Lancia Motor Club

To be honest it wasn't my intention to do a full restoration on my Delta but as is often the the case, once I started the repairs to the rear wheel arches & near side seal I began to realise that it wasn't going to stop there!

Here's a few more pics!

I have just caught up with this post and it is very like a superficially reasonable Prisma I had to abandon. Anyone with a Delta or Prisma who hasn't checked for similar rust would be well advised to do so. My Prisma would have needed a two to three inch wide strip welding in from the A pillar on the drivers side all the way round the back and forwards again to the A pillar on the passenger side.

Yes very similar corrosion to my Delta! It's where the two sections of the rear inner wheel arches are spot welded together. Over time moisture gets in between the spot welded joint & the rust takes hold. Here's a few more pictures of my Delta restoration.

This was one of those low points in a restoration when you start to wonder have I bitten off more than I can chew? These following pictures show what happens when you put a new seal straight on top of the old rusty one, you make a bad situation much worse!

That looks a lovely job. Well done.

Excellent work. The Delta workshop manual has real detail on the complex construction on the sills......

Are panels still available ? Looks complex and well done !

Thanks guys, I've tried my best! The only panels that were available at the time were the outer seals, everything else was made by hand just like the old Lancias.

These areas (front wheel arches, behind the bumper) were quite easy to fix as the shape of the repair sections were fairly simple. Due to the high level of corrosion I decided to fabricate the repair sections from stainless steel.

The next big fabrication & welding job on the list was the scuttle panel which had three areas that were badly corroded. The worst of these being the area on the passenger (near side) where the rust had eaten away the scuttle panel plus the box section underneath! I fabricated a new box section in stainless steel then welded it in place then welded three repair sections into the scuttle panel. I finished it off by cleaning up the welds, a skim of filler, primer & paint.

These are the pictures for the repairs to drivers side (off Side).

These pictures are of the center section of the scuttle panel.

Amazing work! I've seen Beta's with similar corrosion issues deemed totally un-restorable.

Thanks Neil ;). The only reason those Betas that you mention were un-restorable was most likely due to financial reasons. If I had to pay a company to do the work I've done already the bill would be at least £5000 which is about what the car is worth. As I'm a Sheet metal worker by trade I have a fair idea of how to repair the bodywork & shell (most of the time!). Although some of parts of the restoration have been quite challenging  :o. Cheers, Rob

As I'm a Sheet metal worker by trade ...........

The above explains the casual way in which you describe cutting bits out, making new panels tacking them in place, seam welding them in, grinding off the surplus, a little filler and then spray to finish it all of ....... and that's without the off-hand reference to the fact that much of it has been done in stainless steel ....!!!!!!

Irrespective of your occupation, that is a truly great restoration that you have underway there and you are to be congratulated!! Please keep going with the story and the photographs.

                                            Andy

Thanks Andy I appreciate your kind words although I can't take all the credit. Like any restoration project I have had a bit of help, particularly on the welding side. I know a few very skilled welders where I work who's talents have come in handy on some of the more complex sections. Cheers, Rob

This is the picture that keeps me going when the light at the end of the tunnel starts to dim & I start to wonder if I'll ever get my Delta back on the road! As you can see this was my wedding day back in the summer of 2000 (I'm on the left) & the Delta looked in really good condition. By the autumn of 2002 it had failed it's MOT on serious corrosion to both the rear wheel arches & the near side seal as you've seen in the first set of pictures I posted, so this restoration is now into it's 15th year  :o. I started off with a lot of enthusiasm which lasted for a couple of years then when I started to realise how much work needed doing I began to lose interest. On two occasions I nearly gave up & bought Delta's with Tax & MOT that I could actually drive & enjoy but my wife rightly pointed out that they would probably rust out in the same areas within a few years & I'd be back to square one! (I didn't want to admit it but deep down I knew she was right  :-\). I haven't been working on it over the winter as I'm a fair weather restorer but as soon as spring comes I'll be back out in the garage finishing off the roof panel that I welded on last year. You wouldn't think it but that has been the most time consuming job of the whole project! Thanks for reading this & I look forward to any comments you may have  ;).

Cheers, Rob

Keep the faith, you know it will be worth it and the feeling of having restored it yourself to beautiful condition will be priceless.

Keep at it Rob, nothing beats the first driving and LMC showing of a restoration project.

