- Australia: Bill Jamieson

23

Transcript of - Australia: Bill Jamieson

Page 1: - Australia: Bill Jamieson
Page 2: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

The Lambda World Register (www.lambdaworldregister.org) is managed by

- Joachim Griese ([email protected]) - Bill Jamieson ([email protected])

and supported by regional coordinators for - Australia: Bill Jamieson - Austria, Germany, Switzerland: Joachim Griese - Belgium: Leo Van Hoorick ([email protected]) - Ireland: Roland Frayne ([email protected]) - Italy: Francesco Gandolfi ([email protected]) - The Netherlands: Joost Koning ([email protected]) - The United Kingdom: Mike Benwell ([email protected])

- The United States: Neil Pering ([email protected])

The Newsletter will be published 4 times a year and is edited by Bill

Jamieson and Joachim Griese

Contents of Newsletter 4/2014

Bill Jamieson, Joachim Griese: Editorial page 1 Joachim Griese: International Lancia Lambda Forum page 2 Joachim Griese: The 2014 French Lancia Rally page 5 Bill Smith: Notes on Lambda crank bearing fits page 6 Joachim Griese: Lambda Drawings page 8 Rick Furlong: Around the World in 1988 – Part 2 page 10 Count Alberich Lodron: Lambda 14154 – Curriculum Vitae page 15 Joachim Griese: A surprising Lambda page 17 Lambda Spare Parts page 19

- Sliding Pillar parts - Air Filter for 8th series Lambda - Lambda Running Board Material - Screws for Lambda Cylinder Head Side-Plates

Cover photo: The 2014 French Rally (Photo: Joachim Griese)

Page 3: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

1

Editorial We start this editorial with some bad news., as we report, with great sadness, the passing of John

Vessey, at his home in Buxton, UK, on September 15. He was 90. Most Lambda owners will

remember John as one of the two principal figures in the Lambda Consortium, and following John

Turner’s untimely death in September, 2012, John V’s passing marks the end of their 40-year

partnership in operating this important source of Lambda parts. But there was much more to JGV

beyond the Lambda, and we will offer a more detailed tribute to the man and his life in our

next Newsletter. For the present, we send our joint sympathies to John’s wife Anne, and to

their two sons, Mark and Richard.

The Lambda World Register now has records of 400 Lambdas from 25 countries, and we are

aware of a further 40 or so, details of which we hope to get soon. In the next Newsletter we

will give you a detailed situation report about the Lambda World Register and its activities.

In this issue we intended to include the second part of our series on the Lambda Differential.

For several reasons, the material for this article is not yet complete, so this topic will have to

wait until our next publication. Our apologies to those who were anticipating this item. We

can only say that it will be worth waiting for!

Our project to enlarge the collection of Lambda drawings is progressing well, and with the

help of Lambda owners from Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK, we

have now about 200 original Lambda drawings, mainly of mechanical parts of the car. The

Australian Lancia Register has given us a contribution to buy a further ten Lambda drawings

from FIAT Centro Storico.

As you see from the list of articles on the preceding page, we offer you also in this Newsletter

a broad spectrum of information about Lambda history, repair and restoration activities,

stories of special Lambdas, and details of newly-available spare parts.

In the Northern hemisphere, summer is over, and it’s now time for Lambda owners to begin

their fettling and other restoration activities. In the Southern hemisphere it is Spring, and the

Lambda owners there are eager to drive their perfectly-maintained Lambdas to the first of the

rallies.

Very best wishes to you and your Lambda.

Joachim Griese and Bill Jamieson

Page 4: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

2

International Lancia Lambda Forum

As you may remember from our Newsletter 3/2014, the International Lancia Lambda Forum took

place in Torino on May 31st. In this Newsletter we give a short summary of the first three

presentations.

Dr. Enrico Masala: The History. Dr. Enrico Masala, Honorary President of the Italian Lancia Club, opened the Forum presentations

with an analysis of the sources of Lambda innovation, stemming from that of former Lancia models.

Looking at the models from the Lancia Alfa to the Trikappa, he described interesting examples; like

the carburettor of the Alfa, the motor lubrication of the Theta, the 1919 patent for a V20º motor; the

cantilever rear suspension, and the Hardy-coupling for the Trikappa – all of which contributed to the

innovative solutions of the Lambda.

Motor patent in 1919 for a V20o Hardy-coupling of the Trikappa

In the second part of his presentation he showed impressive pictures of various Lambda models.

Page 5: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

3

Stefano Falchetto: The Project. Stefano’s father, Battista Giuseppe Falchetto, transformed Vincenzo Lancia’s ideas for the Lambda

into excellent engineering solutions, and he documented much of what he was doing in a diary,

extracts from which Ing. Falchetto used as an excellent basis for his presentation.

In his introduction, Stefano made some historic remarks about the basic ideas for the Lambda, some of

which stemmed from Vincenzo’s racing experience.

