedo cable and exhaust in place - all ready to go.

I will try to fit the unit with the exhaust in place, but it can quickly be removed if it creates problems - I am thinking about poor Andy crawling around on the garage floor looking for lost "O" rings !

ps the Appia owners might spot the "deliberate" mistake in picture 3 if you look hard enough !!!

Anyway, back to my cherry jam, hope it sets .......

That's such a nice looking little unit and so clean after all your hard work. You must be really pleased with it. I didn't know much about Appias until I started following the threads on here and now I've become a big fan of these little jewels. Thanks for the reminder on the cherries, I usually remember them too late. Off to check the trees.................

BTW - Leave the jam, cherry vodka is what you want!

Am interested why clutch cover cannot be pre assembled before gear box is attached. What am I missing?

Tim

Hi Tim, I think this is the alignment thing!!! Put the clutch on the gearbox shaft, offer it up to the bellhousing and job done (especially if you align, fit and tighten the clutch/flywheel fixing bolts before you fully tighten the bellhousing nuts and fit the propshaft!!!) I won't do that again!!!!

Hope you are enjoying la belle France,

                                           Andy

Still not sure I understand why you cannot align and bolt up before offering up the gear box. Doing it by this method you can check the pressure plate fingers and tweak out judder non?

Am enjoying France but also the French weather we are having here in the UK. See you at the AGM??

Tim

I have always done Aprilias this way as well - just the way I was taught the first time

You know that the plate is correctly lined up (I have never had a clutch aligning tool !!) but I also find it easier to manipulate the box onto the engine without having to rotate the gears to slide the splines home. Another thing is that I find it easier to slide the forks onto the release bearing and line up the hole for the fork when the box is separate.

I am sure neither method is better/worse . Horses for courses

Its just I am anticipating taking my Flavia gear box out to resolve the clutch judder, and a dutch Flavia expert said you need to adjust the fingers when the pressure plate is  bolted to the flywheel to ensure even pressure on release. I know (or think I know) it is not an oil contamination problem, and that a new friction plate was fitted by the previous owner. Lancia had an exotic becnh tool to set the pressure plate but this method above is doing without it....

I made an alignment tool out of an old piece of wood. Upgraded since then to a rod with various diameter plastic bobbins and I have not really had any difficulty getting the gearboxes back in - may be luck I don't know...

The Appia clutch cover has coil springs which are not easily adjustable , I will take a photo of a spare cover next time I'm in the garage.

I can't show the one on this engine because it is in the car ! Yesterday morning's job. Took about 1.5 hours to get it comfortably in place, but without any of the connecting up. Would have been quicker with 2 people

I have posted quite a few pics just to show how steeply it goes in, and there was no possibility of it going in with the downpipe in place. I also had to remove the propshaft. I suspect that it could be possible to leave that in place if you had a second pair of hands

The unit starts off flat and then is angled down into the bay with a ratchet strap on the front of the engine and then it was a case of slackening off the front as you push the engine back and rotate the unit into place. It is very tight, especially over the front axle and for clearing the gear linkage on the driver's side. But by doing it very slowly it does just go in. For ease, Don said that he usually puts them in separately, but the workshop pictures show them as a single unit.

The blue hand does not belong to some squashed helper, but used as packing against the bulkhead !

Finally, the back of the box was jacked up and the rear mounting bolt fitted. Dog was happy because I didn't damage anything that he would be required to repair !

With the selector fork refitted, the gears all select so hopefully it will be nice to use ......

ps some of the pictures are a bit hit or miss due to the broken screen on my camera, but the new LCD arrived today (15 euros from Amazon and 20 mins to fit) so a normal picture service will be resumed soon

Well done :) scary steep angle of attack

Nice one! I have had to take the propshaft off as well to get the gearbox bolted in

With regard to the 'clutch mounting method': I used the same approach on the 2000 coupé to get the engine out (and back in) easily.
Now I wonder if one dismounts the clutch this way on the appia, would it then not be possible to dismount engine alone?
It seems so difficult to get the engine and gearbox out and in together, (without touching and scratching the engine bay)  I would rather have them separated?

Or am I talking nonsense now (that has happened before...)

I hate crawling around under a car that is only 2 feet off the ground , so I prefer to do as much as I can on the bench ..... one day when I have a nice car lift maybe I will change my mind !

Fulvias and Flavias can't be done this way anyway because there isn't the convenient little window. Also they have separate release bearings - the bearing is attached to the fork and not the backplate as on Appia/Aprilia

When I was a "youth" , I always got the job of lying on the garage floor lifting the gearbox onto the back of the Fulvia/Flavia engine whilst Paul yelled instructions from above. That is why I hate fitting them separately ! Still having counseling for that one .....

Bit of a boo-boo on the paint front, we don't have enough of one tint to do the whole car ...... so will have to wait for new supplies from the UK.

However, there was enough to do the shuts which look very good. My neighbour has a pit so we swapped the Appia with his HY van and welded a couple of small plates around the front bumper mounting. Then lots of scraping and a good coat of the underseal, back here now ready for more fettling

Propshaft fitted today. I found the easiest way to do it was to fit the spiders and rubber joints to both the gearbox and diff - with bolts all in place but flush with the rubber. Then the prop will just slot in. Push the bolts through and then the tedious job of bolting it all up with the castle-ated nuts and split pins.

This job is much easier if everything is clean, the split pin holes clear and the gaps in the nuts clean. Then you need good light and patience .....

I did not repaint the prop because it was very clean after degreasing and still had the red and yellow verification marks which are nice to have

Dog's ears were burning because I was cursing him for having sprayed underseal on my nice clean gearbox !!

Engine mounting and petrol line connected up this side so move onto the driver's side next

Started on the driver's side this week and fitted the engine mount, clutch release arm and exhaust system and a few other bits along with cleaning the side of the gearbox -again !

I have shown a few pictures of the exhaust because it has quite a lot of subtle bends and flicks, especially where it drops down the back of the engine and around the pedal shaft.

Overall the fit was very good - I'll give it 9/10, the only problem was the rear section - it was slightly too long where it joined the middle section , so fouled the boot floor. It just needed a good half inch cutting off the pipe and the compression slots recutting. Better too long than too short

I replaced the spring hangers whilst at it. They come in 3 pieces and fitting the rubber is a real faff ....couple of 48mm (1&7/8") clamps and ready to go !

Firing up today??

Tim - not quite !

Whilst the car is up in the air, I thought I'd have a look at the brakes. Re-reading Chugga's comments from a few weeks back, I was keen to see how bad they were !

Some pleasant and less-pleasant surprises ....

I am sure this car must have been owned by the Pesenti family, the grime was cemented on ! The backplate took hours of scraping, soaking, scraping, soaking and eventual degreasing before painting. Fortunately the rest was in very good condition. Perfect shoes and uncorroded wheel cylinders that have cleaned up nicely.

I was worried about getting the pistons out of the cylinders because they are blind and you can't push the pistons out, but once the visible bore under the dust seal was cleaned, I replaced the bleed nipple and then stuck compressed air down the other inlet and POP out they shot !

If you do the same, take care . One came out with such force it brought tears to my eyes when It caught me somewhere I'd rather it hadn't !

I use a high temp black paint on the drums, not sure it is really necessary but hopefully it won't bubble if I get the brakes hot (brakes not re-assembled yet, drum on its bearing to aid painting)

Great, yet again......slowly coming together............all very useful Simon, and an ongoing inspiration to those of use doing a restoration, albeit more slowly!

P

I used a "Rustoleum" product on exhaust manifolds - barbecue paint, it's good to 650degrees apparently and also kills rust... I think I got it from B&Q. Might be an alternative for brake parts?

Guy

Thanks Guy

What do other people use on brake drums - Normal or HT paint ?

Quote.
I replaced the bleed nipple and then stuck compressed air down the other inlet and POP out they shot !

Simon,
Like yourself, I found out how painful it can be many years ago, which is why I now use a footpump!

Brian
8227 8)

I've used VHT Caliper Paint on the Aprilia's drums which has worked well. Mind you after baking the drums in the oven for an hour at 200 deg the following Sunday roast has a taste you won't find on Master Chef! The hottest I've ever measured on the drums is 73 deg C, well within the specs of the paint.
http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/caliperpaint/

I'm going to treat my compressor with a lot more respect from now on...

Noel

Did you check the temperature using one of those nice IR thermometres ? You are right about the oven - worst for me was cleaning brake shoes on the hob

Had a good garage-day today once my vineyard chores were completed. I took the other brake assembly off along with the steering arms

Having seen how the brakes work, this time I took the brake assembly off in one piece - undid the 9 (I think) bolts and locktabs holding on the back plate, cut the old brake hose and then off it comes as a unit. I think I will try doing the reverse for re-assembly. Nicer working on the bench than on the ground !

Whilst at it I took the steering to pieces to check all OK and, cogniscent of Chugga's comments about seized silentblocks, I took the whole lot off in one go, again preferring to do any repairs on the bench.

The most difficult job was removing the brackets from the suspension units, I must admit to using a hammer and was waiting for the bolt of lightening from Harry on high ......

Once off I was able to clean the suspension units and dismantle and paint the steering.

The steering is a work of art and hugely expensive to make. The drop arm from the steering box has a double rubber shock absorber built into it, 3 of the joints have delightful brass (or copper coated steel) bobbins that are spring loaded. All beautiful machined pieces that would be impossible to reproduce today. Lovely offset pins to regulate the toe-in etc etc, all completely over the top ... no wonder they went bust - amongst all of this engineering largesse it was almost surprising to see the silentblock on the double-joint

Final job before painting everything was to straighten the arms, they always seem to be bent on sliding pillar cars - I think they get used for towing !

Simon, I think there are 10 bolts holding on the brake backplate. Do look after them, they are specials with a smaller head than standard! If you use standard bolts there is insufficient space to get a spanner on them!! At least, that is what I found on my car when I had to pull off the left hand assembly.

It is all looking so good and you seem to get through an incredible amount of work. Good luck and please keep posting.

                                    Andy

Thanks Andy, yes there are 10 of them, 8mm co-bottom thread and 11mm hex's.

The steering went back together nicely and just needs to be properly aligned once everything is together and she is back on her feet , or maybe not ..... see below !

A couple of poor pictures of the ball joints, the camera focused on the tin of grease rather than the interesting bit. Basically the bobbin is held in place by the spring and follower. The cap is not on the spring yet so there is no tension.

The short arms attached to the suspension unit are like a dowel and are very finely machined so need to be carefully pulled back into place with the 4 bolts.

As suspected, it is a nice job to reassemble the front brakes on the bench before refitting as a single unit. Even the retaining springs were simple using the sliding screwdriver method. Once cleaned up they are a work of art !

Just the other one to do now ......

BUT, I think that I may have a more serious issue, there is significant play in the bottom of the suspension unit, and I was hoping that once it had been refilled with thick oil, all would be OK - it was completely dry. However, once the oil reservoir was put back with new pipes and fresh oil, it will not refill the damper unit, nor can I get oil into the bottom cup. It seems completely bunged up. So further investigation required and maybe a suspension stripdown or replacement axle ???

Don has suggested a possible airlock - any other ideas ?

So that last picture is the one you've just done on the right next to how it looks once Dog has sprayed on the stone-chip and under-seal to match the gearbox :)

Naughty !

Well Simon, that should halve the unsprung weight!!!

All looking excellent as usual.

Best wishes,

                  Andy

Finally got 5 mins to write up the latest adventure !

Last Thurs/Fri we got around to painting the body. As always it was a nightmare ..... everything set up and organised; van booked, shed borrowed, paint bought etc etc.

The big problem was the wind. The shed was remote, isolated and as far from windproof as it is possible to find - gaps under the eaves, open windows, holes in the walls and so on. Whilst Dog was doing the final blocking off and mask, I was attempting to hang plastic sheet to create a nice clean area, but it was the proverbial urination in an upwind direction - I would have been better off flying a kite. Eventually decided to cover everything important instead and think about the positives - ie no build up of fumes !

All went well until Dog got locked into the garage with an empty compressor whilst halfway through the lacquer coat. The electricity tripped and the electric garage door was shut, the windows barred and the manual over-ride was broken. I was miles away, MOT'ing a Renault 4 so he was STUCK

Long and short of it, he ended up putting a thick dryish coat of lacquer on that he knew would then have to be flatted and polished, ie at least another day's work  :(

The result though is fantastic, lovely deep shine. Juliet loves the colour and actually admitted to wanting to drive her now ....... Considering the conditions it was done under, I am delighted.

Now starts the long process of putting it back together !

ps last photo is the shed-owner's new car .....thanks Julian

Certainly photographs well - on a good step and I also like the colour.

David

looking good  ;)

Hat off again Simon and to Dog also, a lot of sweat went into the paint work.....probably literally too......;)

P

At last - a few minutes on the Appia !

The vendanges were completed at the beginning of the week, we got all the grapes in before the storms were due (but never arrived !) . It was all hands on deck for 2 very long days. 10 people picking, 3 or 4 people in the caveau de-steming and filling the tanks and a tractor/Ercole driver.

The yeast has been added and now the interesting bit starts ..... still lots to do because we have to drain the juice twice a day on the carignan - to help extract flavours and the syrah is punched down to help achieve the same thing. Both are cooled to make sure the fermentation is not too fast .................

Anyway , back to Appias.

I would like to try and start the Appia by the end of the week, so I have restarted on the bits that matter - first off the starter motor. It was like everything else, filthy , so it has been stripped and cleaned. Commutators cleaned, brushes (4) checked and de-burred, continuity checked, bearings cleaned and greased - all ready to refit. Dynamo tomorrow

Not necessary for starting but, I am a bit suspect of the front suspension, it is a bit tight on one side and would not allow oil into the damper, so I stripped the adjuster on the top of the sliding pillar , freed off the damper and backed it off. Once done the unit was refilled with oil. I am hoping that with some "exercise" it may get better , if not I will have to dismantle the whole unit at a later date

Finally for a bit of fun, a picture of a beetroot that turned up in our weekly veg basket ......do we cook it or send Cinderella to the ball ?