I appreciate that it doesn't suit everyone and often there are more important things to be attended to, but for me, a deadline is essential - 1st September 2006 for the Dilambda and 25th May 2013 for the Fanalone.

Now, I must find a deadline for the Citroen Cloverleaf as there has been virtually no progress for nearly a year! :o

Robin.

2018 is the Delta 1600 HF Turbo ( 1983 )   35th anniversary .... :)

http://www.lanciamc.co.uk/anniversaries.htm

Not an i.e. but near enough - or it's the Evo2 25th ( so I get to celebrate too ! )

Delta HF integrale Evo 2 ( 1993 )   25th

Thanks for your words of encouragement lads & I think a deadline would be useful. I set myself a deadline to get the roof panel welded on by the end of the year & I just about managed that  ;D. Although I did have a £10 bet with my father in law that I would finish this restoration in 3 years. So I missed that one by 12 years (& counting) & lost a tenner! Thinking of anniversaries - Delta production started in 1979 so I was hoping to have it back on the road for the Delta's 40th birthday which gives me 2 years to get him finished. Once I've tidied up the roof panel it's then onto the tailgate which needs 4 small repair sections welding in. After that there's 2 small areas under the headlights that need attention then finally I can actually start the reassembly  :D.

Cheers, Rob

Keep up the excellent work Rob. Maybe you could have a renewing of vows ceremony for its inaugural journey! :-*

Regards

Ian

What a great choice of wedding car, by the way!  ;D

I have total respect for your skills and commitment Rob, well done.  I have neither...

Thanks guys you're too kind  ;). Here's a few more photos of the restoration - in these pictures I was repairing the area along the bottom edge of the tailgate opening.

Cheers, Rob

It looks like you're going to a car boot sale but forgot the boot.

Yes it does doesn't it. I have one of those garages where you can only just about fit a small to medium size hatchback / saloon so I have to store cans of paint, tools & my mig welding set inside the Delta. When I was working on the rear wheel arches, seals etc I had the Delta parked outside on my hard standing which is right next to my garage. It was when I had to take the drivers side doors off so that I could work on the seal that I had to put it in the garage which meant that I had to sale my other restoration project - a 1975 Beta Coupe 1600 that had been living in there for a few years  :'(. That was a tough decision as I loved that little Beta Coupe but I knew I would struggle to restore one of them let alone both!

Cheers, Rob

Looks great Rob, keep the updates comming..

Hi Richard,

Thanks for having a look at my restoration blog. I've been out in the garage over the last couple of weeks making the roof panel look presentable. I'll put some pictures up soon to show what I've been up to. I had a look at your website - lanciadeltaracing.com & was really impressed  :o. You've certainly gone to town on your integrale, it looks amazing. That's the standard I would have liked to achieve with my HF turbo but unfortunately I'm working on a very modest budget.

Cheers, Rob

Right now for the roof panel! I was hoping to be able to repair it but as I cut away the rusty areas it became clear that if I did it was going to end up looking like a patchwork quilt  :-\. I was going to buy a new roof panel from Tanc Barratt but unfortunately that was rather expensive. I gave Steve Watts a ring as I'd heard that he was breaking a Delta HF turbo ie & sure enough he was  :D. So one afternoon we cut the whole roof off at the pillars & while I was there I also had the tailgate, both front doors & the rear off side door. It's fair to say that Steve gave my restoration a massive boost with the parts he sold me & at a very reasonable cost  ;). These first pictures show how deep the rust had gone - through the roof panel & the box section underneath!

I made two repair sections from nice thick mild steel then welded them into place.

This picture shows the old roof panel after I'd removed it from the shell. Not only had it gone on the back edge, it had also rusted through around the sunroof opening which would have been very difficult to repair if it was still attached to the car.

Here's a couple of pics of the Delta with the roof panel removed.

This is the roof section that I cut from Steve Watts Delta that he was breaking.

I then separated the roof panel from the box section by drilling out the spot welds.

Unfortunately the tail end of the replacement roof panel had also started to rust through so I bought a handmade panel from John Whaley.

After many, many, many hours I finally got all 4 sections to fit nicely & ready for welding at last  ;D.

Whilst I was welding the roof panel into place, some rags that were in the back of the Delta caught fire! I panicked & grabbed the rags & threw them outside & stamped the fire out. Unfortunately I burnt my hand quite badly & I couldn't do any welding for 2 weeks. When I eventually started welding again I felt so nervous my hand was shaking! I made sure there were no flammable items nearby, I also had a bucket of water close at hand.

