Everyday Appia

[simonandjuliet]

Thanks Alan
Your watch awaits you !

At last some progress - Finally received the FFVE papers for the Appia which mean that there is the POSSIBILITY of getting a registration for the car ! Next step is an MOT and then I can formally apply for a registration.

I have had a few problems with the master cylindre but think I'm through that , but let's wait and see ....

Today we cleaned the door-insides, cleared the drain-holes and stone-chipped the frames before "Waxoyl" and refit. Now the Aprilia is back on her feet, I have space and can attack the brakes and get her ready for the MOT.

[DavidLaver]

You must have a rough crowd down there if you're worried about passengers kicking stones up at the inside of the doors.

[simonandjuliet]

Thank you David - this comes under "bling" .....

It is not 'everyday' that I get time on the Appia or indeed, any of the toys at the moment. So it was a relief to finally get the brakes back together.

Refitting a LHD 3rd series Appia duplex master cyl is not easy when the engine and box are in place, it is very, very cosy and with size 10 hands it is more difficult still. I had to remove the exhaust , accelerator linkage and several knuckles to get it off in the first instance.

As it says in most Lancia workshop manuals, refitting is the reverse !

However, without trying to teach my 'grandmother to suck eggs' here are a couple of observations.

Firstly I refitted the M/C with the feed-pipe attached, you have to thread it up the bulkhead, through the gear linkage and behind the speedo and heater cables. You start in one direction and rotate the unit as it goes up.

Second, refitting the front and rear circuits. It took a while to find the best method because there is only room for one hand (2 fingers) at most and you need to be sure the threads properly meshed before you can think of using a spanner .... I used a length of string looped over the rear most pipe and pulled it towards the M/C with one hand and then used the other to gently find the thread. All the while the M/C is loose so that you can "get it in repose'".

Once a few threads had caught, I then wriggled the front pipe into place and got it started, bit easier because you can move the pipe with the other hand where it passes under the pedal assembly.

Before tightening the pipes, I loosely fitted the mounting bolts and connected the feed to the reservoir.

Everything bolted down and OK, no leaks.

The manifold is quite straight-forward if you have a long (2'6") extension and put the gearbox in second  to allow it to pass.

Filled with brake fluid and finally have a pedal !

ps the original problem appears to have been a bent shuttle in the M/C which jammed when you depressed the pedal fully.

Sorry for dodgy pictures, it was all a bit cramped and my iPhone can only do so much ....

[simonandjuliet]

Still raining, so a bit of time in the garage between other jobs. We have gone very "Bordelais" and planted some roses at the end of a few vines. The theory is that they are a bio-indicator, giving early warning for mildew and other diseases. The rain has meant that we can actually dig a hole !

If you want to know why Lancia went bust, look at the wiring for the front lights of an Appia ! The loom is fed through a series of pipes , T's and elbows. The elbows are brass, the T's zinc plated and the whole lot is glued together and connected to the light units with clips and rubber seals - completely over the top ! However, it irritated me that they were messy and covered in paint .......

With the aid of a heat gun, I removed the wires, stripped and cleaned it all and re-threaded it. The re-threading was easier than expected using 'Spencer-Wells' and a silicon spray on the wires to help them slide. The other thing that helped has making sure the wires didn't crossover inside the tubes, because with 7 wires going through a T piece that is less than 10mm wide, it is tight.  I reheated the plastic tubes when refitting so they are snug.

The lights work, but the relays and switches haven't been used for 30 years so they are going to be some headaches. Yellow bulbs fitted and they give a lovely light !

[stanley sweet]

I have never seen 'plumbing' used for electrics before! Where did you find the yellow bulbs? When I first used to come to France on holiday the car sections in the supermarkets had loads of them. Now I don't see them at all. Would like to fit some to the Fulvia if they still do that type.

[simonandjuliet]

Stan, I pick up the yellow bulbs at vide-greniers (car boot sales) and usually pay 50 centimes - 1 euro each. Also, I think my brother in law may have a set of proper yellow headlamps for a Fulvia, I will check next time I am back in the UK if you are interested.

It dawned on me that I started the Appia almost exactly a year ago, so a couple of pictures to remind me , as much as anything else, how much has been done !

Bit of time today and so the other front corner has been done, I waxoyled the driver's side, rear quarters and started on the rear lights. As always the things that take time are removing the snapped screws, rethreading the holes and cleaning everything.

Hopefully, I can get a bit more time tomorrow afternoon/evening

If anyone can help me out with a couple of bits ..... the seal for the rear lamp (lens to lamp-body) and a headlamp bulb holder with wires - thanks !


