Sloppy gear change

[aprilia1972]

Hello,
I've recently acquired an Aprilia which has had a recent 'enthusiasts' restoration. The car runs brilliantly and the gearbox quiet and stays in gear. However, there is a large amount of play in the gear selecting stick - any tips on how this might be addressed ? Is it a case of removing the gearbox or is their a linkage that shouldbe fixed first ?
many thanks

[ColinMarr]

Well done for acquiring an Aprilia!

From my memory, excess play in the gear shift was very unusual. One silly thing that might be the cause, might be to do with the ball mechanism at the base of the lever, which is easy to get at from inside the car. The two big grub-screws that hold it in are prone to working loose and making the lever a bit floppy. It was quite common to have a Jubilee clip tightened around the whole thing to keep the screws in place. Maybe yours is concealed by a boot!

We would all be pleased to know more about your car.

Colin, with some envy!

[BlueSky]

Here's the parts diagram for a 1st series gear change (2nd series is the same). The pins Colin are referring to are p/no 38-21507, there could also be some wear in the ball where they locate. As you can see there is no linkage as such. How much play do you actually have? I've also seen a few gear levers that have fractured at the bottom were they screw in. All this can be accessed from the top without removing the gearbox, if you take the lever out be very careful you don't move the selector rods. I've read you can remove the gearbox without taking out the engine, but on my car I've never been able to do that.

If you haven't got a copy of the parts manual I'd highly recommend you get one before you start pulling things to bits. An excellent scanned version on CD can be found on the Dutch eBay site (I have no connection!) or the Viva-Lancia web page.

You'll have to post some pictures of you car for us and let us know a few more details about it.
Noel

[aprilia1972]

Thank you so much for the replies ! really very useful.
I have already invested in the parts and Istruzioni CD, but thank you again for the gear selection diagram.
One of the grub screws was very loose but tighteneing it made only a small difference to the play.
It's a not very original 1938 Lusso model. It's had some modifications during the restoration including an electric fuel pump and alternator, so presume it's running 12v.
I'm sorry I can't give any details yet, I only collected the car last week, but I'll post back with updates and how I get on with the gear selector.
Also I'll set up an album and post the link

[Scarpia]

what do you mean by play in the gearstick? The action is long (movement of the lever from one gear to the next ) but you should feel a precise and pleasing click as you go into each gear. If you can't double declutch you may "hear" it too. ... although the change is so nice you can nearly get away without this also...

[aprilia1972]

I removed the grub screws and carefully removed the ball joint and ur became clear that the stick is sheared off leaving some of its thread behind.
Next challenge, to remove the thread and then have a new thread cut onto the remainder of the stick.....

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/michaela.farara/Aprilia?feat=directlink

[JohnMillham]

It looks like a very nice Aprilia, but some of it's later than 1938. The caburettor looks interesting, too. Do you know about its history?
 Good luck with it.
 Regards, John

[ben]

Hi there Michaela and welcome to the wonderful world of the Aprilia.

Your car looks much better than it did last time I saw it. It was sold at auction a couple of years ago before its latest restoration.I have the details if you are interested.

If you are stuck with the gearstick problem I may be able to help with a spare.Can you post a picture of the broken bit?

Like John I noticed it now has a non original SU carb.I would be most interested to know who did the swap,what type (size) and what needle is fitted. Was it part of a professional restoration maybe?

[ColinMarr]

Hello Michaela (or is it Charles?),

And doesn’t that look just great!

I looked at this car in some detail when it was exhibited at the Chelsea AutoLegends event in September. Again, well done you for buying it!

There are some unusual features of this car that you may not be aware of (and now I see that John and Ben have spotted this too). There is nothing wrong with this, but it may be of interest. It has a SU carburettor, rather than the original Zenith and on the bulkhead it has a front suspension oiling system that was only fitted to much later cars, which is very nice. Other things that are very nice are the very rare Marchal headlamps. Not that I have an Aprilia now, but if I did I would very much like those lamps!

Colin

[aprilia1972]

I was aware the SU wa nonoriginal but it looks like a professional job was done with the conversion and the car starts and runs very well at all temperatures.
The more I explore the vehicle the more non-original looking bits I'm finding but it seems fundamentally honest .. we'll see.
Thank for the offer on the gearstick - I'll have a go at fixing it, but I may well be back asking for advice.

It's Charles, by the way - Michaela is my wife.

[BlueSky]

Hi Charles,
Be careful when you repair the gear lever not to make it too short. The lever on my car was about 60mm shorter than standard, it made selecting 1st and sometimes 2nd hard to reach. I made a new lever which improved things immensely. Also there had been a large peg fitted to the ball end that went up inside the lever, held in with a couple of pins. Seems to work well and wont break again.
Noel

[aprilia1972]

That's a very good idea - pinning the existing stick would retain the original length and be much stronger.
May I ask another question? I'm looking for for interior bits - door handles, window winders, Lancia centre boss for the steering wheel .. any idea if reproductions are available ?

Thanks again for all the help.

[aprilia1972]

Ben - I'll see if I can work out what size carb is fitted - my feeling is it's too big.
I'll also try to post a photo of the stick.
Thanks for the offer.

[davidwheeler]

I've got a  Zenith carb that came with my Aprilia 1300 in addition to the twin carbs on a Nardi manifold that I have fitted.  It is missing the starting carburettor piston but you are welcome to try it if you are desperate for originality...
David

[aprilia1972]

That's very kind offer -I think I'll stick with the SU for now especially as few other gremlins have surfaced this weekend - including a mysterious electrical problem that drained the heavy duty battery in 5 minutes.