Oooch.   

A "blood sweat and tears" project to be sure.

I put a bit of metal welded metal down "quick" the other day wearing the thin "tig gloves" not the hefty "mig gauntlets".  The white leather is now quite brown but my skin was ok.  For one nasty moment I thought it had stuck to the glove.

Yes it was very nearly tears! I find welding with the heavy duty gauntlets difficult but on this occasion it would have been a lot less painful  :'(.

Sorry to hear that Rob, when using the red wrench dismantling the Aurelia, my mechanic made sure his fire extinguisher was close to hand, the felt type material on the inside smouldered away for 20/30 mins even after we'd blasted it 3/4 times!

P

I should have been more careful but this is what happens when you start rushing. I just wanted to get on with the welding & didn't want to 'waste' time by clearing all the crap out of the boot area which in hindsight was a big mistake. Thankfully there was no damage to the Delta, just me!

Ouch - we've all done something similar - glad you are on the mend

A lesson - FOR US ALL. 

Thanks for your messages guys  ;). Here's some photos of the roof panel after all the welding was completed, cleaned up & with a fresh coat of zinc primer.

Then some filler to help the repairs blend in.

Commiserations on the hand. At least you didn't torch the car and the house. I keep a few old washing-up liquid squeeze bottles filled with water handy when welding. You can direct a concentrated jet of water on any little accidents including into tight spaces.

Am working on a welding trolley design at the moment.  It will have a little fire extinguisher and a blanket on board but "water pistol" is a great idea.

Any favorite brands of paint, filler, paper?

I use Isopon P38 easy sand filler & Isopon 182 zinc primer. I then use Carplan high build primer & for the top coat I use Fiat racing red from a spray / rattle can (which is a pretty good match). On areas where it needs a bit of extra protection (and are not visable) I use Hammerite bush on paint. Ideally I would like to get the bodywork resprayed professionally but my main aim is to get the shell & body panels completely rust free & all the oily bits mechanically sorted  ;).

And now for the top coat of paint  ;D. Still loads to do but it feels like I'm getting there, slowly but surely  ;).

Next job was the tailgate. The original was so badly corroded that I pretty much folded it up & put it in the bin. The replacement was almost factory fresh by comparison & just needed attention to 4 small areas as shown in these pics.

A bit more welding.

All cleaned up, painted & looking much better  ;).

you don't show the patches seam welded. Do you just spot weld then fill and paint or is seam welding taken as read?

All the structural areas have been seam welded but repairs to body panels are spot welded which keeps the distortion to a minimum.

Thanks. That's useful to know.

I went to the LMC AGM today as it's been about 6 or 7 years since the last time I attended & had a most enjoyable afternoon  :). Had a good chat with Rich Carr then had a good look round at all the Lancias with Ben. Weather was hot & sunny which always helps  8). Got chatting to a fellow Delta fan Andy who has a HF turbo, Prisma & 1.3 LX (lucky fella!). Also had a little catch up with Brian Hinton & his 3 dogs. I was impressed with the quality of the cars on show but it did feel like the quantity was down since I last attended. It was great to see 2 stratos' though with one being a works safari & the other an exellent replica. My favourite Lancia of the day was a cracking Delta HF 4wd  ;D. You don't see these models very often & this one was in amazing condition. The owner had owned it from new then sold it after 3 years, he regretted selling so much that his wife bought it (when she saw it for sale in a local garage) & gave to him as a present on his birthday! What a wife!

Here's a repair that I've done on the rear drivers side door a little while ago. It doesn't look to bad but still took quite a bit of time to make the repair inner & outer sections. Once I was happy with the shape it was time to get the MIG welder out.  ;)

And a bit of filler & paint to finish.  :-*

I've also fitted the tailgate & conected up the lights but unfortunately the rear wiper doesn't work so that will need looking at.  ???

I'm starting to refit the interior too which has been a big moral boost.  ;D

Looking Good!

ah rear wiper,really not needed on a delta,yet 2 buttons to operate it ,quirks of Italian electrics i guess..

All the welding done now?   With the interior in it must feel like the home straight...

I've got power to the rear wiper motor when the switch is pressed in so it must be the motor. So I'm going to strip the motor, give it a good clean up & grease all the mechanisms. Then hopefully we might see some rear wiper action!  :)

There's a few small welding jobs that still need attention but they are on the front panel below the headlamps & a bumper bracket on the front drivers side inner wing. It's nice to have a break from the welding & actually start putting the Delta back together. My son Callum said that it's like a giant 3D puzzle!