Simon check the insulation in the brush housing for the starter, absolute rubbish as standard and fails with heat, we usually replace with a modern insulation material and get no real trouble with them afterwards , also the fork off the solenoid fractures so check carefully and try not to do anything with it as they shatter easily, j

James
I checked the bridge because I remembered seeing something in the Appia Consortium newsheet, fortunately it is OK. I also checked the continuity of the housing and all appears well, but thanks for the advice and I will check my spare starter motor and change the insulation and have it ready because that would seem wise !

(photo to show the bit James refers to)

Due to strip and clean the dynamo - any advice there ??

Starter motor rebuilt, refitted and connected up, sump plug fitted and engine filled with oil. I found that the starter motor needs to be part dismantled (photo) to fit the solenoid suggesting that it is not possible to change it in situ - not that there is much room !

 More tomorrow ??

Major step forward today - she started !

Not without some fettling and headaches, but she runs and sounds lovely !

Briefly - starter motor fitted, battery connected and turned her over without plugs to check oil pressure - none ! Disconnected the pipe to the gauge but no oil, so dismantled the distributor drive and manually primed the oil pump with a specially made rod in a cordless drill. All OK

It took an age to re-align the oil pump, drive and distributor and even then I had it all 180° out as I found out later ! (Set TDC on #4 not #1 because I didn't take the rocker covers off ...... note to self for the furgoncino) If you do not get the drive in exactly the right place, ie slot perpendicular to the block, then it is very difficult to do the ignition timing because the greaser will foul the block, clamp or inlet manifold

I made a new set of leads and fitted new plugs then stripped, cleaned and rebuilt the carb (lots of bits and VERY dirty) including replacing the broken emulsion tube. New one is brass not the horrible alloy. So 10 mins in the freezer and it fitted nicely.

Choke set to full on, tip petrol down the carb and press the key - bit of backfiring through the carb suggested that I'd got it wrong - no probs, remove the dizzy drive, rotate 180°, refit, reset and repour.

Ran first time ! Lots of oil pressure and no rattles ..... I only ran her for a few seconds because the pump is not connected and neither is the cooling system

Next off is the fuel supply, dynamo and then the cooling system

Made MY day so I can imagine how pleased you are.

Was the new emulsion tube much of a project?

David

Atta boy  :D

well done  ;)

Way to go Simon!

Thanks for your support !

Gallon of petrol in the tank, fuel line modified and Filter King fitted in front of the rad and she will tick over nicely and rev freely. Oil pressure is just above half at tick over and cold

A couple of points that maybe the wise out there can help me with, I had to bypass the mechanical pump because the electric pump would not push through it. Is it blocked, seized or normal ?

Even with the Filter King backed off 1/2 turn (ie reducing pressure) I still get a slight seep around the carb gasket. You cannot go mad with the bolts because there are only 3 of them .....it is only evident when you leave the pump on with the engine not running, but I would like to stop it anyway !

I have changed the gasket for a NOS piece and also replaced the float valve with a new one. Today I have ordered new,new gaskets so will change them again. Is it worth shimming the float valve so it closes more firmly ??

I am going to replace the mechanical pump with another unit, so will having the pump in line reduce the pressure ??

Another option is to put the pump on to a "prime-only" circuit ....

Any thoughts ?

(Beautiful, crisp morning here - a "good to be alive day" - hope it is the same with you)

I normally feed the electric through the mech pump and use the mech pump after priming with the electric so your mech pump seems suspect. I plumbed the other way ie parallel bypassing but got fed up with all the extra cavis benz pipes. I have been running series on 2 fulvias and a gamma for years....

On the fuel weep it seems you have too much pressure / poor float needle valve. Filter king I thought screwed in for less pressure but I could be wrong. I set up with an inline pressure gauge and no more than 3psi although carbs seem to be quite happy at lower down to 1.5psi.

Sunny and about 20c here so nice in Essex

Simon, that is excellent work you have done there and so quickly, congratulations.

Carb, I had a lot of problems with mine when I first got the car and stripped it several times. I must admit that in the end I resorted to Hylomar, albeit the very lightest smear. After that no problems.

Fuel pump, I have an electric pump as well as the mechanical one which I try to remember to use only for priming. However, I occasionally forget to switch it off after the engine has started and run with it active without any problems. That would seem to suggest there is a problem with your mechanical pump.

Good luck with an early fix and thank you for keeping us posted.

                                           Andy

Nice one Simon! bet that is a big relief...interesting stuff about the fuel pumps, is it to do with modern petrol or is the mechanical pump just poor? being brought up on Vivas, Victors, Imps, Cortinas, Herald,Anglias,Fiat 127, Peugeot 104s I have only had fuel pump trouble with one of the Imps.
Clarkey

Be careful and check the pressure of the mech'l pump. On the Aurelia, the pump is very sensitive to the gasket thickness, which can change the pressure up to 7 psi if one isn't careful. Its not well known, but make sure the pressure at RPM (say 3,000) is where you want it as well as low down. I run an elec pump through the mech'l as well, as its role is to prime the carb and also the odd moment of vapor lock. But had no problems on the Appia, where only a mech'l pump is run. And yes, change in gas composition raises hell with the rubber diaphragm. Most of these have to be changed to a different type of rubber.

I have just cleaned up a mechanical fuel pump for my "test bed" Aprilia engine and can confirm there must be a blockage if the electric pump wont push the fuel through it. However I have never resorted to an electric pump as I have found the mech one to be more reliable anyway and the more plumbing you have the more chance of leaks.
Also as a point of interest the AC pump on the Aprilia does have a weakness wrt to the screw that holds the lid on---viz it is very easy to strip the thread in the Mazac into which it screws. Normallythe pressure under the lid is only that arising from the head of fuel in the tank as it is the pump inlet chamber.However when you put an electric pump in the line the zone under the lid will see the full feed pressure so if a fuel weep occurs at that point be very careful not to try to cure it by over-tightening the lid screw.
I stick to the view that original is best although I am aware that many people have good experience with added electric pumps.

Interesting comments, I came across the same issue with my Aprilia pump as well, I must admit to a smear of hylomar just to be sure and I always carry a short piece of copper pipe in case I need to bypass it. I know the use of electric pumps on old cars is contentious but they do save so much churning on the starter motor !

I stripped and cleaned the fuel pump this afternoon and although the pump was in reasonable condition, one of the "penny" valves was stuck. It just needed the slightest twist of a small screwdriver to shift it and all seems fine. Next time I have the car in the air I will put it back "in-line".

Other things done today were stripping, cleaning & regreasing the water pump, then refitted with new gaskets. All the threads and bolts/set screws were properly cleaned so they fit and torque up correctly.

Final job was to strip and rebuild the dynamo. Apart from being filthy it is all OK. I removed and degreased the front bearing whilst at it. I had some difficulty refitting it until I realised that in order to clip in the retaining ring, you have to compress the flat spring washer at the front (see photo of the front plate in the vice)

Another small note for first time dynamo dismantlers, in order to remove the brushes-plate you have to undo the tiny screw (pictured) - it isn't always obvious because all the dynamos I looked at were caked in muck and you could not see it !

I have avoided "over-blinging" this engine, just clean and refit, but the dynamo was so rusty, it got a coat of paint !!

" but the dynamo was so rusty, it got a coat of paint !!" Make sure it's earthed well, or it won't work.
Regards, John

Thanks John, I removed the dynamo again and gave the brackets an extra sand where they bolt to the engine - hopefully that will be enough ....

We are busy in the winery at the moment, racking, aerating, delestage (removing the juice and returning to the tank), pressing the carignan and settling the lees , all of which require time and a lot of cleaning afterwards !

However, I did get a few minutes this afternoon. New bits had arrived so I replaced the gaskets , accelerator pump membranes and copper washers on the carb, fitted a new (new) pump and tested everything. All well to begin with - no leaks anywhere.

The new pump (28 euros on eBay) fits very nicely and doesn't look too modern. The banjos fit without mods and it takes the increased pressure from the electric pump. I found a carb kit on a French website dedicated to French classics (Melun Retro) and this was advertised as fitting Citroen Tractions. The only bits you cannot use are the float valve (1.7 not 1.5) and the jet that fits the top of the emulsion tube (135 instead of 180 if I recall), but at 23 euros I wasn't complaining

Once it was all fitted I pressed the key, engine turned once, then nothing......

A bit of searching identified the switch as the problem , so I dismantled that and saw the problem. The key in push-mode presses a disk that makes the connection to the solenoid, unfortunately the brass connector had snapped ( see picture). I had a spare switch and you can just replace the rear section thus keeping the same key. I took another unit apart to see if a first series switch would be interchangeable and I suspect it would as well. I am sure I can repair the broken plate, but that can be done another day

Refitted a new speedo (Subito) connected up the bulbs and dynamo wire

Finally, pressed the key and it all worked, disconnected the electric pump to check the mechanical and that seems OK , so at last I can move onto the cooling system ......

 Understatement of the year:  "I did get a few minutes this afternoon".

We all know time is very elastic when it comes to working on Lancias. So the impression I'm getting is the mechanical pumps if maintained are fine and an electric one creates more work but is useful for priming the system. At least it is not the new petrol.
Clarkey

Having now replaced everything that touches petrol with new stuff. The pipes, pumps, gaskets etc etc , theoretically , I could now run SP 95-E 10 petrol.

However, I do not plan on risking it - SP 95 plus additive for me

The cats were away this afternoon, so the mouse got the afternoon to play ....

First up was stripping and unseizing the heater control valve. Corroded solid so took some dismantling. New rubber seals are available from the Appia Consortium, so as long as nothing else is broken, they are repairable.

Next was dismantling the shutters and stripping the rad. I am not aiming to take the header and bottom tanks off, just give it a good flush, paint and refit. It may be OK, so let's see. The shutters have cleaned up nicely and will work again (photos next time)

Also stripped and repainted the heater air-intake system, quite an impressive series of large pipes and steel ducts. A fan is fitted in line and there is a cable operated butterfly valve at the front

The fan was very noisy and had to be removed. A good spray with WD 40 was enough to lubricate the bronze bushes, but the insulation around both the + and - had rotted so new was made using the rigid plastic insulation from spade connectors. The fan is mounted on 3 rubber blades that have a groove on one end that fits onto lugs on the fan body and 6 rivets (2 each blade) that locate it inside the steel airduct. Simple !

The butterfly valve was stiff as well, so it is just like a carb , 2 screws through the shaft holding it in place, once they are removed you can withdraw the shaft and clean everything

All sanded, degreased and painted ready to refit. The rubber cuff was cleaned in swarfega and will be given a final clean with rubber and vinyl cleaner before refitting - I find it gives the rubber a bit more elasticity again

ps sorry for the recent reduction in photo quality but I have broken my camera again and have to use my iPhone .....

Couple of hours this afternoon after cleaning barrels and saying goodbye to my Moto Guzzi LeMans after 20 odd years of ownership. Mixed emotions .....

The rad was re-assembled after cleaning , painting and flushing. A small job was remaking the rubber bump-stops on the shutters. I could not find anything here so used some 8mm foam rubber "rod" that I pulled through the holes and then trimmed. Advantage to this is that it is very supple and provides a nice soft "seat"

The "christmas tree" that connects all the water pipes at the bottom of the radiator looked a bit tatty once I had cleaned it, so I filled the worst corrosion on the inside with plastic metal and made a new gasket. It is a bit of a faff fitting it all. There is not a lot of room for 3 pipes and their jubilee clips and there was no way I was going to try undoing the banjo bolt to spread them out - all too delicate ! The new pipes I bought are a bit on the thick side which didn't help, so I will have to look out for some thin walled stuff for the other cars.

I replaced all the pipes, fitted them to the "christmas tree" , threaded them through the engine bay  before dropping in the rad (remember to put the bolt in otherwise it gets too tight for space) . Careful positioning so as not to risk damaging said "christmas tree". Everything in repose and carefully tightened, fill up with water and press the key .......

One small seep which was easily rectified. Got her nice and warm and adjusted the slow running. Still smoking a bit , but that isn't a surprise since she has only run for 10 mins since the rebuild. So, now she goes I can concentrate on the stopping !

Couple of other bits. Fan fitted into its housing , photo shows the rubber blocks in place. Then the heater intake has been fitted and air filter put in place

ps the dynamo appears to be charging. The light stayed on for a couple of minutes following initial connecting up and now goes out each time she starts, suggesting the brushes have bedded in again

Interesting stuff.  In particular (for me...) all the heater ducts.

Is that the first start up?  You make it sound routine.

"Thin" and "thick" wall water pipe is new to me.

David

All so impressive!

Once this is finished when are you going to publish the Appia Haynes manual?

Frank

David, the pipe wall thickness is an issue. The original pipes are very thin, allowing them to squeeze onto the "christmas tree" (with "jubilee" clip) and leave room for the adjacent pipes with their "jubilee" clips. The modern (thicker) pipe is all 'un peu juste'

Currently playing with radiator grill fitting , will post some pics when I have a solution ......

In the mean time, any idea as to what these are - I should know - I bought some Appia bits and they were included ?

I have discovered what I call thin wall rubber tubing at Vintage Supplies. Whether or not it is suitable for use as radiator hose, ie. under pressure, I do not know. Below is the link for information.

I bought some of this to use as sleeving for the front light wiring under the front wings of the B20.

http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/products/733-container-black-rubber-tubing.

                                          Andy

Good find!!

Is it under pressure in an Appia?

Is there any way of extending the tubing on the banjos to give you more room to use thicker pipes?

I just assumed so. It has a standard type cap, I think they normally operate at between 3 and 7psi.

                                             Andy

Or ........ is it possible to twist the banjos relative to each other so that the hoses may pass either side of the bottom hose, thus removing the conflict ?  Maybe there is not a suitable route for the hoses if you do that!!

