Lambda....the journey begins!

[Mikenoangelo]

Lovely work! Our Salmson had trouble with the gearbox input shaft bearing due to a misalignment between geerbox bell housing and the rear of the crankcase (the box was not the original to the car), and solved it by using a double row selfaligning bearing. It has done 70 or 80,000 km since then.
Mike

[Dikappa]

Lastweek the painted parts could finally be picked up.
First thing I wanted to do is get the instrument panels in place, so that the electrics could be connected and tested before the engine gets in the way.  As already mentionned earlier I decided to group all non-original electrics on a small PCB, hidden away in a box under the dashboard.
This enables me to keep the looks in the engine compartment as original as possible.  It contains relays for headlamps, stop lights, fuel pump, provides for a backup for the original Bosch headlight dipping unit, and direction indicators.  Every wire leaving has it's own seperate fuse.
It was a bit of a hassle to get all the wires connected in the small box, but getting there.
Rear lamp units and front direction indicators were assembled using LED lamps, as there simply was no way I could get old style lamps and fittings into the housings.  Only for the number plate lamp I used a normal 4 watt bulb, as that one is rather visible through the white glass.

Finally then the dashboard panel could be assembled and installed, and the bosh HS switch unit connected up.

The new Hella LED flasher unit was a hugh dissapointment though, as it needs you to put resistors in parralel to the lamps to get it to operate properly, which I find not acceptable, and wonder why they then market it a a LED flasher unit.  Another more suitable one has been ordered now...

Hope to get the headlamps on later this week...

[Mikenoangelo]

Super work - I wish I had your technogical knowledge!
I have found that LED flashing indicators are very unreliable and would not bother with them - the saving on power is negligable. I have found that flasher control units work poorly unless you incorporate a normal bulb somewhere out of sight to provide extra resistance. I also found that the LEDs can pick up enough energy to flash weakly by induction from the ignition HT system! Because the current draw is so low, LEDs also are extemely sensitive to any poor contacts in the earth return, particularly if this is not wired and is via the chassis. Altogether not worth the effort.

Mike

[Dikappa]

Mike, your remarks are certainly true, and I only opted for LED (they are flat discs 5cm diameter) as I just could not find a way to fit two 21W bulbs into the tiny lamp housings, which I found too nice not to use, although they are not original.  (they are Topolino Furgoncino items)

Hopefully the new flasher relay that is now underway will resolve my problem, it has four outputs and thus every lamp/LED can be monitored seperately. 

Did some cleaning up/painting on the brass plates, do you still recognize it?  It will certainly enhance the looks of the engine compartment!!!
In the second picture the one on the left is a reproduction, but it doen't look as nice by far IMO....thanks again for that plate!

[Mikenoangelo]

I'm glad to see that the lubrication plate has a good new home - it's cleaned up well.
Another thought on flasher units. How about clockwork?  The  Citroen 2cv used a  mechanical switch and I think reproductions are still available. That avoids the issues.

Mike 

[Dikappa]

Yes Mike, And I have a clockwork switch in the car, but I wanted emergency winkers as well, too often I was glad to have those....so wanted them on the Lambda too!

[Dikappa]

Bit of a setback finding that my rear axle housing after assembly turned out to be twisted, and bent!  Another lesson not to take anything for granted....both halves on itself looked OK, but following final assembly and adjustment it just is no good in this form.

Currently sent out some messages hoping to find a replacement, so here the sam question: if anyone has a spare housing (the two trumpets) or even only a LHS (of car) half that would be most helpfull!

I suppose if nothing can be found I could get it fixed, but it will be quite a job, as only slight bending could be easily done, but the twist is 2.5 degrees which is A LOT, and would mean cutting the welds, reposition and re-weld, not favourable IMO...

[Mikenoangelo]

What rotten luck Koen. Must have had quite a bump to do that. Just a thought could you solve the twist by welding up and re-drilling the stud holes on the trumpet? The bend might be harder to deal with.

Mike

[Dikappa]

Sadly no Mike, the diff housing has the nose for the pinion housing incorperated in it, so there is no turning.  I think the only solution would be to cut the steel tube at the side, fit a short piece of tube inside to strenghten and then weld, with some spot welds to the inner tube.  Not the most elegant but it could be done.

