Life with a Gamma

[thecolonel]

top tip No: 37

swop with the spare wheel........

[Harvey]

The balancing WAS out on one wheel in the end, so I'm going to see how much effect the re-balancing has. If it's still quite a shudder, then I'll check the spare, swap the tyres re-balance, etc. It's pretty rare for me to hit 65 in the Gamma; for me the pleasure is in the travelling, not necessarily in the time of arrival!

[DavidLaver]

...but its such sweet pleasure to blast past the other traffic up a motorway incline...

David

[Harvey]

I've tested and all seems OK. Rock solid up to 80...

[thecolonel]

Come on, you're not even trying, put your foot down......

[rogerelias]

See, told you so

[Harvey]

It's pretty comfortable cruising at higher speeds. I just wish the brakes were up to modern standards; too many idiots have no idea that I'm leaving a braking distance, not leaving a gap for them.

[thecolonel]

That's a bit odd Harvey, Gamma brakes are superb, I was almost tail-ended by a 54 plate  golf
yesterday on the motorway, I could hear his intermittant tyre squeal (ABS) even over the sound
of my exhaust.

A couple of years ago I was hit by an integrale I stopped he didn't...........

Geoff

[Charles]

Hi Harvey,  perhaps the brakes need bleeding.  Do you remember that when I took your car for its MoT test last year, after it had passed on the way home the brakes suddenly failed, the pedal just went down to the floor with no braking effect.  I thought that the master cylinder had failed but having left the car on the drive for a few hours, when I came to investigate the problem, the problem had gone as if by magic the brakes were working again.  Having pondered on this for a little while I decided that it was possible that because the car had stood for many years the brake fluid had absorbed a lot of water.  Using the car vigorously had caused the brakes (and brake fluid) yo heat up which had caused some local boiling of the water resulting in water vapour i.e. gas which is compressible  This had then cooled and condensed and so brake function was re-established.  A bit far fetched but just possible.  So I bled the brakes some more and put in fresh fluid but I can't say that I got all of the old stuff out.  So that might be a starting point - change the fluid and see if it improves matters. Charles 

[Harvey]

Hopefully the brakes will be OK for the MOT in early July. They're certainly no worse than last year. I've got the wheel bearings to sort first and still got to maintain momentum on the restoration fund...

[sparehead3]

As a responsible driver I feel it's my resposibility to add to this thread that I broke the clutch cable on the Gamma during the drive today at the AGM Luckily, Mr AA managed to fix it but there is a followup to this that'll others need to tell ....

[Betaboy2.0]

1. I am never going to be a good Samaritan ever again

2. I have gone off ungrateful Gammas

3. Who needs a cam belt anyway?

4. The old A40 in Oxfordshire is a very nice place to spend 3 hours on a Saturday morning in July

5. Tony Harrison is a Gamma's best friend

6. Prisma's are the world's bestest car ever

7. I want a Prisma

8. Going home on AA Relay saves a huge amount in fuel

9. I'm really not bitter about one's best friends winning all the concours prizes and I only get the "oh dear it all went wrong award"

10. I'm buying a Datsun Sunny

[thecolonel]

Oi........ 5. Tony Harrison is a Gamma's best friend

[thecolonel]

and:

1.  Yes you will, it's in your nature
2.  No you haven't, it's just TEETHING problems (get it, clever huh)
4.  A 40 is never a nice place regardless of the time of year
5.  la,la,la,la,la,la
6.  Yeah right
7.  So what, you want every Lancia you've ever seen
8.  So does going home at 65 instead of the usual
9.  At least you got something (I'M NOT BITTER [lemon])
10. Actually that wouldn't surprise me , after all they're so reliable there must be thousands of them for sale.......

[Harvey]

It's been a busy summer, and much though I was tempted to take the Gamma on holiday when camping it was at the back of my mind that the clutch cable was only a temporary repair. So, now that things have settled somewhat, I took the car to a local garage near Clevedon for a spot of work.

Given Jiff's opinion on changing the clutch cable (something like "straightforward but fiddly - a double G&T job") I decided to let the garage tackle it for me, and whilst there I thought they could patch the exhaust as it seemed to have a hole.

The great news is that the car started first time and gave me no trouble on the way to the garage. The clutch cable change was indeed fiddly    but simple. There was a lot more welding than expected though. The garage commented they'd have patched it if there was any metal left to patch... So, the exhaust is now a patchwork of weld seams, but most of the gases now come out of the end of the pipe, not the middle.

All is looking good for the AGM in 10 days' time. I do need to sort an oil change if I can find suitable space. This is one job I'm going to tackle myself and not pay for someone else to do.

Oh - and Geoff, belatedly, the cheque is in the post.