                                Andy

I have been sitting here making suggestions about this issue thinking, but I do not remember having this problem !!!!  So, making a great effort, I went down to the garage, lifted the bonnet and, lo and behold, on my S2 there is only one banjo and pipe. The pipe goes to the inlet manifold, so please Simon, where does the other pipe on your car go? Could it be part of the heater system, my car does look after me with one of those!!!

                                     Andy

My "christmas tree" has 3 pipes - the cast aluminium pipe that connects to the water pump via the bottom hose and then 2 others - one to the bottom of the inlet manifold and the other to the heater matrix.

It is the juxtaposition of these 3 that is the problem ..... It may be possible to alter the position of the unions but I wouldn't risk it without a spare casting - it looks very delicate !

So how do you connect up the heater on a 2nd series ?

exactly the same, I had to replace them on my s2, bought I think 18mm seems to ring a bell heater hose from a local supplier CES and went straight on, tight squeeze but fitted ok, s2 is none pressurised system but I would still use the correct water hose for my own peace of mind, if you can't get any decent hose simon I can get you some of the stuff I got and post it to you, I need to send you a lamp anyway, j

You should be able to angle the banjos slightly I think the retaining bolt thing has 2 sets of 4 holes drilled in it so water will flow through the banjos at any angle.
Clarkey

I think you are right Jim, I could move the banjos slightly , but am too scared ! The aluminium looks very brittle. As you can see, I have offset the jubilee clips by fitting one pipe all the way down the banjo and the next one only half way - ie the jubilee clips are not side by side

I had to take the rad out again because I realised that the grill would not fit in with the petrol filter as it was and also the tags for mounting the grill were either snapped off or the screws had sheared. Much easier to take it out and get access to everything

New tag welded on and all the others drilled out and retapped. The outer stainless frame was then fitted first, screwed into place from the inside. I used a wider section rubber around the frame because the aperture and trim were slightly out after the front was bumped years ago.

Once the outer frame was in the inner (cleaned and painted) grill could be screwed in . I had to step the bracket for the filter-king so that the grill goes in without fouling. As it is you have to remove the air intake and flex the rad forward

Couple of detail shots of the back of the badge, one showing the tiny screws that hold the flag into the shield and another with the 4 small (6mm) nuts and brackets that hold it onto the grill. A further picture showing how the stainless grill is fixed to the frame by wire , with little rubber pads to stop the vibration

Lancia badge Assembly is similar,or perhaps the same on my 2c.

Brian
8227 8)

The whole grille set up is the same as the Flaminia except I don't think there are any screws through the stainless steel trim into the bodywork.

Front brakes finished, but cannot check for leaks because the back is not connected up - hopefully start on those next week.
Did cheat a bit , because the backplate was absolutely evil and one of the cylinders was completely corroded, I had a look on the shelf and found a much cleaner backplate and nearly new wheel cylinder. They still needed cleaning up , but it saved me hours !

Apologies for showing similar brake photos to last time, but they are such a work of art ......

After that I finally connected up the throttle linkage. Not a 2 minute job , because on a LHD Appia the mechanism has to traverse the sump. Everything was stripped, cleaned and painted before re-assembling. I will take some better pictures of the set up. Now I can rev the car from inside ..... She even moved under her own steam, not far or fast (no brakes) but as far as a block of wood in front of the wheels

Coming along nicely! However the throttle cable looks too close to the exhaust down pipe for my liking......

It looks a bit close but there is about an inch gap - look how it was before !

Still enough to heat damage the cable IMHO. The old one probably still works but factor a further 20 deg ambient temp uplift in the south of France and you may consider insulating the exhaust in the area....just a thought.

What a difference in those before and after shots! Saved just in time.

Hmmm.....thought I'd better check the proximity of my cable to the exhaust pipe, glad I did - about 12mm!!
The outer plastic sleeve of the cable has melted so an exhaust bandage will soon be fitted in that area.

John, can we see some more "up close and personal" photos please, very useful to see the detail and any variations, especially on a LHD car.

I am currently working on the back axle, cleaning ,stripping etc before putting it back together. As with everything else, the back axle and brakes were filthy. Lots of time scraping, scrubbing and finally degreasing.

The wheel cylinders were seized so the leading shoe on both sides was worn to the rivets (no drum damage , very lucky) whilst the trailing shoe was virtually untouched. The pistons did come out and no significant wear. However they were very gunked up and needed "paint stripper" before the hone would clean them.

I haven't removed the backplates, just stripped them and cleaned everything in situ because I haven't wanted to remove the back axle - which would be the only way to do it properly !

As always, the quality is amazing, look at the row of bolts holding the backplate on ! Everything is now on the bench waiting to be processed .....

What a dirty wheel cylinder :o

And now a very clean wheel cylinder !

Final bits have arrived and everything cleaned, prepped and painted. Ready for refit , hopefully tomorrow.

New linings have been riveted , new seals and flexi's. The shocks appear OK, good resistance and no leaks - just needed a clean and paint. They were originally a nice burgundy colour but they are satin black now ! Axle cleaned as best I can in situ and a coat of paint, drums wire brushed, braking surface scotchbrite'd and then the outside painted with High temp paint, hubs stripped and painted etc etc
 
As always, a few lines of text , actually took a couple of weeks to do. But then I have been gaining "brownie points" by building a new wine cellar for herself as well .....

Reline yourself?

Yes, a punch was held in the vice and used to hold the brass rivet in place while you carefully peen the rivet with a round/coned punch from the inside - started in the middle and worked out

Very satisfying

Brakes back together this afternoon, will try and bleed it all tomorrow.

Not trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs, but there were a couple of things I learnt - it is the first time I have worked on Appia rear brakes, so I thought I'd share ...

Firstly, for the springs, done in 2 stages. 1) block the shoes in place with wood working clamp and then stretch the spring across to the other shoe with a large screwdriver pivoting on the (protected) splines. Insert a small screwdriver to hold it in place temporarily. 2) Use a tyre lever pivoted on the hub (and much more stable) and onto the spring lug, then very easy to stretch the final 1/4 inch and fit the pin

With new linings, the drum was very tight going back on, I took it all to pieces again to see if I'd done something wrong, but seemed OK. The shoes were nowhere near the adjusters and the pistons were not fully retracted suggesting a block somewhere.

After a bit more looking and some thought it appears that the cup on the handbrake lever fouled the socket (for the handbrake connecting bar). With only a tiny bit of filing, 2-3mm at most, it then allows the cup to move back that little bit further and takes the shoes away from the drum. Then it was really easy to slide the drum on.

Before refitting the drum to the hub, I cleaned and sanded all the oxidation on the drum's centre hole, smeared with copperslip so that it will be much easier to remove in the future and means the hub can stay in place and not drip oil everywhere

Indeed, it will probably be me that takes it to pieces in the future, so everything gets a smear of copperslip !

The seal where the handbrake lever goes through the backplate had disintegrated and I don't have any new ones so I made a cuff from a section of bicycle rubber inner tube, stretched over the flange and cable-tied. Quite difficult and reminded me of my youth ......

Finally, don't forget - rubber seal behind the hubnut for any oil that does make it down the splines

Happy New Year Everyone !

Not a lot of Appia news, brakes are all back together and no leaks - but .... can't get a pedal, front circuit is working , but nothing to the rear, so further investigation required. Probably means the master cylinder needs to come off again, but hey ho !

Not an Appia, but I bought a "stick" welder last year and never got round to using it until now. It is a 130 inverter arc welder and is very easy to use and gives some excellent welds even for a first-timer like me (using 2.5 mm sticks)

The project was a mobile garden rubbish burner - 5 speeds and even has a bell

Obviously not an Appia.......this must be the Y10 Fire.

You must have a king-size tin-opener!

Whilst the girls were watching "Harry Potter" last night I decided to try out one of my new Christmas presents - "The Speedy Stitcher" from Frosts (no connection with seller !)

Handy-tip - I gave the "Frosts" catalogue to Juliet and my mother in case they wanted surprise Christmas ideas ....

The driver's seat on the Appia was badly split and roughly resewn across one side, just the stitching so a repair was feasible. Firstly I snipped the metal circlips holding the cover on to the frame, cut the upholstery stitching holding it all together and then attacked the seam. The tool is very easy to use and takes 5 mins to learn and the result is very satisfactory, small tight stitches.

Re-sewed the structural stuff, pulled the cover back over and then re-attached to the frame using cable ties instead of the metal clips. Not original, but works well .....

It isn't that speedy, it took me about 15 mins/inch, but I did have half an eye on the film as well

Great piece of kit in very able hands.......brill result


P

Simon, just reading through your petrol tank clean out/restoration......"sloshing" is simply swilling and shaking about a fluid inside of tank or a completely different activity?

What then did you use to resin seal same, technique used?

Cheers


P

This is the one that's been recommended to me:

http://www.frost.co.uk/por15-basic-car-tank-repair-kit.html

I tried that Frost kit recently on an Alfa Giulietta Spider tank (Pinin Farina, 1958). Much the same construction as a B20's tank. Sadly the 3 stage process was not suitable, mainly due to the baffles in the tank which make it nearly impossible to flush out the remaining liquid from each stage. The other problem was that surface corrosion within the tank was not shifted by by the chemicals (needed abrasion). In the end I gave up and shipped it off to a company that has cut the tank open to sandblast the interior. Not cheap (£250 incl. VAT) but a lot cheaper than a repro tank.

Cheers for that guys, also noting Ive seen another tank restoration ( Andys B20?) where the tank was opened up and various twirly things used to clean up the inside, might go down that route.


P

Noel, Andy and Simon!

http://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7239.0

P

Wow! I'm gob-smacked! I've been a bit 'out of it' the last few months because of the ongoing move to France, and I hadn't seen this (also it's a bit painful to look at the stories about this and the van, because it hurt so much to have to sell my 'toys', so I have had my head in the sand for a while).

But what fantastic work. Simon does the jobs to a level I've always wanted to but never managed, except on customers' cars (Juliet must be a saint - if I spent this amount of time in the shed I'd be in the divorce courts!). I take my hat off to you, Sir. And in the near future I shall come and see you in my Appia and bring round the remaining things I promised you (and pick up my watch!).

Thanks Alan
Your watch awaits you !

At last some progress - Finally received the FFVE papers for the Appia which mean that there is the POSSIBILITY of getting a registration for the car ! Next step is an MOT and then I can formally apply for a registration.

I have had a few problems with the master cylindre but think I'm through that , but let's wait and see ....

Today we cleaned the door-insides, cleared the drain-holes and stone-chipped the frames before "Waxoyl" and refit. Now the Aprilia is back on her feet, I have space and can attack the brakes and get her ready for the MOT.

You must have a rough crowd down there if you're worried about passengers kicking stones up at the inside of the doors.

Thank you David - this comes under "bling" .....

It is not 'everyday' that I get time on the Appia or indeed, any of the toys at the moment. So it was a relief to finally get the brakes back together.

Refitting a LHD 3rd series Appia duplex master cyl is not easy when the engine and box are in place, it is very, very cosy and with size 10 hands it is more difficult still. I had to remove the exhaust , accelerator linkage and several knuckles to get it off in the first instance.

As it says in most Lancia workshop manuals, refitting is the reverse !

However, without trying to teach my 'grandmother to suck eggs' here are a couple of observations.

Firstly I refitted the M/C with the feed-pipe attached, you have to thread it up the bulkhead, through the gear linkage and behind the speedo and heater cables. You start in one direction and rotate the unit as it goes up.

Second, refitting the front and rear circuits. It took a while to find the best method because there is only room for one hand (2 fingers) at most and you need to be sure the threads properly meshed before you can think of using a spanner .... I used a length of string looped over the rear most pipe and pulled it towards the M/C with one hand and then used the other to gently find the thread. All the while the M/C is loose so that you can "get it in repose'".

Once a few threads had caught, I then wriggled the front pipe into place and got it started, bit easier because you can move the pipe with the other hand where it passes under the pedal assembly.

Before tightening the pipes, I loosely fitted the mounting bolts and connected the feed to the reservoir.

Everything bolted down and OK, no leaks.

The manifold is quite straight-forward if you have a long (2'6") extension and put the gearbox in second  to allow it to pass.

Filled with brake fluid and finally have a pedal !

ps the original problem appears to have been a bent shuttle in the M/C which jammed when you depressed the pedal fully.

Sorry for dodgy pictures, it was all a bit cramped and my iPhone can only do so much ....

Still raining, so a bit of time in the garage between other jobs. We have gone very "Bordelais" and planted some roses at the end of a few vines. The theory is that they are a bio-indicator, giving early warning for mildew and other diseases. The rain has meant that we can actually dig a hole !

If you want to know why Lancia went bust, look at the wiring for the front lights of an Appia ! The loom is fed through a series of pipes , T's and elbows. The elbows are brass, the T's zinc plated and the whole lot is glued together and connected to the light units with clips and rubber seals - completely over the top ! However, it irritated me that they were messy and covered in paint .......

With the aid of a heat gun, I removed the wires, stripped and cleaned it all and re-threaded it. The re-threading was easier than expected using 'Spencer-Wells' and a silicon spray on the wires to help them slide. The other thing that helped has making sure the wires didn't crossover inside the tubes, because with 7 wires going through a T piece that is less than 10mm wide, it is tight.  I reheated the plastic tubes when refitting so they are snug.

The lights work, but the relays and switches haven't been used for 30 years so they are going to be some headaches. Yellow bulbs fitted and they give a lovely light !

I have never seen 'plumbing' used for electrics before! Where did you find the yellow bulbs? When I first used to come to France on holiday the car sections in the supermarkets had loads of them. Now I don't see them at all. Would like to fit some to the Fulvia if they still do that type.

Stan, I pick up the yellow bulbs at vide-greniers (car boot sales) and usually pay 50 centimes - 1 euro each. Also, I think my brother in law may have a set of proper yellow headlamps for a Fulvia, I will check next time I am back in the UK if you are interested.