Hi Rob,

Loving your work!

Your fabrication and welding skills are very impressive. Nice to see the car taking shape, definitely worth the effort. Will the wedding ribbons be on for its maiden outing after completion? ;D

Regards

Ian (6610)

Hi Ian,

Thanks for your words of encouragement  ;). No I think I'll leave the wedding ribbons off for it's maiden outing as my wife might wonder who's wedding I'm off too! I'm hoping to get the Delta back on the road sometime next year which will be his 30th Birthday & 20 years since I bought him  :D.

Cheers, Rob

I'm fitting the new rear shocks at the moment which is usually pretty straight forward. All was going OK until I tried removing the long pin that goes through the bottom of the damper & hub assembly! In the end I had to heat up the hub with a blow torch & whack the pin with a lump hammer, not sophisticated but it did the job  ;D. Thankfully the other side just needed a few taps with a wooden mallet. The downside now is that I've damaged the long pin (not surprisingly) & broke a spring that goes between the caliper & the caliper bracket  :'(. Thankfully a fellow Delta HF turbo owner (Ben) is searching through his 'stash' to see if he has the parts, which is very good of him  ;).

Cheers, Rob

same happened with me on my Gamma rear suspension. As this "pin" on the Gamma locks the various silent blocks of the multilink suspension under tension and no Lancia part was available I sourced 12.9hi tensile long cap bolt and nut which did the job...

Just when you thought it was safe to put the MIG welder away it's back..... more RUST! As I was removing the front near side shock absorber I thought I'd clean up the area behind it when I discovered this hole  :-\. Oh well I'd better get the cardboard out, make a template, transfer to a sheet of mild steel, make a repair section etc, etc.

my integrale has done the same mate, a right moisture trap behind the reinforcing section!

Yes it's the only area where the plastic wheel arch liners aren't protecting the inner arches and like you said it's a moisture trap between the two sections. On a positive note I did get round to fitting the front wiper mechanism & motor last week so as I cross one job off another gets added to the list!

You're making great progress mate, inspiring for me to keep going on with mine seeing yours coming together  ;)

Thanks Kev, your words of encouragement are much appreciated  :D. Here's a of pic of the same area after I'd ground out all the rust & prepped it ready for welding.

After making the repair section out of some good quality mild steel, I tacked it in position then fully welded it  ;).

After a coat of zinc primer, some seam sealer & a couple of coats of Hammerite's finest red gloss, it's looking pretty good  ;D. Hope you're all enjoying the Christmas hols & hope you have a happy new year!  :D

Festive colour.  Keep at it !!!

Thanks David. Yes it's certainly a festive colour  ;). I spotted this Delta HF turbo ie 1/18 scale model on ebay yesterday & ordered one to add to my collection.

Here's a photo of the new near side front shock absorber that I put together today & a photo of the old one which was well past it's prime!

Hi Rob

You're making great progress. The diecast you've treated yourself to will help keep you motivated i'm sure. I see that you can get the same model in Martini UK spec i.e. RHD.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lancia-Delta-1600-Hf-Turbo-IE-Martini-3-Serie-Uk-1986-LAUDORACING-1-18-LM108EN/132441181087?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D17d33f369a5f48d5b3f0b642a79941be%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D132441181087&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%253Afbbcb0ab-ed90-11e7-8717-74dbd180695e%257Cparentrq%253Aa8ba2b0f1600aa12a9460f0effe450e6%257Ciid%253A1

Happy New Year.

Regards

Ian

Hi Ian,

Yes I was chuffed to find this model as usually you can only get integrals in the 1/18 scale. I'm feeling really motivated on the Delta restoration lately, I usually stop working on him as we go into winter but this year I've braved the cold weather & managed to keep going  :).

Cheers, Rob

Here we see the shock absorber back in it's rightful place  ;)

Now on to the other side.

I finally finished fitting the 4 new shocks to the Delta today  ;D. So I thought I'd start him up & drive backwards & forwards to settle the suspension & check the camber angles. Unfortunately it was ticking over at 2000 RPM when cold then went up to 3000 as it warmed up! I'm guessing there's something wrong with the idle control valve? He hasn't been started up since October last year which probably hasn't helped  :-\.

