Lancia Motor Club

Hi all,

It's been 16 months but I now have another Lancia, I have just purchased a Fulvia Sport Zagato 1.6 from Germany and hope to have it in the UK within the next couple of weeks.

Although in great all round condition with many new parts fitted, it requires a service- it is plucking a bit low down and the fuel seems a little rich so just needs the carbs setting properly, plus it possibly requires 4 new shocks. It also requires f&R seat belts (peace of mind) and then an MOT and preparation for UK registration.

Has anyone any recommendations as to who's best to sort this lot at a reasonable cost and ideally (but not necessarily) in the North West?

Cheers,

Paul.

There is Classicarco  in Walkden near Bolton.  I have not used them personally but they have been around a long time.
Probably worth a phone call.

www.classicarco.com

David

Speak to James Parry?

Ferdi's Garage in Lytham St Annes is very good. He recently  changed my upper wishbone ball joints, rubber things under the front leaf spring and various other bits and bobs. Very reasonable and Tony his assistant has a couple of Flavias. Ferdi is an Alfa man but works on anything; he also has some Lancia specialist tools.

Thanks for all your recommendations guys.

Car arrived this afternoon- no problems, however no-one seems to want to service it- they've all gone quiet!

I will try an independent local garage that does appear to work on older cars- I have seen Alfa 1750GTV, BMW 2500, MGB GT, Saab 96 and Triumph TR6 there in recent times besides more modern stuff.

Hello Paul.  Congratulations on the new arrival - looks good.  Surely part of the enjoyment of classic car ownership is 'getting your hands dirty'.  It is not rocket science.  Well, okay, wear latex gloves, box of 100 for about £4.  DIY means you can pick the quality of product you want, instead of paying garage overheads/mechanics wages etc.  Get a full synthetic 10W60 oil, Mahle OC67 filter from your local motor factors, and don't make a mess on the garage floor.

Only kidding, but consider it, and just ask questions - there is a lot of Fulvia experience out here.

Regards - Roddy

That does look very nice. Hope you find a good garage to look after it. I'm at the lower end of mechanical skills but apart from the usual oil changes I've also in the past replaced the front shock absorbers, radiator etc. Anything that's fairly easy to get at and doesn't need a specialist tools I will attempt. Rear shocks are harder to access so I let a garage with a lift fit those. You know it's been done properly, save a bit of money and learn a lot about the car too. Serious electrics is still just black magic to me though.

I would agree with Roddy.
If you wish and since we are both in the north west I will be happy to provide help/assistance/advice. Let me know.

David

Thanks for all the enthusiasm guys, I'll see what demons (if any)the MOT reveals first. As long as it's ready for next spring I am happy to accept advice and do some mild tinkering myself, although like you Stanley I am at the lower end of the mechanical spectrum and I don't want to bodge anything.

These are the jobs that I understand need resolving first-

1)       Register with HMRC
2)       Insure- (Who's best for Fulvias?)
3)       MOT
4)       Possibly replace all 4 shocks (I think these are the originals)
5)       Repair short circuit on interior lighting + door (not absolutely necessary but will frustrate me until done)
6)       Replace brake booster vacuum hose (there is currently a non standard hose fitted that looks out of character)
7)       Replace engine ventilation hose (there is currently a non standard hose fitted that looks out of character)
8)       Adjust/repair throttle valve bearings
9)       Dust cover to drive shaft on right requires renewal
10)      Brake check (feels spongy) 
11)      General service

All advice greatly appreciated.

Paul

Very nice. As a precaution, perhaps refurbish the oil filler baffle and it's contents(sometimes a rusty mess)

Paul

Looks nice ....

but does the service history show any mechanical recommissioning such as new brake pipes engine mounts anti roll bar bushes, radiator pipes fan belts i.e anything that is rubber should be given a good look at and generally replaced (esp brake pipes). I would spend out on all the main rubbery bits then you know you have a sound car in the brakes, suspension and engine and carb mountings departments.

Shock absorbers do not need replacing unless they show signs of leaking or do not damp when bounced on the front or rear end, except maybe if you wanted a firmer ride from say Konis.

Re vacuum hose there are not may hoses around that can take vacuum. Ordinary hoses will collapse over time.

What is the problem with the throttle valve bearings? I assume you have the 42 Solex's fitted? Is the car high mileage ? These carbs can only really be refurbished in the throttle spindle area by sending away to a specialist (in Italy).

These Sports can go for a long time if the above is adhered to.

I would change the antifreeze too when changing the hoses and would recommend silicon classic look ones.

Hope this helps and sorry you are not more local to me.

Tim

What a beauty. You are going to have such fun.

Do you need to consider relocating the footwear to avoid picking up scratches on the paintwork? (I'm just jealous really because I can't for the life of me get my family to keep their boots and shoes tidy.) 

Frank T

I looked at the line of footwear and had much the same thought Frank. In my experience you can never have enough room in a garage and unnecessary things like footwear must be the first to be cleared out!!!!

Frank, I have good news, your problem will get resolved ......... but not until everyone has grown up and left home!!!!

That is a lovely looking car and Paul, I am sure you will get a huge amount of enjoyment out of it.

                                              Andy

All my Lancias are with Adrian Flux, agreed value, good recovery, excellent service and very good prices.

Tim,

Thanks for your comments, yes all the brake pipes are newish (end '13), radiator pipe is new, most other rubber parts have been replaced, leads, plugs, filters all look new, the hoses mentioned are new but look naff, don't know what type of carbs are fitted but on test it was a little bit plucky until warm and then seemed to run rich?

The car has done 81,000km, so 51,000 miles which is not bad in 44 years.

Frank/Andy,

You should have seen the state of the garage (and the footwear) on Sunday morning before the big clean & the four estate car trips to the tip!

David,

Yes Adrian Flux have so far returned the most competitive quote and I believe a phone call to them will reduce the quote further still so thanks for that.

Regards all,

Paul.

Paul

Thats sounds excellent! Just a tune up then! Low mileage Solexes are excellent carbs are respond well to a rebuild to clean out any muck and then tune quite easily.

Tim

Paul,
It looks just great and working on it yourself will give you great satisfaction of a job well done, even the simple things.
I insure "Fay" with Hagertys, very good ,very reasonable, they are enthusiasts and don't insure moderns, while being aimed at Classics.

Brian
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You have a nice sized garage there. Always been a dream of mine to have a garage just big enough to have space all around the car to take wheels off etc. Not happened so far and I don't expect it too any time soon. That makes a big difference because you can take your time working on it and not have to worry about getting it back together to get it back inside before rain comes etc. Get yourself a soft breathable cover too to keep the garage dust off.

Try Omicron for carb rebushing, they have done some for me very well.

Agreed value on mine is £25,000.   Adrian Fluz (who use Hagerty's) are perfectly happy with that and mine is not as shiny as yours!

The trouble with a nice large garage is resisting the temptation to fill it with spares.

Frank T

There speaks the voice of experience ;D

Brian
8227 8)

Why resist???????

or another car, bike etc. parkinsons law....

It's amazing how much space you can find in a garage (or shed) when you have an incentive to do so!

Can I have another Lancia to give me an incentive?

Frank T

Exactly Frank!

Of course you can Frank, just do not let your wife know that it was I who said so!!!!