It dawned on me that I started the Appia almost exactly a year ago, so a couple of pictures to remind me , as much as anything else, how much has been done !

Bit of time today and so the other front corner has been done, I waxoyled the driver's side, rear quarters and started on the rear lights. As always the things that take time are removing the snapped screws, rethreading the holes and cleaning everything.

Hopefully, I can get a bit more time tomorrow afternoon/evening

If anyone can help me out with a couple of bits ..... the seal for the rear lamp (lens to lamp-body) and a headlamp bulb holder with wires - thanks !


 

should have both , will have a look for you, remind me though!

Thanks James, will send an email ......

The Appia went back onto her feet today and was moved around under her own steam. Brakes feel nice and gearbox seems good. The clutch pedal needs adjusting but very useable.

Planning MOT for week after next !

Now that the countdown has started I need to do a bit everyday (maybe that's why she is the "Everyday Appia") so the other rear light fitted. This one was a bit more problematic because it was more corroded. All the connections cleaned and the bulb backplate greased so that it slides and creates a good contact with the bulb

Bless their cotton socks, but sometimes bodywork people (ie Dog) can be a pain, he inadvertently snipped the wire for the number plate light and it dropped into a blind box section and was irretrievable ! He has been forgiven (big of me !) but replacing the wire has taken a time.

Nice detail is the "fish-tail" for the exhaust. I found this on eBay , but I think Alan W sells them as well.

The "Appia" script is a delight, as with the "A" on the bonnet trim, it is brass/gold coloured to contrast with the stainless trim - more soon!

Whats the French for sacking Simon??!!


Simply not good enough!


Love the transformation, very well done


P

I would never sack him, where would you find someone as good and as tolerant of my demands .....

Lots going on but a couple of details. The rear boot seal has lovely curved plates holding it into the corners. Number-plate light and bumper fitted. The bumper is very rough and will do until I have tidied up a much better one .....

Also been doing electrics, nothing worked so working my way through it. One problem was the indicators, checking the voltage across various circuits showed a drop in potential compared with the battery output. I wondered if this was causing a problem with the flasher unit ( 10 V vs 13V at the battery). However, I also noticed that the live wire to the ignition was "warm" suggesting that current was being taken somewhere as well.

To cut a long story short, the problem was the wiper circuit. The wiper motor had, at some time, over-centred and become blocked. It was trying to return to "park" mode so kept taking current. That, with dirty connections on the flasher unit, has been sorted.

The steering wheel has been dismantled as well so now the horn works ...... petit a petit as we say here !

Bit of a "brake-headache" today, but more later

Getting very adept at removing and refitting the master cylindre !

After a post-build inspection and test, I noticed that there was a small drip at the back of the M/C (pedal end) suggesting that although the re-honed cylindre looked and felt good, maybe a bit too much wear - I checked visually and by touch , but did not measure it. Plus , on reflection (and because I don't want to take it apart again) I decided to replace the brake pipes .......

So the last day or so has been spent taking out the rad, air intake, steering "flector" (steering coupling ?) horn, exhaust , steering column, M/C  etc etc to get at the pipework

I had everything on the shelf so no delays waiting for bits to arrive. At the same time I took the opportunity to change a couple of other things that had been irritating me - you know how it is when you do a major refurb and sometimes some things are OK , but aren't perfect and it isn't worthwhile 'taking the rad out again' to put it right (for example)

Some of the irritations:
1st section of exhaust too long to allow easy removal without removing the rest of the system - cut 1" off the pipe
Rubber grommets on the brake pipes and around heating pipes all rotten - replaced
Heater cable pops out and bonnet release tight - Re-routed heater control and bonnet release cables
Clutch pedal can over-centre - Mod to clutch spring (see picture) There is some wear on the pivot for the return spring and it is 2 mm too low. Made a support to hold the spring up. Works well !
Rad supports buckled - trimmed the replacement  top hose so rad tilts backwards more 

Plus a few other minor details ....

For the new pipework, I removed the old, measured it, preformed the new pipe roughly (pre-fitted the grommets and new brass unions) and made the flanges.

All purged and back together and so far so good, now it means that I can carry on with electrics, door panels, door rubbers etc etc etc before a final clean and MOT

Finally a picture of the newest arrival alongside her big brother - 1960 Moto Guzzi 73 cc Cardellino. Discovered in the next village !!

Controle Technique (MOT) booked for next Friday !

NB not April 1st ....

Ticking off some more details ......

Washers and wipers cleaned and fitted. New rubbers sourced from the consortium - lots of small chromed bits !

I hadn't realised that "Carello" also made wiper-blades. Still need to replace the rubbers but the rest is OK.

Start on the door trims tomorrow

Should sail through the C.T. considering the amount of work that's gone into it, unless it throws up anything like uneven brakes. I expect this will qualify for one of the '5 Year' C.T.'s? As the French seem to keep many old cars on the road as daily drivers they'll probably consider the Appia as pretty modern!

Sorry - only just saw this (spent the last 3 weeks decorating the bedroom!).

Yes, I sell the fishtails - I call them cockleshells. They are my 'bargain basement' ones because they are repro rather than actually old, and I have hundreds of them:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321680664154

I you want one, DON'T bid on eBay - I'll do you a much better deal off it...

I also have a LOT of much nicer genuine old ones (well over 100). Here are most of the ones I have, although some of the best ones are sold:

http://oldcaraccessories.com/exhaustacc.htm

Some are big wacky ones for American cars, but over half of these are much smaller and more restrained ones, and most are actually Italian (I got them at Padova), and I have several that are labelled as being for Fulvias and other Lancias and Alfas (the only variable being the pipe diameter - in practice most deflectors fit most cars).

Simon, you really need one of these on the Appia (see attachments) - much more appropriate, labelled as for Lancias/Alfas, and actually from the period (some time in the 60s, I think)

The ones with the three red circles are fantastic, genuine 'made in Italy' from the 60s, and I have those in several sizes, labelled as being for Fulvias, Flavias, Fiat 600s, Fiat 125s, Alfa Giulias, etc.

Alan, must be a very big bedroom !

I hadn't realised there was such a range of deflectors. I think some Aprilias sported a very simple aluminium fishtail as well.

Back to the Appia, more details prior to CT (MOT). The last of the 'obligatories' done today, indeed I have just come in from setting the headlights, the switch to BST meant I had to wait another hour before I could adjust them !

Fitting the windscreen washers was a very rare 2 person job, my arms are not quite long enough to attach the nozzle to the pipework, so Jules and her impeccable mechanical skills were sought.

I have replaced the plastic pipes and although they were a tight fit, they leaked like a sieve. Obviously the manual pump produces very good pressure. Second time round I used a smaller section pipe, heated it in water and then made wire clips to ensure it didn't leak.

Now the water jet clears the back bumper !

New wiper rubbers (retaining the lovely Carello frames) and ready to go.

Nice surprise with the door panels. The car came with a set of black door cards and although I didn't realise at the time, they were not original. When I came to fit them they were very thick and had been re-trimmed - twice ! So I stripped away the covers and underneath they are very restorable, original fabric covers. There are a couple of screw holes that will require a delicate stitch or two, and they will need a damn good clean, but they will be lovely. The only issue is that it will need to be taken off the hardboard backing - it is water damaged - and that will take time, so they will have to wait until after the CT. I have just fitted the handles etc

Also, chrome trims, new door rubbers, bonnet rubbers etc etc - too much to list ! We have also finished attaching the Syrah canes, but still have 20 tons of cow-poo to shift ......

3 metres square, but I was starting from a very low base (having to attach skirting boards to a curved earth wall didn't help, either!).

And...


So did Appias - a lot of Lancias came with a simple, flat (and IMHO a bit boring) one.

And...


I knew it had several layers, and I was rather partial to the middle layer (the oddly-textured turquoise ones), but I am amazed that bthe originals are serviceable - absolutely brilliant (although I liked those ones I picked up off Ben for you, too - I love those little kick protectors at the bottoms).

PS ....... Does anyone have an "on-car" picture of the vertical, inter-door rubbers on an Appia ? (the ones trapped by the aluminium frame)

Not sure that mine are correct !

Thanks

I can't remember what that car had, but I'd have thought they needed replacing. Cavalitto, Elvezio and Cicognani sell them (Cicognani make them for the others), but the ones they sell now aren't quite right - I think they are Aurelia ones, because they are thicker and bigger than Appia ones. I know this because I got the last set of Appia ones he had, circa 2003, and he told me there wouldn't be any more like it.

I'll do you a pic of mine when I go outside in a minute.

Proved to be quite difficult to get any half decent pictures with my bargain basement camera but out of the 12 I took
I have attached the best 3.
Let me know if you want anything more specific and I will try again.

Thank you gents, now sorted with your help !

More progress this afternoon. Door seals all fitted along with a few other details - getting there !

And here are mine - pretty much like John's (this is the 'new' car but the other is the same). Even the same colour car! Hope you got em on O.K. - the hardest thing for me was trimming them, because they are supplied a few mm too wide and it was hard to cut a dead straight edge.

Must admit, I didn't need to trim them - I had to position them carefully before screwing down the trim. Otherwise OK

More help needed please ......

I have managed to lose/mislay very few bits - inevitable with so many projects vying for space, but a minor irritation is the spare wheel butterfly. I know that I have it, but I have put it "somewhere safe" !

Does anyone have one - they fit Fulvias as well I think - to buy or BORROW - I am sure mine will turn up ? There is one on eBay for 30 euros , but as I say , mine will turn up .......

Thanks

t minus 41 (hours) and counting .....

Well ........ she passed !

No advisories or return visit, so paper work submitted for reg docs, hopefully should be 100% "aux normes" in a week or so.

As a trial run this morning I took her up to the vines for a photo-shoot and then post MOT celebrations with a cup of tea chez Tim and Sarah Heath and their Delta GT

Now she needs miles on the clock. First though is a head-tighten and final check over before handing her over to our tame racing-driver/wife

(ps - to a Mr X for the offer of a spare-wheel wingnut, a big thank you, you know who you are !)

Brilliant news.  Well done indeed.

David

...and now having driven an Appia did you like it ?

I'm sure it's somewhere in the thread, but I am reading this on my iPad in Stafford, and it's a bit slow!

What did you do about the horrible silver-painted dash plastic? The easy way would be to re-cover / replace it, but I know you're not one for the easy way out.

And did you find a back bumper? I hated that too, but they are hens' teeth.

She is absolutely lovely to drive - light , precise but with a solid feel.

The exhaust note is spot on and you can feel a reasonable amount of "go" but still running in, so care ! The gearbox is slick, but , I think that there is some wear in one of the forks so occasionally I found third difficult to select. No double de-clutching necessary but I will do so out of habit.

Suspension still a bit sticky and I need to get the dampers properly set, some minor adjustments to the clutch to make it bite a bit higher but overall 8/10 and a lot of smiles. Indeed, so many people have admired the car. The MOT man was beside himself with compliments on the quality and EVERY person who came in whilst she was being tested made a comment.

Beautiful !

Never doubted it would pass after the work you put in. Looks lovely - beautiful colour. I was puzzled by your 2017 C.T. sticker but realised that you probably have yet to register it as a vehicule de collection. I didn't get any sort of sticker at all last time around and you had me worried for a minute!

Looking Good!!!
an inspiration to us all I think... shows the value of getting a car in as good a condition as possible 'South London Sport' springs to mind (sorry to pick on you David) as with mine I was concerned as many of the parts were still on or with the car as some of the cars I considered were poverty stricken when it came to interior trim etc.
Clarkey

Stan, you are spot-on, the car was controlled as a Carte Grise normale . In the interim I can apply to change the CG normale for CG de collection and then at the next CT in 2 years time , I will get a 5 year ticket

Clarkey, I was lucky with the Appia because it was a lot more solid than I had expected having come from a dry climate and has produced a better end result than I had anticipated . It was also 90% complete and has been a very useful learning project for the other Appias.

I also have 2 other ongoing Appia projects, one quite rotten but complete to the last washer, and another that is extremely sound, but was taken to pieces by someone else and I bought in boxes. Both will present very different challenges.

Which one will be easier to get "right" (they are both important cars), I am not sure yet ....... but having done the "Everyday Appia" I am at least starting from a better knowledge base.
 

That Flavia Zagato is there as the mother of all projects to stop me buying anything else!!!  There was no expectation of a quick turn round or any sort of deadline.  It's a "journey as much as the arrival" project: the people and knowledge and skills and the simple plain preoccupying interest of it.  I've sometimes wondered if I have a weird phobia of running out of projects.  That Flavia is such a task it should keep me busy forever.  I've two other cars in the "running repairs" / "just needs using" / "list of niggles and improvements" categories. I've a car that needs "a bit of patching up and get it going" and another for "restoration and re-body" so you'd think I'd be ok for the foreseeable.  

Not sure its always good to ask "what was I thinking" but I've yet to regret that car.

What drew me in...?  I fell for the look and the packaging, the ability to cruise all day on the motorway, the proven rally heritage in the mountains.  (Looking at that list I also think as a replacement for the Aurelia I had to let go, along with the thought that its "better" in many ways: brakes, first gear, stability, visibility, ride, refinement but still with much of the old school build quality and a coach build besides).  The other cars are much more toys than the Flavia, a proper grown up use every day go anywhere GT.

The rotten ali over a failed structure with some extremely rare bits to find or replace?  I think that was part of the draw, along with the challenge to even move it, but the prize at the end had to be worth the trial.  It responded so well to the first few hours - dash pulled straight, gear lever in place and the gears selected beautifully, scrub up the seats.  It rolls and steers so nicely and the handbrake works.  

Its a static exhibit, a focus of long term ambition. Its fun to have, fun to work on.

David

David, the fact that it's been 'saved' is good enough. I can understand that just owning it gives satisfaction.

