Appia furgoncino - A fettler's voyage

[westernlancia]

This stuff?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tiger-Seal-TIG-NB-Polyurethane/dp/B002SQY852/ref=sr_1_1/277-6061633-8023054?ie=UTF8&qid=1381315825&sr=8-1&keywords=tiger+glue

Tiger Seal is awesome!

[westernlancia]

Frustrating day at work today, so went to the garage for some R&R

Bits arrived yesterday for the steering box, so that is back together, just need to find the right oil to refill it.

Also this evening tried a bit of an experiment to see if it is possible to retain the original transfers whilst repainting the rusty/tired part . Took the top off the regulator , carefully masked the transfer, without actually touching it. Done by folding masking tape on itself leaving a 1 mm wide strip of sticky and then sticking that just outside the transfer (if that makes sense). Clean and paint the rest and there we go !

Was it worth it, or should I have painted the whole thing or left alone and just cleaned it up ? Well I suspect we will all have an opinion on that one !

The regulator transfer was low risk, being quite badly scuffed already but I think the method may well work on other bits like the air filter which still has the instructions on it

The bonnet catch (before and after) shows how the base plate had been designed for LHD and RHD cars. A tiny detail !

You are doing the right thing here, and almost exactly what I'd have done. You can go even slightly better by doing 'strata' of masking - 1st layer of tape 2-3mm away, thin coat of whatever, then move the tape back a bit, next coat, etc. - that way you don't get a step at the edge of the decal. Or you can do what Westernlancia used to do, which is known as 'French masking' (most appropriate) - stick the tape down not very hard and then carefully peel the edges up to make a soft edge, which again prevents getting a 'step' at the edge of the painted area. Optionally, to preserve the decal (and also hide what little 'step' remains at the edge of the paint after the preceding process), you can clear-coat the whole thing, which will stop the decal peeling and deteriorating further. I would absolutely always prefer a slightly deteriorated but well-preserved original decal than a too-clean and perfect repro one - this kind of thing is exactly what this project is all about.

I LOVE doing stuff like this - I am so jealous of Simon. But then I am 'curator' of an almost-100%-original 1937 car, and I have my work cut out conserving that (because Simon is dead right that this is a conservation project and not a restoration - that's what attracted me to the van in the first place, and it is always vehicles in this kind of condition that I try to buy. My Appia is the same kind of deal).

Ultimately, conservers are basically fighters against time - all vehicles deteriorate, but our task is to make the process as slow as possible...

[simonandjuliet]

To help me in my efforts in putting the furgoncino back together, last weekend I embarked on an "Appia Odyssey" !

I flew back to the UK , met up with David Laver and then we did a whistle-stop tour of Lancia commercials in the UK . I am not sure exactly how many there are, but I am sure I saw a good proportion of them !

In all , I saw a total of 8 Lancia Commercials - 4 Appia furgoncinos (including mine !!), 1 Appia camioncino, 2 Ardea camioncinos and a 1912 Jota chassis ! We saw a mind boggling number of other Lancias as well  (Lambda, 3 Asturas , countless Augustas, Aprilias , Appias, Aurelias and Fulvias etc.)   - a real treat ......

Several objectives:

Panel fit and finish
Under bonnet detail
Interior detail
Underbody detail
Organise new wing repair panel (Bill Lewis)
Be driven in the Consortium furgoncino
Have fun
Meet some Lancia folk
Drink a couple of pints
Not to buy anything
Take lots of photos

plus lots of others !

Fantastic and exhausting weekend. First stop was Don Cross (Appia Consortium and consortium Van) Second , Ron Francis (amazing collection inc an Ardea pickup and the Jota), Third was James Parry (Appia and Ardea pickups) then we went to see his father , Morris - no commercials but some lovely motor cars and a wealth of practical knowledge, then a trip to Bil Lewis with an Appia wing (via David Ashworth and his furgoncino - unfortunately he wasn't available due to family commitments but I saw the Appia !); Finally meeting up with Ade, who has (had ??) a furgoncino as well

Firstly a huge thank you to everyone who put themselves out and found time to open garage ( container ) doors and give us cups of tea. It was fascinating. I was never quite sure what the next building was going to divulge .....

Back now and still reeling from the experience - loads of pictures to file, lists of what I have to do, followup emails to write and do the day job .....

Best thing ? (Apart from meeting everybody !) - Me, David L and Don, 3 abreast,  bowling along Worcestershire countryside in the consortium van -  a real incentive for getting mine finished .......

Thanks !

[Parisien]

Just fabulous......talk about a tour of Lancia Disneyland!

Hoping you got all that you needed and plus lots of inspiration and even more wind in your sails.


P

[DavidLaver]

It was a real smiles-per-hour weekend. 

I've made a start on photos for here and a write up of "The pilgrims progress" for Viva.

David

[tzf60]

Another great tale! Last time I saw Ron Francis, he was driving out my drive in Wicklow with an empty trailer, having dropped of an Aprilia the day before!!! I won't say what year, but it was in the last century.........!!!!! 

[DavidLaver]

Another Lancia legend - Bill Lewis.

Of all the things that caught my eye in his workshop it was his mighty bench.  Quite a tale as to what it took to move it.

David

[DavidLaver]

One more.

[DavidLaver]

.

[Parisien]

Great....Bill is indeed a legend, have just spoken to him and mailed off some old decrepit body parts to magically change into new, useable shiny nice parts....brilliant


P

[chugga boom]

I cant help but notice how much tidier Ades garage is compared to mine

[Parisien]

....his three best mates passed by and stayed two days to help him get it that way....


P

[Sliding Pillar]

Thanks for the comments about the tidyness of my garage ...............but I do have a confession to make..........
it's actually my mother-in-law's garage!
We have a deal, I have use of the garage in return for cutting her lawn.  Ade.

[chugga boom]

I feel cheated !!! Ade staged it all to look impossibly tidy 

[simonandjuliet]

Ade's garage can't get messy, there isn't enough space once the Appia is in there !! Only joking .....

Bit of time today to strip the inner wheel arch on the passenger side. A combination of heat gun, wire brush and Roloc stripper got it off and clean. I have not taken absolutely every bit off because I am going to re-underseal as per original and some of the old underseal is very well stuck on and nigh on impossible to remove , so best to leave alone

However, came across a couple of small holes at the front of the sill, not much and once the section has been cut out you can see how little rust there is. A plate had been made before for the section immediately behind it, so I cut back to there. Have made up a plate and will weld it in tomorrow - and yes, David and James, a shrinker/expander would help enormously , but I haven't bought one yet !!

Finally, no wonder these things rust, there is a "cushion" wedged up in the top of the wing. It is a cotton bag filled with some kind of wadding, presumably to stop engine smells coming into the cabin, or something similar - it is just ripe to trap moisture and rust from inside out ! A bit of originality I am not going to retain ......