Aprilia Diary

[lancialulu]

Nobody knew what my next move was on the motorway at above 60mph with them flapping around like dogs ears. Below 50 they would latch on cancelling but above as David said the aerodynamic behaviour of the arm slowed the drop back so no latching....

Tim

[simonandjuliet]

Doing a trial paint-run on one running board - I want to see if I can get a good colour match and finish before embarking on the wings.

A friend is doing the fancy stuff, leaving me with some of the basic prep and putting back. So far we have the first one in primer ready for colour on Wednesday

Have also made the first batch of fixing bolts for the running board trim. I had no joy finding something ready made , so I bought some 2mm brass angle (couldn't find suitable flat) and M2 threaded brass rod and with the help of my Dremel, cut strips, drilled and soldered short lengths of threaded rod into it. Each one had to be bevelled before it would slide in the trim.

The bolts are tiny so taken a while to make especially with size 10 fingers ....

[chugga boom]

looking good 

[simonandjuliet]

Thanks James, today "created" a spray booth - ie a third of the garage (including the ceiling) partitioned off with heavy plastic sheeting  .... no baking option unless I buy a bigger AGA

Have also embarked on the process of importing PGY into France. Part of the first step involved speaking to DVLA about date of manufacture (currently "L" reg) During the conversation they said that it is official , you no longer need an MOT on a pre-1960 car. Fortunately they have PGY logged as a 1949 build (which is incorrect, she is 1947 according to the production dates given by Noel and Ade, hence the discussion)

I knew it was in the offing. So how do you now get a tax disc ? Can you apply for it by post without MOT ? Still need proof of insurance ? Be interested to hear !

[simonandjuliet]

To answer my own question - you just apply via the DVLA website and tick a box to say you are exempt from MOT, they electronically check the insurance and exemption et voila !

I wish form filling was as easy as that here.

[simonandjuliet]

Pictures of door lock for Mic along with the fixing pin in place - a bent piece of wire which fits into a slot holding the barrel in place - just remove and tap the lock out

Trial fitting of aluminium strips on the running board. Very happy with the colour so will start with the wings in January

##hot off the press##

Postman just arrived with my certificate of manufacture from Lancia France giving the correct year of manufacture as 1947 - early Christmas present !!!

(I supplied the production figures as given by Noel and Ade and I am sure they helped - thanks again)

[lancialulu]

re the lock I seem to remember that there was a huge nut holding my lock in place. v akward to do up as not much space in the door frame??

Tim

[BlueSky]

Have you noticed there is a complete list of chassis numbers on the Viva-Lancia web site for all models from 1908 to 1975:http://www.viva-lancia.com/specials/cd/vin.php

Noel

[simonandjuliet]

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and we hope to catch up with some of you next year

[simonandjuliet]

New jobs for the New Year, using nice new Christmas pressies (3/8" Facom ratchet from Juliet !)

Since I'm going to paint the wings and need to remove them, thought I'd do a couple of other jobs at the same time !

PGY is known to have had a hefty bump at some time in her life - almost certainly before she came to the UK in 1973. One front wing is apparently first series along with an earlier sliding pillar unit. On the same side there is evidence of a repair to the axle mounting as well. I will get a better look at it all once the wings are off, but we are going to do the repairs and some prep before removing them so they are held rigid whilst we redress the arches and fill in the holes

Having unbolted the front bumper it is clear that much of this has also been repaired, either at the same time or on another sunny day in Bolzano .... Mind you, Aprilia bumpers and irons are not renowned for their inherent strength, more a pretty afterthought !

All has been disassembled, further repaired and painted ready to go back on once the wings are done

Have also decided to remove the rad and other ancillaries so as to check over, clean and paint them all since they've not been looked at for a few years. The area in front of the rad is also a bit of a mess !

Have been unable to source the Wurth disks here in France, they have different ones listed and then you have to be a registered professional to be able to buy them plus Wurth UK will not post to France ! So someone introduced me to a 3M system which is very effective and available here or via eBay

New Year's resolutions:

French Reg
Min 2 LMC/LCF tours or rallies
New stablemate


 

[DavidLaver]

Happy New Year!!

Target event or just giving it the time it takes?

David

[simonandjuliet]

David
Planning to do the Rallye des Corbieres in early May and then something around the Fulvia 50th in September (vendanges permitting)

I really do hope I will have finished everything before Easter though !

ps the potential stablemate had already been sold !

[lancialulu]

the potential stablemate had already been sold !

Do tell???

[simonandjuliet]

Re stablemate, I am still hankering after a vineyard car and there was an Ardea pickup advertised in Italy (also identified on the Forum) but unfortunately it was sold before I had a chance to look at it !

Some progress this week. Started cleaning up the bits I removed at the weekend.

The dynamo was functioning well, even so I thought it wise to strip and check it whilst it was accessible. The brushes are perfect and the open ball bearings just need a clean and re-grease.

Couple of questions - what should be painted and what should be polished ?

The fan blades I think should be painted. The castings do not seem good enough to leave, whereas the nose plate of the dynamo is nicely finished so it should be clean. The brushes-cover should be painted, but the bit in between ?? I haven't any period photos to be definite.  Problem is that everything had been painted over the years. However, if you clean through the layers you can get an idea what was original , but it isn't always evident !

Secondly, I have found a nice period coil which would look much nicer than the modern (and efficient !) Bosch coil but how can you check it is in good nick or do I just paint the modern one black and live with it ?

Finally, the horn is a little gem ! Easier to clean and paint if in bits. Would be nice to find a complete Marelli tag for it but where would you find one?

So many questions, so little time !

Waterpump next .....

[lancialulu]

My fan was painted black and was quite dangerous as you could not see it in the work shop when the engine was running. I painted white tips on it for safety but it looked quite nice!