Snippets from Lancia Aurelia in Detail by Niels Jonassen

[Parisien]

I've had this book for a while and have re-read it several times. Apart from the great photos, Niels is totally in love with Aurelias and his own coupe(s)!

A few things caught my eye and perhaps one or two forum members might be able to comment or shed some extra light on same.

Niels mentioned using Citroen Traction Avant wheels as a viable alternative to the rolled rims which give bother as time goes by from failure of the rolled rim. Has anyone modified the above wheels successfully and/or economically?

How many owners have opted for an electrical fuel pump?

He also mentioned Aurelias on original front suspension, gearboxs and rear bearings after 600,000 miles....common?

Can owners identify or link the type of grease gun used to grease the car?

Can anyone comment on correct engine, gearbox, and suspension  oils?

How many have converted engines to use unleaded petrol or use additive alternatives?

Finally, in light of the earth shattering prices obtained by the two spiders auctioned recently on other threads, the Italian magazine Ruoteclassiche states the price in euros is 85,000 for a good one! In same paragraph stating that prices have risen slowly over recent times........hhhmmmmm....how things have changed.



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[ncundy]

Quite few have electric fuel pumps, my fathers has one.

I' don't know about 600,000 miles but many have high (too high) mileage on them. There's a world of difference between staying in one piece and working as they should. Whilst gearboxes aren't for the faint hearted and the bearings are not easy to get off, the front suspension is relatively easy to strip clean and put back together. It'll then work as it should!

[Parisien]

Neil, is there a particular aspect of the gearbox that nearly always need doing or just checked/inspected?

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[GG]

For oils to use - check out: http://blog.lanciainfo.com/?s=lubricants

Finding the 21st c. equivalents is a matter of some digging and also judgment. Some folks swear by single weight oil, others use mulitgrade. I've got 10W40 or 20W 50 in my cars. There has also been a change in some of the single weights used for the front suspension - viscosity seems to have changed with time, so some recommend 30 W for the top of the sliding pillar; also some use grease instead of oil in the bottom. No conclusions are drawn here.

[Parisien]

Thanks for that Geoff.

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[Niels Jonassen]

Probably I ought to answer this. I have successfully used Citroën rims. It is not a straightforward job because the rims have a deeper section than the original ones. So the centre section of the wheel has to be bent in all the way round so that the rim can slide over it. The bloke who did it for me told me that he would never do it again. However, I have used the wheels for some years now, and they are very well balanced. I think that I paid the equivalent of 700 pounds for 4 wheels. A lot of Aurelia owners have seen the car with the "new" wheels, and only one has spotted the difference!
As for the longevity of various components I can only say that on my car they all work the way they were supposed to. First gear is a bit noisy, but it does not give any cause for concern. Grease gun: You use a grease gun with a head that slides over the hexagon grease nipples. In fact it is much easier to use that the more common type which you press down onto the nipple.
I am glad that you have enjoyed the book. I still hope that one day it will be possible to publish a second edition. There are things I want to change or correct.

[Parisien]

Niels, thanks for the fulsome answer.

Looking forward to the 2nd volume!

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[ncundy]

Neil, is there a particular aspect of the gearbox that nearly always need doing or just checked/inspected?

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When stripping it remember to take out the four locating dowels on the end bearings of the two shafts (final drive end, two on each bearing). The pot joints are usually worn, metal spray and reground is the solution. The needle rollers/races in the pot joint drives need checking (usually because the boots split and the oil leaks out). The pot joints sit in a size for size housing in the drum/flange (to prevent them spreading) - check this is ok. CWP needs preloading. Drive shaft splines (under the muff coupler) wear because the muff becomes loose.

Some of this is specific to the B20 (which may be slightly different on a B12), but much is general gearbox experience.

[Parisien]

Neil, weren't a number of aspects of the B20 series IV transaxle shared with the B12 or was it vice versa?

Again, will follow your advice and observations, thanks

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[ncundy]

I don't know; there are so many small differences and continual changes (both between and within each series) that you need someone with excellent knowledge of both. In principle they are the same though.

[GG]

parts book parts book parts book

[Parisien]

Tourettes Geoff? ....


Yes, I have one.......but not all sections printed off to compare the B 20 vs B12


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[ncundy]

parts book parts book parts book

Maybe, but the problem you run into there is if the diagrams don't change or in some way don't reflect accurately the change. There are a myriad of subtle changes you can chase through by part number, but that doesn't help much when you're holding two different looking parts in your hand and a TAV where the diagram hasn't changed!

I'm more familiar with Fulvias but for instance the output shaft on the gearbox changes from 10 spline to 20 spline around early 1970, all you get in the TAV is a change in part number (no change in description or in the diagram), I only know because if seen both 'boxes in bits. Other people might know because they've bought a 20 spline clutch only to find it doesn't fit!

[Niels Jonassen]

My experience is that in the Aurelia transmission one will find lots of changes which are not necessarily recorded. For instance Tav. 26 in the parts book from January 1954 shows the clutch springs sitting in small steel cups in the aluminium disc, while in my 3rd series the holes for the springs are an integral part of the disc. The early propshafts had hardened steel centrering bushes while later ones had bronze rings. I am only talking about the early type of propshaft (1st to 4th series B20). One can learn a lot by dismantling things and studying them. Great fun - but time consuming.

[GG]

Neil and Niels -

You are both of course right... 

But there is no better place to look, except a garage with lots of parts (from different models) strewn about.

Also, while the parts book caught many changes, still it can put you in Lancia's head, as it were, so you can see what they were thinking as it provides a context for the changes inevitably found but that were not recorded.