Sliding Pillar Rally 13th - 16th June 2014

[JohnMillham]

I had a similar occurrence with an Aprilia in the early 1960s when the prop shaft escaped. There was a loud noise, a lack of drive and brakes as it tore through the hydraulic line to the rear, then it all ended rather abruptly as it wrapped round the hand brake cable and brought the car to an immediate stop with the rear wheels locked. It caused havoc on Feltham bridge in the rush hour!
We enjoyed the SPR very much, but we were taken home by the RAC on Monday, as the water pump had failed, cracking the cylinder head (slightly). That's the third recovery this year! What else can possibly go wrong?
Regards, John

[chriswgawne]

Blimey Brian,
That's one of those incidents when after the event one doesn't want to consider what the repercussions might have been.
Funnily enough, when I was lying under my 3rd Series B20 fitting a replacement propshaft  after the one in the car cracked flat out down Hangar Straight at Silverstone  last month, I did take some comfort from the fact that the brake and fuel lines run under the floor well away from the propshaft.  What was unsettling of course was the potential for the broken shaft to drop and 'dig in' although I suppose the unsecured shaft might simply fall out because of the early rubber spiders.
Very glad the car isn't damaged too much and will be back on the road soon.
Chris

[ben]

I would just like to reassure all Aprilia drivers that Andy is being a bit alarmist.Whilst the prop-shafts of lesser cars might drop onto the road and dig in the Aprilia's shafts are contained in the tunnel.However they can flail around and do quite a bit of damage as Brian and John have testified.
Hopefully my replacement aluminium/rubber bushings couplings (see my ad in Spares for Sale) would ultimately fail in a more contained manner.
Ben Courage

[stanley sweet]

This was one of the (many) theories of Ascari's final accident. On that cheerful note I shall take my leave.

[the.cern]

People go to the Club events for many different reasons. I popped down to Eastbourne for the afternoon on the Saturday to see the Sliding Pillar cars and two other specific reasons.

One was to meet Peter Renou who had been so helpful and had introduced me to and sold me a copy of Clive Beattie's book 'Fifty Five Years of Dirty Hands'. This book is pretty much essential reading for anyone working on an Aurelia and I am indebted to Peter for introducing me to it. The second reason was to have a look under the front wings of a B20 to see how the wiring loom fed the lights. Tony Stephens was kind enough to come to my assistance on this one.

Attached are my photographs of the day, not everyone's taste I am sure, but they are exactly what I hoped to get.

                                        Andy

[the.cern]

Sorry people, it has happened again!! Of course the first photograph needs to be rotated clockwise through 90 degrees!!

                                 Andy

[Tony Stephens]

For the originality geeks among you, I should point out that the tube shown in PIC.2, welded into the air collector area is NOT original. The caris a 4th series, but has a 6th series front axle with promising-looking air scoops,and this is a mod., intended to supply them with some airflow on the 4th series body layout. I think a 6th series should have bifurcated vents to do this air supply job.

[brian]

Update on Aprilia propshaft incident.
The front fabric disc had not given way at all. The bolts had come out.
Some of the bolts on other joints were quite loose too.
A couple of interesting points.
Why had I not checked these? I just did not think of them. I have never had this happen with Augusta.
There was no vibration or knocking at all.
Retrospect being a wonderful thing, when I get the car back from Richard Thorne I shall lift it up and check any other bolts I can see.
It is interesting fact of life that nuts you want off are so tight they have to be cut off and those you wish to be immovable, aren't.

[simonandjuliet]

Sorry to hear about your problem. Out of interest, do you use nylocks or castle-ated with split pins ?

[the.cern]

This story should be taken as a note of caution to all of us, especially when read in conjunction with the tale of Chugga's front axle on his 'rat or restore' Appia !!!!

This is why I consider an MOT or similar independent annual check should be regarded as an essential for any car irrespective of its age or usage.

                                      Andy

[chugga boom]

if i'm honest I feel physically sick , diff, prop and gearbox were about the only things I didn't touch on that car , totally amazed that that's happened to you , certainly worth checking over everything else after that's happened though , people who cant tighten nuts and bolts shouldn't work on cars !!!!

[brian]

On the Augusta I have tended to use castellated nuts +pins where "in your eye" and nylock on propshaft where only a concourse examination at an AGM would notice. The Aprilia is relatively new and I have really done very little to it as a) it goes/went well and b) James had it for a while!!
Mind you, I have a confession to make in the light of James's last comment! On the way to SPR I stopped for petrol with the Augusta and on restarting the starter just whirred. The bolts had fallen out and the motor was held in the engine bay by the cable. 2x17mm bolts and a 3rd degree burn later I was mobile. I cannot blame anybody as I have done all the work on the car except the propshaft which was done by Vibration Free (and is). Shall I become Hands Off?

[chugga boom]

On the Augusta I have tended to use castellated nuts +pins where "in your eye" and nylock on propshaft where only a concourse examination at an AGM would notice. The Aprilia is relatively new and I have really done very little to it as a) it goes/went well and b) James had it for a while!!
Mind you, I have a confession to make in the light of James's last comment! On the way to SPR I stopped for petrol with the Augusta and on restarting the starter just whirred. The bolts had fallen out and the motor was held in the engine bay by the cable. 2x17mm bolts and a 3rd degree burn later I was mobile. I cannot blame anybody as I have done all the work on the car except the propshaft which was done by Vibration Free (and is). Shall I become Hands Off?

Brian that's a little different to a propshaft falling off !!! as standard on all the early Lancia's inc appia augusta aprilia the bolts on the propshaft are split pinned ........for a reason! starter bolts aren't , if your bolts had been pinned correctly then it wouldn't have fell off , if ever I have not used split pins I have always used split nuts or self locking nuts which to me just makes common sense on something that vibrates as much as a propshaft , what I've said now and previously was not meant as a dig at you 

[DavidLaver]

We all live and learn...

...with the forum (and the wonderful honesty many show) all the faster.