Lancia Beta Forum

Dear All,
 
As I have promised recently I thought you might like to know how the progress on our Volumex HPE is progressing
 
We love this car. I actually prefer to drive it on our (bad) twisty B roads over our 09 plate Alfa GT! It has much more supple suspension and the torque is similar to the Cloverleaf!
 
Soon after getting back from Paul Greenway's home in Chorley I made a list of must do jobs that I wanted to finish before the 40th celebrations later this year. Paul was absolutely correct in the fact that it would "pass the 5 yard test" of viewing, but once closer the snags and faults appeared.
 
 
 
What I have done thus far is:
Remove over spray from sunroof rubber, and cleaned around opening.
 
Remove stuck on aerial and made good paintwork.
 
Found proper rear o/s aerial to rear wing, fitted and got radio working properly.
 
Replaced filler cap with "Y" shaped original.
 
Removed, restored, and replaced most body rubber rub strips to sides with unmarked ones.
 
Removed, restored, and replaced both mirrors.
 
Removed front headlights and grill. Replaced with good Siem examples, replaced surrounds and grill with better examples.
 
Fitted original front fog lamps after restoring them first (used existing loom and proper switch).
 
Replaced front indicator lens.
 
Replaced rear lamp unit plastic screws with proper colour originals.
 
Restored and replaced rear fog lamps and brackets.
 
Sourced and restored original Lancia period rear mudflaps, fitted properly to rear.
 
Found and replaced the rear spoiler with mint example. Logos also changed.
 
Restored rear wash wipe arm.
 
Replaced rear tailgate problem strut, along with aperture rubber, tailgate lock, and all rusty screws.
 
Refitted rear number plate properly.
 
Sourced early Beta Chrome gear stick and "HF" Knob. Fitted.
 
Sourced and fitted an Abarth Boomerang steering wheel and boss.
 
Sourced double power binnacle lamps, now I can see the oil pressure gauges at night!
 
Fixed "ticking" noise behind binnacle. (Speedo cable misaligned).
 
Replaced inner locker back plate. (Missing).
 
Replaced left and right speaker covers with good ones.
 
Completely stripped out whole interior. Cleaned replaced and restored VX cloth trim panels, seats etc using the best from 3x VX interiors!

Restored door cards, stainless trim, latches and handles.
 
Replaced door checks, (big improvement).
 
Replaced door rubbers with unworn examples.
 
Replaced two of the 3 incorrect door window seal strips. Door tops now much more original.
 
(The final one will be replaced later along with both of the side glasses. (Glasses vertically scratched).
 
Replaced all incorrect / rusty screws to interior.
 
Replaced carpet with 20,000 mile only example. (Big improvement).
 
Restored front seat belts and replaced any damaged plastic trim.
 
Centre console now rebuilt  and looking mint again.
 
Restored rear seat cards, replaced damaged drivers seat etc.
 
Restored replaced all toolkit items and got jack re-enamelled.
 
Replaced boot carpet with mint-ish example. Replaced broken latch plastic surround. Sourced black leatherette to get new strips re made for rear boot wheel arch covers, (got re sewn at saddlery)!
 
Rear wash wipe arm re enamelled and unit now works.
 
Replaces many trim items around rear slatted grill on tailgate.
 
Re-secured rear number plate light housings.
 
Started cleaning the engine bay. Front of scuttle now very good. Replaced incorrect washer bottle and damaged jet mounts.
 
Cleaned rear of bonnet. Bonnet now has a new replacement black cover. (Very smart).
 
Many of the extraneous brackets etc and struts have been shot blasted, nickled or re- enamelled. (To be progressively refitted).

Both cam covers have been blasted and sprayed with black crackle finish paint, (these are yet to be fitted).
 
Best 5 alloys from 10, stripped, cleaned, tyres removed and expertly  re-enamelled. The Toyo tyres refitted. Centre Lancia logos replaced with new ones.
 
All wheel bolts have been stripped and re-chromed as well to finish the look!
 
The stainless "Powerflow" larger bore exhaust and 4-2-1 manifold from the other HPE has been renovated, and now looks like new. This will go on in due course. (That will free up some extra bhp hopefully, whilst not being overly loud).
 
Then on the 30th Jan, she took a trip down to Wesson Lancia near Exeter, where she had the majority of the rot taken out. (The front screen taken out, scuttle replaced, replacement tailgate glass fitted. Then both big areas have been re sprayed and internally wax oiled etc).
 
 That has now been done. We are both very pleased with the result so far. (Not perfect as there is a "hidden nasty" rust spot within the LH door that will eventually require  surgery). However to do that, then the problem of blending resprayed panels emerges, along with the pin stripe that is continued down BOTH sides etc. The upshot of this is "wait and watch the small rust areas, then bite the bullet and respray the whole thing so it matches exactly then". To do all that at present is uneconomic use of time and money.
 
So in a nutshell by the end of Feb she hopefully could stand a "one yard test" apart from the LH door and the minor scrapes on the offside wheel arches etc.

