Report on (slow) S2 Coupe rebuild progress

[nthomas1]

Thanks Tim, but I've already ordered the Omicron one.... and it was a good price!

[nthomas1]

Installed the passenger seat this morning.  Took it apart first to fit the rubber seal to the lower edge of the base and to re-glue the fabric around the base as it had come away in places while sitting on the shelf for a couple of years. Dry fitted the frame to check hole alignment before removing it again and fitting it to the upholstered section. It went in nicely and the slider mechanism and lock work smoothly.  Will get the driver's seat ready next but won't install it until I've finished work on the dashboard electrics.

[nthomas1]

I’m working along two parallel paths at the moment: trouble shooting my electrics, while finishing the installation of interior and exterior trim.  That will just leave exhaust system and fuel system hook-up to complete the rebuild.

Electrics are quite a challenge as I’m very much learning as I go.

After refitting the renovated and re-soldered column stalks I made up a test lead and reinstalled the battery in the car, and connected the test lead between the battery positive terminal and the starter motor.  A connector on the test lead allows me to disconnect when not working on the car.

With the ignition off, fuse 7 is live as it should be, but fuse 8 is not.  When I turn ignition to “MAR” fuse 8 becomes live as does fuse 9, and the alternator warning light on the instrument panel comes on.  So my first task is to find out why fuse 8 is not permanently live.

From the wiring diagram it looks like fuse 8 gets its power feed via a red wire from terminal 1 on the Outer Light Solenoid that’s mounted behind the fuse array,  It is shown as item 31 on the wiring diagram in the Series 2 owner’s manual.  There may well be a permanent pass-through of the power from terminal 73 to terminal 1.  There seems to be continuity between these (if I checked it correctly, using the continuity setting on multi meter). If that’s correct, and knowing that fuse 7 is live, my problem must be with the contacts on the two red wires that connect the fuses to the solenoid, I guess. 

The Outer Light Solenoid is an interesting device, with seven terminals, so looks like it could be a double solenoid if there is such a thing.  It would be good to bench test it, but I’d need to understand which are the activating circuits and which are the activated.  Can anybody tell me the convention for the terminal numbering on a solenoid of this type - which I’ve sketched in the picture below? 

[lancialulu]

I think fuse 8 gets power from the ignition switch blue/black lead which is off when the switch is off and in GAR. So I think you have it correct. If Fuse 8 was powered all the time your coil would get red hot and burn out... And run the battery flat.

[nthomas1]

I think fuse 8 gets power from the ignition switch blue/black lead which is off when the switch is off and in GAR. So I think you have it correct. If Fuse 8 was powered all the time your coil would get red hot and burn out... And run the battery flat.

Tim - Are you sure?  The ignition Blue/Black goes only to Fuse 9 on my car, and that’s also the case on the wiring diagram. And ref your Coil comment, I can see no link from Fuse 8 to the Coil. I thought I’d read somewhere that fuses 7 and 8 should be permanently live.  Am I missing somethimg?

[nthomas1]

Tim - after some tracing, the Blue/Black wire from the ignition key goes to Fuse 9, not Fuse 8. There’s actually a Black wire from ignition ST setting that powers Fuse 8.

Fuse 7 gets its feed from the Starter Motor terminal.  That means Fuses 7 and 8 are both live when ignition is off, which is what I was expecting.

Interestingly, Fuse 8 goes off at GAR setting then back on at MAR.

If all of the above sounds correct I can now start checking the lighting circuits and operation of Fuses 1 to 6.

[lancialulu]

Sorry Norman. Did from memory! I am away but as you say its should agree with the car circuit diagram. (The circuit is same for rhd and lhd cars except for uk headlight arrangement where I have not seen a specific diagram for this inner outer H4....).

Tim

[nthomas1]

Completed the first stage of electrical testing today by checking all components that should be activated when the ignition key is at ST setting. 

Fuses 1, 2, 7 and 8 were all live as expected.  The plug-in socket was activated and the heating/cooling fan worked on both settings.  With the sidelight sliding switch turned on the sidelights at all four corners lit up - which is pleasing as all connectors, connector blocks and bulbs have been replaced.  Also, the roof dome light is working, as is the circuit for the clock. 

Problem areas were the door open lights which didn’t come on so I need to check the wiring, and the wipers.  When the wiper stalk was pressed I could here a click like a mechanical relay activating, but the wiper spindles didn’t move - so some work to be done there.  I also need to check day headlamp flashing.  I’ve just got the replacement switch with push button from Omicron so will attach that tomorrow.

Testing the GAR setting is next.

I also fitted the side brackets for the front bumper - so it is nicely horizontal now. I had to drill new holes in the front wheel arches as the originals had been covered up during the bodywork welding.

