The Lambda World Register (www.lambdaworldregister.org) is managed by - Joachim Griese (jgriese0@gmail.com) and - Bill Jamieson (bill.jamieson@bigpomd.com.au) and supported by regional coordinators for: - Australia: Bill Jamieson - Austria, Germany, Switzerland: Joachim Griese - Belgium: Leo Van Hoorick (leo@vanhoorick.com) - Ireland: Roland Frayne (rjfvintage@gmail.com) - The Netherlands: Joost Koning (konpop@kpnmail.nl) - The United Kingdom: Mike Benwell (mike@mikebenwell.com) - The United States: Neil Pering (nc-es.pering@prodigy.com) The Newsletter will be published 4 times a year and is edited by Bill Jamieson and Joachim Griese

Contents of Newsletter 1/2017

Editorial: Joachim Griese, Bill Jamieson…………………………….page 1 Crossing the Nullarbor Plain: Peter Renou…………………..……..page 2 From The Netherlands to Fobello 2016 with our Lambda: Heidi and Joost Koning-van Popta……………………………………..…..page 4 How are we going? – A Situation Report on the LWR: Joachim Griese, Bill Jamieson………………………………………………….page 7 The Restoration of a Lambda Casaro – part 2: The mechanical side: Carlo Confidati…………………………………………………...page 10

The End of the Year of the Misfire – part 1: James Stewart……....page 14

The English Replica Starter Motor for the Lambda: John Brenan.page 17 Lambda Spare Parts………………………………………………….page 18

- Wheel Nuts for the 6th until the 9th Series

Cover: Lambda at Ceduna on the way to the Western Australian Rally (photo: Iain Simpson)

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Editorial Welcome to 2017! We hope that you have started the new year in good health and you are

already planing the first activities with your Lambda. In our website

www.lambdaworldregister.com you will see the events for 2017 – as far as they are known

today - which you may find attractive.

This Newsletter has at the beginning two reports about challenging tours in Australia and in

Europe. Peter Renou tells us of his experiences on the way to the Western Australian Rally.

Heidi and Joost Koning-van Popta came from The Netherlands to Fobello; just one example of

the courage and determination of Lambda owners covering long distances in Europe.

Our report about the first 5 years of the Lambda World Register is a look back to the beginning,

and shows the step-by-step expansion of our activities. With nearly 450 Lambdas and more

than 350 Lambda owners on our records, we feel that we are in touch with much of the

„Lambda family“. The core medium is the LWR Newsletter which – thanks to the voluntary

translators also in french, german, and italian available – overcomes the language barrier which

has been the largest hurdle for communication in the past. We are very proud that you – the

Lambda owner and reader of our Newsletter – have accepted our idea for a main topic per year

and helped us to fulfill our goals. Possibly the most important topic has been the Lambda

factory drawing collection, which has enabled many Lambda owners to manufacture Lambda

spare parts to the original specifications and high quality. Our great appreciation goes to those

Lambda owners who loaned us their factory drawings for scanning, and to the donors – you

will see the list of current donors in the report – who helped us to buy additional factory

drawings from Fiat Centro Storico.

You will remember the first part of «Restoring a Lambda Casaro» in our Newsletter 3/2016.

Carlo Confidati now presents the second part in this Newsletter. For most of us, the archetypal

image of the Lambda is the Torpedo. From the rich diversity of Lambda bodies in our Register

we plan to present some further examples in the future.

The last article in this Newsletter – using a replica starter motor for the Lambda – is already an

„appetizer“ for the main topic we want to propose for 2017. There are now many spare parts

around – from new cylinder heads, new cylinder blocks, new stub-axles to small spare parts

like the rear spring shackle bolt (part 10-1650). As some of you have bought and used these

spare parts, we would like to encourage you to send us articles with your experience of fitting

and using them. In this way we can report on your knowledge and recommendations.

We wish you all the best for you and your Lambda.

Bill Jamieson Joachim Griese

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Crossing the Nullarbor Plain

Peter Renou prenou@bigpond.net.au Reprinted by courtesy of the Australian Lancia Register Newsletter No.218, 10/2016.