Jobs still to be completed:

Door window glass to be replaced, as both are scratched.
Black window / door surrounds to be re enamelled. Someone has used hammerite on these and it looks ugg!
(At present I have stripped a complete set and supplied to Smart Carz of Chard for blasting, etching, high build priming and re satin painting. The rear opening windows will then be rebuilt and have the tack welds re-applied).
Nearside door will nead surgery or new skin at some point. Then glass and final rubber trim will be fitted. (Not urgent).
Engine bay to be cleaned up to a good standard, and painted / zinc'd parts re-assembled. (Later on).
Fit the restored stainless Powerflow exhaust system!

As you can imagine we have got quite attached to her. Here are some pictures to be going on with. Hope you like! :)

 
 

 

Wow - that looks great.

And reminds me, I really must get some tyres for my standard alloys so I can replace the aftermarket rims

I'm not a great lover of the HPE but that looks fantastic!

Amazing what TLC can do for a car!

Well done Chas

Looks stunning

Dear All,
thanks guys, I appreciate your comments. I will post some more pics next week when the window trims come back form Smart Carz in Chard. Then once the window frames are rebuilt she will look really good I think.
Best,
Chas and Anne,
(VXdeMAYO). :)

Hi Chas
Looks amazing!

so glad it found a good home :)


Tony

Amazing very jealous perhaps worth mentioning I came across someone who has new cloth for sale for both coupe and hpe vx very useful to have for the future

Looks the nuts.

Looks stunning Chas :) Great attention to detail stuff!

Chas

Great looking car well done.

RossoCorsa

I would like to know more about the fabric supplier as I would like to trim the Montecarlo seat in VX coupe fabric if I can find it

Eric

Not bad. Don't like the fog lights in the air dam. They look naff, sorry. Not keen on the steering wheel or wooden gear knob either. What happened to the originals? Given you seem to be trying to return it to OE spec why these after market items?

The stripe I do like.

Re the Zegna cloth Eric. I thought it had all gone? I met a chap about 6-7 years ago who had 6-7m of the last of the OE cloth. I think that was used to retrim a silver HPE ie whose reg I knew but now excapes me which is now sadly rather worse for wear last time I saw it. The Zegna cloth looked and felt good but it wasn't at all durable. It faded badly and easily wore through.

Andybeta

Looks great - like the dam/lights, wheel and wood knob - nice adds

I just bought 7 metres myself so there is still some around i agree it's not durable that's the reason i have bought some to stash away for the future. The fogs in the airdam are essential I don't think a VX looks complete without them

Dear Andybeta,
thanks for your comments regarding the front fog lamps, steering wheel and gear knob.

You are correct that I am trying to retain as much as possible "as original", and the VX as far as I know had provision for - if not came fitted with front fog lights. Certainly both our VX's have the loom manufactured with this in mind, and both had the correct switch in the console. Only one has a pair actually fitted, but that could be due to damage over the passage of time? So the fog lights are to my mind "Original" and as other members have commented on, essential with the poor quality of dipped main beam that Lancia provided! Perhaps someone can confirm this?

The original steering wheel and plastic gear knob are imho the two things that let down the later Beta interior. I know it's down to personal opinion but the wheel is dull, uninspiring and middle aged in look, and the gear "Knob" - well it looks like what it's called, horrid cheap and victim of the accountant's influence! I hope an Abarth wheel taken from an Integrale does not seem too out of place?
Also the additional benifit of a smaller wheel diameter is I can now see the clock for the first time! Super.
best,
Chas. ;D

I really like that steering wheel - and I want one! 

What is it?  And do you know if it will fit an S2 Spyder?

the fog lights were optional extras and are official, the ones that lancia supplied were carellos with the white plastic clip on covers 

Dear all,
thanks for the info re the fog lamps. I am not sure whether these are Carrello items, but they looked of good quality and have a lovely "retro yellow" brightness when on! The wheel is a standard Abarth "Boomerang pattern" wheel that may have been fitted to several Italian sporting cars, my Fiat 128 3P had this one when we bought it, (but that was an "aftermarket fitment").
The boss pattern is a standard MOMO spec, ie 6 hole at 70mm PCD, so you will need a specific wheel boss for that as well. I liked the style because it was similar in shape to the original but slightly smaller and more sport specific. An homage maybe?
Looking forward to getting the door / window trims back from the sprayers this week.
best,
Chas,
(VXdeMAYO). :)

Thanks

Theres a boomerang steering wheel on e-bay,  no bids at the moment, seller reluctant to post though,collection only. Listed under "Classic Fiat steering wheel".