Rob,
While your at it disconnect the hose to the throttle body and clean the butterfly  both sides and surrounds with carb cleaner, as you can get sticky petrol deposits here, and certainly wouldn't he a bad idea to clean the idle control  valve for the same reason.
Brian
8227 8)

Thanks for the advice Brian, I gave those areas a good clean & the tick over is now back to normal  ;).

I've been scanning some old photos today & came across this one. It's my old Beta coupe 1600 that I was halfway through restoring when I realised that my Delta needed restoring too  :-\. Unfortunately I didn't have the time, money or space to restore both so after much thought I decided to sale the Beta  :'(. Still miss that car & wish I could have kept both.

I've been concentrating my efforts on the front of my Delta recently. I trial fitted the front wings & front bumper to see how it all lines up & with a bit of fettling it all looked pretty straight  ;).

Looking good mate, home straight in sight now, eh  8)

I'd love a Beta coupe, maybe one day I'll have the time to find one.  ;D

Thanks Kevin. Yes It finally feels like I'm getting somewhere  :D. There's a lovely Bronze Beta coupe on the Car & Classic website that I'd buy if I had the space. It has the series 1 interior which I think looks pretty groovey  8).

This one?

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C963511

It's not that one (which is one that I hadn't spotted!). It's this one https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C947326

It's been a few months since my last post so I thought it was time for an update  ;). I'd made a new bumper guide bracket recently & welded it to the off side front inner wing.

As the sun was out last week  8) I drove the Delta out of the garage & on to our hard standing (the first time in 12 years!). I fitted both off side doors & reconnected the wiring for the electric window, central locking & fitted the glass in the rear door. It's starting to resemble a Delta again  ;D.

I tidied up the near side front wing & gave it a few coats of paint.

Today I removed the old front passenger door & transferred the internal mechs into the replacement door then fitted the glass into the rear door. The back half is nearly complete  ;).

DRIVING it out the garage and onto the hard standing.  PROGRESS.

Must have been lovely to be working outside in the air and warmth after the winter...

In Practical Classics - might be last month might be the one before - there's a Cortina on the front and while that one had a full respray the guy who did it has repainted two cars since entirely with rattle cans.  He realised the bits he'd done had been every bit as good as the pro job.  Its "just" be willing to put the hours in...

(Am sure the paint not as tough, but tough enough...)

Doing a whole car with rattle cans sounds expensive. Buying the paint from a paint factor and buying a low pressure spray system might be more cost effective especially if you will want to do more cars in future.

Yes it was a big moral boost driving out onto the hard standing, one of my neighbours came over & said "how nice to see it out of the garage". Like you said working on the Delta on a sunny day is so much more enjoyable than during the cold winter months. With regards to using rattle cans - I started using them just to protect the repaired areas temporarily as I plan to get a full respray some time in the future. Unfortunately the repaired areas cover about 75% of the bodywork & it does look a bit like 50 shades of red! My main focus at the moment is to put it back together, get it back on the road & enjoy driving it again.  :D

I did a bit of work on the front bumper last week - I removed the plastic blanks where the fog lights go & fitted some black aluminium mesh which looks pretty good  8).

Over the last few weeks I have been tidying up both nearside doors & today they were reunited with the body shell  :D.

The offside looking almost complete.

Your HF is looking superb....you're standard of workmanship is marvelous!!!  :)
 
Tim

Thanks Tim you're too kind  ;). I'm pretty chuffed now that it's finally coming back together, it's definitely been my favourite part of the restoration process  ;D.

you're at the stage I'm dreaming of   ;D

It's taken nearly 16 years (a third of my life!). It feels like the final sprint of a VERY long marathon.

Today the Delta had both his windscreens fitted  ;D. So that's another job to cross off the list. Over the last couple of weeks I've fitted the twin horns, front bumper, roof gutter / A post trim & the front grill.

Looking good Rob ;D

Brian
8227 ::)

Cheers Brian  :D.

Does it feel like the 'home run' yet ?

Will be great to see another back on the road

Yes it certainly feels like I'm on the home straight  ;). Once he's been back on the road for a year or so I'll probably get him resprayed & have the seats retrimmed (if I've got some spare cash!).

Keep at it mate, you're inspiring the rest of us to press on  ;)

Thanks for that Kev  ;). I'm enjoying your monthly reports in Viva Lancia & your posts on the forum, your integrale didn't fair well after being left outside for years  :-\. Mine was left outside for the first 4 years of it's restoration & it deteriorated rapidly  :(.

