Fulvia 2C for 2013?

[chriswgawne]

Our first Lancia was a Fulvia 2C which had spent its early years in South Africa. I bought it for Jacky from a scrapyard in Shepperton in 1975 I think and it was in very good condition overall. However some work on the sills was needed eventually, maybe a couple of years later (?) and whilst doing this work we discovered pieces of spongy black rubber in each sill which had to have been there from new.

[fay66]

Our first Lancia was a Fulvia 2C which had spent its early years in South Africa. I bought it for Jacky from a scrapyard in Shepperton in 1975 I think and it was in very good condition overall. However some work on the sills was needed eventually, maybe a couple of years later (?) and whilst doing this work we discovered pieces of spongy black rubber in each sill which had to have been there from new.

I have photos of these that came out of an Australian 2c, I wonder what they were for

Brian
8227

[DavidLaver]

Young love eh?   

"So where are we going?"

"I want to buy you a prezzie"

"So why are you stopping the car by this scrapyard...?"

[chriswgawne]

Are we saying that the pieces of rubber might only have been in the sills of Fulvias destined for far off hot and dusty markets? At the time my dear old Dad thought they might have been there as a barrier to stones rattling around in the sill sections but he and I never we never agreed on this. I havent a clue what they were there for.

[fay66]

Are we saying that the pieces of rubber might only have been in the sills of Fulvias destined for far off hot and dusty markets? At the time my dear old Dad thought they might have been there as a barrier to stones rattling around in the sill sections but he and I never we never agreed on this. I havent a clue what they were there for.

That's a thought, I've checked the Tavoli and there's no mention of them, another of lifes mysteries

Brian
8227

[neil-yaj396]

Sound insulation? Or were they meant to fill the cavity and keep out the water they probably soaked up?

[chriswgawne]

I should also have said that the rubber was discovered in the sills because that was exactly where they had corroded! Presumabky because the spongy rubber held the moisture? A small amount of repair was needed.

[fay66]

Sound insulation? Or were they meant to fill the cavity and keep out the water they probably soaked up?

Certainly didn't fill the Cavity, here's a couple of photos of them from the Australian car, a series 1 GT not a 2c as I said previously.
They also appear to be made from close cell foam.
Brian
 8227

[neil-yaj396]

Weird, are they some sort of wedge used to help body assembly??

[fay66]

Weird, are they some sort of wedge used to help body assembly??

Thats a thought, or perhaps used to seperate partially assembled panels when stacked waiting further operations, although that seems unlikely in my experience; and normally you would use a jig to locate a panel during assembly

Brian
8227

[LanciAlan]

Confirmed no rubber yokes found in my car. Progress report received today re trial fitting of wheelarch repair sections ...



Looks like the passenger side inner sill is also done ....



I feel a bit of a fraud posting someone else's work that I'm only paying for but I'm sure I'll feel quite differently after I've spent a few hundred hours re-assembling the car myself after all this!

[fay66]

Looking good Alan,

and certainly no need to feel a fraud, 'A labourer is worthy of his hire' much better to pay someone who really knows what he's doing as your man obviously does.
Your time will come!

Brian
8227

[LanciAlan]

No more pictures yet but I've just had a telephone update on progress with this project from Bill who, having made the panels, is sort of supervising the work being carried out by Mark who is sort of an apprentice to Bill. So it seems the Lancia panel-making skills base is being broadened which can only be a good thing.

Bill says he is very pleased with the way the work is coming along. The shell has been transferred from the wooden dolly I made for transporting it and onto a more rigid steel one that Mark has fabricated for Fulvia repairs. A chassis misalignment of half an inch has been detected at one rear corner - not surprising when you see the twisting angles to which it was subjected in its short time as a historic rally car (picture elsewhere in this thread). Not surprising either when one considers how critically weakened the bottom 6 inches of the shell were - including in hidden places. This can't have been much better 4 years ago when the car was rallied!

My target for completion of the repair work to the shell was next month (August) but that seems unlikely now. However it is more important that the work progresses thoroughly and that nobody loses heart so I am quite happy to wait until the chaps have finished in their own good time. I have other windows of opportunity to collect the car in September (LMC AGM) and again in November (NEC) when the ferry costs will be less. I think it was last November's NEC when I delivered it! All going well, I will use the empty trailer run to bring over another Fulvia project shell for Bill to make panels and Mark to repair. Zagato time!

I was sorry to discover that Bill has had an accident and has damaged a disc in his spine quite badly. He is a very strong and active man for his age (he told me he was previously a weight lifting instructor - not sure if that was in the athletic sense or the health and safety one!) but even Homer nods and it seems he lwas moving some concrete fence posts ...... I am sure we all wish him well in his recovery which has not impacted on his good cheer. I asked what drugs he was on and he said it was mainly Jameson.

[fay66]

Alan,
Looking really good, 100% sure you're taking the right decision of letting the work proceeding at it's own pace, sometimes not always a good idea as you know, but in this case certainly worth it.
What a great job they are doing, and having someone to follow Bill's skills in Lancia panels is a real bonus, but I can't wait to see her finished and restored to the condition she was in when I first viewed at Michael Newberry's picnic, back about 1996.
Keep up the good work.
Brian
8227

[LanciAlan]

Some pictures now to hand. First, the car is now on the steel jig ....

      

The jig was made for a Fulvia Coupe so the subframe that forms part of it fits my sedan at the front but the uprights that attach to the rear spring hangers fall short of the sedan's longer wheelbase so the rear of the car is on jacks for now both for this reason and because ....

In talking to Bill he mentioned somewhat ominously that additional work had been found necessary to the rear chassis rail spring hangers area and was already in hand.

   

So it seems, out have come the spring hangers along with some of the boot floor and a bit around the area of the rear suspension bump stop ...



On reflection (and not having seen the car for many months now) I realised that this development helpfully closes off my concern that I would get the car back with all the agreed work done (mainly cosmetic exterior panel work) but still requiring patches to less obvious areas that I had not included in the agreed price. As it would be expensive for me to commission/persuade someone else to start on this work afresh, it is actually a blessing (and very reassuring) that Bill and Mark have identified and addressed this work too. It will stand to me in the long run.



As they say ...you couldn't pay to have this  sort of work done, but it seems that I am.