here you go hawk, found this for you boss will fit beta spline.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-127-1050-SPORT-STEERING-WHEEL-/150793274485?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item231bfac475#ht_500wt_1204 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-127-1050-SPORT-STEERING-WHEEL-/150793274485?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item231bfac475#ht_500wt_1204)



hth

Dear All,
here as promised is the pics of the window and door trims that have recently had refurbished at "Smart Cars" of Chard in Somerset. They took a bit longer than we anticipated but Darren did a super job on them, (although he did struggle at first to get the black top coats to sit correctly).
As you know Lancia originally just seemed to paint over the top of the stainless steel trims without much thought for longevity. Hence many now have trims which shed paint quicker than falling leaves in winter!
So we stripped them back to bare, polished the stainless surface, then Darren glass bead blasted the steel to get a good key. This was followed up with an etch primer coat, high build primer in grey, then finally a couple of coats of satin black to finish.
 He did comment that they were a pig to do as the black keep "retreating away" from the edges inspite of the preparation beforehand.
Finally he was happy with the result, but he did say don't let on about being able to do this as I think it cost him a sleepless night or two!
Judge for yourself, but I have just started putting back the parts, and up close I think they look so much better than the .lumpy Hammerite that was pasted on before.
Hope to get them all on before Norwich. (Note: I have no connection to "Smart Carz" of Chard other than as a satisfied customer).
Best,
Chas,
(VXdeMAYO).

Looks Great Chas .. Look forward to seeing the car at the Anniversary

Graham

I'll say it again, lovely attention to detail again! Looking very nice Chas.

looks good indeed!

this is also on my to do list for a while now, but I don't seem to get round to it  :-\

Sorry if my post appeared rude, but the fog lights really don't do it for me. But it's your car and if you think they are great then that's fine! I think the std wheel and gear knob are fine. Your car seems to be in pretty good condition or you are trying to get it that way, especially with the side stripes which so few later cars have now, I thought maybe you were tyring to get as close to full OE spec as possible?

The interior looks lush.

Thanks Andy for your comments, and if it will make it any better for you I will search ot some Carrello lamp covers to hide them!
I am very pleased with the interior, and once we sort the gremlin with the running a summer of good fun becons. I am open to opinion on the side stripes. A few people have suggested that they did not come into the country with them on, but Lancar stuck them on to appeal to the "great British public"?? I have two VX's in silver, the donor (1985 C plate) has a less subtle stripe, twin red lines with a black pinstripe between.
I think the stripe on our runner looks better, BUT is a complete pain when it comes to a required partial respray. We have to sort the LH door at some stage which means the stripe needs to be re applied, and then with silver being the pain it is to blend, you might end up with two whole sides being sprayed at the same time! Then the stripe is over £100 just for that. The aggravation  is not worth it at the moment, so we will have to live with for a couple of years.
We did not feel confident of the 600 mile round trip to Norwich, so we ended up in the Alfa instead. At least the air con was welcome!
Best,
Chas,
(VXdeMAYO). 

Hi Chas,
I know I'm a bit late to this thread but hey.
First off - your car looks great. A credit to the effort you are putting in.
Secondly, I read with great interest about how you successfully restored / replaced all the bumper strips and fettled the interior.
Could you let me know your source for parts these items plus much of your original "to do" list is very similar to mine....... I am particularly looking forward to restoring all the window surrounds too !!
Cheers
JB

Dear JB,
I had originally bought another 1985 HPE VX which seemed good and was virtually complete. However on closer inspection she was not too great so I have been progressively stripping her of decent parts that are better than on our "new" 1983 car. As for sourcing additional parts, it's Mark at Beatboyz for specialist new rebuilt stuff, and various forum members who have spares for HPE's. Just post your requirements on the forum and help comes a calling so to speak!
One person to mention would be "mattnovat", he is very helpful, and if he has not got it, he knows someone with it in their shed. Or try "milleman", -  mark is also a star when it comes to helping others.
The last of the door trims were being put on today along with a really good electric motor for the RH window. It strange how the RH one always seems to suffer first, wear I suppose.
Best of luck,
Chas,
(VXdeMAYO) :)

Dear All,
It's been a while since I posted on this particular thread but it is relevent and again I need some wisdom:
Two questions:
Q1: As you may know from other posts I have had random bouts of hesitataion under light load on the VX engine, only for it to stop and restart again at random intervals. As part of the ongoing investigation I wonder if anybody know what gaskets are used between both sides of the Volumex supercharger? I have not yet got as far as taking the blower actually off but it shows signs of blue silicon sealent squeezed out from around the matting faces. Is this correct or a bodge?
If incorrect, where can I get new replacements?

My mechanic (who has now given up) has been suspecting air getting in and destroying the vacuum etc, so this is one of the next checks.

Q2: On the VX engine with it's auto choke device, how long is the choke supposed to keep the "cold" engine on choke before cutting out and allowing the idle to reduce to 850rpm or so?
I am assuming that choke rpm is circa 1200rpm, and normal idle circa 800-850 rpm.
I start up first time, it idles at 1050rpm, but if I blip the throttle it instantly drops to circa 500rpm. Is this normal? I wonder if the auto choke device is on the blink as well?
Best,
Chas and Anne. (Still  :)).