Over the last week I've fitted the exterior door handles & the interior door cards. The front passenger one needed a couple of repairs but the rest just needed a clean. The interior is now pretty much finish apart from a few bits & bobs  ;).

Looking really good Rob. Coming on in leaps and bounds. You might make it to the Autumn Classic at Castle Combe yet!
Seeing that interior brings back fond memories of my HF Turbo.

Keep up the great progress.

Regards

Ian

Rob, very nice and  I see you have the Recaro's
With the part that slides forward to support your thighs😊
Brian
8227  8)

Keep the inspirations coming Rob, car is looking great now, the best stretch of putting the parts back together is something to aim for.

Thanks guys, your comments are much appreciated   ;D. Yes it's got the Recaros so I can pretend I'm driving an integrale! I'm hoping to drive it to the Autumn Classic @ Castle Combe (fingers crossed) but there's still plenty to do. I've just started the next job on the list - the brakes - which includes fitting new brake discs & pads, reconditioned or new brake calipers, new flexi brake pipes & a new handbrake cable. Also while I'm at it I'm fitting new front wheel bearings & replacing all the CV boots so that should keep me busy for a while  ::).

It was all going so well.... I was trying to push the pistons out of the front brake calipers by removing one of the brake pads & applying pressure to the brake pedal but they didn't want to budge. Finally the pedal started to move which got my hopes up but when I checked, the pistons were still in the same position  ??? When I looked towards the rear of the Delta there was a pool of brake fluid, one of the pipes had split  :'(. Unfortunately it had been leaking for a little while before it finally split as the paint had lifted on the bottom half of the rear crossmember  ::). So today I removed the rear crossmember & I'll be looking at getting it powder coated also I've ordered some new front brake calipers as the old ones are seized solid!
                       Cheers, Rob

On the bright side you can remove the rear cross member quite easily!

Anything else to look at while its apart?

Yes it was fairly straight forward to remove the cross member although I had to cut through the brake pipes that go into the brake balance compensator as the compression nuts had rusted solid. I'm going to replace the brake balance compensator as it's looking pretty tired. Also the plastic connecter that fits in-between the transverse links has broken so I'll have to make a new one. As the cross member is off the car I'm going to get it stripped, galvanised & painted  ;).

I'd have hoped Lancia would have used something better than plastic to make that connector from ::)
Keep up the good work Rob, will she be ready in time for Castle Coombe?.

Brian
8227 8)

I'm guessing the reason it's plastic is because it's designed to break. Either that or FIAT were keeping the costs down (more likely). It's not looking good for Castle Combe now as the to do list is getting longer again  :-\.

Hi Rob
If you have an entry for Castle Combe you could take my 8V along if your car is not ready.
Just check that to make it legal your regular insurance covers you for driving other peoples cars---they usually do.
Ben

Hi Rob

That plastic part would be an ideal candidate for 3D printing I would think.

Good to know that you have a back-up vehicle if you don't complete the work ready for the Autumn Classic event, thanks to Bens kind offer. :)

Regards

Ian (6610)

That's very kind of you Ben  ;). Unfortunately my insurance wouldn't cover me as your integrale is in a higher category than my Alfa 147 but thanks for the offer. Fellow Bristol member Steve is giving me a lift in his Evo so I'll be going in style  8). It's times like these that you realise what a great bunch of blokes we have in the Bristol / Frome area, Viva Lancia!

I had a look to see how much Shapeways would charge to 3D print it & to print a one off they wanted £1200  ::). So I've bought a block of nylon off eBay for £9 & I'll shape my own using a Hacksaw, files & drills. Keeping it old school (& cheap!)

Cheers, Rob

Quite a lot of small Delta parts in the mechanical parts section, including a brake balance arm still quite expensive at £40 but nicely made.
and if you're that way inclined the exterior door handle pull with the Delta HF Logo embossed, ready to paint. 
Brian
8227 8)

Progress has been pretty slow recently but at least there's been some  ;). The cross member has been stripped & painted & I've bought new front & rear brake calipers & a new brake balance regulator which altogether came to £600  ::). Christmas has come early for the Delta!

Here's the tie rod connector I made from nylon. It took a fair few hours to carve out but I was quite chuffed with it!

All looks very nice. How did you carve the nylon and make the holes?