There's also a perverse logic in that at the moment I don't trust myself to look after a good car while another project in the queue is neither here nor there.  When the Aurelia went I said I'd put the MG back on the road, prove I'd use and could look after that and then think about what next.  I'm still yet to prove I can look after that MG.  Goes to show passing the Aurelia on was absolutely the right decision.

Another quirk is that wanting to get to the Flavia motivates getting on with the others, and there's been some sporadic progress for all I'm not able to give cars routine chunks of time.  An hour here and there has been something, but If I could consistently find two evenings and one day at the weekend...   

David, your day will come!!  As you have seen with me, other stuff gets in the way, but the important thing is to have it there and to simply enjoy it being there and it is obvious that you score top marks on both counts. The next stage is to recognise when your day has finally come and then not delay!!! That is perhaps where I failed, looking back, maybe I should have started a little earlier .... but maybe not. Anyway, I am enjoying myself now!!!!

                                         Andy

Having seen the "Sport" in the flesh, it is a work of art and would look fantastic on any driveway, as it is !

Just to bring the "Everyday Appia" story one step closer to its finale, I received the new Registration Document this morning!

MOT last Friday, papers submitted over an Easter weekend and a week later the Carte Grise delivered ......

As a final note to French owners, the CT on the CG is for 5 years, not 2 years as the vignette in the windscreen suggests

Reg is "DQ-411-NH" not pretty, but who cares ?

Good stuff and just in time for summer use.

Clocking up the miles and a few "gremlins" needing attention - no surprise really.

Clutch needs adjusting - done
Choke doesn't fully close so you have to open the bonnet to close it sometimes !
Fan makes a noise - get better with use ?
Slight head leak - copper/asbestos - sorted

But overall, very,very nice to drive, indeed J took her out this evening and described her as "delightful" - lovely steering, gearchange, smell and sound. She just needs to get used to pedals that come out of the floor !

I will hand the Appia over once she is run in

What surprises me most is the attention she receives, to me an S3 Appia is pretty, but not drop-dead gorgeous like an Aprilia/Aurelia/Augusta etc etc. However, everytime we stop there is a crowd .... familiarity, accessibility, colour, chrome - not sure, but people are definitely drawn to the car .... or it could just be my charisma (hah hah) !

Why the attention?  

Just the condition will make it jump out.  I saw a really mint Golf Mk1 recently and it was remarkable to see.  On "The Classic Car Show" Quentin Wilson was driving his "ebay bargain" 1959 Mini bragging about how he bought it for £2,500 and had refused offers for £25,000 (having restored it, he was sheepish and tight lipped about the cost) but I thought "that door doesn't fit right".

A classic car being ~used~ is a remarkable thing.  On the way to a summer show or lined up in a field is one thing, two wheels up on the kerb outside the village shop is another thing entirely, and remarkable.  I enjoy Theo's Gamma photos from Canary Wharf and am reminded what a bold thing it is (for me was) to take a car like that out into every day traffic driving to a deadline.

Then there is the car it is.  Someone once told me "an Appia is the Italian Morris Minor" and while my knee jerk reaction is "NO!!!!!" that's on the basis of one being held together with self tappers and the other having conduit for the front light loom.  Both are a friendly size, modest.  Both have a friendly face, a smile to them.  Both are "big cars in miniature" but without being snooty or up themselves, they're cute.  Both are curvy.  Both were old fashioned when new.  Both have great brakes and will corner better than you'd believe to look at them and that has given them a deep pool of popular affection.  Both were popular, part of the every day street scene.  Both will go on and on in terrible condition and have been "first cars" for many and will spark nostalgia.

Then, also, people will pick up on your delight with it and to be out in it.

For me there's a real draw to an SIII Appia. 

The goal when the Aurelia went was to spend some of the money on another Lancia to use.  Flavias and Fulvias were the obvious choices but whenever a lot of Lancias were in one place (such as the Lancia 100th at Covent Garden) it was the Appias I'd spend most time with. 

There's a democracy to them - its "bottom of the range" but still gets every bit as much attention to detail and has every bit as good a fit and finish.

I like the robustness for everyday use over the early cars for all I love the aluminium details.  I like the plastic seats so as not to be fussy about "best trousers" or "kids don't climb on that" and am a fan of fitted covers for "Sunday best".  I like the later dash.

Yes the Appia (S3) always makes people smile (including me when I drive it). I think that it is because it is cute but also it is not challenging, i.e. it doesn't look like it's dauntingly expensive.  Great cars.

For your amusement and the solution to moving 20 tons of cow-poo !

It is going to take some time ........

That must have been one huuuuge cow!   ;D

My dog would eat that lot. He loves it now the cows are out walking between the fields to the dairy. Horrible little beagle.

I love bagels, oh, sorry you said beagle!!!

Well, it may be horrible, but if it runs on cow poo at least it's cheap to run!!!

                 Andy

That's what annoys me - he's already had some nice food I've paid for. I think I've been sold a pup.

Shovelling 20 tons of cow poo - I think that's God's way of saying you can't spend all of your time drinking nice wine and driving lovely old cars.

I think that depends on who is actually doing the shovelling......

Peter

Still haven't finished the shoveling, however I have been driving lovely old cars and drinking fine wine !

Up to about 700 kms now and I have used the Appia for 19 of the last 25 days since she was registered, so gradually dealing with the gremlins. Not too many so far.

This week was a blocked slow running jet, wide tappet and strip/clean the rear view mirror because you couldn't see who you were holding up !

As usual, the rear view mirror is a work of art. I dismantled everything and polished it as best I could, the chrome was quite bad in places and the mirror faded, however it has cleaned up well and I can now see behind me.

The prism/dipping system is very simple, the flat mirror and a plane piece of glass held apart by a 8mm sliver of plastic on one side. All taped together and then mounted in a sprung frame that clips into the chrome surround.

Nice detail is the ACI sticker on the back. When and why were these stuck on ?? Been there for some time ......

Still a few more things to do , like finish the interior !

Very nice. I like the way you've got it cleaned up but kept the old sticker and age-speckled mirror. Reminds me of this Bugatti I saw at Dijon. It was the most unrestored but used car I've ever seen. The rear view mirror had long stopped reflecting and even the windscreen had turned opaque - so the driver couldn't see either way.  The second photo of the whole car is just because it's too nice to keep to myself.

Stan, if you haven't been to "Angouleme - Circuit des Remparts", it is a must for looking at unrestored and driven Bugattis, they swarm up the hill, at break-neck speeds with proper wheel-to-wheel racing, amazing and inspiring.

Usually 2nd weekend in September

It's on my list as a definite trip to do. Trouble is I always have to work around someone being able to look after the dog! Also on my list - Monaco Historic (surprisingly cheap tickets), Classic Le Mans, Pau, Silver Flag. Angouleme is top of the list - would love to hear Bugattis echoing off of close buildings.

I would love to go the Monaco historic - and it's only 4 hrs drive !

Back to Appias, I bought a set of tailored seat covers this week. They are advertised on eBay Italy and are very reasonably priced (in my opinion) at £130 ish per set. My seats are not bad, not perfect, but they are the wrong colour for the rest of the interior.

I bought light grey with black piping. The vinyl is soft and uniform without the colour or texture variation of the original vinyl. They fit pretty well for ready-made covers and there are plenty of attaching loops to pull them tight. They were not supplied with clips so I made hooks buy snipping links from a length of chain.

Once fitted they needed a clean with an interior shampoo to remove some surface stickiness that I assume was part of the manufacturing process for the vinyl.

Overall, very happy with them, however one needs to remember that they are loose covers not re-upholstered seats ..... and the vinyl is modern so will not suit everyone. Once it has been used for a while, it will look better.

Perfect for an everyday car !

Look smart and protect the originals - perfect answer for a daily(ish) driver.

Getting ready for post running-in head tighten , tappets and oil change etc, but for interest, fuel economy is just under 7l/100kms or a good 40 mpg

Oil change done and thicker 20w60 Penrite used. I had used a thinner oil for running in. An extra plus is that the oil doesn't run down the guides when you stop and then get a puff of smoke on restarting !

Front suspension bottom guides still rattle, but thicker oil hasn't cured that one .....

You can see just how small an Appia is - I know the Disco isn't a fair comparison !

Is this a triple ester oil. Millers 10-60 fully synthetic is and helps reduces oil consumption through burning but not genuine oil leaks...

Brilliant photo...

Yes - hard to believe that 4 adults can get out of the Discovery and comfortably fit into the Appia.

More to the point, six could comfortably squeeze into the Appia, but could they in the Discovery?

Three rows of seats in the Disco and seven seat belts - but short of legroom in row three.

Ahh, sorry! Didn't realise it was a minibus  ;D

The caption should have been along the lines of "one of these machines is a nightmare to maintain", and the answer would be not either of the cars but (if I've recognised it correctly) the device far right.

David

Correct David - that is the evil device - 2 stroke, SOLO , motorised 2 speed wheelbarrow with turbine attached (used for spraying the vines).

I was thinking about getting all Mathilda's friends around and seeing how many we can get in the Disco/Appia ......

I don't think so, it is a high zinc oil made for hot climates. I have used these oils for a while now and am very happy with them in terms of oil pressure, oil use etc.

As for improving wear, how can we check that without taking the engines to bits. Certainly the Aprilia engine is beautifully clean when you take the rocker cover off !

I have tended to steer clear of fully synthetic oils for old engines, not sure why, but I feel that they run at lower oil pressure with it.

Does it matter ? ......... Discuss !

If the Viscocity range is the same then the oil will not be any thinner. Modern engines with tight tolerances can accept a thinner oil which reduces friction, with economy and emissions upside. These are 10-30 or 5 -40 etc - much thinner than the old 20 -50. On the other hand fully synthetic oil has the benefit of long life and does not easily break down liek a mineral oil which has to be changed regularly. Now I am not advocating using fully synthetic and running for 15,000 miles in a classic car as this would mean most classic cars would have one oil change a decade!! However fully synthetic can allow a little licence to forget once or twice, especially if one has a few cars to juggle. Anyway that's my 5p's worth.

Somewhere, a long time ago I read that fully synthetics shouldn't be used in older engines because the tolerances weren't as tight as today and being thinner it would be easier to get past the rings. I do know that my brother-in-law who was an ex-Rob Walker mechanic, then worked on all kinds of exotica once told me there wasn't much point putting fully synthetic into an old engine (I had a TVR Vixen at the time). He said it only makes sense to put it into a clean, newly built engine. Not sure what the truth is. I've always run semi-synthetics in the Fulvia, changed every 3000 miles. I've never used any of the Millers 'historic' for instance and I can say, touch wood, that after all these years there isn't a wisp of blue smoke.

Back to door trims - it was too hot to work outside this afternoon and the garage was nice and cool .....

Apologies for all the pics, but they tell the story better

In aprox order:

1)As it was
2,3,4) Taking the old card to pieces
5) removing the long tacks holding the pocket in
6) Water damaged & warped card
7) Tacking in the pocket using long tacks and a metal bar underneath to peen then
8) The extra strip to make the fabric flush with the vinyl
9) New wadding, lightly stapled in place
10) Separate card for the vinyl, vinyl tacked in first then stretched over the card (pinned in as above)
11) Edge cord cleaned and refitted
12) from the back
13) In situ with handles fitted

One casualty is the use of screws to hold it on. The panels had already been screwed in place, so I just re-used and hid the holes - if it good enough for an Aprilia ......

Just 3 more to go !

the rest !

Very smart - I'm envious of that hammer.

I always like seeing the elastic on the back to close the pocket.  Others might feel it spoils the magic to see the trick.

The hammer is very nice, another "vide grenier" acquisition. Part-ex for an ice making machine .....

A couple of little jobs this week

I noticed that I have used a bit of brake fluid since putting everything together - a bit more than you would expect for the shoes bedding in, so on closer inspection I found that one of the rears had a seep. It had leaked onto the shoes so it meant that it all had to come off again, but it only took a couple of hours all in.

One interesting point was how to clean the shoes. On the recommendation of one of our esteemed forumistes (but I won't mention him by name but he lives in darkest London and has a work of art on the drive), I bought an ultrasonic washer. I have been trying it on various things with degrees of success. However , for cleaning the shoes of every trace of brake fluid it was excellent. I used a bath of windscreen washer fluid and a dishwasher tablet !

Second was to seal a screen leak. I found a product on eBay that I used years ago with great results (on a particularly problematic Fulvia Sport screen). Comma's "Seek 'n' Seal" if you remember it. Seems to have worked throughout the storms we've had this week.

Leaving the window open during last night's storm didn't help though .......

Couple of recent visitors. Firstly Mic dropped in last week on his annual trip to France and we went out in the Appia followed by a long lunch ... He enjoyed the Appia, but I think he probably prefers the Aprilia !!

He is a very welcome guest especially when he brings a bottle of lovely Ferreira Tawny port. Unfortunately, he was not able to leave with any of our wine, more below.

Second visitor is a Citroen HY van, here for brakes and starter motor problem. Dog has done the bodywork and she is beautiful , but the quantity of paint used to do the inside and outside is eye-watering, lots of corrugated sheet !

Back to the wine, we have had to change the name of our Domaine due to some uniquely French "perspectives" which I won't bore you with, however we are on the verge of re-launching our domaine-name with our next vintage, which is due to be bottled in early July.

We are 90% sure that the new name will be "Clos Aurelia" using Mathilda's middle name along with the French for "enclosed or walled vineyard" - it is not intended to be car-related, however as Mathilda Aurelia was named after one of my favourite cars, there is an indirect link !!

Next is a label design ........

Aspirational ;-) Although you are a bit along the way with the Furgoncino.....

Not strictly Lancia ...... but

Our "Membership Secretary" taking time off from her onerous LMC responsibilities ..... Sarah Heath-Brook seen here helping bottle the 2014 vintage of "Clos Aurelia"

1801 bottles of Caringan and 1291 bottles of Syrah

Thanks Sarah !

ps bottles need to stand up for a week or so for corks to settle

last picture looks mouthwatering (is that correct english?)