Chas,

A1 to Q1:  Silicon sealant sounds like a bodge to me, I had the same blue silicon (I think its called Blue Holymer) stuck around the base of my carb/inlet manifold - I took the carb off, cleaned the silicon away and purchased some gasket paper that is petrol resistant and made my own gaskets.  Result = pretty much cured the issue and made the car drivable again. (I later found the proper gaskets in a couple of head sets I had stashed in the garage.) 

A2 to Q2: This bit is actually described in the owners manual under Cold Start(Page 22) and it sounds like you are switching off the auto-choke - so its doing what it is supposed to do because you are telling it to reduce idle speed, by blipping the accelerator peddle.

As far as I know an automatic choke in carburettors work by means of bimetallic elements. It opens when the engine reaches its proper temperature, I guess ca. 80degC. Of course if it works properly. Very often the element is malfunctioning. When I used to have a fiat 131 2.0 panoramasuper, I removed the element, and even though the car run great.

Dear all,
Took a trip out last weekend when the sun was fine and we were not working on the house for a change. We late entered to a Classic car event at Knightshayes Court overlooking Tiverton in mid Devon. The event was a first timer, and featured classic car line up (of 177 in all), antiques stalls and a small country fair etc, all within the confines of a National Trust house in lovely gardens. For a first time event it was fun and great to see other like minded people with their cars all fettled in the sun. However we were the only Italian car there, and we were put next to......you've guessed it, an MGB. In fact there was loads of the blighters! Resisting the urge to enquire how their "Austin Cambridge Coupe" was, we aligned our moon chairs to avoid the wife of said MGB owner, (who seemed to repeat everything we said to all and sundry!)
Her hubby was fine and ignored her like we, and the day passed off very well. Took a walk around and of all on display there were two cars in particular that took my fancy, first was an imaculate "L plate" Datsun 240Z in the original "Moss Green", that was very well restored, and secondly what I thought was a Reliant Scimiter Estate.
However it turned out to be a Middlebere Scimiter, (which was a kind of last effort at glamming up an old design). It had the Ford 2.9 injected lump in it, along with uprated suspension, different alloys, subtle body detailing changes and a more plush interior. This thing was very mint, and talking to the owner, he told me that after the rights had passed to Middlebere for production, they planned to produce only 250 examples of this "psudo exotic". They only ended up making .....77! The reason was they were charging £24,500 for this car in 1987!
No wonder I haven't seen one before.
Anyway, here are a couple of pics of "Lulu" on a day out. (And yes she did hiccup just before halfway, but cleared herself soon after the trip home started).
Life would not be the same without something to fret about, would it?
Best,
Chas and Anne,

Looking good Chas. Are you going to the LMC weekend and entering the concours?

Strange about your running fault, seems too random for ignition, unless there is some sort of earthing or component issue?

Dear all,
some progress, no....., not on the electrical maladie / failure, but the suspension renovation has started!
For the past three days when I could, I have stripped, wire wheeled and linished the worst of the offending rust / dirt / underseal off our donor HPE suspension. Now I have just come back from taking over two hundred nuts, bolts and other gubbins to the platers for Zinc passivation. Next week will see the springs, strut tops, and other suspension links & brackets go to the powder coaters for some new matt black paint. (This will make a nice change from the suspension resembling something you trip over on a beach after a storm has just washed up some rusty old junk)!
New rubbers have been bought, (thanks Mark), and the shocks are next to get a good coat of looking at.

If the electrical issue isn't sorted, "Lulu" will at least make a nice static exhibit.
(Mummm, maybe a plinth in the front garden methinks???)
Post some pics soon when the shiny stuff come back.
Best,
Chas and Anne. :) (still).

Dear all,
Latest progress on the HPE is:
Main suspension parts have gone off to be shotblasted and re powdercoated etc. Took some time to get off the worst of the "gunk" off with a wire wheel and elbow grease, and it made a dramatic improvement. Both these parts and the myriad of nuts and bolts being plated will hopefully be back next week! If I can source a new or low milage pair of rear HPE shocks or inserts then it will systems go on the rebuild.
Oh and I have had a bit of luck with the brake calipers. The were in horrid condition and 4 of the 6 nipples were frozen, so a couple of weeks ago after many fruitless attempts to free them using heat and WD40 etc, I put them in the freezer. (Wrapped up of course). Once in a while I took them out for another attempt, but to no avail. So I then returned them to said freezer.
Now after two weeks packed around the peas they were cold. I mean so cold they almost "smoked" with frost. Not wishing to put up with comments about "brake caliper casserole tonight dear?" I withdrew them once more and clamped them up in the vice . Then put a long series 8mm socket around them (more of a heat sink effect), then sheilded that with another socket over the top i set to work with a blow torch.
Now I only heated for a short while the alloy around the nipple ( to avoid heat transfer), and then quickly removed the sockets and put a smallet 8mm and tee bar in place and tugged....
Nothing.
Still frozen.
So.. gathering what little courage I had and fortified by the thought of sarcastic comments "about chioce of frozen food", I chanced a longer tee bar...
Crack. First one free. I repeated the process using the extreeme heat difference to free all six!
Relieved. But not as much as my wife!
Happy days.
Not that I will need any brakes on a static exhibit!

