Saggy Bottom?

[fay66]

The London spring company referred to is almost certainly Brost Forge.

Brost now operate from Unit 7, 149 Roman Way, London N7 8XH. Tel: 020 7607 2311. They do taxi springs, but are also quite well known in the classic car world. Small and chaotic – don’t expect a receptionist!

Colin

Thank you Colin

Brian
8227

[LanciAlan]

Glory be ... photos resized at last!

From this series that runs from original collection of the car from  Grimsby (with a boot full of stuff) in 2005 to a more recent Lancia Club Ireland rally in the Kerry Mountains (with a boot full of stuff) in 2008 you can see the improvement in ride height. A subsequent run in the Wicklow Mountains proved the improvement in firmness.

In the close-up you can also see the improvised spring clamp design - adequate in my view as these do not bear any load other than to keep all the leaves in alignment with each other.

I have also included a gratuitous shot of the whole back axle ready to re-fit with brakes, etc fully re-conditioned - all very satisfying and do-able indeed and probably the way to go if you have more than one job to do in this department.

The extra leaf means an extra sheet of interleaving which I salvaged from the spare set of springs. I also moved each sheet down one level as the ends of them tend to fray and moving them down to the lower leaf allows them to be trimmed. Then you only need a new bit for the top!

[Dilambdaman]

Brost Forge tempered and re-set the Dilambda springs a couple of years ago to good effect, speedily and cost effectively, although the rear end still sits lower than I would like.

Robin.

[LanciAlan]

There you go ... thats why I did it myself! I was less interested in originality than having a cheap solution to the low ride height, and one that gave me options within my own control ... like starting over again if I didn't like the result following the first attempt.

As these springs were prone to sagging from the start (and, I understand, were never great under full load anyhow) I reckoned that even if I got them re-tempered to give the static and deflected dimensions shown in the workshop manuals they would never perform any better than the originals.

I look forward to experimenting with other springing options on Flavia/Fulvias in the future - lowering, stiffening, etc.

[fay66]

Thanks for the photos Alan, I now have a clearer idea of what you did, the perforated strip looks good as well.
I note your car came from Grimsby, it looks familiar, is it ex Alan Cooper by any chance?

Brian
8227

[Dilambdaman]

Sorry, didn't think I'd given the impression that Brost were to blame for Modestine's ' saggy bottom'. They did a good job, quickly and for a very reasonable sum. In retrospect we should have fitted the body 2 or 3 inches higher on the chassis.

I do remember trying everything on a 2000 saloon I had a few years ago to try and lift the back end, eventually fitting extra leaves and a 1" metal block under each spring.

Robin.

[LanciAlan]

Thanks for the photos Alan, I now have a clearer idea of what you did, the perforated strip looks good as well.
I note your car came from Grimsby, it looks familiar, is it ex Alan Cooper by any chance?

Brian
8227

'tis

[Angle Grinder]

Thanks for the information mike.

How's the Flavia PF Coupe coming alond?

Brian
8227

Well Brian... since you asked!

The Flavia sailed through its MoT after I had:

• bled the brake fluid (very much needed and I flushed it through twice for good measure).
• Cleaned up the contacts on the pull-up switch for the lights.
• Sorted out the contacts for the horn in the steering wheel boss
• Did some welding to the floorpan.

I spent the summer months on steadily stripping off the trim so that the car could get a full and thorough paint job (hopefully around April this year). I restored the crash pad below the dashboard myself and achieved some pretty good results I think (see pic). I also had the heater matrix re-cored and fitted not one, but 2 electric fans to give me some extra boost on the cabin ventilation.  The heater is now pretty good and was very appreciated when I last drove the car in November.

Currently she is in storage in a shed at the home of the chap who is going to restore the body shell. She is in good company as she is sharing the shed with a Flaminia Coupe Touring (in need of much more restoration, but complete).

I hope to have the bodyshell repairs done by early April and then I'll take her to my local paint shop for the full respray. I'd appreciate guidance from anyone regarding the best paint to use for a 1967 Lancia Blue. I'd prefer it to be a proper dark blue, rather than the navy blue that seemed to be the original colour behind the dashboard.

Other small success stories are the purchase of a pretty good rear bumper on ebay, the purchase of some almost new rear lenses for £70 for the pair (I got Jensen Interceptor parts as I think you suggested Brian), and I've had a new wooden dash made up by a friend, but I need to get it polished to match the instrument panel wood.

Mechanically, the car is in good useable condition after a basic servicing and change of all fluids. I'll be getting the valve clearances checked at the same time as the body repairs, and then I intend to tackle the front spring to wishbone bush as well as the top ball joints (one has a torn boot so might as well replace both when I'm in there). Does anyone know where the front spring compressor tool is?

I'd write a restoration feature, but there isn't much rebuild to report.

[fay66]

Thanks Mike,
Please keep us posted as and when you do any more work.
Looking good.
although I suggested the Jensen rear lights, the tip actually came from Alan Cooper.

Brian
8227

[Angle Grinder]

By the way, I know that almost every Flavia has long since lost the foam stuffing out of their black plastic door cappings, but does anyone have a passenger side door cap that is in decent condition that they'd care to sell to me.

Mine has been cracked open below the quarter light and is crudely patched with black tape.

[LanciAlan]

By the way, I know that almost every Flavia has long since lost the foam stuffing out of their black plastic door cappings, but does anyone have a passenger side door cap that is in decent condition that they'd care to sell to me.

Mine has been cracked open below the quarter light and is crudely patched with black tape.

From your photo, my later series door cappings look to be quite different items with embedded fake wood bits. But perhaps you have the advantage of being able to re-cover yours as it appears to be uniformly covered in black vinyl?

Your coupe looks very viable indeed and definitely in the rolling restoration category - of the various examples I have seen for sale I would vote it the "project most likely to reach completion"!

Does anyone know the fire damaged car advertised for parts or restoration in V-L this month?

[Angle Grinder]

I noticed that ad too. It saddened me deeply to think that anyone could be so callous as to vandalise such a rare car! 

My Flavia lived on the streets of London for ~9 years before I got it. Despite such a dangerous life exposed to city traffic and the general public, it only suffered a few dents in the rear bumper, a coin along the driver's door, a ding in the rear O/S wing and a wing mirror pulled off on the night before I collected it!

Rest assured, this Flavia will be back on the roads and looking good!