I did it again ... this time it's a 1972 Lancia Fulvia Coupe

[Bonnyboy]

Awesome work - I am jealous that you have the time to play.   I admire the work you have done.  Well done.

Back when I had just got out of University and went and got married (early 90's) a buddy of mine had a neighbor with a back yard full of Italian cars.  The neighbor had passed away and the widow asked my buddy and his bother if he or his friends would like any of the cars before she had them towed away.     

There was a Lancia Fulvia in need of rust repairs,  a relatively new 4wd Lancia Delta that rolled and was missing the windows (but had a roll cage) and a pristine Alfa Guilia (4 door).   All free for the taking.    Damn I wish I had storage space then.   The Alfa ended up sitting in his parents back yard for 4-5 years and finally he gave it away.    I don't know why but I wasn't interested in any of them at the time.   Fast forward 30 years and what would I give for any of them.    Especially that 4wd Delta.  I'm sure I could have straightened it out / painted it white with a few stripes..... 

[Cees Klumper]

Yes Ian, we probably all have memories of cars now very desirable that we could have bought way back when. I had a Alfa GTV 1750, my very first car, that I bought for the princely sum of $250 when it was less than 10 years old (already leaked a lot of oil though).

Well I just spray painted the shell - armed with more tips from a member of the Lancia forums and my extensive experience, having painted the Volkswagen 411 earlier this year and then the various Fulvia parts where I made a few mistakes, I managed somehow to avoid those and I am looking at an almost perfect paint job 'straight out of the gun' now curing slowly. I ended up using the entire 5 quarts of Tractor Red paint on this little car, so it's definitely enough. I have just a few small runs but those I should be able to remove relatively easily. I have 3M's 'one-step' system for wetsanding and polishing on the way, so after some more elbow grease I expect to have a really, really nice result. All in all in materials (paint, primer, reducers, sandpaper, masking paper and tape) I spent about $500:

[Garry]

Great job Cees. Nice colour.
 I just love that model of the Lancia.

[Cees Klumper]

Since the paint went on I've enjoyed the 'cleaner' jobs of installing many new parts, mainly all light fixtures, grill and various other assorted bits. Also got the  front and rear winscreens back in place and dismantled the entire engine. I checked and measured everything against the technical data specifictations and earlier this week ordered all the engine parts I need from a supplier in France - they are on their way. It does not need much: new valves/springs/guides, connecting rod bearings, oil pump, piston rings but the pistons themselves, still standard spec, are in great shape and so are the bores, the crankshaft and the main bearings. Also installed all the trim, the rear side windows and window seals. I did have 3 head bolts shear off and had to get those drilled out by a specialized machine shop.
It's coming along well, I have still a lot of jobs to do but there is light at the end of the tunnel for sure. Getting the paint on so well was a big milestone.
Also had the magnesium wheels straigthened and powdercoated. One of the photos is just to get an idea of what it will look like once done.

[Cees Klumper]

Some more pics:

[114015]

Absolutely awesome, Cees!

[DaveB]

That's high-quality work on a neat-looking car. I like the faux woodgrain dash!

[Cees Klumper]

Picking up the engine rebuild parts tomorrow. Meanwhile have been addressing the many smaller jobs that need doing, like removing surface rust off the many suspension components and then repainting in 2K satin black, fitting new bushings, ball joints, CV axle boots and so on. Refitting the doors and the door-related mechanisms, locks etc. This coming weekend I hope to pass a milestone, which is to get the car back on its wheels - fitting the rear axle, springs, shocks, brakes etc etc, many components new:

[Pinder]

Cees you mentioned tracker paint. what type of paint system is that. is it enamel or single Stage AU ? does it need any catalyst? Really nice work you do.

[Cees Klumper]

Thanks Pinder!

The paint I used for my 4 cars is single-stage urethane from TCP Global. I get the gallon-kit which comes with an additional quart of hardener - so the mix ratio is 4:1. I usually add reducer, around 10-15%.

Here's their webpage. There's other suppliers out there but I have been very pleased with this paint:

https://tcpglobal.com/pages/acrylic-urethane-paint

[Pinder]

Nice.  get it from them too.  I like the fact I can order online.

[Cees Klumper]

The engine is back together, timed, with the head totally redone and everything else that was needed, including new piston rings. Plastigauged the bearings, measured the combustion chambers, the works.
Hopefully today the whole sub-frame assembly with the engine is going back into the car. On the home stretch:

[Peter van Es]

Looking really good...

[Cees Klumper]

Thanks Peter/

Much progress to report - had it not been for a defective fuel pump, I could have had the engine running for the first time since the rebuild yesterday. New pump on the way ($55 plus shipping from Atlanta) and today I wrapped up the electricals (all of the lights, fuel gauge, fan, warning lights, interior lights - so many electricals on a car!). Had to troubleshoot here and there, fix grounds, install new bulbs and so on, but now everything works. Even the clock, that was not running when I got the car so I opened it up, cleaned and oiled it and so on, seems to be keeping good time now. Over the past few days I installed all new coolant hoses and fuel lines. Still some more work to go but it's almost there. Fingers crossed on that first start-up ...

[DaveB]

I see you got what I presume is a factory-correct body colour overspray on the underside, like the pagoda.
It would be great if you can film your startup, I'm sure it'll sound good. And will be a very engaging driving experience.
You might be sad to see it go, but you'll have a good profit as recompense.

[Cees Klumper]

Well heading for a bit of an anti-climactic pause to this adventure. We are moving back onto our boat at the end of June so I am losing my workspace/garage, and the Lancia is almost, but not quite, finished. I first ran into weeks of delay on the carburetors that were not functioning properly, so I had to rebuild them, get an ultrasonic cleaner for them, and so on. But once I sorted that out, the engine was not building oil pressure. So now I am looking into the cause of that - must be something really simple, but in any event it is looking exceedingly unlikely I will get that sorted in time to have the car inspected and titled/registered by DMV here in California. So yesterday I rented a garage in Santa Monica where I will store it until I can locate a new workspace (a friend and I are looking for one to start restoring cars for fun, around Culver City/Inglewood.

Meanwhile here a video of me cranking the engine and trying to prime the oil pump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ysYKjmCC8

Today I finished the second-to-last job on the car, installing the passenger side window regulator, window, doorcard and related hardware. Only thing left now is the front brake lines and hoses. Then off to the slumber lounge in Santa Monica ...

[neelyrc]

Cees,
Today the Mare-Monte Rally for pre 1991 cars and motorcycles was held here in Italy. The Rally runs from Chiavari on the sea to Bedonia in the Apennines near my home.  We watched the participants arrive and had the opportunity to look over the vehicles later.  There were two Lancia Fulvia coupes participating.  I only got a a picture of one, a 1968 model. 

Unfortunately there were no Pagoda participants, Mercedes being represented by a single 190SL and two 107s.

Enjoy!

[Cees Klumper]

Very nice Ralph, thamks for posting. Lovely Series 1 and in a nice color also.

[Pinder]

Really amazing quality of work.