Best,
Chas and Anne. ;D

Remember seeing in this years Demon Tweaks catalogue a system whereby you replace the nipple with this other one which has on the end somekind of non return valve,so making bleeding easier,and it is that which is opened/closed so less chance of damaging the caliper. Expensive but I think worth it in the long run compared to cost of a new caliper!
I'll look what page it is on when I get home tonight.  ;)

Latest from deepest Somerset:
Am picking shotblasted / powder coated suspension parts up tommorow, (great). Picking loads of plated suspension nuts and bolts up on tuesday next, (also great). However, to the brakes:
On giving them a thorough clean and inspection I attempted to blow the pistons out with compressed air. Good news is they move fine and the surfaces are not scored, (also fine), BUT, how do you get them out to clean and replace the inner seals etc. At present they hit the steel carrier just before being able to be extracted!
Do you somehow remove the steel carrier from the alloy piston chamber before removing said piston?
If so then the steel carriers can go of to be plated as well!
After 29 years mated together they might be a bit stuck!
Thoughts please from you wise men out there.

(BTW: I have nice new stainless nipples/rubber caps, and have sourced a decent set of sliders that are off to the platers as well).

Best,
Chas and Anne. ???

Chas

It will be well hidden after years of use but there is a pin in the steel section that has to be depressed and then in theory you can press the steel slider section off the alloy section. Think heat freeze routine steel to alloy interface corrosion. I hope this helps

Eric

Dear Eric,
when you say "depressed" That says to me that it is kind of sprung loaded to return when you release? Or is it a pin that you just belt with a big hammer on a suitably sized punch?
(Thus if it stays depressed how does the steel carrier and alloy piston chamber keep mated once it is re commisioned)?
Or am I overthinking this?
Best,
Chas. ???

Hi chas there is a roll pin holding carrage to caliper

Hi Chas,
I just wondered how the new bonnet liner worked out on the VX
I have a coupe VX and the liner is rotten
Does the liner you bought work ?
Does it need reworking in any way
Any advise would be great
Cheers
David

Dear David,
The bonnet liner is very good quality and I think probably a few mm thicker than the original. No reworking is needed. The only small issue is the fact that the four studs that secure the VX carb air inlet rub the liner when the bonnet is closed and when the engine is on. The clearence between bonnet and Vx carb is minimal! If you do not have a VX that might not be an issue?
Overall recommended! (It smartens up the back of the bonnet no end).
Best,
Chas and Anne. :)

Thanks for the fast reply
I take it when talking about the studs you are talking about heat damage or worse !
Cheers
David

Latest stats report,
Posh braided brake lines have been sourced, another load of parts have arrived back from the platers (all nice and shiny). Last batch now will be finished by end of this week including brake yokes and sliders.
Re-assembly has now begun in earnest. (Where everything starts). After a lot of searching I have I think sorted out the shocks. Mark at Betaboys sold me a pair of low milage front Sachs Super Tourings in very good fettle. These matched my Sachs at the back which were shot (but bodies were good). So Replacement cartridges were the order of the day. I think I had now found a pair (fingers crossed). So the Sachs rears have been cut and the old units extracted from within. Today they went of to the shotblasters along with Marks decent front ones for blasting only, I will carefully respray them in red on their return after welding in the cartridges. I will finish all four off with some "Sach Super Touring" stickers which I found on Fleabay. Some decent rear disc stone guards from "Milleman" are also to be powder coated. (Thanks Mark).
So:....         
Hopefully next week after rewelding the struts and spraying the complete units I can refit them within the springs etc.
Little more mouthfull of elephant digested!
Will post some pics once shocks are done.
bets,
Chas and Anne. ;D
 

Dear All, it seems like Christmas brings deadlines for many of us, however small and irrelevent to the time of year! I was hoping to have had the front and rear suspension completely restored and the brake calipers stripped internally, rebuilt and mated up to new Discs and pads etc. Well I'm not quite there, but the latest situation is:
EBC rear brake discs arrived yesterday. Last shock absorber insert finally arrived after 5 attempted deliveries (don't ask), rear brake dust sheilds have come back from the sprayers looking great, and the front and rear shocks have been blasted. Today the fronts have received their second coat of red primer prior to the red top coats this weekend. The rears have had the old inserts removed, and new inserts prefitted. (The outer shock struts had to be shortened by 5mm to accomadate the new "innerds").
Tonight they go to the welders for him to weld the top caps back in place with the new inserts safely in place. Then the second red primer coat will go on by Friday. Top coats and Sachs logos' will finish those off at the weekend. They have been a trial, but at least they are four matched units that are look new.
Finally if Santa does his stuff I might evan see a set of Tarox brake pads (front and rear) arrive by saturday!
Will post some pics when I get some daylight.
Best and may all your "deadlines" be met!
Chas and Anne. ;D

