Lambda....the journey begins!

[Dikappa]

Thank you all for the input!

@Sebastien: a reinforcement is planned.  I feel the best way to do it is as in the second picture of your post, and drill out the original reinforcement first.  It should off course have been done BEFORE the body is painted....
I'll have to find out a way of defining where the fan will be, my engine and fan support are in Italy now....so maybe this will have to wait till it's back.

Not much done yet, again quite a bit of unplanned service work the past week....

[davidwheeler]

Mt VIIth had been badly repaired elsewhere and I decided to make a new frame.    I bought some heavy duty box section of the right size, cut it in half with my Evolution Rage (which will cut anything) and made it up quite easily, with the rear flange rather more generous than the original.   The gauge is about twice the original and seems entirely stable so far.   The VIIIth had already been reinforced before she came into my posession (53 years ago) but also needs rebuilding as it is in leaning backwards, which does nothing for the handling, so I shall do the same with it as well.

[Dikappa]

Not much done to the Lambda over the weekend, (although I was in the workshop two days, but 'real' work to do....)
But there is something that I would like some opinions on (dangerous I know....)

I've been thinking a while about colours for the front suspension frame (and headlights), and the rear suspension carrier tube.  They are still unpainted.
I was always thinking to have the rear tube in the body colour (as are the more forward rear spring carriers on the side) but to have the front suspension (including the frame) and headlights in black.
Now i'm a bit in doubt....

So any considerations, and if possible information on how it was originally most welcome!

Another question is al other black parts under the car and in the engine compartment: were they originally in gloss, satin, or matt (stuff like rear axle, brake cross shafts, steering gear, pedals etc)
On a very fine restored Astura on Interclassice I noticed a mix of glossy and matt paint in the engine compartment...should have taken notes!

[Sebastien]

Koen,

The best solution for you would be to fly to San Francisco, and have a close look at the ex Peter Giddings Casaro replica.

The second best, and less expensive  will be to check out the more than 100 photos on the following page.

That ex Peter Giddings car is just now for sale at Fantasy Junction, for USD 245'000.

https://fantasyjunction.com/inventory/1928-lancia-lambda/overview

[Dikappa]

Small jobs done in the past week.  I've been working on seats, as the seats I got with the car were far to wide to fit in it!
I want the seats to be sliding due to my own long length, so that other people can drive the car too, so I trial fitted an ardea seat, which still proved too wide, but came close to what I had in mind.

As the ardea seats belong to a complete car I did not want to cut 'm up, although I did dismantle the fabric of one of the backrests to see how things were made at the time.  I was amazed by the amount of work that must have been put into these seats...

Since I had a spare set of sliding rails recoverd from the seats I got with the project that were almost identical to the ardea ones and more or less suitable for a prewar car I decided to make a copy of the ardea seats, but less wide, and this will also alow me to shape the backrests to suit the shape of the Lambda.

This weekend I set out to fabricate the structure for the seats.  I made a drawing of the supports for the backrests and will have those laser cut.  Dit some probe seating using the ardea seat to find out height etc, and decided to mount the rails sloping downward to hte back so that bigger people will sit lower....

I will most probably use foam for the cushions rather then spring packs, simply because the cost difference is considerable, and foam offers at least the same comfort with a thinner pack, which again alows more room for my too long legs!

First picture is the 'example' ardea seat, two other pictures are one of the two seat frames as far as they got until now.  It took a few go's and mismeasurements to get two of the exact dimensions and completely the same shape...

Saturday morning I picked up the rear springs that were refurbished by a specialist.  The main and second blades were made new and received new bronze bushings, and some other leaves here and there were replaced as they had cracked in the middle.

Small steps!

[simonandjuliet]

Very satisfying

Are you making a leather interior - what colour ?

[Dikappa]

Hi Simon,

Yes I think it should be leather, what's on my mind is a cognac colour.  However I always dislike the new leather on old cars, so my idea is to find a suitable used leather sofa set and use that leather.  SDo now every now and then I stroll used furniture ads hoping something pops up.  I could off course go for the very nice 'original' Lambda leather that is on show n Padova, but the price is really horrendous (one could buy a complete new 2-3 sofa set, tear it appart en be still off cheaper!....