It must be admitted that some jobs are better/more enjoyable than others!!! Sarah's job has to be right up there with the best of them!!!!

I was on the Knights Rallye with Tim and Sarah. Never thought I'd see them put wine IN a bottle.

well there might come a time when it comes out of the bottle!!(thanks Simon😎).

Just finished lunch with 3 delightful young chaps from Portugal, Ricardo Cardoso and a couple of friends who are doing a whirlwind tour of Spain and France. They were in a very, very early Fulvia berlina with the single carb, rolling speedo and column change etc.

Indeed, it appears to be about the 230th Fulvia built ! Since it dates from 1963, it is only a year younger than the Appia - mine is mid '62. It was interesting to drive the 2 side by side, Ricardo drove the Appia and I drove the Fulvia, then swapped back.

A slightly unfair comparison because the Fulvia was so laden with camping gear and everything needed for their holiday and was very down at the back, but the Fulvia feels more solid on the road and larger. The Appia feels more nimble, delicate and "edgier" with, to my mind, a slicker gearbox.

The Fulvia is the more comfortable to sit in and feels very airy and roomy and is a great choice for a camping trip.

They are 2 very real Lancias, built for the same purpose, ie transporting a family and associated "stuff" in style and comfort, but not necessarily very quickly !

Only a year apart, however, with the Fulvia you get a sense of what is coming .........

Bonne Route Gents !

230th - quite an important historic car then. It's always interesting to look back on the end of one model and the beginning of another. As you say, although only a year apart you can really see the '60's' in the Fulvia and reslise it was needed to keep up with the modern shapes appearing like the Cortina etc. I still think the most stunning change of model must have been Traction Avant owners seeing the DS for the first time in 1955. Can anyone think of a bigger leap looks wise? I suppose the E-type over the XK 150 was pretty special too.

Ricardo has been updating me since leaving Portugal and hopefully tomorrow I'll start a thread with his comments to me and photos,
One thing that Rcardo has done is to up the final drive which makes it better on the flat for the long distances he's covering, but the downside is that it's even slower up steep hills as he has to change down more, those on the Knights Rallye know that my Achilles Heel with "Fay" was climbing hills, particularly one coming out of Gap where everything bar pushbikes was passing me, once over the top though it was a different story.
His fuel consumtion figures are also better than I normally achieve with "Fay" but I do have two twin choke Dellorto 32 DLB's.
Ricardo also said that Simon very kindly donated a tyre and helped him get it fitted, as one failed on the way to Paris and was unusable.
Currently the starter motor has packed up but they can't find out the problem, even after speaking to his electrician in Portugal, so they are bump starting it :D

Brian
8227 8)

Bump starting ............... oh yes, we older ones will remember well the times when that had become the only way of starting a car, just as a matter of course. Now I have to explain to my children (in their thirties) how to bump start a car. How times have changed.

                              Andy

And what ever happened to starting handles? I spent a whole winter starting my Morris Traveller on the handle.

Sadly missed .... a life-saver on so many occasions!!!!

Have a vague memory of reading that if you bump start a modern car you ruin the catalytic converter? Is that right?

Starting handles, early Appias have them but not third series, you still have to bump start them !

2015 Clos Aurelia Harvest meets Classic Car show .......

The Appia was the only Lancia involved, but there was also the Ercole, R60 tractor, Rodeo and Citroen HY van - nearly 250 years of motoring between them

Lovely looking vintage, approx 4 tons of Syrah picked by a group of willing helpers. The red machine in the winery is an ancient "egrappoir" or de-steming machine. A set of rotating batons inside a perforated drum strips the berries from the bunches, drops them into a vat with a "queue de cochon" spiral that then pumps them into the cuve. The stems get ejected from the drum.

Simple but effective

Payment for most pickers was a sore back and big lunch, washed down with 2014 Clos Aurelia

Good effort.

And the carignan?

4 tons! Never thought about the total weight of the grapes before. I think I would like this mentioned after picking, not when I'm given my first empty bucket.

Are you sure?

My Series 1 is a fairly early example - white controls, no rubbing strips on the bumpers - and there is no provision for a starting handle.

Is it just a van-thing ?

On the furgoncino you have to take the grill off, then the support and holes are there along with the dog on the front of the engine

(ps not the right starting handle !)

I hadn't thought of taking the grille off  ::)

But no, there is no provision for a starting handle, so it looks like it's a furgoncino feature...

Couple of maintenance bits this week, top up the oil , used about 1/2 - 3/4 litre in 2000 kms, not too bad considering how worn the guides are ! Rebuilt head being prepared for next year.

1/2 litre of water and redo tappets because one was quite noisy

Plus I need to replace a speedo cable inner which snapped on Monday .....

It is beginning to cool down now, so I will have to fit a thermostat for the winter. The engine is sensitive to running cool, ie it needs a bit of choke until it is close to running temperature (70°ish on the dial). The only problem is that the thermostat housing is seized solid and even on the bench (with heat) I couldn't free it without risking damage. It is the usual large brass nut in an aluminium head problem. I think Fulvia owners have the same problem .....

Question is, can you clamp an inline thermostat in the top, rubber hose, like my Renault 4's ?

Re theromstat assuming you have another one to replace it with the Fulvia treatment is to knock the center out so you can hacksaw (manual or with one of the airline jobbies in  2 quadrants carefully removing the sections and the main part will undo cleaning the tread.....

And yes the R4 theromstat is used as a bodge on Gammas not personally tried but it is one of those that is in the workround manual...

Keeping the end of the thermostat housing fully immerged (on both sides) in WD-40 for at least one week is known to help releasing the thermostat, Andrea

To repeat a currently popular rant; WD40 is not a penetrating and releasing agent. It is a water dispersal agent. What people are using is the solvent that carries the water dispersing compound. Once that solvent has evaporated it leaves the water dispersant which is a nasty gumming up agent. After a (considerable?) period of time it will stick together what you have been trying to release. A friend had a very serious motorcycle crash on a bike where a previous owner had used WD40 on the carburator components as a lubricant.

Using WD40 is therefore fine if you are going to dismantle something and clean all its' components but you might wish to exercise caution on something that you can't dismantle. Immersing it in warm paraffin might serve better or find a proper thin penetrating and releasing oil.

Many years ago, probably before WD 40 became a household name, I always used "Plus Gas" but somehow it just seemed to fall by the wayside and WD 40 took over as the product to use.
However a quick search on the web shows it is still out there ......

http://www.classic-oils.net/PlusGas-Dismantling-Lubricant

Thank you Frank for this. I knew the issue regarding WD40 as not being a true releasing agent, but had not seen an explanation. Now I know! I always try to use Plus Gas, but had not been able to find it recently, so thank you John.

There are one or two things that still need dismantling, now I will be able to use the correct thing as first option. This is before moving to Jim's 'getting its attention' ie hitting it with a large hammer, before the get it very very hot stage!!!

                                Andy

Very interesting discussion around WD40 vs Plusgas - I use a lot (literally gallons) of WD40 for my cleaning mix so must get some Plusgas as well !

The Fulvia thermostat set up is different to that of the Appia so the casting - ie head - can't easily be soaked in an appropriate liquid. I will try my new heat induction coils (see furgoncino thread) on the head once it is off (scared that it might all go pear-shaped) but not sure how well it will work on brass anyway. Apparently it needs "ferrous" content. I will play on some other brass bits first.

Unfortunately my R4 thermostats cannot be squeezed into the top pipe so I will have to look out for something smaller - any suggestions ?

The photos for the Appia thermostat and housing come from my furgoncino engine and as you can see it too has had some butchery applied in the past to remove it.

Finally, the speedo cable inner has been replaced (broken at gearbox end). I have re-routed it to give a smoother curve out from the dash, bypassing the clips on the bulkhead. It is a bit awkward as it comes past the washer bottle and that is made worse if you then clamp it to the bulkhead.

Time will tell

I was going to suggest your 'Inductor', it looks a brilliant device, but as you say perhaps not on brass.

Sometime in the last year Jack Romano mentioned an 'industrial' releasing agent in one of his editorials, which he reckoned would shift anything? Can't recall it's name and it was very expensive I think.

Many years ago, when in I was in the Fleet Air Arm, we had a chopper (helicopter!) of another squadron ditch in sea water, in Mombasa harbour.   Not what you want to do as meant a write off.  The aircraft was recovered and treated for a long time with WD40, to fly again.  Impressive stuff.  As the Stores Officer in my last squadron before leaving the Service I made sure i left with a goodly supply of the stuff which lasted me for quite a time.  Now I have to actually buy WD40 which is sad after only forty or so years.  So if you drop your Appia in the sea you now know what to do.

Strangely my motorcycling friend mentioned in connection with WD40 being misused as a releasing agent is a military helicopter technician at Fleetlands in Gosport. However if you are in the habit of dropping helicopters in the briny a water dispersant is precisely what you need.

Leading on from the "releasing agents" discussion, this article came from the ALR May 2015 edition. ( If there are any issues about copying/linking this please let me know!)


Releasing Rusted-on Nuts
Grahame Ward sent in this article. Ed.
You’ve probably been there. You are wrestling
with a rusted-on nut or bolt, the wrench slips,
you bash your hand, blood appears. So the info
below might be useful:
In the April 2007 issue of “Machinist’s
Workshop” magazine was published
information on various penetrating oils. The
magazine reports they tested these products for
“break out torque” on rusted nuts and bolts. A
subjective test was made of popular penetrating
oils, with the unit of merit being the torque
required to remove the nut from a “scientifically
rusted” bolt.
Average torque load to loosen nut:

• No oil used 516 foot pounds
• WD-40 238 foot pounds
• PB Blaster 214 foot pounds
• Liquid Wrench 127 foot pounds
• Kano Kroil 106 foot pounds
• ATF/Acetone mix 53 foot pounds


The ATF/Acetone mix is a “home brew” mix of
50/50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone.
Note this “home brew” released bolts better than
any commercial product in this one particular
test. “Our local machinist group mixed up a
batch, and we all now use it with equally good
results.” Note also that Liquid Wrench is
almost as good as Kroil for 20% of the price.
ATF/Acetone mix is best, but you can also use
ATF and lacquer thinner in a 50/50 mix. (ATF =
any type of Automatic Transmission Fluid).
This article is from Jaguar Jottings, the
newsletter of the Ottawa Jaguar Club.


P

Thanks for that !

I have tried it on the rear axle bolts on the furgoncino and the first bolt has started to move - combination of heat, air hammer/drift and releasing agent.

Unfortunately I broke my hand nearly 2 weeks ago (not on the furgoncino !) and can't do any more for a while......

Get well soon, Simon! I need my daily fix of (OPs) restoration progress, in the absence of my own........ ;)!!
 
Tim F 

That must be frustrating. Hope it heals soon.

Thanks for your best wishes, as you can see on the furgoncino thread, I have not been entirely idle !

Even though I've been quiet, the Appia gets used all the time. She always gets lots of smiles .....

We've been to a couple of vide-greniers (village car boot sale - sort of !) recently and picked up some nice goodies.

I have not yet found an original tool bag for the furgoncino, but I found this nice leather Harley Davidson saddlebag which fits snugly. Just needs a clean

Yesterday I came across the "MotoMeter" tyre pressure gauge. I've not seen one of these before

Finally a couple of lovely, old "Michelin Forum" tyre levers which I think date from the 60's

You can still pick these things up for less than 5 euros, but you have to rummage through piles of baby clothes, broken Tupperware and enameled enema kits .......

But on the Appia front, I want to fit a new head soon. Typical Appia - smokes quite a lot so I have prepped the head with new guides (with Fulvia valve seal mod), valves and skim. Shouldn't take long to do, but I am reluctant to take her off the road because she is so nice to drive !

A nice little haul there Simon!!!

I know what you mean about being a pleasure to drive. Harry (grandson) and I went out today just to drive around .... I am still seeking the knock and it was just so lovely to drive her again. A totally different experience to the Flavia, the Appia is so light and responsive in comparison!!

                      Andy

Like that Motometer. I shall have to look harder at vide greniers. I'm always looking for the Rolex at the bottom of a biscuit tin full of broken 70's watches.

Time for some "out and about" photos Simon!!!

Thanks David, but it means that I will have to give her a wash !

Don't bother. I think the used look is perfectly honourable for an everyday runabout Lancia.

Here you are David !

Up in the vineyard this morning, doing some de-budding before the (much needed) rain arrives from Spain tomorrow

We are organic wine-makers, hence the vegetation between and around the vines. Several reasons for the roses at the end of the vines, firstly they look nice, but there is a theory that they act as an early warning for any diseases (vine's , not mine !)

Very nice indeed. Plus you've given me an idea - I'll tell people I'm an organic gardener, hence the vegetation between all the flowers.

Stanley, I think you might just start a trend there!!! I know a lot of people who are looking for a new excuse for an 'untidy' garden!!!! And this organic excuse comes with brownie points!!!!

                                    Andy

It looks like you washed it after all  ;D

Simon,
When we visited a vineyard in Portugal we were told the rose were to help with pollination  ???

Brian
8227 8)

Lovely...

Still not been washed !! A couple of photos whilst doing chores today

On the second picture you can just see the snow on the Pyrenees, not for much longer I suspect !

Lovely chores!!!

Lovely car - and great to see one getting proper use.

Sorry but some gratuitous "poppy" photos ....... Spring here is just so pretty with the vibrant greens of the vines contrasting sharply with the intense red of the poppies.

All you need for a perfect photo is a Lancia in the background (and maybe a decent photographer/camera !)

Plus a rare photo to prove that Juliet does actually use the Appia as well

Idyllic Simon.....but someones hi-jacked your Appia by the looks of it!!!!

P

I agree with Frank ... idyllic is the word!!!

Also I love poppies, so those are some great pictures.

                                    Andy

Today's job was clearing some bamboo from the edge of the vines - apparently bamboo is native to the region. We brought some home to stake the tomatoes

Very practical cars, Appias !

