I said I would never buy another Fulvia Berlina......

[stanley sweet]

Thanks for the links Chris. Just noticed my post referred to 'cards' not 'carbs'. I do wish my phone would stop thinking it's cleverer than a human.

[nistri]

Advisable to check that transparent petrol lines are fully compatible with modern petrol, Andrea

[stanley sweet]

I've found original Cavis pipe on OKP.de. As Andrea says, beware of quality - I've found some stories on forums of tubing collapsing etc. Probably meant for a fish tank. Now to what could be a dumb question - the tubing is 7 x 12. Do I buy 12mm clips or slightly smaller?  Or is a 12mm clip made to provide tension on a 12mm tube? I'm talking about the spring type that needs pliers to open.

[nistri]

Personally I would use modern, broad band clips. Safety is an important issue, Andrea

[stanley sweet]

I'll probably use the flat type that doesn't cut into the tube as Chris mentioned.

[chriswgawne]

I am getting close to having dealt with all the (now small)  outstanding issues with the GT.
Yesterday the 2nd lovely ARCA wing mirror arrived so I fitted these in the afternoon as those on the car when it arrived were aesthetically not to my taste.
 Also the mirrors on the car are in the wrong position I feel being not quite far enough forward and more importantly being too inboard. They were bolted very much to the inside of the wing whereas those on out GTE are bolted to the outer curve of the wings (and further forward) and are quite effective.

Of course I am stuck with the mounting position so when fitting the ARCA mirrors I cut a wedge shaped piece of rubber for each mirror for under the foot to tip it outwards and this has proved to give a tolerable view to the rear from each mirror without looking odd.

I have also fitted a modern thermostat to the electric fan with the bulb sitting in the top hose of the radiator.
In fitting this I was able to remove the ugly yellow wires which ran to the strange temperature sensor and stat mounted on water part of the inlet manifold and under the dashboard. The fan is operated through a relay and has a manual switch under the das with an 'on' light.


The jobs left to do which will wait now till our next visitors have departed are:
1.  find the poor connection in the steering column/wheel as the centre push headlamp flasher works intermittently.
2. Remove the mudflap brackets from each wheel arch and plug the holes.
3. Remove the temporary inline fuel filter and fit new fuel pipes in the engine bay.

In putting miles on the car I find the driving experience is much more different to our GTE than I expected and I am not entirely sure why.
The GT feels more nimble even though it has less power (in theory), less effective brakes (GTE has servo assisted which gives more pedal travel and a slightly less solid pedal) and a standard 40mm exhaust with cast iron manifold ( unlike the GTE which has a big bore 50mm Coupe exhaust and manifold which should give a few bhp).

The final drive on the GTE is slightly taller which should give more relaxed autostrada driving at 130kph but it has the mechanical fan which is noisy and which absorbs some power so even though the GT is revving higher its a little quieter.
The GT (1231cc) is on new Dellorto 35DHLBs whereas the GTE (1298cc)  is on Solex 35s and both engines are in good condition.
Both cars have excellent bodies above and below and the rubber subframe mounts are in excellent condition ( those on the 65k mile GTE were renewed by the previous owner a short while before the car came to us  whereas those on the 33k mile GT are the originals. The floor gearchange on the GT feels 'younger' than that on the GTE but the difference is marginal.

Both cars have their original springs but the GT has Konis all round which I think is probably quite a significant difference to the standard ones on the GTE.


Having said all of the above, they are both very satisfying to drive short and long distances and both put a smile on our and our visitors faces particularly when reminded that they are > 50 years old! 

Chris

[DavidLaver]

Interesting compare and contrast, in particular as its between two such good examples.  When reading classic car "GTV vs Fulvia" or some such I often wonder how much is "the example" and how much "the type".

Mirrors look good.

In terms of "go" is it a question of power vs torque?

[frankxhv773t]

The type or the example puts me in mind of an article many years ago comparing sporting estates, Volvo P1800 ES, Jaguar XJS Eventer, Jensen GT and Beta HPE. The three non Lancias were all pristine, cherished cars owned by leading members of their respective clubs. The HPE was a well worn car used by its' owner as a "mobile skip" during a house restoration. Also, one of the comparisons was how much of a collection of antique furniture could be fitted in the car as shown by a set of photos. The only one that swallowed all the items was the HPE but that passed without comment in the write up. I felt they completely missed the point of them being estates.

[chriswgawne]

Well, we have now done nearly 1,000 miles in the Fulvia GT over the summer without incident and it continues to provide excellent driving in our locality being narrow, nimble and roomy with plenty of room for 4 adults (we have lots of visitors, most of whom are not into old cars so we inflict our B12 and Fulvia Sedans on them to 'show them the way').
I know the Sedan is nowhere near as highly regarded as the Coupe and Sport variants but the reality is that they are very 'chuckable' with super roadholding and yet also very versatile capable cars.

There have inevitably been one or two bits of fettling needed over the summer such as a badly seated radiator bottom hose which dripped and poor horn/headlamp flasher contacts down by the steering box but these are to be expected and have been easy to deal with.
 I still haven't polished the car as washing it occasionally coupled with the very heavy dews we have at this time of the year seem to bring the paint back up when a flexi blade is used to remove the water.

The aftermarket electric fan thermostat (with a bulb which sits in the top of the radiator/ top hose) which I fitted (replacing the very strange contact stat fitted on the car in the late 80's)  seems fine and I am now seriously considering fitting an electric fan to our GTE if I can find one at a reasonable price.
I have always seen aftermarket electric fans as potential problem areas but in the Fulvia'a case the benefits are particularly reduced noise (allowing one to hear the engine and exhaust note) and slightly increased power with quicker response from the engine.
I also intend fitting new (preferably Koni) shock absorbers to the GTE as these are on the GT.
The GTE and GT share the same springs but our GT seems to sit on the road slightly more to our liking with a firmer ride so it must be the dampers?
Chris

[chriswgawne]

Well, as you will have seen elsewhere on the Forum, our Fulvia GT has now gone to a new owner who I am sure will look after it AND drive it.
We were simply not using it enough to warrant keeping it and yet I was still somewhat reluctant to see it depart for Languedoc early Thursday morning.
Its been a great car to work on and bring back to life and when I drove it last week to fill up with fuel and check the fluids I was reminded what a good example of the make and model this example is.
I look forward to reading about the car in Simon's future posts.
Chris