As a prelude to the Two Oceans Tour organised by the Fiat Lancia Club of Western Australia,

Diana and I, together with Leanne, Iain, Shayla and Lucy Simpson drove our Appia and their

Lambda from Melbourne to Perth crossing the fabled Nullarbor Plain. Jim White towed his

Fulvia from Salamander Bay, near Newcastle. Although not in convoy, he met up with us each

evening at the motels. Marilyn and Rod Bond also drove their ‘camper’ from the Bellarine

Peninsula.

We spread the trip over an enjoyable six days and the distance of 3,400 Km was not daunting.

The driving was shared by Iain, Leanne, me, Diana (Appia only) and Shayla (on L plates in the

Appia). Needless to say we all enjoy driving our Lancias; who doesn’t?

We spent the first night at Keith, South Australia, to break the trip to Port Augusta, the first point

of interest. Port Augusta is at the head of the Spencer Gulf and has Botanical Gardens for arid

lands plants. A wide variety of native plants are on display together with suggestions how to

establish a garden with these plants. Some areas were set up like rooms similar to Ikea stores.

For garden lovers these gardens are well worth a visit. Incidentally, there are no cacti as they are

not native to Australia.

Whirligigs at Ceduna The largest ever Comet windmill

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On Day 3 we crossed the Eyre Peninsula, which is noted for its fishing industry and cereal

crops. We passed close by the old Iron Knob open cut iron ore mine. Here we first

encountered long straight roads which extend to the horizon and melt into the typical watery

mirages seen on our hot Australian roads. Not that it was hot, mind you. For most of the trip

we dealt with strong, cold cross winds, gale force on one day, and rain on most days. We

spent the night in Ceduna which is located at the beginning of the Great Australian Bight. It is

a pleasant town with a large port at Thevenard which exports minerals and wheat. On the

foreshore we came across these charming home-made wind driven whirligigs.

The next day took us across the Nullarbor Plain along the Great Australian Bight to Eucla.

Nullarbor means no trees and the plain is an extraordinary sight. There are grasses and low

bushes only – no trees. Not far out of Ceduna is Penong, noted for a recently finished

Windmill Museum. There is a collection of windmills, some home-made and the rest

commercial. Of particular interest are the largest Comet windmill ever made and an all-

wooden windmill, blades included.

The all-wooden windmill Appia follows Lambda at 110 Kmh across this vast continent

Eucla was one of the Telegraph Stations on the Port Augusta to Albany telegraph line which

linked Western Australia to the East and to the rest of the world via the Transcontinental

Telegraph from Port Augusta to Darwin. The line was opened in 1877 and closed in 1927. All

that remains of the station is ruins partly buried in sand dunes. The original bustling town is

gone and only the Motel and about twenty houses remain a few kilometres inland.

Day 5 was hot; 39°C, and very windy. We drove over the longest straight section of road in

Australia, 90 miles. About 30 Km from Norseman the Lambda engine died just after passing

a low-loader with large mining machinery on board. The deep gutter prevented pulling over

for a hundred metres; the truck driver got a bit of a fright and braked. The resourceful Iain

had a spare coil, which didn’t fix the problem as the car expired after a further 200 metres.

The spare fuel pump did fix it but 10 Km on the fan and its pulley parted company. Fan

easily removed. The car was running badly until we reached Norseman and the problem of a

poor spark was eventually traced to a duff rotor button. It seems the rotor button had been

giving intermittent trouble for some time. What’s the point of recounting these problems? It

shows that, if a vehicle is basically sound, these things happen in an 88 year-old car but, if a

few simple spares are carried and the owner is mechanically savvy, usually the problem can

be sorted at the road-side.

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The weather was cooler on the last day from Norseman to Perth. We travelled via Coolgardie,

which is a much livelier place than when we were last there 20 years ago.

Posing under the Renou Street sign Australian wildflowers

We had to take a photograph beside the street sign proclaiming ‘Renou Street’, named after

my grandfather who was in charge of the water supply before the pipeline arrived.

The other highlight of the day was the appearance of wildflowers all along the side of the

road after Southern Cross. There was a profusion of all types of flowers, flowering bushes

and flowering trees to treat the eye. We were lucky to be travelling in the wildflower season.

It was a splendid and enjoyable trip and is thoroughly recommended to those who have not

seen this part of Australia. When the Western Australians arrange a repeat, we plan to drive

the two Augustas across.