There's nothing much wrong with the photographer and the camera seems to do all right.

Au Boulot ! (to work !)

We have a small holiday rental property in the next village (dates available at very reasonable rates ....), right in the heart of the historic centre. The streets are very narrow and the Appia is one of the few cars that can get around the corners. A combination of wheel at each corner (well at the front anyway) , great turning circle and narrow track make them ideal.

I wouldn't try it in Jules' FIAT 500 !

On top of that, great carrying capacity - big boot and pillarless, so you can fit 2m boards in .... and still enough room to take your daughter to school

No wonder they were seen as wonderful little cars

A lot of the older cars like Alfa saloons etc were built to a sensible width for the narrow Italian streets. This was before the trend for big fat cars even though the roads are becoming more crowded. Nice photos - the car suits the streets very well.

Wonderful  Simon, shame we couldnt quite make it, maybe next year!

P

Time to change my windscreen ...... large stonechip and crack

Unfortunately there are no new screens available from any of the usual sources, Omicron/Cavalitto/Carglass/Pilkington etc

I have a secondhand spare that I'm going to fit, but I am also looking to get a batch of new screens made because although there are a few s/h around they are usually scratched and they will dry up soon.

If anyone is interested in a new screen please let me know

On closer inspection, the "secondhand" windscreen is actually new, one of the last batch made in S Africa in/around 2000, but unfortunately has some delamination, but nowhere too important !

So, still looking at getting more made

Appias are so, so use-able --- honestly I will stop the "practicality" photos .... everyone is bored of that one, even David , I suspect !

Finally I (well Dog and I) have fitted the new screen. It is probably the last, new, unfitted screen from the South African batch made on 28th March 2000

First off, I removed the inner trim, then we cut off the top , inner lip before pushing the screen out. I wanted to keep the screen and rubber as intact as possible because I plan to get a new batch of 3rd series screens made

Once the screen was out, I set about removing the dash while Dog cleaned up the aperture and polished the paintwork. When we painted the car 18 months ago we didn't remove the screens so now was the time to tidy up a bit ....

Next was to fit the rubber to the screen - not a 5 minute job even after it had been in the sun for a while and was very soft. It was done in sections, using masking tape to hold the bit we'd done. Then we refitted the (newly polished) filler strip before wrapping around the screen cord

Great care and patience was then required to fit the screen and rubber, but once done it looks great, even with the small delamination in the corner.

All in all it took about 3 hours

Now the dash is out we can clean it up and paint it blue - as per bodywork - and refit. I have split the dash into all its bits and started to rub it down. The dash is in 3 parts (4 if you include the glovebox lid). 2 elegant long brass nuts hold the dial cowl to the fabric-covered part of the dash and then this in turn is clipped to the painted section. Between the 2 is a chrome strip held in place by the tinniest of screws

Hopefully Dog can find a few minutes to paint it up !

NOT bored yet by a LONG way !!!

Well done. Looks like the type of job that needed lashings of cold alcohol afterwards. I wouldn't fancy being responsible for fitting the only windscreen available. I should think there is now a dwindling number of people able to do this outside of the classic car specialists.

You are right about the number of people who will fit a screen and rubber. Carglass , the biggest supplier/fitter here had never fitted a screen with rubber and filler strip so wouldn't take it on !

Interested to see that you fit the filler strip before fitting the screen to the car. I have always done it the other way round.
Never easy and quite stressful especially when refitting an old brittle front or rear screen. I have a 4th Series B20 project which has tinted glass all round incl the screen and Jacky is already looking forward to the front and rear screen fitting!
However I tend to take the view that if someone else can do it, as long as I have the tools and am patient I will get there in the end.
Chris

Chris - with the nice, new, supple rubber, we thought that it would be feasible,  I have had trouble getting the chrome strip "go home" fully on previous screen fits. Personally, I would do the same again next time

Good luck with your screens .....

Today , the girls were away and all the vineyard work has been done for the week, so I got a day in the garage.

Dog came round and took the dashboard bits to paint, Juliet went out to find some new vinyl for the dash because the previous vinyl had been painted and I can't clean it up. And I have been cleaning everything up.

The roof lining was absolutely filthy, the photos don't really show it. I borrowed a steam cleaner and set about the various bits - lining, side trims , visors etc. The steam works very well and now it just needs a wipe over with vinyl cleaner once it is all back together

A lot of the chrome was also very poor, especially the ashtrays and visor brackets, so I removed the old chrome and (primed and) painted the bits with silver wheel paint. Not perfect but looks OK until I can find decent replacements one day.

The inside of the ashtrays was quite a challenge ...... probably explains why the roof lining was so dirty !

The rest has cleaned up nicely and just needs refitting.

Still to do:
Clean and check wiring
Fit discrete iPod charger
Wiring for radio
Clean and paint air vents
Tidy behind dashboard

Next up has been to tidy up behind the dash. I took out the heater and air vents, rubbed them down and painted them. I've not gone over the top, it is more a case of protecting it and making it look nice!

For the same reasons I have painted the bulkhead with black rustproof paint. It is not original , but hopefully will prevent any future water damage - not that there should really be any .....

The heater comes to pieces quite easily and as with most 3rd series units, the rubber elbows were hardened and cracked. The Appia consortium has sourced new ones which fit perfectly. My toilet-roll repaired tube is still holding up after 18 months use.

The method of holding the flap open is ingeniously simple, a ridged piece of metal crimped to one of the vent holes - simple but effective.

By the way, I am missing the handle for the vent - if anyone has a spare ??

I reckon the heater cowl and tubes would make a good cyberman mask ...... just paint it gold

Most of the "behind the scenes" is painted and back in place. Very simple except for the top bolt attaching the heater controls to the side of the heater box. More so with my size 10's

Lancia design is usually excellent, but when it goes wrong , it is awful ! By making the bracket about 5mm taller, replacing this bolt would have taken 2 minutes not 42 minutes ......

The last thing to do is clean/paint the steering column and tidying up the wiring before refitting the dash.
The repainted dash parts should be back from Dog this afternoon

The consortium has NOS ashtrays still in their little boxes

I guess that I will need to put my name on a couple !

Me too please ..... one of mine is a Duckhams 20/50 can top screwed to a cork!!! At a glance it does not look at all bad!!!

                            Andy

We had interesting visitors today - a '66 Mustang Convertible and a '72 long wheelbase HY van.....impromptu classic car show

No picture of the Mustang, sorry !

Dog finished the dash and screen frame last night so I started fitting them today. They are beautiful !!

The 2 pieces are clipped together so instead of fitting them as a combined unit (as I took them out), I am trying to fit the bottom, painted section before clipping on the vinyl covered top section. The big plus is that it gives much better access for my size 10's to connect everything up.

I painted the column satin black because 1. I can do it myself 2. Dog was too busy 3. it means that I can carry on on .... 4. it looks very smart !

First though was to refit the chrome strip, dials, glove box lid and ash trays. Once in place the wires were connected up, but still need to be checked. Plus I have found the rear speaker wires and a live feed for the radio.

Oh! and I have managed to get the ceiling light to work correctly when you open the door

Small details that will make the car more enjoyable and usable

Maybe get it finished tomorrow, but I need to do an extra vineyard treatment in the morning. Difficult conditions at the moment - heat, showers, wind, sun - repeat several times per day ..... perfect for mildew !

It does all look very smart, excellent!!

                           Andy

Andy...did you get that gearbox from Don?

That dash does look very nice. Can't beat sitting behind old style dials and a few bits of chrome. Shame the Fulvia doesn't have chrome rings around the dials. Always been a fan of the HY - a kind of no-nonsense Ju52 for the road.

I regret not yet, I was thinking about it this morning and moved it up in the list of urgent jobs!!!

Thank you for getting it down to Don, I am feeling guilty now!!!

                      Andy

PS How is your father? On the way to a full recovery I hope.

Electrics checked over and couple of small mods done, including new earths etc and dash refitted. Plus I have started to replace all the horrible pozi-drive screws with proper Phillips - All looks much smarter !

The dash does go in in 2 parts - but not that easily. The difficult bit was getting the top piece to slide under all the clips at the same time, so I ended up making some wooden wedges to hold the clip open whilst I pushed the top piece home

The cowl is attached to the main piece with 2 beautifully turned brass nuts - this is why Lancias were so expensive to build - 2 small nuts would have worked .....

It does mean that I need to finish the rest of the interior now

are the clear plastic covers over the speedo and gauges supposed to be tinted yellow or is this age effects
Clarkey

I suspect it is aging, but having given them a good polish they are easier to read

I use toothpaste on the acrylic crystals of old watches - removes any scratches etc. Just apply with a damp cloth, let it haze, then polish off. Also just used Autosol metal polish to completely transform the opaque Lybra headlight covers to crystal clear. Either might be worth a try on the instruments.

Thanks Stan, I think that I will leave it as "patina" - I used to use the toothpaste trick for cleaning my diving mask when I was a marine biologist .... good stuff , toothpaste !

Refitted the sunvisors and worry-beads, the painted visor mountings look fine and the worry-beads came with the car so are part of her identity !

I have connected up a cigar-socket for iPod/iPhone charging. it is quite discrete and fits in the under-dash pocket on the passenger side, means that I may not bother with the radio, I'll see how it works with bluetooth speakers

Latest daft idea is to cycle along the Pyrenees, off-road, from Andorra-ish to the coast near Coulliore, dipping in and out of Spain. Plan to take the Appia so time for a quick check and mini-service

Up on the ramp to check everything still there and as it should be ,then grease the steering and oil the lower suspension guides. It is a bit dirty from 18 months use, but otherwise OK.

Will probably be quiet for a week or so, hope the AGM goes well ......

CIAO SIMON , UN MESSAGGIO PER TE SULLA TUA MAIL............

So it didn't quite go to plan ......

Bike packed up neatly in the back of the Appia, lovely drive up to the high Pyrenees, a quick stop at Villefranche le Conflent with its amazing "Vauban" fort - well worth a stop for this and "Le Train Jaune" which leaves from here

But then the planned cycling trip along , and down, the Pyrenees was cut short when I impaled myself on a tree !

So after a trip to the medical centre and a few stitches it was decided that I couldn't continue - a great shame because it is amazing. Will need to re-organise and do it again

Please excuse or delete the gory photo !

The return drive was phenomenal, so good that I didn't stop to take any photos ! A solid 3&1/2 drive  via the high plains and then following the river Aude from its source to Carcassonne and through the Gorges St Georges. It was mid-week so NO traffic and a hot sunny day. I did not come across another vehicle for 50 miles, just kept going at my pace

The best drive I have had for years

I left home really liking the Appia, I came home loving it !

Wonderful Simon, bar the running into the stationary tree!!!!

Get well soon, thats not your spanner arm though!? ;D


P

Unlucky with the tree...matron says she is standing by to whip that plaster off!

Ouch. Those kind of drives are great - the type you never forget.

Great day out on Sunday.

Juliet spotted a poster attached to a lamppost in the next village advertising a "Rallye Surprise" this weekend. It showed a cartoon picture of an old Peugeot (?) suggesting that it was aimed at the classic owner ........

We phoned and booked (15 euros per car) and were told to arrive at the departure point at 8am on Sunday

We duly turned up in the Appia to find that we were the oldest car by 50 years ! Plus there was an observation run with clues  and a "cultural test" , obviously all in French. Not forgetting "guess the weight of the sausage" a singing competition and "identify the smell"

Some of the route was "borderline" - Jules had to get out and watch us over the hump. We saw the Bages' pelicans and paddy fields

For example, we had to name 3 records recorded by Charles Trenet and then needed to know the lyrics from "La Mer" to find the next clue ......

What does a cochliophile collect ? - spoons of course !

And then the first lines from a list of poetry

Suffice to say we came last ........but we were still awarded 2 bottles of wine, a car rug, sports bag, set of flannels and a "tarte aux pommes"

We had a lovely day out, beautiful drive from Bizes Minervois to Peyriac sur Mer, via Narbonne and Bages. Tim will recognise much of it, indeed he was probably watching us from his wind-surfer !

Lovely weather, lovely route, lovely company ..... can't wait for next year !

That is brilliant ..... a great day out and purely by chance. I bet if you had know the age range of the other contestants you would have given it a miss!! What a loss that would have been!!!

                          Andy

We should have been with you as there was no wind to windsurf, well not enough for us beginners. Consolation prize we went to the picturesque village Lagrasse today (Monday) as they had a (free) piano recital festival. Great drive back at midnight no cars around.... So we did not see you Simon.....

I can feel the heat just looking at the photos. Better take a couple of short planks next year to help out on the rough tracks. 'Guess the weight of the sausage' sound like something from 'Allo 'Allo. Was there a painting hidden in it?

Working Delta!!!

As it should be !

Not strictly Appia, but an interesting day .......

The "Tour" was very close this year so we organised a voisins' (neighbours) picnic at the side of the road, with "Henrietta" the HY van going early and securing the spot, carrying the chairs, tables etc. The others arriving later via a vineyard track. I was hoping to take the Appia but too many children to safely squeeze into the car - hey, ho - next time I will take the furgoncino with them all locked in the back !

Great day out, but in the background we saw that there was a fire in the countryside, not unusual at this time of the year, however as we returned home it rapidly became apparent that it was VERY close to home

The next photos were taken from our garden looking towards our vines (behind the hill) - the fire got as close as 200 yards before the "Canadairs" hit it with flame retardant and thousands of gallons of seawater.

The 'planes were amazing. They were so low you could see the pilots' faces. They came in time after time, hitting the edges of the fire. With the fire, the smoke and the noise of the planes it could have been war ......

Mercifully, no one was hurt. A few houses were damaged, 500 acres of woodland burnt, a couple of hundred people evacuated. We had our bags packed, but nothing more serious

It will take a few years before it all looks "normal" again, maybe never quite the same, but nature sorts itself out

We live in a village of 400 souls however it is never boring , it would make a great TV series - 'Mailhac-enders" or "Minervation Street"

Gee, 200 yards is mighty close regarding a forest fire, good to see it was dealt with efficiently! Bar the Deux Cheveux casualty!


