Possible new purchase - advice please

[chriswgawne]

Back in the 1970s Jacky and I had a nice 2000 Coupe with carburettors which in hindsight, we were probably too young to appreciate.
Lancia life has gone full circle and I find I am close to buying a really nice 815400 lhd Flavia Coupe Iniezione with its original gearbox, engine etc.
It strikes me as being an excellent long legged car but what stories, advice etc do other owners have to tell I wonder/
And is the fuel injection reliable when set up correctly?
Your early help and advice would be appreciated.
Chris

[fay66]

Back in the 1970s Jacky and I had a nice 2000 Coupe with carburettors which in hindsight, we were probably too young to appreciate.
Lancia life has gone full circle and I find I am close to buying a really nice 815400 lhd Flavia Coupe Iniezione with its original gearbox, engine etc.
It strikes me as being an excellent long legged car but what stories, advice etc do other owners have to tell I wonder/
And is the fuel injection reliable when set up correctly?
Your early help and advice would be appreciated.
Chris

Chris,
Tim Heath had a lot to do with the
 K jetronic fuel injection with his flavia vignale, who I'm sure can can give you chapter and verse.
Brian
8227
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[chriswgawne]

Thanks Brian,
I have already been in contact with Tim who has been helpful as have a couple of other LMC Members through Facebook.
Nothing anyone has said has put me off so if this deal doesn't go through I will look for another one.
Chris

[ColinMarr]

Chris, in the past I have written lots about the pleasure I had from my Flavia 815 Vignale with Kugelfischer injection. I’ll give just a few comments here. Although it was 30 years ago, my experience was that the KF mechanical system (more moving parts than most cars!) when set up properly was a delight, giving lots of performance and good economy. The main KF injector pump unit is well engineered and should be 100% reliable. The weakness in the system was in my experience to do with the lift-pump required to feed the KF unit with fuel at about 2 bar. The original pumps were at their limit and prone to overheating leading to fuel vaporization at the pump and hence no-go until it all cooled down. The original mounting of the pump just above one of the exhaust pipes didn’t help. Another hazard in having fuel-lines at this pressure was the risk of fire from tiny invisible leaks, which partly explains the rarity of KF cars! Let me not put you off! You might also enjoy the sound of the KF system, something like steel-needles being shaken in a tin. Colin. Pre-digital photos attached.

[lancialulu]

My KF Vignale was also much more agreeable to drive than an ordinary carb 815. I fitted it with a modern 10 bar injection lift pump regulated down to 1.5 bar. Only issue I had was fuel vaporisation on very hot days if I stopped the car. It would keep on running however so it just did not like to be stopped when hot..... BTW I have a working KF lift pump surplus to requirements,,,

[Kevinlincs]

That last picture is inspirational for my own project, cruising along at 90MPH  
Found my own dash facia the same as that, just lovely.

[ColinMarr]

Kevin, here are more photos to inspire you further! That car was happy cruising at an indicated 90mph (sometimes in the rain) and using a 35mm camera while driving didn't seem unnatural - happy days! You may notice that oil-pressure was a bit on the low side, but it always was. Colin

Amendment: I need to amend my earlier claim - it may have seemed natural at the time to drive at 90mph on the public road and take photos at the same time, but in retrospect it was quite irresponsible and should not be encouraged! Colin

[GG]

Have Kugelfischer on Flavia 2000 - which needed a new fuel pump and rebuilding. Getting all the info was complicated (many sources required) but ultimately successful. The KF system works quite well, gives clean solid power up to redline. Cruises happily at 80, wants to go 90. Its very quiet and smooth 40-65.

Starting is really the only downside - cold starting (<40º) is quite lumpy, as the oil in the pump is cold and takes some time to warm up - ten minutes its fine. Hot starting is a bit of an issue as the enriching device is not readily available, so we hooked up a manual disconnect, which is used when engine is super warm (summer) and needs a quick restart. Works like a charm.

The Flavia is a seductive charmer, loves to run and go all day without fatigue. Very sophisticated and easy to live with. A different ethos than the 1950s golden era cars, but its nice to imagine being an Italian gentleman of the era.

[chriswgawne]

Have Kugelfischer on Flavia 2000 - which needed a new fuel pump and rebuilding. Getting all the info was complicated (many sources required) but ultimately successful. The KF system works quite well, gives clean solid power up to redline. Cruises happily at 80, wants to go 90. Its very quiet and smooth 40-65.

Starting is really the only downside - cold starting (<40º) is quite lumpy, as the oil in the pump is cold and takes some time to warm up - ten minutes its fine. Hot starting is a bit of an issue as the enriching device is not readily available, so we hooked up a manual disconnect, which is used when engine is super warm (summer) and needs a quick restart. Works like a charm.

The Flavia is a seductive charmer, loves to run and go all day without fatigue. Very sophisticated and easy to live with. A different ethos than the 1950s golden era cars, but its nice to imagine being an Italian gentleman of the era.

Thats an interesting summary Geoff. The Flavia Coupe Iniezione certainly seems to have a very clear character described in different ways by different people.....but with a strong element of consistency.
I am having some difficulty agreeing a deal with the owner of the car which prompted my initial post but I am still keen so lets see what happens.
Chris

[ColinMarr]

Having amended my earlier post to confess how improper it was to take such photos, let me continue to post a few more, if only to complete the series. These were taken on the drive home after a Flavia Consortium AGM in 1990. The red Flavia was that of Bob Summers.