From The Netherlands to Fobello 2016 with our Lambda

Heidi and Joost Koning-van Popta konpop@kpnmail.nl Preparation of the Lambda After inspecting the brakes our mechanic, Kees Jan Boosman, decided to replace the brake

linings not because they were worn but because they started to glaze. The brake cables looked

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fine but when taken off you could see they started to break just where they pass over the

small wheel under the sliding pillar. The new cables, like the old ones, were made with

spliced ends. This we believe is the original method used by Lancia.

With the front brakes off it was also possible to have a good look at the stub-axles and check

for cracks that seem to be giving people trouble, but ours were perfect. A gearbox leak was

repaired, it just needed a new gasket under the rear cover. When parked for a long time with

the fuel tap closed the float sometimes jammed causing the carburettor to overflow. That too

was repaired. All oils were changed and all moving parts were greased.

Over the years many recommendations by Bill Smith in “Distortion, Cracking and Corrosion

in Lancia Lambda Engines” were carried out. Some years ago cooling problems had been

solved by fitting a new core in the radiator. To avoid the new (and expensive) radiator

becoming blocked again, Kees Jan made two filters that are inserted into the radiator. At first

these regulary got blocked, but after some years these showed less and less white debris and

the coolant became clearer.

Kees Jan also suggested that it would be useful for us to know how to replace the

magneto/dynamo with the spare we carry, and how to time the ignition. So we went to his

workshop for a Magneto Marelli crash course.

To reduce weight Kees Jan threw out almost all tools, convinced they were superfluous; only

a few essential ones remained. Owing to excessive consumption of coolant, (it pumps it out

through the overflow at high speed), we packed a number of containers with high-quality

cooling fluid.

6

Fobello and the Swiss Alps Rally After three wonderful days through France we reached Lanslebourg to meet our Lambda

friends. On 1st September, we all drove over the Col de Mont Cenis, had a coffee stop at the

lake, passed the border into Italy and then on to Susa for lunch at La Giaconera.

However, after a short while we heard a strange click and the engine sounded different. We

stopped at the side of the road. The bonnet was opened, the valve cover was removed,

diagnosis: the split pin of one of the rockers had failed, and the small wheel with its eight

rollers had worked loose. These small rollers could be anywhere. Very helpful Lancisti found

seven, where was number eight? Down the front along the vertical shaft or had it disappeared

through a rear hole into the sump? Anyway, we couldn't drive on.

We called the Dutch AA and a tow truck would be sent up. In spite of numerous phone calls

and repeated explanations, the Italian AA told us they couldn't find us. After eight hours! a

tow truck arrived. A very kind, English speaking Italian took us down to his family's garage

and arranged a hotel for us. On the way down we unexpectedly saw a road sign: Italia. So we

had been waiting between two borders, in No Man's Land!

With Joost's spare set of rollers and split pins the Lambda was repaired. Then the engine was

cautiously hand cranked to feel whether there was any obstruction. There still was a risk

because the last roller hadn't been found. We decided to take the risk and started the motor. It

sounded ok. Half a day late we arrived in Varallo. The climb up to the festive lunch at La

Montá with two extra passengers was more of a challenge for the driver than for the car.

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After this splendid weekend in Varallo and Fobello we set off on the Swiss Alps Tour. After

lunch in Bellinzona with Joost's cousin, who had especially come from Lugano to see us, we

took the autoroute to Airolo to save time. However, a few kilometers before the Gotthard

Tunnel we got into a traffic jam. It took us 45 minutes to cover 4,5 km. The Lambda didn't

like that at all. When the car started to splutter and lost power it appeared the spark plugs

were completely black. So we put in new ones. Apart from some slight hiccups the Lambda

performed well going over the impressive Nufenen Pass (2478 m) to the hotel in Oberwald.

The next morning we asked Bill Smith to have a look at the spark plugs. We put in new ones

again and after a short test drive he declared the Lambda fit for the rest of the Swiss Passes.

We climbed the Grimsel Pass (2165 m) early in the morning without any problems. Driving

along the Brienzer See, the Thuner See and over the Col des Mosses then to Neuchâtel,

Aarberg, Wangen and Solothurn was a sheer pleasure.