[tzf60]

Looks fabulous, Norm!
You must be very pleased with the way the work is progressing 
 
Keep her lit!
Tim

[Keithver]

Norm, the car looks wonderful. I've just read through your whole post. Impressive and inspiring. I'm at the beginning stage and have just stripped my '72 and starting the repairs. Thanks for all the effort you have gone to in documenting your rebuild - well done. I have picked up loads of tips and made notes. I hope to start my own thread soon and keep you all updated on my build

[nthomas1]

Thanks guys.

I received tremendous inspiration and knowledge from other Fulvia rebuild logs on here maintained by people like Neil Cundy (ncundy), James Parry (chugga boom), Simon Ingman (simonandjuliet) and Robin Lacey (Dilambdaman), so I was keen to also share my journey in the hope that it would help other people in a similar way. I look forward to seeing your progress in this forum Keith!

[nthomas1]

Some small jobs completed today.  Small, but time consuming!

My car came with a bodged non-standard striker for the bonnet catch.  I cut through the thread of the old striker as the nut in the bonnet cavity was seized, and inaccessible.  There was no welded-in nut in the bonnet cavity which the TAV diagram implies.   To fit the new striker I had to make a tool to hold the retention nut in place.  Fortunately I had a flat spanner of the right size which I was able to bend in a couple of places so that it could fit through the aperture for the safety catch.  I used a piece of Gorilla tape to hold the nut in the spanner while tightening the nut adjacent to the head of the striker.

I had overhauled the bonnet release lever and cable some time back and then fitted the release catch only to have one of the end loops snap off the old spring after a couple of applications.  It’s taken some searching to find the right replacement spring as nobody seemed to have the spec. Dimensions weren’t a problem, but spring strength, or “rate” as it’s known, was.  Working with the folks at Omicron I tried a spring of 0.29 N/mm but that wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to pull the release lever in the passenger footwell back after releasing the catch. Examination of a catch on a customer vehicle at Omicron allowed measurement of the spring rate leading to a second attempt with a much higher rated spring of 1.64 N/mm which is working nicely.

I still need to find some front rubber bonnet  stops as mine were crudely drilled through to allow bonnet pins to be installed - now removed. Another bodge!

[Keithver]

thanks for the spring detail. Also on my list, but haven't got a replacement yet. Now I know what to ask for. Keep up the good work. I've started my thread and aspire to be as thorough as you have been. https://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11916.0

[nthomas1]

I’ve fitted the fuzzy weatherstrip scrapers to the door top exterior stainless steel trim strips.  

The strips were fitted at the factory using staples.  I had removed my old scrapers some time ago - they just crumbled as I pulled the staples out.

There are numerous ways to fit new scrapers: wire to simulate the original staples; small screws; adhesive; or double sided tape.  I opted for the adhesive route using a recommended adhesive called Delta Tru-Flex which a friend has been using in marine applications for many years.  To eliminate the risk of drift of the scraper over time I decided to add 3 small screws each side for a belt and braces approach.

I cut the new weatherstrip to size and found the resultant lengths to be quite springy and impossible to completely straighten and remove twist. Anticipating problems with one end of the adhesive-covered strip waving around while the other end was being secured I knocked up a simple jig to help with alignment.

The next issue to be addressed was how to secure the scraper to the trim while the adhesive cured.  Others have used low-tack masking tape wrapped around the scraper and trim.  I decided to use the large bulldog clips that I bought when I installed my headlining.  I used low-tack masking tape to protect outer surface of the trim strip from scratches from the bulldog clips.

[nthomas1]

Carrying on from the previous post:

I applied the adhesive in a thin bead - about 2mm wide - the size of the opening in the nozzle when it arrived.  I then spread the adhesive down away from the top to limit any adhesive squeezing up to the top of the scraper.

I carefully lowered the scraper onto the trim strip in the jig.  Then starting at one end I slid the assembly slowly out of the jig far enough to be able to fasten one bulldog clip in place.  I then repeated the process, sliding the assembly out of the jig about 4 inches at a time and adding bulldog clips at each stage..   Once I got to the end I went back and filled the gaps with additional bulldog clips.

I left the clamped assemblies 24 hours to cure, then drilled small holes either end and one in the middle and fastened small screws.  I had six spare examples of the screws used to hold the inner weatherstrips to the door tops so I used these - they are about 6mm long and 4mm across the heads.   After fastening I cut off the ends protruding into the gap in the trim with a Dremel cutting wheel, and dabbed a small blob of sealant on the screw heads to keep them from falling into the door well if they came loose.

Then fitted the strips to the car.  Happy with the result!