Well Christmas kind of got in the way of proper progress. The couriers could not for the life of them find Somerset with my Tarox brake pads before Xmas, They have now promised that a monday delivery is "imminent". (hopefully this monday please).
Shocks have been welded back together, (the guy did a cracking job and even smoothed off the welds). You would not know they have been ripped apart. However what with Santa's little commercial festival and the horrid weather I have only just finished the final coats of Hammerite Red on the shocks. Sachs logos have gone back on and they look ---- well like an uprated shock, only made by Sachs. Will post some pictures now I can get the yellow springs back on.
(I think it will look kinda trick???)
Looking forward to "Betameeta 2013" already. And Lulu will be there this year!
Onward,
Chas and Anne. ;D

Latest from Darkest Somerset.
Well floods have subsided and 12" of snow has just melted, so I thought I would take this chance to shoot some pics of the shocks and springs now that they are back together. As you can see from the photos they look fab. The nuts bolts and washers have all been plated, new rubber spring cushions have been put on where needed, front shocks were carefully masked then blasted, etch primed, red primed then Hammerite top coated. Rears were more tricky, as they have replacement inserts sourced (pain), then top struts cut by 5mm, inserts assembled then welded up as new. (You cannot even see the join). Paint was as the fronts. Shock towers were also powder coated, then the bearings re greased before re-assembly.
Springs were blasted then powdercoated yellow. Finally I got someone to make up some Sachs Super Touring logos to finish off.

I know they are only Sachs OE units, BUT I did not want to have a more firm rebound response that Spax, Koni or Bilstein would give, as the roads round here are awful! I had all sorts of trouble finding a set of FOUR shocks that were the same whatever the make (even KYB), So I went the OE route. However I did want to have the "uprated look" hence the red and yellow colour scheme. By the way, the springs are standard Volumex as before. Ride height will be un-altered as well.

At a later stage I would not mind a set of Konis or Billys, as long as they are in fine fettle, but for now this will have to do. I will post more pics next week of the front and rear suspension arms, hubs and brakes. (I am just waiting for the front Tarox discs to arrive). Front calipers still need some inner pistons and parting pieces, I have posted a request elsewhere on the Forum.
Hope the better weather means more work gets done on your own projects!
Best,
Chas and Anne. ;D

Excellent result Chas, they look the business.
Do you still need the front caliper parts?
Tim

Looking good,  betas handle pretty well whatever dampers are fitted and you may well be wise given current roads and speed humps to keep standard height.  As far as I know, off the top of my head so could easily be wrong, OE were waysauto or possibly  Spica ,Sachs being the nearest after market equivalent

Superb, really nice work.

Dear All,
Yes I am still requiring the front inner pistons and parting pieces. However after the last epic with the mechanic and compressor episode I am reluctant to go through all the Faff of a complete stripdown of a second set of calipers unless I have to. So if anybody can help me out with just the pieces I need, (or a pair of rebuilt or NOS calipers) I would be grateful.

Rossocorsa I believe you are correct with regard to the OE suppliers of shocks for the Beta. And whilst I would like the look of race shocks on "Lulu", I doubt if my back or my wife would see the benifit! The roads around here are at best appalling, and the last thing I need is another car suffering from "Nurbergring-itus". Our Alfa GT Cloverleaf is bad enough, what with the 18" alloys and Pirelli 225 45's. It's great if you are up for it, but  a case of "bang - crash - abomb" if you just want to get there, in one piece.

Thanks for the kind comments, I better stop now, I am begining to sound like James May!
Best,
Chas and Anne. ;D

Dear All,
Good news, a Forum member has come up trumps with the front inner pistons and parting pieces, and should be with me by Wednesday. That will mean that the front calipers can be rebuilt, (hopefully by the weekend). In the meantime here are some more photo's I promised earlier, showing the rear hub/brake assemblies, front and rear anti roll bars, rear subframe and front hub/brake assemblies with my new shiny TAROX G88 discs and Strada road pads! (They've arrived)!
Everything has been stripped, plated and powder coated, and the eagle eyed amonst you will spot uprated PU rubbers everywhere. The calipers have also got braided brake hoses and new unions to finish off. The brake sliders have been polished, plated and then coated with loads of copper slip, so they should not be binding any time soon!

Next on the list to do is the master cylinder now that Lukas has sent the repair kit, (thanks), and the rear brake limiter valve.
Hope your projects are progressing well!
Keep you posted.
Chas and Anne. ;D

Excellent Chas. I am trying to do the same :)

Excellent work I must say, that will be one very nice car when finished!

can I ask where you obtained the Tarox discs/pads from?

Regards Ian

Dear All,
Here as promised are the next pics of progress so far. I have received some inner pistons and parting pieces from Tim (a Forum Member), and they have now been re assembled back into the calipers at last. (Big thank you to Tim). Also the master cylinder repair kit that came from Lukas in Poland  has been put to good use and the master cylinder is now refurbed as well. Last brake item is the rear brake valve limiter which  has had various bits plated and repainted at the same time.
Whilst I was bothering the platers I got them to do the linkage parts on the gearbox remote arm. I am well pleased with that!