Since we had left home more than two weeks ago we had driven with the roof down. Apart

from the rocker trouble the Lambda has performed very well during our second trip to

Fobello, 3012 km. We didn’t have problems with excessive water temperatures, we drove

always with the lower third of the radiator covered. Due to water loss through the overflow

pipe of the radiator, we lost a lot of cooling fluid and already halfway our stock was

consumed, so that we had to fill up with tap water. This problem has yet to be resolved.

How are we Going? - A Situation Report on the LWR

Joachim Griese jgriese0@gmail.com Bill Jamieson bill.jamieson@bigpond.com This report reviews the first five years of the Lambda World Register - from 2012 to 2016.

We examine progress towards our objective of recording the details of the world’s surviving

Lambdas; the statistics of our present membership; the history so far of our Newsletter and

Web-site; the establishment and present status of the Lambda Drawing Project; the

development and the current situation of the Lambda provenance project, and our plans for

future topics and activites.

Our story starts in 2011, with a discussion in Tuscany between Joachim Griese and Bill

Jamieson, to consider Joachim’s vision for a world-wide organisation of Lambda owners,

bringing together this diverse group of people from many lands, whose common interest is

the Lambda.

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With agreement on the basic premise, this moved in 2012 from an idea to a reality, supported

by the important and generous contribution of a large volume of data on cars and their owners

from the late John Turner. To ensure our world-wide coverage, Regional co-ordinators were

appointed, and the Lambda database rapidly expanded.

At the time of writing, the total stands at 436 cars whose details are fully recorded, with a

further 40 or so whose chassis number or some other information is still awaited. The

breakdown of this 436 by series is as follows:

- 1st - 12 - 4th - 24 - 7th - 127

- 2nd - 28 - 5th - 39 - 8th - 143

- 3rd - 22 - 6th - 32 - 9th - 9

Regarding the Lambda bodies in the LWR we have, besides all the possible Lancia bodies for

the Lambda, about 20 coachbuilt bodies from other companies in our Register (see also:

Costanza Lancia and Joachim Griese, Coachbuilt bodies on the Lambda, Viva Lancia March

2016, pp. 14-17), among them 11 examples of the famous Lambda Casaro Spider.

Lambda Casaro Spider 5th series. Lambda Casaro Spider 7th series.

An important initial decision was that the sole means of communication within the LWR

would be by e-mail. This in turn enabled us to offer membership of the LWR to Lambda

owners at no cost, and with considerable savings in administrative effort. This turned out to

be a successful strategy, for while a very small number of Lambda owners do not have an e-

mail address, most of these do have some internet access through friends or relatives.

Our Website www.lambdaworldregister.org and Newsletter programme since 2013 has

settled down to four Newsletter issues per year, with each issue running to about 20 pages,

and this seems to be about the right balance in terms of contributions, new material and the

effort needed to put it together and distribute it. So far, we have published 15 issues, in four

languages; English, French, German and Italian; our special thanks go to Sébastien Simon for

the French translation and Edoardo Lancia and Isabel and Aldo Cimenti for the Italian

translation. The contents typically include technical articles, reports on Lancia rallies and

other Lambda-related sporting events, accounts of epic journeys by Lambda, profiles of

personalities and a “Wanted to Buy or Sell” section.

Our LWR initiative for 2014 was the Lambda Drawing Collection. This consists of scanned

copies of original technical drawings used in the Lancia factory for the Lambda production.

The scanned images are held on the LWR computer, and the aim of the project is for us to be

9

able to offer members copies of these drawings for the purpose of Lambda restoration or

repair, or for the accurate reproduction of Lambda spare parts.

The original Lancia technical material is held by Fiat Centro Storico in Turin, from whom

we purchase the Lambda drawings at a cost of 30 Euros per drawing. Joachim has made

many journeys to Turin from his home in Switzerland to order and collect these drawings. At

the beginning of this project we were aware that many LWR members had their own private

collections of drawings, and we requested the loan of these to reduce the cost of new

acquisitions. Members were very generous – Maurizio Forleo loaned us about 300 drawings -

and in this way we were able to obtain several hundred further drawings. Assisted by

donations of funds from both individuals and organisations we now have more than 900

- Australian Lancia Register - Neil Pering (USA)

- Andrea Belometti (Italy) - Mike Piggin (UK)

- Joachim Griese (Switzerland) - Umberto Rossi (Italy)

- Guido Gotta (Italy) - Leo Schildkamp (The Netherlands)