I used a pillar drill for the holes, a bandsaw to cut out the shape & sandpaper to take off the rough edges. Not a 3D printer in sight!  ;)

A work of art.  Also like the photo on the shiny surface.

New parts look great Rob, that new nylon brake lever bit you've made is mega, well done on engineering that yourself  ;)

Thanks for the compliments guys, I appreciate it  ;). When you can't get hold of certain parts you just have to make them, as you know well Kev! Yesterday some circlips I had ordered arrived through the post so I reassembled the tie rods & braking mechanism back on the cross member ready to be put back on the Delta.

Yes, I do know mate, why I can appreciate how well made that bit is  ;)

You have every right to feel chuffed, Rob  :)
The new part looks the biz......when you're that good, why would you even consider the 3D printing quote of £1200!!!
 
Tim

Hi Rob, I have read all your posts with interest as I have recently taken on an '88 Turbo which a friend started many years ago and really needs finishing and putting back on the road. He has done all the bodywork restoration and painting so I will tidy up the underside and sort out some electrical faults. I was interested to read that you have replaced the brake calipers and balance valve and would be interested in knowing where you sourced them from?
Many thanks,
David.

Rob, question you may be able to answer as I see you've done it recently and I took mine off a year or two ago....the pillar trim that goes down the windscreen side to connect with the gutter trim, does it have a seal and if so what does it look like!
I've found the long gutter ones but can I heck find any for the windscreen pillar trims, assuming there was something behind the metal trim or the water will just run everywhere  ???

Joys of taking stuff apart about 3 years ago and not being organised enough back them to store stuff properly!
Saying that though I bet it wasn't that long ago I took them off....just the memory isn't what it was!

Hi David,
Sorry for the late reply I haven't checked in on the forum for a while. I sourced the front & rear brake calipers from Autodoc which is a german company. The fronts were fairly easy to acquire but the rears took a bit of patience & I had to wait until they had them in stock. Alternatively you can have the original brake calipers reconditioned by a company called Big Red (as long as you still have them!). Hope that's helpful but if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask  ;).
Cheers,
 Rob

Hi Kev,
Yes I know the seal you're talking about, it's similar to the one that goes between the roof gutter the aluminium trim although the design is slightly different. Keep looking for it as I'm sure it will turn up eventually. I've misplaced parts for months & thought I'd lost them then they turn up when I'm usually having a tidy up / sort out  ;).
Cheers,
Rob

To know there is a seal is worth a lot Rob, I assumed there must be although I can't for the life of me find anything that looks likely.
I took the A pillar trims off at Jims' where I did the welding, so the seals must have come off there, so I will retrace my steps and look through everything that came off back then.

Appreciate the answer, and for letting me know it's similar to the roof gutter one helps

That OK Kev, glad I could help  ;). Hope you find them soon  ::).
Cheers,
Rob

Had a good look in the shed tonight mate, no sign of them being in there.
Trouble is they could also be in the loft from when I left Jims' place and brought some bits home, in either of 2 workshops where the car now is, or in any of the many boxes containing parts  ???
Were they the same sort of stiff plastic like the long gutter trims or more rubbery? That little bit of info should help determine where they are not....  ::)

Think I may have found one Rob....what do you reckon?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, hope you don't mind too much, just not a lot of people to ask!

I'll be up at the car tomorrow afternoon so I'll check this seal for fitment, has the right curvature.
The profile looks like it'd kind of work too...

Last hijack Rob...

Was all set to take the seal to the unit to try on the car when I got a call from Jim, where I'd done all the welding.
I'd asked him to check to see if there was anything left where I did the car, he'd already looked a couple of times but for whatever reason he had another look and found a trim piece that he said looked like it might do the job.
Picked it up from him and blow me, the exact copy of the one I'd found, apart from curving the other way! As it was found where I'd put the A post trims then it just had to be the right pair....which this afternoon I confirmed it was.
Happy days, these things turn up eventually as you say  8)

No probs on the hijacking of my thread Kev, it's always good to chat to a fellow Delta nut! Glad that you finally found those 2 bits of trim, you must have been really chuffed ;D. It can be right pain in the ar$e when you can't find certain parts especially when you know you've put them 'somewhere safe'. I lost the plastic cap that goes over the nut on the rear wiper. I spent ages looking for it & eventually bought a replacement from Shapeways. 2 weeks later I found it in the channel that goes beneath the rear edge of the roof panel (behind the top of the tailgate). Still can't work out how it got there  ???.
Cheers,
Rob

After a bit of a break from working on the Delta I've braved the cold weather & got on with refitting the rear crossmember & yesterday fitted the rear brake discs, calipers & pads  ;D. The next job is to fit the new copper brake pipes & the rubber flexis to the calipers.

