Fanalone restoration

[ncundy]

The timing of the cams is now finished - after checking thrice, thrice and thrice again I got them to within 1 deg on both (or less then 1/3 tooth).

I set them up on point of max lift (109 ATDC inlet & 71 ABDC exhaust) with an angle plate and DTI. Using this and taking an equidistant point either side of TDC it's pretty straight forward to measure it accurately. Continually taking the vernier pin out, moving the sprocket, re-measuring, then taking the chain off and moving the crank one tooth etc etc becomes a bit of a pain, but over a period of a couple of days I whittled it down from about 4 degs (just over one tooth) to less than a degree. Now I've got my head round it I'm sure I would be a bit faster now

Trial fit in the subframe next

[DavidLaver]

Any idea how much variation between cylinders?

David

[ncundy]

No - didn't measure the rest. I did measure all the lobes before fitting and they were all the same (within a couple of thou), but I will take you up on the measurements. Be a bit of a disaster if they are out !

On another tack, learning from previous experience of the engine mounts getting cooked by the close proximity of the exhaust a heat shield has been fashioned for the mount bracket (courtesy of my dad...again ). Should keep everything at bay for a while. Last photo shows the original mounts with heat damage.

[ncundy]

Trial fit of the gearbox - not light a Fulvia gearbox!

[Dilambdaman]

Nice one Neil, our Fanalone gearbox looks like this just now! 

Robin.

[fay66]

Hi Neil,
Just as well you've got a long work bench

Brian
8227

[ncundy]

Hi Robin,
thanks - so far it looks like a good job, proof will be if it doesn't self destruct when I engage 1st!

I recognise the bits on your bench. Having now done one of these it is easy to understand why Lancia went to the S2 box with its single split carcass, imagine that as a production task 

You and Jonathan have gotten a fair way by the looks, hopefully on the downward slope - less one of    , possibly  and soon to be 

Neil

[Dilambdaman]

Neil.

Yes we've located most of the bits now so reassembly should start soon.  

However,   and   would be more accurate in respect of our wallets!

Robin

[ncundy]

Well it's been a slow month but I've got on with doing the flywheel and clutch. The flywheel has been refaced and a clutch alignment tool made (courtesy of my dad), the assembly checked for balance and it's now all on the engine.

The interesting thing was discovering that the early Fanalones had a 30% lighter flywheel fitted. They were changed about halfway through the build for the S2 flywheel which is about 30% heavier. Also the clutch plate is an oddity as it has the same centre dimensions as the earlier S1's (10 spline quill shaft, 23mm quill shaft diameter, rather than 20 spline and 19mm diameter) but 200mm plate, so not interchangeable with the later or earlier clutches. They also changed the starter motor at the same time; going from a 104 tooth flywheel to a 126 tooth flywheel and with a longer throw on the solenoid. Mines got the early flywheel on.

Next job is to reunite the engine and gearbox for the first time in 5 years

[ncundy]

Ta Daaahhh!

Finally the engine is back in the subframe. Blimey, this a not a job for one man....took me about 4 hours to get everthing lined up and the gearbox to engage with the clutch. Every muscle in my body aches from trying to manoeuvre and hold things in place and then put a bolt in! But...in she went 

Dennis rolled up to help me at the final throw when photos were being taken 

[ncundy]

We keep plodding along! This weekend I have put the subframe back. All went pretty well, so forwards I go the the next stage, probably the interior as I don't have to spend much money on that - just elbow grease 

I include a before (5 years ago) and an after (5 mins ago):

[ncundy]

One of the perennial problems for a Fulvia owner is the availability (or lack of) of water pump seals. Seal failure usually leads to having to buy a new pump. To get away from this I looked at converting my pump to use a standard readily available mechanical water seal. I'm sure others have done this but I've never seen it written down before.

The basic seal housing has been bored out and sleeved to take a GSD170 (13mm) seal which only cost a couple of pounds. The impeller has the end turned down to take the rotary element of the seal. This is a press fit in a machined housing which is locktited on to the impeller shaft. The back of the impeller has been built up with a thin plate to reduce the gap to the backplate.

It took a while to find a suitable seal (dimension wise) that would fit, but most of the machining my dad did with the exception of the boring as the throw on his lathe wasn't great enough - but a quick trip to a machine shop sorted that. The pump is then reassembled as before.

I'm not using my S1 pump but an S2 pump which has a better impeller design.

First photo shows the housing before surgery (RHS)
Second photo show the assembled bits post surgery
Third shows seal in place
Fourth shows impeller in place
Fifth the rotary seal arrangement
Lastly the pump from the back with the seal in place.

[lancialulu]

Neil

what was the failure mode of your seal?

I have heard that it is the carbon face that breaks down.

I had to strip my original (23,000 mile) pump down suspecting the worse as water was dribbling out of the drain holes, and can find nothing untoward. Even the brass impeller was bright and shiny!

Tim

[ncundy]

The carbon face was fine (it was on all the pumps I have stripped over the last 20 odd years). The two obvious failure modes I've regularly seen are:

• the rubber shroud of the seal perishing (either through old age or having been sat for years drying out and then ripping), which allows water around the edges of or through the seal;
• and the mating face (to the carbon disc) on the impellor being scored and not flat preventing a good seal which allows water down the centre of the seal.

I suspect another mode (I've never measured it) is that over time the spring in the seal sets and gets corroded which as the mating faces wear (or the impellor moveves on its shaft) reduces the pressure between the two.

I would suspect your problem may well be #2 if you can see nothing untoward with the seal itself. Assuming the seal is OK it's very important to get the running face on the impellor flat and running parallel to the seal and well seated.

When you install the impellor you should feel a nice compression of the seal spring before the impellor bottoms out on tube the shaft runs through. You have to be mindful of the fact that if you have to take much off the running face on the impellor you may have to fettle the blades on the impellor as they may may now foul the pump body when in final position.

[lancialulu]

Neil

Interesting

Hardly any scoring (circumfrential (?) not radial) so I carefully lapped it on a stone and reassembled - yes felt the rotor pushing down on the seal. My test was to carefully pressurise with an air line in the drain void and no leak was heard although blow by eventually happened as pressure was increased. Yes this could have blown the rubber seal but it didnt so I am suspecting a small bit of rubbish compromised the seal. We will see as I will refit it!

Tim