- Bill Jamieson (Australia) - John Shellard (Australia)

- Lancia Motor Club (UK) - Sébastien Simon (Switzerland)

- Lambda Consortium (UK) - Bill Smith (Australia)

- Koen Keutgen (Belgium) - Remon Vos (Czech Republic))

- Lukas Luetjens (Switzerland) - Valerio Vagliano (Italy)

- Robert McGrath (Ireland) - Karl Wolf (Germany)

List of donors (2014 – 2016).

drawings in the collection. The project is by no means complete, as there are at least this

number of original drawings which we have not yet obtained. We are hopeful that we can

encourage members who have not yet been involved, to support us in this worthwhile

programme.

In our Lambda Provenance programme, we tried in 2015 to motivate our LWR members to

collect the history of their Lambdas and to share this with us. We started with some history

data from about 60 Lambdas, and with the donations of Lambda photo collections from

Richard Vessey and Klaus Artz, we were able to assemble at least parts of the history of some

additional 60 Lambdas. Today, we have, for nearly 300 Lambdas, parts of their history in our

files; for about 60 Lambdas we have the entire history from the original purchaser to the

current owner. This kind of information extends our Lambda coverage from purely technical

aspects of the car into the cultural environment.

For 2016, we didn’t set a new objective; instead we tried to support all those activities related

to Fobello 2016. Nevertheless, in this year we made big steps forward with the LWR

Drawing Collection and with the Lambda Provenance programme.

In the year ahead we hope to gather material from members about their experience with

repairs and the installation of spare parts. We know that some of our regular newsletter

contributors are already working on other articles of interest. As always, we welcome

suggestions from our members regarding subjects which they would like to see in the

Newsletter.

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The Restoration of a Lambda Casaro Part 2: The Mechanical Side

Carlo Confidati carlo.confidati@gmail.com After removing all the mechanical parts of the body we separated the major components (for

example the engine, gearbox, and axles) from the small parts (for example the door handles,

all the bolts and nuts).

The major components

The engine was brought to a company specialised in restoring Lambda engines for a complete

revision.The Bosch magneto was replaced with a Magneti Marelli which we were lucky to

find, together with an original Zenith carburettor, at a vintage car spare parts jumble market.

The front axle (suspension, stub-axles, wheel hubs), the differential, the rear springs, the

wheel hubs and the steering box were examined, and looked to be in good order. The gearbox

was totally dismantled and all the bearings, happily still available, were changed.

The gearbox with 4 gears was introduced at the beginning of the 5th series (beginning with

construction number 3151) whereas the flywheel was changed (to a lighter one) later (in the

middle of the 5th series). After checking the weight of our flywheel and comparing it with the

one of a later flywheel, we took some material off on the lathe; the effect in changing the

gears was impressive.

11

The wheels were not the correct size, so we used only the central parts for making new ones.

The Zeiss mechanism for the headlights gave us a lot of restoration work. The following two

photos show the solution for controlling the headlight beams. In the next photo you can see

the mechanical connection between the headlamps and the dashboard.

12

The small parts

Numerous small parts had to be cleaned, and in some cases repaired, then re-surfaced with

chrome, nickel, burnishing or painting.

The assembling

13

We finished our work with the restored wooden tool box which is located under the driver’s

seat.

14

The End of the Year of the Misfire – part 1

James Stewart ajstewart1@eircom.net An Editorial Introduction

The car referred to in James Stewart’s interesting account is Lambda No. 14293, a Sixth

Series torpedo, completed in Lancia’s Turin Factory on 12th October, 1925. First registered

in England on 25th February, 1926, with the number plate GD 1665, it passed through the

hands of at least eight U.K. owners before being sold by Coys of Kensington on 26th

November, 1980 for display in the York Motor Museum, Western Australia. The car

remained part of the museum display

Lambda 14293 in the York Motor Museum (photo: Bill Jamieson).

for many years until it was re-sold, shipped back to England, and finally purchased by the

present owner in October, 2011. With its original engine, gearbox, rear axle and Marelli

electrics, 14293 is a good example of the Sixth; that interesting transition between the early

and late series of Lambda production. James’s story is rather too long for a single issue of our

Newsletter, so we will publish it in three successive editions. Here is the first.

