Lancia Motor Club

Hi all, first post so here goes. As the title says, Ive started the (slow) road to building an 037. Ive started with a 1976 scorpion, just because I wanted LHD, and the shell was in really good shape. Anyway, as a result of stripping the car, I have a lot of parts available, which I will not be using. Engine, Trans, front and rear suspension etc.
If anyones looking for parts, send me a message. Id rather try here first than Ebay.

Hi

You could also try the monte consortium

https://lanciamontecarlo.club/

And the Beta forum

http://lanciabeta.co.uk

Peter

thanks for that.

Shells about ready for blasting. Then the work really begins.

Which kit? (If you are using a kit)

Richard

Hi, not using a kit. The bodywork (kevlar) came from pitlane in Austria. not very good quality, but thats a separate thread on its own. Anyway,
the front and rear subframes Ill make in house, luckily I restore and weld classic cars, so thats not an issue. I do have a ZF transaxle, as per original,
the rest I will fabricate, and use off the shelf parts where possible. I want the car to look as close to original as possible, however, I intend to use it: A lot!!
So, reliability is first and foremost, second only to safety.

Are you aware of Mick Covill? He's in the UK and can supply front and rear subframes plus bodywork!

Guy

I am, spoke to him a couple of times, very helpful bloke. as I said earlier, I already have a full set of panels, and I can fabricate my own sub frames.

Looks like you've got it all in hand - but let me know if you need any dimensions or pics - or if you need to come and check anything on mine. I'm in Herefordshire.

What engine are you aiming for?

Cheers,
Justin.

Many thanks, that's a very generous offer. The Engine:
I did quite a bit of soul searching on this one, I really wanted to use a Lancia engine, however, usability, reliability, and simplicity are my priorities.
In the end, Ive decided to use a Honda K24 naturally aspirated. this will produce when built around 290BHP, more than enough for my purposes.
A new bell housing will be machined up to mate it with the ZF, so as a package it should work well. I know the purists will no doubt hate me for this,
but at the end of the day, the car needs to be reliable. There's also a cost element to consider, the cost of the transaxle, and changing the final drive
has not been a cheap exercise.

Not much to report. Shell gets blasted next week, so in the meantime I’ve made a frame
That makes moving around easier, and will also serve as a Jig, when I do the subframes. I might have a couple of TVR chassis to make, so it will come in useful.

picked the shell up yesterday, no hidden surprises luckily. happy with the result, at least now Ive got clean metal to weld to, the etch primer is just to protect
for now.

another angle.

last one for now.

a good day today. cut the remaining part of the front off. Hopefully, tomorrow, Ill get the new bulkhead cut out, ribbed where necessary, and tacked in.

front bulkhead nearing completion. I made it out of 16g, as opposed to 18g. a bit more strength. Once I've finished welding it up, Ill start on the floors.

front bulkheads finished for now. Once the floors are in Ill finish the bottom part to tie it together, and finish the front box section to support the subframe.

Hi Andy

Enjoying following this thread. I hope you do not mind, but some of the photos came out on their side, so have modified them to allow normal viewing.

Peter

Ah, thanks for that. It was starting to irritate me.

Floors today, or at least one of them. Like the bulkhead, Im making them out of 16g steel. a lot stiffer, and ultimately safer. decided to lower them slightly, particularly at the rear, where the seat will be. I have the seats, so when I do the rears, Ill make a profile so I can get the seat as low as is practical. Im also seam welding everything. I don't really like spot welds, yes, its a lot more work, but it makes a far better job.

might take a while this.......

and the next....

And its in. A bit more welding tomorrow, but she's about there.

start of the rear part of the front floor.

rear floor in. Ill make and weld in the cross brace tomorrow, when Ive got the seat placement.

one side done. once the other side is done, I can attack the rear bulkhead. A lot of work on this section, Ill fabricate a new cross brace which ties the two new floors together and goes over the centre tunnel. Although not perforated, the rust has started to attack the steel. So, a new one makes sense. Then when the rear bulkhead is removed, I can start making the roll cage.

well, both floors are in. a bit more fettling to do, but they're about there. next job is to make a new panel that goes across the car and ties the floors to the bulkhead.

this is the panel ill fabricate. showing signs of pitting, so ill cut it out and make another.

Great photos of an epic build progressing at pace.   

I just looked up 16g and 18g in mm and was surprised it was 1.5 and 1.2.  20g is 0.9mm and 22g 0.75mm.

1.5mm is mighty stuff.  How are you forming those beads?  I saw a ball hammer in a photo.  That and a former under or a bead roller or...?