Looks great Rob, good to see you back  ;D

Cheers Kev  ;). As you know there are times when you feel like you need a break! Especially after finding all that extra work towards the end of last year  :-\.

You're not wrong there mate.
It is a wise man who can step back for a while to take stock.  ;)

My chief mechanic Tony came round today & fitted new copper brake pipes for the complete back half of the Delta! I fitted the rear rubber flexis & made a few cups of tea  ;). He said how advanced the Delta was for it's time, which is a compliment as he doesn't usually like working on Italian cars.

Being a surprisingly advanced design is what Lancia used to be about. It's one of the reasons I find the rebadging of Chrysler 200 and 300 distasteful. A recovery man once exclaimed at my Y10 having rear wash wipe and electric windows in the mid eighties. We take those things for granted on a small car now.

Yes, I have friends with new cars that still don't have half the features my 1999 Lybra does. It must have been quite a car back then. It's not the top version either.

Just a quick update .... I've refitted the fuel tank & fitted a new handbrake cable but progress has come to a halt again  :(. My VW Camper has obviously been getting jealous of the time I've been spending with my Delta lately! As I was checking the camper's bodywork over I found quite a few rusty holes that will need to be fixed before it's MOT in a few weeks time! Oh the joys of running old cars (& vans)  ;).

Work on my VW camper has consumed all of my spare time lately. I'd just finished repairing the front off side wheel arch (inner & outer) when I spotted a small rusty hole in front of the rear near side  wheel arch which has spread to a much larger hole & even through to the inner structure  ::) . My daughter said "it's like the Delta all over again!". So after spending a few weeks on the camper I thought it would be nice to spend some quality with my Delta  ;D. Fitting a new clutch is the last BIG job on the list & I lack the confidence & expertise to do it myself so I asked my chief mechanic Tony if he could do the honours  ;). After a few hours he had the gearbox off & now over the next few days I'm going to clean up & paint any rusty brackets etc that need it. Cheers, Rob

There's a man happy in his work  ;D

Hello Rob,
Fantastic job you are doing with this !  Can you please share details of getting the brake compensator unit?

I had assumed they were no longer available.

Leo

Hi Leo,
The original brake compensator is very difficult to find, I did find one on an Italian website but they wanted £380 ::). I gave Tanc Barratt a ring & he said you can use the one from the early integrales (Part No : 82407503) you just have to swap the metal forked arm that goes through the rubber boot. The end of the Delta HF turbo's forked arm is vertical whereas on the early integrals it's horizontal as in the picture. Hope that's helpful  ;).
Cheers, Rob

I've been juggling my time recently between my Delta & our VW T25 camper which has kept me busy  ;). I've had more help from my mechanic Tony who has fitted a new clutch & C.V. boots on the Delta while I fitted new front wheel bearings, bottom ball joints, brake discs, calipers, pads & flexi brake pipes. It feels like I'm getting close now & can't wait to take it for it's first MOT in over 16 years  ::).

Your mechanic is a real hero if he got the gearbox off and on again in that confined space!!!
Ben

Yes he certainly is Ben ;). Tony's been working on my cars for over 10 years now & we've become good friends. His mechanical knowledge is excellent plus he doesn't charge the earth. When you're restoring a car that needed as much work as my Delta you really appreciate any help you can get!

Hi Rob,

Looking really good. You are still making great progress despite the VW I think.
Anyway, if you're still looking for some wheels then I've just found these on eBay:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lancia-Delta-HF-Turbo-Cromodora-Wheels-No-Reserve/283497959966?hash=item4201cb921e:g:UEsAAOSwCGRc0CTQ

Keep up the good work.

Regards

Ian (6610)

Thanks Ian  ;). Yes still making progress just 50% slower! It's a bit of a juggling act but they are both getting my attention at the moment. I even had to miss last months LMC meeting at The Bull Inn because it was the only day Tony had free to refit the gearbox. Thanks for the link to those wheels but I was after the 15" wheels that they fitted to the early 8v integrales. How's your Delta series 2 restoration going?

Cheers, Rob