Bill Jamieson

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This is the story of my relationship with my Lambda and its Infernal Combustion Engine.

This is my first vintage car, so the learning curve has been nearly vertical. Actually, my first

ever car was a Renault 4L, which in terms of technology, was not really that different except

perhaps for the hydraulic brakes, so once I overcame the reverence for this ancient beast, I

discovered that none of it is actually that complicated. Luckily I am a mechanical engineer,

so I started off with a fairly good idea of how it ought to work.

I bought this Lambda in October 2011, in Ireland, from a man who bought it in 2010, from

the York Motor Museum, Western Australia. It had been on display there since 1983. I had

inherited some money that year, but that was the year that Irish banks were teetering on the

verge of destruction, and I wasn’t sure that I even dared to lodge the cheque in the bank!

However, this car appeared on my horizon, recently fitted with a new hood and tonneau, and

it looked gorgeous, so I bought it instead. The Lambda appeared to be in very good order,

didn’t seem to be missing anything, and even had its original under-tray. It arrived under its

own steam (sorry, bad metaphor, under its own power), so it was obviously running, but it

turned out to be a mechanical disaster. I have now looked inside every single part of it except

the steering box and the differential, and having recently discovered that the steering box had

no oil in it, it is now top of the list!

Anyway, the first problem was that I could not start it. I assumed that it would just, kind of

burst into life, but that turned out to be incorrect. Not even the starter motor would work, and

I spent some time with a multimeter, trying to work out what was wrong! It turned out the

button on the floor that I was pushing, which would have started an Astura, was actually a

headlight dip-switch! Actually, this dip-switch had another amusing side. It was mounted in

the fire-wall, directly above the transmission tunnel. I later discovered that it was impossible

to operate it because my foot did not fit between the clutch pedal and the transmission tunnel,

so to dip the lights I had to lift my foot over the tunnel, and operate the switch from the

passengers side! Brilliant! Even when I found the correct button, the engine would not fire. I

eventually worked out a system for squirting some petrol into cylinders 1 & 2 through the

spark plug holes, the priming cups being completely blocked.

At this time, another major problem was that the Australian electric fuel pump that was fitted,

generated sufficient pressure to overcome the float needle in the Zenith Triple Confuser. I

overcame this initially by creating a lead weight that sat on top of the needle, and that worked

quite well. Having got the engine running, the next thing I discovered was that the brakes

were truly awful. So I stripped the front brakes and discovered that there were no split pins to

lock the hub nuts, and the brake drums were on the wrong sides. The little label plates that

saidDestro and Sinistro, had obviously been removed while the drums were painted, and then

put back on the wrong drums, both back and front, so the knock-off spinners were rotating

the wrong way too. And even worse, the front brake cams were also on the wrong sides, and

working backwards! Unbelievable! The fact that the brake shoes were soaked in oil was

really minor. Learning curve? More like a vicious kink! And I had not even driven on the

road yet.

Next problem to emerge, on the road this time, was that the gear lever was out of line with

the gearbox, and the lever would stick as I tried to change into second gear, making the

change almost impossible. It turned out that it was dropping into the entrance of the gate to

reverse. That turned out to be simple to rectify. So now I could start the engine, the brakes

sort of worked, and I could change gear too! Progress!

16

The next problem was a misfire. My Occasional Combustion Engine was not happy. The car

came with Magneti Marelli electrics, but the magneto had been converted to coil operation by

the simple expedient of drilling a hole through the center of the distributor cap, and feeding

the HT in through this hole to the carbon brush on the inside of the cap. Simple enough.

However, I eventually discovered that I was getting a spark at plugs 2 and 3 at the same time.

After a bit of thought, I discovered that I could measure a resistance between contacts 2 and 3

in the cap with a multimeter. It was clearly something to do with the original internal

conductors that carried the spark from the HT windings of the magneto rotor. So I got out my

Dremel tool and started excavating a hole, carefully avoiding the arc of contact of the rotor’s

carbon brush. I kept checking the resistance as I worked. After a while, I could no longer

detect any measurable resistance between the contacts, so I back-filled the cavity with

Araldite, and gave myself a pat on the back for being so clever! I got a bit of a shock when I

discovered that I was still getting a spark at both plugs! So I got seriously medieval with the

Dremel tool, and eviscerated all the internal brass bits related to conducting the spark from

the magneto rotor to the central carbon brush, not bothering with the multimeter. Then filled

it all up with Araldite, again. This time, it worked! Now my Occasional combustion engine

ran on all 4 cylinders! For now anyway.