Hi David, yes I'm using a bead roller. unless originality is required, in which case ill use factory panels, I always use 16g for floors. There isn't much difference in weight over 18g, but the panel is much stiffer and the weld stronger.

todays mission was to make the panel across the car to tie the floors together.

work in progress...........

nearly there...........

Apart from welding, about done.

Great project, will enjoy following this one. Always love dthe idea of an 037 but will never happen, so nice to see one being created.

Your bead roller, is it a motorised one? I tried a manually wound one and it's really awkward to use.

Hi, yes it is now.i used it manually for a few years, and then motorised it. never looked back!!!

What did you use for motorising the bead roller - 12v wiper motor or something more powerful ?

Really enjoying the fabrication photos - please keep them coming and looking forward to seeing this project come together

I bought the motor kit from the manufacturer I got the roller from. bolted straight on.

today was a bit of a measure twice cut once sort of day. working on the rear of the floorpans making the beam that will support the rear subframe.

a bit of fiddly fabrication.

came together well though.got the plates weld in to support the rollcage.

the plates are just about visible at the sides.

last one for now.

Right, two days off is enough for me. Put some more etching primer on the floors now that part is done for the moment. Next job is to tack the rest of the subframe supports on the front. Im only tacking them, until Ive got the tubes in place that will tie them to the roll cage. Then they will be fully welded.

the front subframe supports.

another angle. depending when I get the roll cage made, I might throw some primer at the front.

Picked the engine up, change of plan over the Honda choice. got fed up of waiting for a quote etc. Anyway, a friend of mine knew of an engine going.
A Paul Gardner 2.3 Duratec, plug and play, dry dumped etc. around 280BHP. should be enough, and lots of low down torque. The big plus is its light.
Two of us can easily pick it up. The Gearbox will be ready mid Jan, so I can figure a way of joining them together, and we can get on with the rear subframe, once the cage is made and installed.

Am loving how fast this is progressing.  Are you working towards an event?

WOW what a project look forward to seeing this once completed will be a great Lancia saved well done.

Im not working towards an event in that sense. Ive been planning this for a couple of years, gradually collecting parts. Im trying to fabricate as much as possible,
and do the work in house. Theres a long way to go, but so far its all gone well.

The engine. Im having a new Rocker cover made, which should be more in keeping with what Im doing.

At least they're a known quantity, people been tuning them for a while now. Still big bhp from a atmo engine though  8)

They are. Its a shame, because when I originally thought about this as a project, a few years ago now, my plan was to get Guy croft to build me an engine. He was such a helpful man, sold me some parts and gave a lot of help, willingly I might add, when I restored a 124 spider years ago. Sadly, as most of us know, he passed away. Left a huge void, as far as Im concerned. Being a bit old fashioned, that sort of put me off using someone who I didn't know, hence my engine dilemma. As Ive said before, usability and drivability are essential.

Right, so the last of the rear is now cut out, and two plates welded in to the sides for strength. Next job is the roll cage.

Main hoop for the cage. A couple of tweeks and its about there. The two plates at the sides are just visible on this one.

made some good progress with the roll cage today. the main bits are not far off, I've tacked them together with the MIG. Ill pull the cage back
to get to the awkward bits, and then TIG weld the whole lot together.

A different angle.

Looking fabulous, do you work off drawings or just experience?
What's the plan for the rear end, building a subframe section?
Are you converting to RHD?

I have a few drawings, some measurements, but mainly by eye. Ill make the subframes from scratch, the rear will have to wait until I have the gearbox back and joined it to the engine. That's the slightly tricky bit, no one as far as I know has joined a Duratec and a ZF transaxle together. Once that's done, As I have the bodywork, I can line the engine and box on the bottom two rails and work up. The front should be a lot easier.

Oh, Im keeping it LHD.

The Sports 2000 race series use the Ford Duratec engine, sure from memory they also use the ZF style transaxle. If not then they may be able to help...

https://sports2000.co.uk/championships/duratec/

Are you doing your own tube bending? 

Kevin, thanks for that. Ill contact them. David, yes, Im doing my own tube bending.

The main section is now welded in. Ill start at the front and tie the cage to the sections that will support the front subframes.

Another angle.

Its good now the door braces have been removed. A bit easier for crawling around!!

I liked how tight you've got the cage, and how nice it looks with the extra bends.   What do you use for tube bending and would you buy the same again?

David, Im happy with with the tube bender, its a "Tubella", or JD squared depending who you buy it off. Not expensive, but once you add the tooling, it can be.
That said, its pretty versatile, and would definately recommend it. Ill put a picture up later.

the tube bender I used for the cage. very good bit of kit.

so, todays job was to finish the bracing at the front. got that sorted and all tied in, next job is to weld in the new rear panel.

the rear panel. once this is welded in, I'm going to turn the shell over, and complete the welding underneath. After that, I will start on the front subframe.

