Lancia Motor Club

Whilst sorting some stuff with my father this morning, I thought I would scan a few photos of his car before and during its restoration.

The first came courtesy of Colin Marr.

FAIRPLAY!!!!!!!that was pretty ......erm .........., have you got any more pics??? never realised how bad it was before the restoration, hat off that was a brave one to take on but looks afantastic job thats been done, would love to see more if you have any jp

There's plenty more - I'll dig a few others out that show how it went. There was nothing that didn't have to restored or remade  :D

The guy who did the work on the bodyshell (Mick Bowe) was a real artist with metal.

yep do some digging, myself and others i'm sure would love to see them!!

I dont know whether I have ever told you or your father but I went to look at WPD10 in 1979/80 with a view to buying it having restored our first B20 OVS537 which we still have. I was 30 years old and took my father who refused to get out of the car to have a close look as he thought I was mad.
I decided it was too far gone in spite of its history! Well done therefore.
I have brought several B20's and a B24 'back to life ' since then but looking at the photos, WPD10 was even more of a project than my largest project (as in corrosion) which was our Series III OFV570 which I now race. The saving grace with this car is that despite being in a dreadful state, it was complete.
Chris

It was one of those cars where you could almost build from scratch as easily as restore.

My "get back in the car you madman" trip was to see Richard Thorne's SuperJolly camper.  I concluded you could convert a Flavia saloon into a replica more easily that drag it back from the dead.  The other problem with that one was the size garage you'd need to get it in let alone spread the debris out to look at.   Anyone know what became of it?   It wouldn't surprise me if it was still (half) there.

David

Jaysus, and I thought I was mad.... I very nearly bought that car years and years ago, but decided to buy a house instead (cheaper option). I saw it at the Aurelia Lunch one year, lovely car. This is my effort...

And finally on track

Just a thought, but would anyone be interested in an Aurelia Restoration type booklet, similar to the freebies that came with Viva Lancia some time ago. (Delta, 037 etc).
I have lots of photos of my restoration, but as I never touched the engine or 'box, I'd love to see other peoples efforts.
This might be of great interest to people attempting or considering buying an Aurelia. To my mind the Aurelia is a kind of 'underground car', very few know anything about them, yet the model itself is a landmark design.

I think it would be a great idea and not only of interest to those anticipating restoring or owning an Aurelia, the rest of us dreamers, who will never own one would still like to see it.

Brian
8227 8)

Wow, so I am not the only one who might have bought WPD10, and mercifully it was left to John Cundy to take it on and do the right thing for it! Well done John.

Although, there but for the grace of Darwin, it might have been me. I just happened to see it at Mike Spence/ Richard Thorne’s workshop in about 1989 and took the photo that John has posted. Not that it was advertised for sale, but I would have bid for it had I not already been 100% committed to the 6th Series car I had brought in from Holland.

In the pre-digital age I didn’t take many pictures, but here are two. One is of it as a rolling shell as I took it over in 1988 - and it looked worse and more depressing as work progressed! Another is of the re-fabricated lower front-end as purchased via Ron Francis in 1989, which I saw fit to photo on the kitchen work-top with 11 year old daughter as back drop! Oh dear.

Colin

How to embarress ones offspring ;D



Brian
8227 8)

Some more photos...

The first was sent to my father, he thinks from Paul Mayo but if anyone recognises it as theirs please shout ! The caption on the rear of it says "WPD 10 ! July 1980 at 10A High Street, Kings Langley, Herts....I must rescue her !!"

The gentleman in the third photo is Mike Bowe who did all the bodywork.

I include this rather tame photo as a backdrop to a little scene that played out when the car was delivered to the paint shop in Nottingham.

As my father, brother and various other helpers pondered how to get it into the paint both an old chap walking past did a double take and rushed over pouring forth exclamations such as "cor...not seen one of those in ages, fantastic things. Superb engineering, built by real craftsmen etc  etc". He stood back in admiration and then dropped the bombshell...."I worked at that factory for 30 years, I might even have helped build that one". With my dads eyes on stalks and jaw on the ground he turned and left them with "Yep.........best trailers in the world, you look after it lad you'll not find a better one"  ;D

(true story)

And some more of the "oily bits"

Thanks for the stories, amazing how many people nearly bought her ! Great to see photos of other peoples cars and work.....even if there is not much written down, it shows how much experience and knowledge there is in the club.

true, its good to see other people's work though even if its just photo's

A few more:

The first three are self-explanatory, the last four concern repairing corrosion in the block on the mating face for the seal between the liner and the block.

The face was too badly corroded for the liner to seal so it was turned out as far as possible (about a mm) and a machined aluminium ring locktited in place to bring the sealing face back to nominal.

The special tool was required as the faces have to be very accurate (parallel to each other, perpendicular to the top deck and with no angular run-out) other wise when the liner is installed and the head tightened the liners are put in bending and they break around the sealing rings. An accuracy of about 2 thou is required (5 thou isn't good enough - ask John how he knows at the Aurelia lunch  ;))

Neil

Very impressive, best photos of Aurelia 'oily bits' I've ever seen.

Guys, am just going over all the Aurelia threads...Xmas time and all that, found Ncundy's thread to be wonderful!

Is there an up-dated photo of your dads car?

P

Action shot :D and one when WPD10 was invited to be part of the TT Hawthorn Garage recreation at the Goodwood Revival

another with Hawthorn's Riley Imp at Oulton Park and one of England's answer to the Lambda :)