And So It Begins....

[SanRemo78]

Sat down with a cup of tea. Had a conversation with myself. If the motor doesn't pull it far enough to close the valve fully then it must be mounted too close to the valve. Or the lever is too long on the valve and the fulcrum would need to be closer to the centre of the valve. So, with a pair of needle nose pliers I bent the Z shaped steel lever bracket to effectively shorten the lever, made sure it was perpendicular to the motor and moved the motor mount back a few mm. All connected up again and now it seals properly, I can't blow through the valve. And after opening it and closing it a few times it's still shut tight. I think we'll call that problem solved. Now all I need to do is find one of those bloody spring clips that shot off somewhere in the garage and bounced off the bonnet as I opened up the casing again....

I also got an email to say the relays are arriving tomorrow so I may wire them up and find somewhere to put them on a dry assembly. Next week I may be removing the dash and heater assembly to put the last of the DynaShield on the bulkhead as I think all the necessary holes are there for coolant pipes etc etc.

[stableblock]

... are you blowing in the direction of flow or against it Guy.  Some valves only seal one way.  Might be worth a check.

[SanRemo78]

Both ways, but it's adjusted and seals now.

[SanRemo78]

I'm putting off the stitchery on the sun visors.. But not for long. I've been pondering the expansion tank for a while now. Mine, the bottom of the two in the picture, had seen better days. I've tried everything I can think to clean it up and make it presentable including putting it through a couple of cycles in the dish washer with a couple of tabs inside it, treating it with various things like mild acids and alkalis to remove the staining but in the end, only one thing worked and I'll get to that in a post or two.

I'd had the various brackets and fixings cleaned up and plated and, in anticipation of abject failure with the tank, bought a Fiat Ducato one. And whilst that one can be made to fit it's not a straight bolt on job sadly and I was faced with re-drilling various brackets to make it work.

[SanRemo78]

There's another problem with these original tanks you'll see where they fail, there are cracks forming around the central post on both, the cleaner, top tank is the worst plus there's corrosion in the steel of the filler necks all of which compromise the sealing and pressurising of the system. Mine has not failed at the post yet and a friend is looking at having a tool made so he can either recut the steel at the bottom of the tank to get rid of the surface corrosion and then have it replated. Or find a replacement neck that he can graft into the original tank.

So, here's a request, has anyone out there got a spare header tank without the crack in the post area? My friend borrowed a brand new one from another mate to put on his ex works Waldegaard Stratos and is no longer in the position to replace it. They want to replace the borrowed one with a patinated one in good condition...

Cheers
Guy

[SanRemo78]

And the header tank issue is sorted now for me.

[SanRemo78]

After every attempt to clean it, including some not listed and a lot of swearing I finally found out how it's done.







Buy a new one. Oh my poor credit card but thank you Fortunato Valenza for finding one.
Guy

[peteracs]

Hi Guy

Looks like I can repay the favour, I have a spare one, think it is ok, will check and get it sent off.

Peter

[SanRemo78]

Thanks Peter, you're digging a friend out of a very very very deep hole so there will be financial compensation for this one! Friendships are at stake!

Cheers
Guy

[SanRemo78]

Two days attempting to trim one sun visor and every attempt went tits up. Or worse. I need professional help with this. Someone with a decent sewing machine and the ability to use it...
Now decided that I need to admit defeat and engage a professional.

Know your limits folks!

Guy

[Nigel]

Guy,
Happy to share my method using card and leather, no stitching
and just superglue.
I always found the originals were too thick and never really seated in place.
My hack keeps them thin, but nowhere near original. And no mirror.

Nigel

[SanRemo78]

Thanks Nigel, I'm fairly set in how I want it to be. The headliner is my own work, all black Alcantara and it turned out how I wanted it, but straight lines are easy to do on a sewing machine for a numpty like me. However, using black cotton on a black background with my shortsightedness didn't work using the machine or by hand.

If it doesn't turn out how I want it then it's plan B. Sunglasses and no shades! Luckily I've yet to puncture the headliner for the visor fittings.

Cheers
Guy

[SanRemo78]

With Electric AC and a High Amp WOSP 175amp Alternator I have been plagued by V Belt slip when the AC is at maximum. I have used an idler to get more belt wrap and now a slightly larger alternator pulley. Use a Poly V belt or tooth drive if you can. Note I have a tooth belt drive set up from Croatia on my bench to work out how I make it work. The crank pulley is 28 tooth not 29 like a VX crank pulley toothed pulley so I will have to have a toothed crank pulley drive made to run the alternator WP and Volumetrico SC. Alan Young Engineering for this. If you are not using a VX or Volumetrico and have no need for an ECU trigger disc mount it is a great solution. I have some engineering drawings to do!