Lovely work, really enjoying following this thread  8)

Rally stands through the sills?   Threaded inserts for the mother of all roof racks?

This popped up in an email the other day.  Seven figure price...  May as well build your own :)

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lf22/london/lots/r0033-1982-lancia-037-group-b-works-evolution-1/1301206

wow. mine won't be a cheap build by any stretch, but a lot less than that. a huge amount amount less to be honest.

Not a huge amount of activity in the last few days, I still have to earn a living! That said, I had a few hours spare today, so the rear panel is welded in,
can't move any more with that at the moment until Ive picked the gearbox up, Monday, dropped it off to get the bell housing, flywheel,clutch assembly made etc.
At least things are moving. Anyway, I started on the front subframe. I have 95% of the parts for that, and a big pile of CDS tube, so I can get on with it, and Hopefully maybe even get round to fabricating the wishbones etc. So, here's the progress.

mock up of the front body. dreadful quality and fit.

start of the front subframe.

Good day today, made some solid progress on the front subframe.

another angle

Picked the gearbox up today, saw it briefly, then dropped it off to get the bell housing, clutch assembly made. Very happy with the result so far,
apart from the internals being in mint condition, the final drive has been changed to 5.25:1. much better gearing for what I want.

Another angle.

And another.

Withdrawl symptoms kicking in Andy, any udates for us fans
Last pics of that front end were amazing  8)

Had to get on with other jobs lately, however, Ive made a start making the front wishbones. should have the front end sorted in a few days, then hopefully the Gearbox and new bell housing will be back, and I can start the rear subframe, and suspension.

Extremely impressive. What type of finish is intended for the metal subframe and suspension components?
 
  Richard
 

Richard, the subframes will be painted body colour, and the wishbones etc. will be powder coated. colour to be determined.

got one side tacked up today. check for alignment, then Ill TIG weld the wishbones.

The moment of truth.........Put the front end on, and try a wheel.

another angle

bell housing is now sorted. very happy with the end result. made from a billet, then blasted to give it a cast look. more in keeping.

another angle.

Is the bell housing a one off?

  Richard

I like that finish.

An absolute work of art. 

CNC machining I assume - an amazing job.
Mike Clark

Love the engineering that goes into stuff like that, beyond my comprehension of how you'd figure the design out but I can appreciate the beauty of it far more than any painting. A proper work of art  8)

yes, a complete one off. they Made a fantastic job, the quality is top notch.

Had a busy time with other lobs lately, ones that pay me!! Anyway, managed to steal a couple of days, to start work on the rear subframe. The first bit took some time, lots of measuring, checking etc. I did the wishbone brackets on the bench, along with the gearbox mounts. Its a lot easier, than lining up a 65kg gearbox on the floor!!
Anyway, the first bit is done, just building it all up now. A big thanks to Pim, who is known on here, and given me some important dimensions. Very helpful, as Im building mine from scratch, without a JIG.

Now with the brackets in place.

last one for now.

had a couple of good days, made some good progress on the rear subframe.

starting to take shape.

next stage is to fabricate the suspension brackets, although I think ill get the rear bulkhead area tidied up and plated. that should be fun!! All the parts are now here for the rear suspension, apart from the coil overs, but they are a quick turnaround, so that's not a problem.

got a bit more done on the rear bulkhead. starting to take shape now.

both sides now done.

got the rear tubes from the cage down to the subframe all welded in.

the rear with both tubes in.

just to tie it together, made the cross brace. there's more to attach to this.

another angle.

This is just superb the attention to detail with the cage is amazing.
How many hours into the project so far?
Look forward to seeing the updates as they come.

From the start of the project I would estimate about 200 hours. I have been working on it between other work, so an exact figure is difficult.

Your own car or a customers?
Restoration hours soon add up.

There's so much in this to create a 3D masterpiece from fresh air, unbelievable. Do you do it all from self calculated drawings?
To calculate positions of suspension pick up points, gearbox mounts etc all from points in fresh air, well it's very impressive.

The circular stiffenner indents, do you do them with a fly press? Only I'm sure I've seen hand held tools before, or maybe that was a circular large hole cutter  ::)

Fantastic stuff  8)

its my own car, hence no exact figure on the hours. Thanks Kevin. yes, most of it has just been worked out bit by bit. The indents I just knocked up a pattern, and did them on the workshop press.

had a good easter cracking on with brackets, mounts etc.

another view.

ive welded in reinforcing gussets. I don't know if they're are standard, but a company that prepares the shells, Italian I think, they put them in.
makes sense to do the same.

rear cradle in position.

another angle.