P

That is close! Wonder what the cause was? The T de F is fun to watch- a long build up then all over in a rush of motorbikes and colour. Plus yesterday, the unusual sight of Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux.

It used to be even better when the cars the organisers used were Lancias!
Regards, John

Alas for the 2CV! - or was it merely exhumed by the fire?

Simon's already dragged it to his workshop. He'll be driving it next week.

Finally we have our wine available , so an excuse for a tenuous link .......

The Syrah label and box are the same colour as the Appia !

We were hoping to call the wine "Clos Aurelia" , using Mathilda's middle name (no, it's not "Clos" !) but had an objection from a Co-operative in Province, so we are now, officially and without objection:

                                             "Domaine La Tasque"

Next thing is to make up adhesive/magnetic logos for the furgoncino ......

PS - A big thank you to our very own Stan Sweet for designing our label - THANKS !

Thanks to our "membership secretary" and "special tools and press officer" for their help during the recent vendanges .....

Difficult year for us, NO rain and very hot, so tiny harvest .....

Interesting line-up outside the winery, '72 R60 tractor, Ercole (being tested by Sarah) , Citroen HY, R4 Rodeo - the Appia was tucked away for the day due to limited grape-carrying capacity

And our Delta Gt i.e. was parked down the road due to local congestion!

Brought the Appia out of "storage" and put "Orangina" away for the winter, still hot during the day but rain (hopefully) forecast for the weekend, her job is done for the summer

Nice job today was to run the Cabrio interior up to St Chinian (beautiful area, excellent wines) for an upholsterer to look at. He does pretty much any kind of upholstery and trimming - chairs, cars boats, horses etc

The business was started by his great grandfather in 1896 and is called "Maison Simon" so it's a good start, and is now lined up for Jan/Feb 2016 - must find some nice leather ......

Appia ran beautifully as always

Just had a look at his website - he does do everything. He even does car hoods. How's the hood on the cabriolet?

I do hope you find some suitable leather. The stuff commonly used these days just doesn't look right and to my mind spoils so many classic car retrims. It has the wrong texture, too soft and with a finely stippled surface, and has an inappropriate, slightly matt finish.

Not the everyday Appia, but my other everyday transport and an excuse for a nice autumn photo taken yesterday ..... 

Ploughing so that the soil is de-compacted and the winter rains can soak in

The Appia is running nicely though doing her usual shopping and other chores !

Not even a tenuous link ...... just a picture of "Life in La France Profond"

Sausage making and Foie gras - the ducks are remarkably unperturbed, but they don't have long left. The sausages were still running around on Thursday - it's very different to Sainsbury's

An observation, not a comment

'Life in La France Profond' or Sainsbury??? Now there's a difficult decision!!!

Thank you for posting this Simon.

                                     Andy

First breakdown that I have had so far, but at least it wasn't raining , more in a moment ......

It is pruning time and we have about 4,500 vines in total, not many by local standards, so when I can I take the Appia. EDF have been replacing the wooden electricity poles due to sanglier (wild boar) damage, but they chose the wettest period for nearly 3 years and our track has been churned up so I can't always get through in the Appia !

Today is lovely though - please excuse the selfie, but just to show what the best-dressed-pruners wear !

A couple of vine pictures ,before and then the same vine about 30 seconds later. I have electric secateurs which are about as scary as chainsaws - apparently there is a surgeon permanently on call in Montpellier to reattach fingers !

But when I came to start the Appia she started and then spluttered and stopped. On inspection I saw petrol POURING from the carb and not stopping when the engine had stopped, obviously siphoning through

First thought was stuck float valve, but no amount of tapping stopped the flow, so off with the top of the carb. The only problem was that I didn't have (have now) a 9mm spanner in my toolbox. I think it must be the only 9mm on the whole car. The top 2 bolts are easy because they are slotted and you can undo them with a screwdriver, but the bottom one is a pain. Solution eventually found.

Then I spotted the cause, the level of petrol was high and the cause was a split brass float, so it was full of petrol and didn't float anymore !

I have never had this before.

I don't carry a spare float in the car, so I made the hole bigger, drained the petrol from the float, bent the float lever so the float would work sooner and lower the level of petrol in the chamber. Put it back together, jumped in and started the engine and drove off straight away ...... idea being that once I got moving and kept the throttle open, if she ran a bit rich she should get me home.

It was a bit hairy when she went sideways in the mud , but we made it.

All mended and running nicely again - reckon I deserve a cup of tea !

Not posted here for a while, so a couple of pictures whilst pruning the Syrah last week. Lots of rain over the weekend so won't get much done today - off to the garage !

Yes, I can imagine the conversation. "Oh dear Juliet, it's raining again. What am I to do?".

And it did rain for much of the day - We are not complaining though, last winter we had less than 200mm of rain (Oct - Mar) and this year we have had nearly 400mm so far, so everything is green and lush !

On Friday , I fulfilled a lifetime ambition - to drive a double-decker bus !

Friends who own a "pick your own" fruit and veg farm in the next village (you may have seen them on the James Martin programme recently) have just bought a bus to use as a shop and "ice-cream parlour"

Dog and I are going to do the transformation .....

Apparently the Gardner engines are good for a million miles !

"Return to Walthamstow please"

Surely you mean 1 million kilometres now its an ex-pat bus?!

P

Don't they have a demand for doubler deckers over there? or is just the engine UK derived

For only the second time, the Appia thwarted me ! She still gets used very regularly and yesterday as I set off for the bus inauguration I noticed a petrol smell.

Tim H had alerted me to the problems he has encountered with braided fuel hose and I have replaced most of mine now, but the last one had sprung a leak so I changed it quickly and set off. Unfortunately there must have been some dust in a poorly stored (??) new pipe so the carb blocked.

Anyway , carb stripped and plugs cleaned whilst I was at it and she is happy again

The braided pipes I have been using came from reputable UK suppliers (no names) and I think that are just not up to modern petrol

So learning points - no braided hoses and blow through any petrol hoses before I fit them ....

It is horrifying how much there still is that we have to learn!!!!

I am just pleased it was diagnosed and sorted without, apparently, too much drama!!!

                                          Andy

Hi Simon

Glad you sorted it quickly and without too much of a problem.

From what I have read you need to use hoses with the following spec

SAE J30 R6

Or go for high pressure racing type hoses, but they need special connectors I understand.

I would be interested in knowing if this is not correct as there are a few reported cases of new hoses becoming porous with modern petrol and that is never a good thing....

Peter

Peter, I may have confused everyone, I was talking about the fabric-braided hoses. It appears that the inner rubber tube degrades and splits ....

Ah the braided hose strikes again......

Hi Simon

I do not think I misunderstood, I bought some of the fabric braided rubber petrol hose which was for modern unleaded, but having read a few scary tales of how long they can last before becoming porous (less than 6 months in one case) I decided to not fit them and to buy the ones with the correct rating on them. The ones I bought were of the type where the 'braiding' is enclosed within the rubber. I guess it is possible to find it with braiding on the outside, or to retrofit some if the look is important.

No idea if the SAE rating is pan EU or a worldwide rating.

Peter

Impromptu Lancia-Lunch chez Tim and Sarah Heath with Mike and Denise Jennings in their beautiful Fulvia Sport. T&S's equally beautiful Delta and our Appia

We had representatives of the 40's,50's, 60's , 70's , 80's and 2000's if you include the people present as well as the cars !

Lovely lunch , thanks

Lancias, sun and wine. Takes some beating. Dropped to about 15 here with a nippy wind, shorts temporarily off duty.

Long time since I posted here, but finally I have taken the front suspension apart.

Here is a a very brief summary - I am writing a full "Janet & John do Appia Front Suspension" guide for the Appia Consortium newsletter later in the year

A couple of problems on one side - broken spring and jammed damper and then a replacement spring on the other in order to even it up

Overall it isn't a difficult job if you have the correct tools and typical Lancia, there are quite a few of them. Plus you do need very long levers and heat - occasionally lots of it !

Re-assembly is more about care, some of the threads are very fine and easy to cross

A couple of pics :

Winter is actually one of the busiest times for us - We have about 12,000 vines now and each one needs pruning and it takes me about a minute to give each one a nice back-and-sides. I get some time in the garage, but very little time to post about it

So a belated catch up.

After dismantling the axle on the car I found that there was too much wear on the parts for me to be happy, so I bought a "new" axle at Christmas and it was delivered in January.

This has now been dismantled , cleaned, checked, repaired and re-assembled - all good homework for my "Idiot's Guide". It took about 1.5 hrs to dismantle, a couple of days to clean and paint and then an afternoon to put it back together. BUT and it is a big "BUT" , nothing was seized.

Now it just needs to be exchanged with my worn axle .......  hopefully over the weekend

Couple of photos of the tools needed, most of the axle in bits and then a nice , new, shiny axle to go back on !

Impressive stuff Simon!

Simon

Can you tell me are the springs on you axles marked
for which side of the car there for ?

Will, there was nothing obvious and they were the same length. I think that they may have been replaced because they were hardly marked.
Having said that , they were the correct , chamfered springs

If you don't mind, I won't be taking them out again to look more closely !

Busy old day today, re-organising the winery today which meant that I needed to move the furgoncino.

At the end of last year I had a brake cylinder leak and have been waiting for a rebuilt cylindre to arrive ( a very long story of woe, worry and wonder that I may recount at some time ....) anyway I took the furgoncino back to the garage to fit the new cylindre.

It fitted nicely under the front of the Berlina which is on the ramp, just careful not to jack it up too high ! All in all a very quick job because you don't have to remove the shoes and if you clamp the flexi, it takes no time to bleed with the plunger. Also I remove the wheel cylindre with the flexi still attached so that you don't disturb the copper/flexi junction and let air in, you just unscrew the cylindre from the flexi

The cylindre that had been leaking was a brand new, repro unit supplied by a leading European supplier.

Back to the Everyday Appia - I took off the drums/brakes , hung them out of the way, dropped the steering arms and then the old axle.

It is always a worry replacing axles just in case one or other car (donor or recipient) has had a bump at the front end that has moved the frame or bent the axle. It only needs to be a mm out and it won't fit without body rams. Mercifully everything lined up first time.

It was a bit of a fiddle to do on my own, but now just need to be finished off, hopefully tomorrow

Back on the road !

Lovely "new" suspension, supple and quiet. As a bonus, the steering is very precise and light, I replaced one of the spring bearings which was a bit "graunchy" and then greased them

Very happy !

photo of road test this morning

Well done!

Looks nice. You sure you want to sell it??

I love this time of the year because of the clear sunny days here which seem to justify all this 'old car' stuff we immerse ourselves in.
Lots of jobs outside Simon as you say (but we only have 2,000 vines) and also a list of car related jobs to do as we don't really possess a young car.
The front axle work you have just completed seems to have provided lots of additional benefits which maybe you didnt expect? Thats all a bonus isnt it .....or maybe the car just telling you it doesnt want you to sell it.

In that vein, a few weeks ago I decided that our 330k mile 1997 Toyota 8 seater Landcruiser Amazon ( 4.7l petrol automatic) which we have had from new and which is lovingly known as the 'car that wont die' should be superseded. Its worth nothing of course but is mechanically 100% and bodily 98% with great canvas seat covers from S Africa as the leather is a bit cracked.
It gets a lot of use here with visitors, the family and as a general utiility vehicle for compost, trees etc etc.
I found a manual petrol lhd Landcruiser ( my ideal spec) online whilst travelling in Jan/Feb and Jacky and I both had the same thought when we collect our old one from 6 weeks off-airport parking at Venice Airport that it would probably sulk and let us down.
Of course not - as always it started first time and went like clockwork.....so we are now yet again having 2nd thoughts on the proposed change.
Chris

I'm a great believer in keeping good cars until they are absolutely  beyond sensible repair. If it's reliable and keeps the rain out why risk a change? I think I've only sold about 2 cars and one of those was a Mk 1 Fiesta that I bought for £200 and sold 4 years later for £100. Top work as usual Simon and a lovely little car. If you do sell it I hope it goes to a good home.

Then we think alike Stanley.
However I do get momentarily ever so slightly peeved when friends and acquaintances show off their new acquisitions (which generally depreciate like a stone and are sold/traded on by our friends at 5/6 years old with max 50k miles on the clock) and mutter about Jacky and I 'having' to drive old vehicles. They never seem to grasp it is our choice.
Chris

Agree - my daily motor is a 1999 Isuzu Trooper 3.5 petrol V6. Done 176,000 miles and apart from routine things like discs, pads etc it has needed only a new starter motor at 150,000 miles, never even a clutch reline. Now needs an EGR valve for the MOT but really it owes me nothing. It was a bargain when I bought it because petrol, green and short wheelbase which the punters don't want but all of which suit me. Green particularly is very useful when looking for the car in the supermarket car park.  :)

My Augusta is now registered and just awaits the departure of salt before taking to the road. The DVLA were pleasingly quick in issuing an age related number - 12 days from posting my application to the arrival of the V5.

Mike

Mercedes 300TE - brown, plastic seats, counting down to 250,000.  Gets me lots of breakfasts at Ikea etc when friends need big stuff moving.  Load liner for the boot shifting compost and dump runs.  Four roof rails.  Self levels.  Tows a Flavia, at least 87% of a Flavia...

Yes - I remember arriving at work in my newly purchased 6 year old Xantia in perfect condition with a full history for 1700 quid. A colleague said "You like driving old bangers don't you?".

We also have a 2003 232,000 miles BMW type Mini Cooper S in the UK which is still on its original supercharger, never mind engine and ancillaries. A really well made car which is huge fun to drive. Its a London car so small marks on every panel and its worth diddly squat but to replace it? With what and at what cost?
I think we will drive it till it dies like our Landcruiser.
Chris