Current activity
The B20 has both been getting improvements and also been slumbering. First, the slumber:
After the motor difficulties of last year, the car went to Pittsburgh to winter with Walt Spak and Bob Williams. These two men are as knowledgeable as anyone in the US about Aurelias (and Lancias in general), having restored and built up many of them over their 30+ years of working with Lancias. Both own Aurelias.
Bob runs a restoration shop and Walt builds up engines. Walt got the engine out, looked carefully through it, and decided the best route for the engine would be to get some custom connecting rods made. We have always been a bit concerned about those “skinny” rods in the s. 2 motor, and will feel better with both stronger rods and shell bearings. Along with that, the oil pump and filter will be upgraded, as will the main bearings (to shell as well). The advantage of the new rods is that they can be made to dimension so that shell bearings (once selected) can be sized to the crankshaft and then fit the rods. The crankshaft has been measured, bearings picked, but for now, we simply have to wait on the rod maker.
In the meantime, Bob offered to drop one of his early Aurelia motors in the B20 and road test to fettle out some minor issues with chassis and suspension. Given Scotty’s health issues, he was unable to do that – and while I was happy driving the car just restored last year, the reality is that these cars need to be sorted out… carefully. So Bob looked carefully, found some bushings that needed adjustment, rebalanced the clutch, adjusted the driveshaft, found a valve in the sliding pillar that wasn’t working… the little stuff that really matters. He even got the petrol gauge on the instrument cluster to work.
Its tempting to dip out to Pittsburgh for a day and drive the car, but so far, haven’t quite found the time for that. So in B20 terms, its quiet and not so quiet. Patience, they say, is a virtue.
PS – Bob and Walt are taking the B20 to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in mid-July, so the car will be there….
Fulvia HF restored by Bob Williams some years ago, picture from fall reunion last year in Pennsylvania.
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