Eric

Took me a while to find this post Eric but I knew it was there somewhere! A frustrating couple of weeks with the sun visor trimming proving to be beyond my capabilities so I resorted to a professional, hope to get them back in a week or two.
I am getting to the point I need to start looking at the motor and gearbox so.a few days tidying up the garage and getting rid of dust and dirt. An engine stand was ordered (cheapie £45 one) from a UK eBayer but when it turned up the box was damaged and the wheels were missing. So, UK supplier, simple quick replacement. Nope. Turns out the wheels are coming from China and taking a while. They'll pitch up when I'm at Gerry's next week.
I've ordered a set of cogs for the water pump, alternator and crank with a toothed belt so I shouldn't suffer from belt slip there as per your recommendations. I assume I get them for the same supplier you did?

https://classicperformance-parts.com/product/fiat-124-131-132-ritmo-lancia-beta-delta-engine-toothed-pulley-kit-2000/

I think I'm going to see the wiring folk mid May to spec the system and discuss the size of the alternator I'll need to keep the car happy when the air conditioning pump is running. Then I need to source it - either a 175 or 250 amp one I would guess? Wosp probably as they list both for the Beta but finding a supplier may be an issue! Also need to consider water pumps, I'm not sure what's in the engine at the moment but there is a NOS one ready to go but it's a standard one and not a VX/Montecarlo one. That's probably a worthwhile upgrade at this point too?

Guy

[WestonE]

Hi Guy

Yes those are the folks.

[kbetas]

When i fitted an in head thermostat to the 2l HPE I also went overboard and fitted an uprated water pump and lower temp thermostat (circa 82 deg C from memory). These mods have transformed the temp the engine runs esp in traffic. Previously the engine ran really hot most of which was due to a dodgy thermostat and now i certainly feel a lot happier never seeing the temp guage going above middle!. I imagine the uprated water pump would help when running aircon and an uprated alternator?.  Maybe also the lower temp thermostat?.

[SanRemo78]

Still not 100% sure about the delegation of sunvisor trimming to the "experts".

This what it ought to have looked like.

[SanRemo78]

And this is what came back, £80 for two. Materials supplied.

The main part looks great, it's lost a bit of body and shape near the mirror but the trimming around the clip was just amateurish. Nearly ripped it off to start again.

[SanRemo78]

But decided that an attempt to fix it was probably worth the effort. Much happier with the result now. Once they're installed in the car I think I can live with the exposed seams along the hinged side. One of my spare ones has the two halves folded over and stitched together before the two halves are then stitched together for a really neat finish. Unfortunately the pattern one I left with the trimmer had the two halves stitched together to leave a visible flange. Since the entire headliner is now black Alcantara I think it'll be fine in situ.

[SanRemo78]

It's been a busy month with Hawk Cars getting ready for a year end stocktake, preparing the final VAT return for the year and putting an Audit Standard accounts pack together for the accountants but, as that's what I did professionally for 40 years I think it ought to be okay. Preparation now underway for the Malvern Kit Car Show at the end of the month is taking up yet more time I want to spend in the garage on the Beta.

I had a day out at Simtek Electronics in Rochdale meeting Ginny and Jay and finalising the Bodylogic set up that will form the backbone of the wiring system in the car. It'll control all the lighting on the car plus wipers, horns, ignition, starter, alarm, immobilizer, central locking, battery cut off, heater fan, air con controls and a variety of other circuits too but there will be some for which a bespoke harness will have to be built such as windows, the HVAC system linear motors and the harness for the engine sensors and instrument panel. I've asked them to see if they can source the electrical connectors for the instrument plugs with the intention of building a sub harness to one socket so the ones on the back of the gauges never need disturbing again. I hope to collect the loom in a couple of weeks at the Malvern show.

I might get a few days on the car this month but really hope to get back deep into it from the middle of June now. an engine stand has turned up (6 weeks to get a set of missing wheels from China....) so there's a chance I'll be starting on that and the gearbox soon. I've had visitors too collecting some spare parts they needed for their rebuilds, duplicate parts given to me passed on to help others. A little space created in the garage/sheds is always good but the real creation of space will come as more parts get nailed in place!

I've not been quiet on parts sourcing either, there's a set of cogs and a belt on the way from Croatia to replace the water pump pulley, crank pulley and alternator pulley with a toothed drive. Eric advised this be done now and the loads that will go through the belt will be significantly higher due to the Air Con compressor. Having spoken to the electronics expert I've been advised that a 175amp alternator should be up to the task so that's going to be an expensive weekend for the credit card when I place the order for a Wosp Lancia 037 one...