I actually managed to drive 4 miles on my next trip! 4 whole miles. The engine actually got

hot! however, it became apparent that it was very sick. It had lost most of its coolant in that 4

miles, and even though the radiator was visibly leaking, I discovered most of the coolant in

the sump! All opinion suggested that I remove the cylinder head, so, with a lot of misgivings,

I did. It turned out that the inside of the engine was another disaster area, and I don’t think

that there is much point in rebuilding it without a new block.

While the engine was out of the car, I found out why the starting handle would not fit onto

the end of the crankshaft. The 3 bolts at the front end of each engine rail had come

sufficiently loose to allow movement, and the bolts were partially cut through by the thin wall

of the front frame, and the corresponding holes in that frame had become slotted. The effect

was that the front ends of the engine rails had dropped about ¼ of an inch (6mm), and the

engine with them! No wonder the starting handle would not fit.

Also at this time, I had taken the radiator to be fixed, only to be told that it was beyond repair.

So I went to the radiator shop to talk to the radiator man. As it was an original rad, I asked

him if he could put the honeycomb core through his band saw, and cut the front face off it, so

that the slice was about 10mm thick. And then could he put this slice back into the rad frame,

with a modern core behind it? he was delighted with this idea, and assured me that he could,

so I left him to it. About a week later, I got a call from him, and went to look at his

handiwork. To my amazement, not only had he done the front as I asked, but he had done the

back as well! So the rad looks completely original, but the working part is a very efficient

modern core!

While I was sorting all that out in July 2012, Michael Benwell happened to have an

engine for sale, and I ended up buying it. I put my magneto and flywheel onto it and dropped

it into the car. This engine came with connections for a remote oil filter, so I found a suitable

place for the filter, and plumbed it all up.

END OF PART ONE

17

The English Replica Starter Motor for the Lambda

John Brenan john@brenan.com.au Members aware that a replica starter is available but without the experience of fitting one

may be interested in a short field report. I had occasion to fit one during Fobello 2016 when,

after 92 years my Bosch unit suddenly found 5000 km of European touring the last straw and

became unreliable.

The replica looks virtually identical to the Bosch original but uses a modern motor and

engagement system. Taking aboard Australian comment on the prototype, the English

manufacturers now provide a “plug and play” part.

Tony Stephens aks@vincenzo.demon.co.uk Tel. +44(0)1844291136

Fitment was a doddle and took barely half an hour from pulling out tools stored under the

seat to washing hands. Everything is a direct swap-over from the original. I did not even need

to adjust alignment to obtain a correct meshing.

Operation has so far been powerful and faultless – albeit noisy (like the original). In my case

I didn’t even need to clean up the teeth on the flywheel, though one or two other Australians

who have fitted the replica did find some gentle correction worthwhile, as also some

shimming to get alignment perfect. The engagement of pinion to flywheel is achieved without

the refinement of Bosch’s two-stage system but appears not to be causing undue stress or

unfair wear.

Cost is significant, with the replica priced at some 800 GBP. However, unless one has access

to expertise and equipment, the complete overhaul of a Bosch unit (which is what usually

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ends up being required) does not leave much, if any, change from that sum and one is getting

a brand new unit.

In short, it looks as though my replica will see me out and probably the next couple of owners

too. It may be a good solution for you.

Lambda spare parts Wheel Nuts for the 6th to 9th Series (11-1807/11-1808)

The cost from the supplier and options are listed below. We would be happy to coordinate the

order and arrange delivery if people still remain interested. Please reply with a confirmation

of which option you would like and where you want them delivered.

Single polished and Chrome or Nickel-plated Lancia hubcap. $884.00 + GST

Set of 5 polished and Chrome or Nickel-plated Lancia hubcap. $805.00 + GST Each.

Plain pressed steel Lancia insert $295.00 + GST

Plain machined Lancia hubcap body unpolished $330.00 + GST

Postage or shipping extra.

(Ed.note. Prices shown are in Australian dollars. GST (Goods and Services Tax),

currently 10%, is not payable on orders originating outside Australia.)

James Lewis jll@kadoori.com

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