[simonandjuliet]

Here you are .....

https://www.leboncoin.fr/ameublement/1712412608.htm/

Bon courage !

[JohnMillham]

Koen, please bear in mind that most upholsterers will make the seats too hard these days. Original Lambda seats were very soft and you sink well down on them. Many of the re-upholstered seats I have encountered are so hard that the driver has to duck down low in order to see through the windscreen rather than over it. Good luck, John

[Dikappa]

 Thanks for the advise from a long one John!  My super advisor in that field is Leo Schildkamp, who has good knowledge of this proffession, and I must say I found his Lamura very comfortable.

Another question to you John: did you make a recess in the floor under the pedal's?  As that is something I think might work for me, and I can always make a small cover for it for the little ones 

[frankxhv773t]

You say "small steps" that take "sooo long" but you will benefit at the end of the process. I suspect you will eventually reach a point when it all comes together surprisingly quickly. I agree whole heartedly about new leather too. Is it something to do with environmentally friendly tanning? I find so many new restorations today spoiled by completely inauthentic leather. The finish is too matt but more particularly is seems to pucker where it is pulled into corners.

[Dilambdaman]

Hi Koen,

Just caught up with this thread and wish you well with your exciting project.

In my experience the very best way to get a restoration finished is to have an event to aim for and for you Fobello 2021 couldn't be better. With my Dilambda the incentive was Turin 2006 and we did it with half an hour to spare in three years. For the Fulvia Fanalone, Fulvia 50th was the goal and we made it with half an hour to spare in just six months. http://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5820.0

Suspension and steering painting. I'm with Sebastien, go for the colour scheme of the Peter Giddings car. When deciding for my Dilambda a friend directed me to a Rolls Royce publication on the subject which stated quite categorically that black was the correct colour for the chassis and everything attached to it on a vintage car, and also for the wheels. I've had to do with two other Dilambda over recent times, one had suspension, steering gear and wheels in body colour, the other had much of it chromium plated and the wheels body colour. Neither looked right to me, in fact I actively disliked it.

Seats. I searched the internet for suitable leather and Ebay came up with five full skins for a bargain price in dark brown which were very nicely creased and patinated. They suited my requirement perfectly resulting in upholstery which looks as though it is eighty years old!

I'm with John here and would suggest that you go for sprung seat cushions if possible. One of the afore mentioned Dilambda had a very expensive trim job with very firm  overstuffed seat bases and shiny leather. Uncomfortable to sit on and difficult to hold oneself in place on the slippery surface particularly of the rear seat. Just perfect to slide onto Modestine's seats, sink nicely down in and gently bounce along as you travel!

Looking forward to your future posts and to see the finished results in Fobello, although Modestine, being a Dilambda sadly doesn't qualify to attend.

Robin.


 

[JohnMillham]

Thanks for the advise from a long one John!  My super advisor in that field is Leo Schildkamp, who has good knowledge of this proffession, and I must say I found his Lamura very comfortable.

Another question to you John: did you make a recess in the floor under the pedal's?  As that is something I think might work for me, and I can always make a small cover for it for the little ones 

No there's no recess under the pedals, or the need for one, but it's important to have as much room as possible on the right-hand side of the accelerator pedal. Some of my friends, with wider feet than mine, have to drive their Lambdas without their right shoe! My car has the trim cut away at that point.

[davidwheeler]

My VIIth is very similar.

[Dikappa]

John,

I know that problem, and there will be no trim there on my car.  I've seen several Lambda with a part of the brake pedal cut away even.  I have been looking at an original 8th series left hooker, there that problem is non existant, but the car was way out of my reach...(and was sold afterwards nonetheless)

I hope to find a solution to slightly offset the brake pedal, although there is very little room for that.

I think one of the fist steps will be to rebuild and paint the pedal box and the steering gear, and put that in place, it will give me a better feel of correct seating position.