 

[chugga boom]

should have both , will have a look for you, remind me though!

[simonandjuliet]

Thanks James, will send an email ......

The Appia went back onto her feet today and was moved around under her own steam. Brakes feel nice and gearbox seems good. The clutch pedal needs adjusting but very useable.

Planning MOT for week after next !

[simonandjuliet]

Now that the countdown has started I need to do a bit everyday (maybe that's why she is the "Everyday Appia") so the other rear light fitted. This one was a bit more problematic because it was more corroded. All the connections cleaned and the bulb backplate greased so that it slides and creates a good contact with the bulb

Bless their cotton socks, but sometimes bodywork people (ie Dog) can be a pain, he inadvertently snipped the wire for the number plate light and it dropped into a blind box section and was irretrievable ! He has been forgiven (big of me !) but replacing the wire has taken a time.

Nice detail is the "fish-tail" for the exhaust. I found this on eBay , but I think Alan W sells them as well.

The "Appia" script is a delight, as with the "A" on the bonnet trim, it is brass/gold coloured to contrast with the stainless trim - more soon!

[Parisien]

Whats the French for sacking Simon??!!


Simply not good enough!


Love the transformation, very well done


P

[simonandjuliet]

I would never sack him, where would you find someone as good and as tolerant of my demands .....

Lots going on but a couple of details. The rear boot seal has lovely curved plates holding it into the corners. Number-plate light and bumper fitted. The bumper is very rough and will do until I have tidied up a much better one .....

Also been doing electrics, nothing worked so working my way through it. One problem was the indicators, checking the voltage across various circuits showed a drop in potential compared with the battery output. I wondered if this was causing a problem with the flasher unit ( 10 V vs 13V at the battery). However, I also noticed that the live wire to the ignition was "warm" suggesting that current was being taken somewhere as well.

To cut a long story short, the problem was the wiper circuit. The wiper motor had, at some time, over-centred and become blocked. It was trying to return to "park" mode so kept taking current. That, with dirty connections on the flasher unit, has been sorted.

The steering wheel has been dismantled as well so now the horn works ...... petit a petit as we say here !

Bit of a "brake-headache" today, but more later

[simonandjuliet]

Getting very adept at removing and refitting the master cylindre !

After a post-build inspection and test, I noticed that there was a small drip at the back of the M/C (pedal end) suggesting that although the re-honed cylindre looked and felt good, maybe a bit too much wear - I checked visually and by touch , but did not measure it. Plus , on reflection (and because I don't want to take it apart again) I decided to replace the brake pipes .......

So the last day or so has been spent taking out the rad, air intake, steering "flector" (steering coupling ?) horn, exhaust , steering column, M/C  etc etc to get at the pipework

I had everything on the shelf so no delays waiting for bits to arrive. At the same time I took the opportunity to change a couple of other things that had been irritating me - you know how it is when you do a major refurb and sometimes some things are OK , but aren't perfect and it isn't worthwhile 'taking the rad out again' to put it right (for example)

Some of the irritations:
1st section of exhaust too long to allow easy removal without removing the rest of the system - cut 1" off the pipe
Rubber grommets on the brake pipes and around heating pipes all rotten - replaced
Heater cable pops out and bonnet release tight - Re-routed heater control and bonnet release cables
Clutch pedal can over-centre - Mod to clutch spring (see picture) There is some wear on the pivot for the return spring and it is 2 mm too low. Made a support to hold the spring up. Works well !
Rad supports buckled - trimmed the replacement  top hose so rad tilts backwards more 

Plus a few other minor details ....

For the new pipework, I removed the old, measured it, preformed the new pipe roughly (pre-fitted the grommets and new brass unions) and made the flanges.

All purged and back together and so far so good, now it means that I can carry on with electrics, door panels, door rubbers etc etc etc before a final clean and MOT

Finally a picture of the newest arrival alongside her big brother - 1960 Moto Guzzi 73 cc Cardellino. Discovered in the next village !!

[simonandjuliet]

Controle Technique (MOT) booked for next Friday !

NB not April 1st ....

[simonandjuliet]

Ticking off some more details ......

Washers and wipers cleaned and fitted. New rubbers sourced from the consortium - lots of small chromed bits !

I hadn't realised that "Carello" also made wiper-blades. Still need to replace the rubbers but the rest is OK.

Start on the door trims tomorrow

[stanley sweet]

Should sail through the C.T. considering the amount of work that's gone into it, unless it throws up anything like uneven brakes. I expect this will qualify for one of the '5 Year' C.T.'s? As the French seem to keep many old cars on the road as daily drivers they'll probably consider the Appia as pretty modern!