Next step is the ZF power steering rack, I had already got some parts plated, but now armed with another members advise on strip / inspection I will refurb that as well.
Finally the subframe will be back from the powder coaters next weekend. Great!......Doesn't take much to get me excited does it? ::)

There are some pretty big lumps of car starting to come back together in my shed.
And spring is around the corner. What could be better!
Best,
Chas and Anne. :)

Dear Ian,
I originally ordered the Front and Rear Strada brake pads from "Motorsport World". However due to not having both front and rear sets in stock, Motorsport World  contacted Tarox UK so they could supply me direct with both, (sensible). I ordered them early/mid December and was told that I could expect them just before Xmas.
Now I know it was Xmas, and the weather was poor, but DPD kept trying to deliver to an incorrect postcode, and after many frustrating phone calls to Tarox UK, they asked if there was anything they could do in recompence for the aggro. I mentioned that I had wished to get some front discs from them but could not afford them. To my delight The manager said he would send me some FOC!

I was delighted and promised to give them a positive mention on this Forum. However the second disc package took an age to arrive and only turned up after I tracked the DPD driver down and demanded that he search his van again. To my amazement the first parcel containing pads was there, much traveled and damaged by now. The pads were fine but there was only one sensor wire for the two front brakes. This confused me as the Beta has two sensors shown on the wiring diagram and are on the actual car? I was told that I could have another one from another set of pads, but this was not normally required or done. I declined as The manager had already helped a lot, albeit the lack of communication back to me led to a lot of hassle.
The bottom line is, I am delighted with the end result I think, BUT, if you order make sure that they have your full address. Also be very specific in instruction. I am sure you will be fine and happy. My end result felt a bit piric.
Anyway thanks to Nick Counsell at Tarox Uk for his assistance!
Hope that helps,
Best,
Chas and Anne. ::)

Dear All,
Well, the final "big piece" of the suspension has finally been completed, (almost). The subframe came back from the Powdercoaters last week and I spent some happy hours putting the freshly renovated wishbones (that I got from Matt) back on. The rubbers are PU again (via Mark W), and new ball joints via Ebay Italy grace the ends. The roll bar (with more new PU) fitted a treat, and looks good with the plated nuts and bolts etc. New plastic wheel arch mounting plugs were sourced, and 6 of the 8 rubber grommet plugs also have been found. These help to stop the rot from getting inside the box sections. Two of the three engine mounts have been found, thus leaving only one, the front central mount to be sourced. (If any one has got a good one which is not perished please send us a message!)
The large engine mount on the right came from another Forum member, "Glovebeast" who lives quite local, and I managed to help him out with parts in exchange. Thanks Steve.
I will post a message / photos showing the remaining parts that I still need in the relevent section. However for now a big thank you to all that have helped us! The Forum is indespensible in this regard!
best,
Chas and Anne. ;D
PS: Next bit: Power steering rack.

Dear All,
I hope the fine weather is getting you all out in those garages etc. Things progress again down here, I enclose a couple of pics of the latest efforts.
Got another load of engine / gearbox  and steering parts zinc plated recently, and they came back really quick! This enabled me to rebuild the steering rack after taking the tip from "Glovebeast" about only partially spraying the right hand end of the tarnished plating with high temp silver paint. (Thanks Steve). Looks fine I think.
The Volumex carb / air filter modifications were next. The Carb has been swopped for a rejetted DCNF. (Tech details from GC's book  if your interested.) I have also junked the awful VX airbox in favour of a rather trick air induction pipe from a diesel speedboat heating system. (90mm I/D and very black). It looks like the original plastic flexy pipe on the OI inlet (but bigger). I needed something that big to get it to fit on the original Volumex  alloy top inlet. It certainly will not be restrictive I hope!

Coupled with a rather nice cone filter from ebay and a re-used power steering resevior bracket (re-shaped to fit), it now makes the plugs slightly more accessible. I have retained the crankcase and supercharger dump valve pipes and re routed them them into a 90mm Tee pipe positioned next to the battery. Also the small pipe from the VX blower scurge pump has been retained as well, and joins in the same place.

I am quite pleased with it as it look kind of "original" as if Lancia had done it themselves maybe, if they hadn't opted for a traditional "frying pan on top of an engine arrangement"!

See what you think!
Best from Somerset,
Chas. :)

Excellent work.

Nice looking paint job on the struts. However my experience with Sachs replacements has not been good. A brand new pair I bought started leaking after only about 300 miles. They weren't particularly good at damping either, too weak and hence a lot wallowing and not confidence inspiring. A waste of money IMHO. Sorry, but the best thing you can do is use them as casings, cut the tops off, thread them and then put in an adjustable damper insert such as Koni or similar. Fortunately I now have a set of adjustable Koni struts as supplied back in the day and they are fine. No way are they too hard or harsh over crap roads. The handling has improved greatly.