Simply stunning fabrication bellissamo!

Remarkable work... well done! :)

thanks for the comments. this is the pre or less completed rear. a couple of brackets and supports for the fuel tanks, but she's not far off. next job is to get the engine and box lined up so I can make the engine mounts.

from the inside.

a good day today, got the engine and box joined and in situ. the gearbox mounts will hold it all in line while I fabricate the engine mounts. Ill also do the rear bulkhead at the same time, and line up ready for the rear suspension to be fabricated.

another angle.

from the inside. more space than id hoped for, which helps.

started on the engine mounts. got one side done, the other side will be trickier because of the dry sump oil pump.

MORE space than expected !!!!!

around the bulkhead. Ive got the dry sump tank, and a lot of plumbing, plus the fuel system. access should be good though. It helps that the engine is not only light, but pretty compact. N/A too, so less complicated. I think the gear linkage is going to be fun though!!!

It’s really coming along nicely Andy, stunning fabrication.

thanks for the comments. Appreciated. I managed to get a couple of hours this afternoon to attack the bulkhead. went pretty well, got most of it shaped and tacked in.
should be able to get to the workshop first thing, and get it all seam welded. another job out the way!!!

another angle

and yet another.....

the last one, for now!!!

Art!

Nice to see those cage legs again as well.

hi all, its been a while, busy summer, work etc. Ive made some progress recently, will post some pictures later.

A few photos of recent work. Front and rear wishbones are nearing completion. Interior work is taking shape, trying to get as much work finished on the shell so I can strip it and get it primed. Will probably order the wheels this week. Once they are here, approx 8 weeks, I can weld the brackets on for the rear dampers.I want to keep everything as tight as possible. I can also finish off the rear brackets for the side panels and start work on the fuel tanks, which Ill make out of 304 stainless, and the exhaust manifold and system. Again, Ill make them out of 304 stainless.

suspension.

rear end.

some interior work.

Dashboard mocked up.

Pedal box installed. As Ive used a Porsche 911 steering rack and bias brake assembly, Ive made a new steering column to give more clearance for the steering linkage. This might mean a few mods to the battery tray, but it will be a lot safer.

A work of art, purely and simply a work of art  8)

That's brightened my day!   Beautiful.

Interesting to see how long the wishbones are, more a surprise at the front than the back, and the choice of heights for the top wishbone inboard mounts.

David, the wishbone positioning, certainly on the front, is to eliminate bump steer. because I've used Alfa 4c front uprights, and a Porsche 911 rack, there was a bit of buggering about to do (technical term) to get the angles right.

had a few hours spare over the weekend, so decided to mock up the rear frame that supports the clam. Ive rose jointed the struts, so I have adjustment when I get round to fitting and altering the bodywork.

another view. Still have to finally weld, its all just tacked for now.

rear view, you can just see the rose joints in this one. Ive made a start on the front clam mounts, Ill post pictures when Im somewhere near.

started work on the fuel tanks. decided to make them in 304 stainless, 16g. this is the right hand tank, the left is a mirror. ill weld the top on when the fittings arrive,
AN-6 for the fuel lines, and the bosses for the VDO dip tubes. leak tested well, and capacity is 38 litres per tank.

another angle;

sorry about the photos being the wrong way round. I'm not sure how to alter them.

(Now modified, Peter/Admin)

The tanks are pretty much there, just the fillers to do when Ive got the panels lined up and the caps arrive. Next job is to take the engine and box out, and finish the gear linkage brackets, and the brackets for the rear coil overs. almost there, before I strip everything off and paint it. Im sure there will be something I forget to weld on, we will see!!

another angle,

Wheels are ordered, but won't arrive until the second week of march. That's stopped finishing the suspension mounts for now. So, doing some more fiddly stuff, which has to be done. Got the gear-lever and linkage all sorted now.

In the car.

I think the Knob was originally destined for a Ferrari.

Work of art  8)

I love how chunky that gear change mechanism is.

Hi David, it shouldn't break, bit is surprisingly light. As my shift rod is as per pantera, on the left as opposed to the right side like an original 037, I had to fabricate it from scratch. Luckily, the shift rod moves in the same direction as a 3.2 911, and the travel front to back is pretty much the same on the gearbox end. So, I could make it as per the shift I modified on my 911, and it will be a short throw. Thanks to 8 rose joints, and the bronze bearings, there's no play at all.