The axle came in parts to me when I bought the car, and when spit it is very hard to spot the problem...I should have known better and dry built it first....

But; through the wonders of the forum a solution might be in the making!

[Dikappa]

After three months of silence, I reckon most will think I just gave up!  Well with the nickelwork off to the plater, and clocks to be repaired, there just was not very much to do.  A replacement rear axle housing was found in the UK, thanks to the forum, however getting it across the North Sea proved simply too much to ask for in these Brexit times....three months and two courriers services have gone by now, and the sad result is one half only that has arrived (last week...)

In general it takes a lot to get my spirit down, but this affair has really let it's marks.  Luckily finally the brightwork came home, and the second clock maker tried did what he promised at a fair cost, instead of thinking for more than two months about the repair cost like the first one....

So little has been done on the Lambda the past months, but a Thema 8.32 has been brought back to live, so that's also a good thing!

But an unexpected visit to the Padova show suddenly got me out of the impasse.  A friend in Italy had an axle housing he did not want to part with, but I could borrow it at least.  Back home the first thing I did was checking that one for straightness, and turned to be a little out to.  Some gentle heat brought it back to it original form, something that proved impossible with my original housing.

I then used the housing to fabricate a good strong welding jig, and chopped up a Lambda rear axle!
I turned up two 8cm long bushes to fit inside the original tube to reinforce the welds, and then came to the conclusion they would not fit as the tubes were out of round!
This was resolved by pressing a suitable 38mm hex socket through the distorted tubes with the press, removing most of the dents in the process.

Then the four (!) parts were fitted to the welding jig, with the rings and shaft in place for continued checks on straightness.  Needles to say that after I finished welding it still was a little out, but grinding out and rewelding in the opposite position generated enough schrink to straighten it perfectly.

Not my favourite way of proceeding but, at least I'm on the move again with the project!

Off course then followed blasting and repainting, and re-assembly, the plus being that since nothing was changed to the diff housing this could be reassembled using the previously turned up shims without further delay.

Today I started on the assembly of the halfshafts and brakes.

Meantime some of the brightwork did get fitted on the car already, the little windows needed some brute force to get all in correct position but in the end they turned out nicely.

[Dikappa]

and a pic of a finished window frame...

[Mikenoangelo]

A  monumental effort - just brilliant
Mike

[tzf60]

Amazing work! I hope the finished result lifted your spirits once more!
 
Tim

[Dikappa]

Thanks for the kind words, that is what really helps to keep the spirit up!

Over the weekend some more work done on fitting the brake actuator shafts front and rear.  Could not resist some finishing work on the front screens, as the smal purposedly made rubber profile finaly came through.
Luckily I had a spare glass cut for the big window, as I drew up the recesses for the wiper holes too small, and managed to notice that audibly...and visually afterwards!
Not all can go right first time...

[Dikappa]

Work on the brakes!
Next project is the brakes!  The shoes were already relined quite a while ago (with glued-on lining to my distaste...), and the drums painted all black (they looked soo nice when blasted showing of their aluminium finnings....)  See picture for the Bill Smith method of fitting rings between the shoe retaining springs (fitting the rings is done by stetching the springs in the drill press).  This system works very well!

As I worried about the setting up, and the brakes need to be up to their job for the MOT...I wanted the linings to be accurately machined on the car.  I have in the workshop a vintage 'continental 60' brake lining tool, which is very usefull on aurelia's and early appias etc, but it could not handle the 370 mm diameter Lambda linings.  After some thinking of building something similar, or with a grinding machine for the Lambda brakes, I looked again at the existing tool and decided I could modify it (in a reversible way)

So the proper fitting tubes for the front and rear were drawn up and commissioned to a machinist, and all arrived back the past week, just in time for a trail fit on the rear axle.

Mean time I fitted the halfshafts in the rear axle, with the original felt seals replaced by a double modern oil seal, thus retaining the 'pre-warning' central oil leak indication (from a hole in the housing between the two seals).  Maybe in this setup the outer oil seal is a bit redundant, but at least it will be a double guard to avoid oil spill on the brakes....

Hope to dress the linings over the weekend and then finally fit the rear axle!