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Sunday, April 05, 2009

Still Alive

Just in case you were wondering!

I was browsing the excellent fora on Atlas today; these really are excellent for those interested in Motorsport. Apart from the "Racing Comments" forum which is concerned with current events in F1, there is the superb Nostalgia Forum and also the Technical Forum. The contributors to this are very well informed - at least most of them - and some of the contributors are obviously in the highest echelons of the Motor Industry - or perhaps Motorsport industry. The expertise and breadth of knowledge to be found there is quite simply breathtaking.

And it was a thread there that prompted this post.

Those of you who are "hands-on" Fulvia owners who cannot resist taking things apart may have been distressed to notice the sad state of your rocker shafts... Yes, Lancia in its wisdom (or perhaps they let the cost accountants out for a breath of air) chose to run the forged steel rockers directly on the hardened steel rocker shafts. If you have removed the valve gear you will probably have noticed the depressing wear in certain places. I should add, that had Lancia bitten the cost bullet and lined the rockers with bronze bushes which would be the normal engineering procedure (oil retention) amazingly the shafts would have worn probably just as much. In the 1930s, Lancia produced the wonderful Aprilia, a car years ahead of its time - like so many Lancias. The engine, a narrow-angle V4 of course, featured duralumin connecting-rods. These had no bearings, the dural ran directly onto the steel, and it was the crank that wore - not the rods!

Well here's a thread from the Atlas Technical Forum that is concerned with the subtleties of rocker shaft design and manufacture. Should appeal to the engineers and mathematicians amongst you!

Meanwhile there is a chance that I shall finally be in a position to offer you proper Fulvia (mechanical) attention if you live in the Geneva area or perhaps if you are on a pilgrimage to Turin! I may well be operaitng at a garage in Evian les Bains directly on the shore of Lake Geneva. If my expertise fails to attract you, then surely the view will!


Watch this space.

A bientôt

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Paul.
Good to hear from you again. I still look in regularly!
Regarding the Atlas F1 forum, have you seen the amazing technical drawing thread in the nostalgia bit? If not, I strongly recommend you do. The Lancia D50 drawing is my favorite and now my screensaver.
Regards
Robert

Paul said...

Hello Robert,

Nice to hear from you. How's that wonderful special of yours coming on?

Anonymous said...

The special is still in good shape and great fun to drive. I got fed up trying to get the FI to work so it's still on carbs! Unfortunately I was a touch too skint to go to any track days or the Nurburgring, as hoped last summer, so I still haven't done anything really exciting in it. It looks like it could be too late now anyway as I'm selling the poor old girl. I lost my job a couple of months ago and I am setting up my own business now, so need the money and space badly!
It might be more sellable without the engine (not everyone has as fine taste as us!), so I might be able to keep the engine for another Fulvia project in the future.
So, how's your special?
Robert

Paul said...

Sad news Robert, that I am sorry to hear. I hope your new venture is a success.

Perhaps we should advertise the car here - you never know!

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