More positively nice induction pipe work. Looks neat and simple. The radiator could do with a clean up ;@)

Your subframe reminds me of when mine was freshly blasted and re-powder coated. The place that blasted mine re-inforced the main rails fore and aft so it is now a lot stiffer.

Your discs look good. Are they vented as well or maybe the OE Bendix calipers aren't wide enough to accommodate the extra thickness this would bring? Eric W amd Marcus are the authorities on upgrading the brakes. 15+ inch wheels are preferable so as to be able to fit larger calipers and discs.

What are you doing with the engine oil breather pipe that would have gone onto the base of the OE air box? You really need the hose going into a small oil catch tank with bleed or at least some sort of filter on top otherwise oil could come up from the sump, condense and drop onto the road which would be an MOT failure plus rather hazardous.

Dear Andybeta,
Thanks for your compliments. I note your point about Sachs shocks, however I was offered a pair of fronts from Mark at Beatboyz at reasonable money, and found another rear pair to match up on Ebay elsewhere. In an ideal world yes a new set of Koni's or Billi's would be great, but after searching for the best part of a year to no avail I settled for what I could find (and afford).

I certainly will not be chopping them about any time soon.

The radiator is the original, but I have another Vx item  already restored, pressure tested and sitting on the shelf.

The Discs are not vented, and without changing everything else to suit I am happy with the "fast road upgrade". I am not intending it to visit a track.

As regards the oil crank case breather tube, supercharger pressure relief valve tube and small supercharger vent pump tube, (that all vent into the airbox as standard), As I said in my last piece I have modified a 90mm Tee tube with spigots welded into the bottom. Therefore replicating the original system, (but neater IMHO). The eagle eyed among you will notice that the picture shows one or two pipe not yet connected.

I have not yet mentioned that I have installed a threaded spigot for the supercharger vent pump pipe, as if in the future I go as Guy Croft recommends and discard said scurge pump and opt for a couple of Weber non return valves to vent direct to atmos, then I can cap it of easily at that time.

I hope that answer your reservations.

Best,
Chas. 8)

Well now the lovely weather is here I hope we are all out moving our projects forward (a little). Latest from darkest Somerset is that the head off the donor VX (with 86,000 miles on the clock) is in good condition. I carefully stripped it down, de - studded it and gave it a good decoke etc. I found that a couple of applications of "Celite Bang" household cleaner worked a treat on the carbon residue, and revealed no major hassles. Number 3 & 4 chamber have a little detonation marking, but nothing bad. In fact the head was so clean for 86,000 miles that I suspect in had had a decoke not long ago before I got it!

Anyway, after checking tolerences on valve stems and cambox journals / buckets etc and found they were all witin a thou or so, I have prepped and sprayed the major parts in silver radiator paint. Hopefully this will cope with the heat. New stainless bolts and washers abound and the top half has now been rebuilt with a 2L I.E inlet cam to match the VX exhaust cam. (Thanks to "Milleman"). GC recommends this as a good value power upgrade. Apparently putting in a I.E exhaust cam will do little but waste extra fuel so I'm told.

To finish off a little black crackle paint has appeared on the cam box covers, well I had it lying about. ....(what a tart!)
Enclosed are a few pics.
Enjoy the summer.
Best,
Chas and Anne. :)

Nice work  ;D

Chas

Tidy work and the right idea with the IE inlet cam. I just hope my eyes are failing me and you are not resting the head on the valves on that table?? It is incredibly easy to bend valves like that and many heads have been damaged doing so. If it is supported on the outer edges that is fine but other wise please check the valves are not damaged.

Sorry for the worry it is just I have seen it done so often now.

Eric

Thanks for your compliments Eric, and yes I was mindful of bending valves etc. The 4 studs were holding it off by more than was needed, and all valves closed as much as the cams would allow. The VX blower has seen some TLC recently, new hose clips, replated unions, new cavis pipe and new stainless nuts and washers all round.

I spoke to Guy Croft about whether a strip service was required, and to his credit he said that in spite of the blower's age of 30 years and seals gradually hardening and loosing their effectiveness, a "watching brief" was all that was needed at present, and to make sure the oil level does not drop at all. That's a relief! What a decent chap he is.

I think I will get him to do a balancing job on the bottom end sometime!

So apart from a few gaskets, the top half of the engine is done for now.
Not sure what's next, gearbox rebuild, drivers seat re - upholster or passenger door reskin?
In the meantime the 124 Spyder is having some time spent on the engine bay before a local car show  on July 7th.

Best,
Chas and Anne.

I also minded it, and always place wooden blocks under the head at each end.

Looks very smart Chas, did you have to use a special primer before applying the crackle paint?
PS,
Like the "Fiat" oil filler cap

Dear Targa,
It does say on the can "for best results spray onto bare metal". However after a thorough clean and de grease I use some spray etch primer. It just gives a really good surface for the top coats to bind to. Then you don't have problems with "black spray running away from edges".
Makes the job easier and tougher I think.

Fiat oil cap was from Middle Barton Garage trinkets cabinet. A little bit of bling!

Thanks.
Chas. ;D