radiator blind

[Scarpia]

Robin, in regard of your question from the appia section

Thanks for that Scarpia, now why didn't I think of that?!

The Dilambda runs very cool in the winter and although there is a seized up thermostat in the radiator there are no shutters. The previous owner assures me that they were never fitted. However, I do have a spare cable pull on the dashboard which could be utilised. So, all I need to do is fabricate some shutters! or modify some from a different vehicle. All suggestions gratefully received.

I seem to remember that in the 60s it was possible to purchase a retro fit roller blind radiator shutter. Anyone got one?

Robin Lacey.

I knew I has seen something in the past.Take a look at the cover of VL from january 94. It features a belgian numberplated Dilambda viotta (with a dutch club plaque) where you can clearly see an aftermarket radiator blind half raised .Owner is quoted as M.Gast who was indeed an overseas LMC member listed in the 2000 register with a dutch adress.I shall see if I can contact the owner via the dutch club for details assuming he still has the car. If you do not have that edition of VL i will scan it and mail to you.
rgds
William

[Dilambdaman]

Many thanks William.

I would be interested in anything you can find out for me re Mr Gast.

I will have a 1994 VL but it is in store at the moment and not readily to hand.

Robin.

[johnturner]

Robin
I assume that the shutters on the Dilambda are, like other Lancias of the period, driven by a set of push rods and bell cranks form a wax element in the header tank. In my experience they don't work for long and most owners have either fitted cable operation or hurled the whole assembly into the nearest hedge. Roller blinds are better, but a simple solution which I adopt on the Lambda is to keep a roll of black 'Fablon' in the garage, stick a sheet onto the core about now, and peel it off in the spring. However, the essential first step, if you have not already done so, is to fit a thermostat between the head and the header tank. A pair of motor scooter thermostats (Malaguti) fit invisibly into the 25mm hoses in the Lambda. As I recall the hose on the Dilambda is larger so you should find that your local motor cycle dealer has a great variety that would serve.
John

[Scarpia]

Robin,
I can only agree with John's comments regarding the unreliable nature of the original factory solution hence my reluctance to invest energy in repairing the wax actuator on my aprilia.As John pointed out, a manual workaround is more reliable and as you know is the solution i chose on my aprilia using the redundant hand throttle lever.(see "temp regulation in aprilias" under that section)
In your case "without shutters", John's idea sounds a straightforward one and would be the normal approach on many other cars of course. Maybe you can have something professionally made up that looks the part (even with a LMC logo perhaps..)
I'm suprised if there were no shutters originally fitted on a dilambda to be honest but the photo I sent you suggests at least one other faces the same problem so perhaps they didn't. Or perhaps they have been removed in the past.No traces of fittings, screw holes or remnants of the assembly left to be spotted I presume?

More importantly, the thermostat between header tank and head adaption is not to be underestimated.It saves a lot of time in achieving a good running temperature and cuts down those damaging first cold miles significantly.There was already a provision for this on the aprilia but mine had long since corroded and fractured when I opened it up.I remade the housing and found also that various motorcycle thermostats would fit. In my case I chose a kawasaki item that costs about a tenner.

[Dilambdaman]

Many thanks John and William, I had completely overlooked the thermostat, I really do worry about the increase in Senior Moments!

The hose between head and header tank is only about 2" long and it looks impossible to fit the unit there. However, the water takeoff from the head is an aluminium casting which housed a thermostat originally. I'll investigate and see if I can fit one in there.

I'll also try and fabricate a roller blind, shouldn't be too difficult! I reckon that my shutters were discarded when the radiator was rebuilt some years ago. The repairer also managed to get the starting handle hole half an inch too low precluding the use of the handle!

The sheet of fablon amused me but then I remembered that the photograph on the front cover of the LMC Library Dilambda Data Book shows Steady Barker with his Dilambda sporting something very similar.

Like Brian I once had a Fulvia 2c and the shutters worked perfectly. Is that thermostat of a different and more reliable type?

Robin.

[Scarpia]

If anything like mine the housing is two part with aluminium top screwing on a steel base.The aluminium disintegrated in the attempt to open mine up.  Basically the action of screwing the two parts together presses on the lip around the thermostat body holding it in position.

I can no longer use my starting handle either.When my engine was being rebuilt the place that did it lost the special bolt that the steering handle normally engages in on the end of the crank and had to make a new part.I only noticed afterwards that it had been replaced and they never could find it again amongst all the junk.Stupid but annoying.One day I'll track one down I guess (unless anybody happens to have one in their garage of course?....)   

[donw]

William

Why not put a note in spares wanted and Aprilia for your crank/starting handle nut?

Sorry I cann't help sold all my Aprilia spares earlier this year.

Don

[Scarpia]

your right of course, I shall do so.
I just got a message that the restoration of my carburettors is ready so the prospect of driving (and having to be able to start "in extremis" with the starting handle) is looming back on the horizon.

[Scarpia]

Like Brian I once had a Fulvia 2c and the shutters worked perfectly. Is that thermostat of a different and more reliable type?

If "once" was more than 30 years ago, the thermostat would have still been quite new.........I guess they all worked at some point 

[fay66]

Mine was still working when I took the shutters off during the summer,  the radiator casing had come adrift from the header tank & needed re -soldering, I had the radiator repaired and as it's a bit of a fiddle & real pain of a job on a 2c Berlina to get the radiator back in, (Oh for the room to work that there is on a coupe!) I decided  to leave it off, and see what difference it makes this winter using a Radiator Muff in it's place, so far no difference.

The sender of course is still in the header tank and to date that is still working, even if it has no blind to open.

It is the same unit that was fitted when I put my 2c back on the road  in 1999, after standing idle for 23 years, with only 25,000 miles on the clock with 0nly 10 years of use,  so it is no doubt the original part fitted in 1965.
If the uploader was working I'd add some photos

Brian
8227
 

[Dilambdaman]

Like Brian I once had a Fulvia 2c and the shutters worked perfectly. Is that thermostat of a different and more reliable type?

If "once" was more than 30 years ago, the thermostat would have still been quite new.........I guess they all worked at some point 

No, it was only 3/ or 4 years ago.

Robin.