Lancia Motor Club

Decision made a while ago (and after much research) to purchase a Fulvia. I spent a few months looking at various S1 & S2 cars and finally landed on a 1968 Series 1 Rallye 1.3. It arrived today and is safely tucked up in the garage.

 This is the first classic I've owned, so welcome advise on:

 1. What basic replacement parts should I carry?
 2. What tools should I always keep in the boot?
 3. Recommendations on what grade of oil I should keep in the garage

Any other practical tips most welcome.

Much appreciated

Congratulations on your new purchase, an excellent choice, I still have happy memories of the one I owned in the late 1990's.
What to carry. Most important is breakdown cover and a mobile phone!
It also depends where you are going.
For trips in the UK a basic tool kit, did you get the Lancia tool kit with the car?
An emergency triangle and some means of warning other traffic as there are  no 4 way flashers, I got hold of a couple of magnetic rotating flashing lights sometime ago from Aldi..
Make sure you have jack, handle and wheel brace.
I carry a tow rope and jump leads in the spare wheel under the wheel cover.
A couple of litres of antifreeze mix, a litre of engine oil, in my case 10w 40w, a bottle of ep90 oil. A small tin of WD 40.
For Continental tours or extended touring in the UK, the most important thing is that the car is thoroughly checked over, and serviced, but what you need to carry in spares is more extensive, and needs a separate list.
Once again breakdown cover with recovery to the UK essential.
I've been abroad a number of times in my 2c, with 2 punctures, one in Portugal, on one trip, the second on the way home from Turin in 2006, 40 miles from home on the M25 on the way back.
In 2013 on the way home from Turin I went to check the oil and water after an overnight stop, and the bonnet cable broke!
Just make sure you don't do what I did on my first trip abroad, I took everything bar the kitchen sink to make sure I was well covered, but the result was that the springs flattened out with the weight.
I also treat all the Windows and lights with rain x, and retreat as necessary, using rain x means you hardly need to use the wipers, (a real pain only having a single speed🙄) and it stops road muck clinging to the lights.
Preperation is all👍
Brian
8227  8)

Congratulations on your new purchase! A great choice of car!

This summer I did a 3,390 mile trip in Europe in my Fulvia where it didn't miss a beat ... these are incredibly well engineered and reliable cars if well looked after and maintained.

Changing the oil and oil filter regularly and using a good quality oil are a must. There have been discussions on oil preferences on this forum before (e.g. https://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8915.0 (https://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8915.0)) but a quality 10W-40 semi-synthetic is a popular choice. I personally use Castrol Magnatec 10W-40 and have done so for many years.

Bolts on the Fulvia all tend to be 10mm or 13mm plus 19mm for the wheel bolts so a socket set can be reduced to these sizes and along with a couple of screwdrivers should cover a lot of eventualities! A spare alternator belt, distributor points, fuses, some self-amalgamating tape and duct tape are other useful items. Check any jack you're carrying is upto the job. As Brian says, it is possible to go OTT with other spares "just in case" but that would be personal preference and I wouldn't be overly worried. If you're mechanically minded I'd say one of the best investments you can make is to spend time getting familiar with the mechanics and workings of your car and this way you should be able to spot any issues before they happen.

Having peace of mind with a breakdown service is also good advice from Brian. Check what your insurance policy includes. I get UK and European breakdown recovery automatically included with mine (which given the insurance isn't that expensive to start with is pretty good).

You'll find this forum a great place to get help and advice. Post some photos of your new car when you get a chance.

I took my Flavia to the Le Mans Classic this year. Very hot weather and in a long queue of traffic the engine died. Out with the tools and a quick check (fuel - spark) established no spark... the coil was 'cooked'.

Luckily I'd packed a spare coil as well as points / condenser etc. 10 minutes later we were on our way.

So I'd recommend a spare coil as part of the spares pack for longer trips.

Good suggestions above. I also carry a socket with an extending handle for removing wheel nuts. I don't if it's the alloys I have but if they've been untouched for some time they are a pig to loosen. The extra leverage makes it far easier. Also spare fuses, which take no room at all. If you've only just bought the Fulvia, check the clutch and accelerator cables for wear.  I once had a clutch cable snap just where it enters the engine bay and rubs on the casing ferrule. That was years ago and since I just lubricate that point now and again with light oil. With regular maintenance these are great reliable cars.

Clutch cable is a good call. 3 days before embarking on a 5000km trip into and around Europe (12 countries ticked off) in our Fulvia Sport I was doing a visual inspection to find the clutch cable had frayed down to 2 strands.... A new one from Omicron sorted that but I am sure the cable was sound the last time I looked carefully at the car in the autumn

Regarding fuses, if at all possible use the OE ones with a ceramic base, not plastic.
Chris

Splendid, thank you everyone; have got the basic tools in the boot and will source the other bits over the next 2 weeks.

QQ on tyres - owners manual says 145s, but there are 175s on it. Should I replace these with manufacture intended spec?

Spare is a 145 Michelin G800+S, but looks like its about 30 years old, so I'll obviously be replacing that!!

145 80 tyres are thin on the ground. A few Fulvia S1 friends swear by Camac - not expensive and ride well. If you have 175 have they changed the wheels. A photo would be handy....

Use it regularly. The calipers are very prone to seizing through lack of use. Don't engage the handbrake when parked in your garage.

Congratulations!!!

When sending an update look for the "additional options" bottom left below the text input box. There you can select a photo to attach.  There's also "notify me of replies".

Thanks for the tip on photo's. Still finding my way around the board, so much appreciated.

I'll upload a picture of a wheel when I get home

Regarding tyres, speak to James Parry,

Manual states 145 R14 - it has 175/70 R14 Uniroyal Rallye 680s on it.

Picture attached

Tyres look a bit big for the rim size?
I see your minus the trim rings that were standard on the Rallye Coupe.
Brian
8227 8)

With regard to spares:
I am in a similar position with my Flavia Coupe but wonder why nobody has mentioned a spare fan belt?

Good point Colin!
Brian
8227 8)

I used the term ‘alternator belt’ in my reply and, yes, I’d agree this is a useful spare to carry. I’ve never had to use my spare but ... !

Whilst writing, one of the simplest additions I made to my Fulvia for starting reliability when the last battery went downhill was to replace it with one with a bit more oomph (greater Ah / CA ratings). The starting has improved noticeably especially for situations where the car hasn’t been used for a while.

And an electric fuel pump for priming, which has been mentioned here a few times. If the bonnet catch cable fails, I have found it useful to have a short emergency cable accessible from the front of the bonnet, or wherever suits. A battery isolator switch is of course useful if an electrical fault occurs and prevents battery drain. Perhaps a towrope could be in the tool kit along with a mat to lay on / kneel on in the event of work reqd under the car

I cannot see the sense on fitting an electric pump for priming and then relying on the old mechanical one thereafter,  just go all electric with a pressure regulator.

My mechanical pump has always worked well and isn't the problem when starting, drain back is, besides if you keep the mechanical as well as the electric one kept for starting, you have an instant back up if needed. Belt & Braces😊
Brian
8227  8)

Thanks for the guidance; have been in contact with James.

I also keep a box of latex gloves in the boot so I don't turn up somewhere with filthy hands if I have to change a wheel etc.  Also invaluable for oil changes which I do every 3500 miles.8

145/80/14 tyres are widely available as fitted to modern Audi A2, Andrea