The monocoque body of the Lambda Prototype (drawing dated from 1.9.1919)

After a description of the Lambda prototype, he presented interesting details of the time between the

prototype of the Lambda in 1921 and the production version in late 1922, when a small team of eight

persons worked 12 hours every day (except Sundays) to design and construct the final form of the

body, the front suspension, the brakes on all four wheels, the engine compartment, the transmission,

the steering box, and the fuel system.

The final part of his presentation described the special characteristics of the nine Lambda series,

supported by excellent pictures.

Page 6: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

4

Costanza Lancia: Innovation in Production Well-equipped by her studies in Industrial Design at the Politechnico di Torino, Costanza Lancia drew

an impressive picture of the innovation which took place in the Lancia Company when they began to

produce the Lancia Lambda.

After a general introduction about the car industry in Torino and the typical process of car

manufacturing in the beginning of the 20th century, she characterised the objectives for the Lambda

manufacturing process:

- The preferred use of metal for all parts (minimising the use of wooden parts)

- The use of aluminium to reduce the motor weight and application of the narrow-V cylinder

design to make the motor short in length

- The use of specialised machines (from all over the world) to rationalise the production process

- The need to give excellent instructions for all the manual work

- The application of tight controls to ensure high quality

The Lancia company changed fundamentally the production process from a functional specialisation

to a Ford-like linear integrated production. For the customer, the picture also changed dramatically:

Instead of choosing a nice body for covering the mechanical parts of the car, the customer received an

integrated solution ; a body in harmony with all the mechanical components beneath the surface . In

Page 7: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

5

addition, the technical innovation of the monocoque body defined the aesthetic line of the car ; one of

the main reasons for the Lambda success.

Costanza Lancia’s presentation contained a large numer of photos (partly from the family archives),

which clearly illustrated the innovative Lambda production.

-------------------------------------------------

You may download all these presentations from our website www.lambdaworldregister.org.

including Bill Jamieson’s video at the beginning of the Forum.

In Newsletter 1/2015 there will be summaries of the rest of the presentations, and again all the

presentations may be downloaded from our website.

Joachim Griese [email protected]

The 2014 French Lancia Rally

Held this year in the French alpine region of Haute Savoy, far from Paris but near to the Swiss and the

Italian borders, the French Rally attracted 60 fine Lancia cars, half of them from France and the other

half from countries like Belgium, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It

was marvellous to meet so many Lancia friends with cars like Lambda, Artena, Augusta, Aprilia,

Ardea, Aurelia, Appia, Flaminia, Flavia, Fulvia, Beta and Delta.

We met on Friday, September 19, at the Castle de Menthon, Saint Bernhard, and after a guided tour of

the Castle, our cars had to climb the first of the passes (a total difference in height of 1743 m) to get to

the Hotel in La Clusaz, a well-known ski region. In contrast to the weather forecast, we had much

more sunshine than rain, and the mild temperatures of an early autumn.

Saturday was a very challenging day. The French Rally, famous for offering pleasant motoring for our

cars on good roads, and documented with excellent roadbooks, this year intended to show us nearly

all the ski-resorts of the Haute Savoy; 220 km and a total difference in height of 2569 m was the result

when we came back to our hotel. All the cars made it, and those Italian Lancia friends who had made

their first Lambda rally outside Italy were very proud. And we were in France – so there were nice

coffee breaks, an excellent lunch and – back in the hotel - a wonderful Gala Dinner.

Page 8: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

6

Sunday was nearly a rest day – with „only“ 90 km and 647 m in height difference. We went down to

Lake Annecy, and then up to the Col de Leschaux and had a farewell lunch at a hotel above the Lake

du Bourget. To sum it up: A really international rally, perfectly organised, excellent excercises for our

cars, and all of us were very happy to meet so many Lancia friends.

Joachim Griese [email protected]

Notes on Lambda crank bearing fits

Bill Smith [email protected]

There are a number of issues to consider when reconditioning Lambda crankshafts, connecting rod big

ends and overhauling cylinder blocks for the various bearing surfaces. In no particular order of

importance I have found the following factors need consideration. I cannot comment on the traditional

and original method of manufacturing these bearings, namely the cast white-metal system, as I have

no experience with this type of bearing in piston engines, although some general principles do apply to

both slipper bearings and white metal. The issue of pour-cast white-metal bearings is further

complicated by the high failure rate of current practitioners of the art. This does not imply that all

practitioners have high failure rates, but that the knowledge available in the 1920’s has not filtered

down to all who practice the art in the 21st century.

At the advanced age of Lambda engines there is usually extreme damage to the main and big-

end bearing shells on the locating faces/diameters and their respective housings. This damage

causes both the white-metal brg and the slipper brg to distort randomly on each subsequent re

clamping of the brg caps. This destroys the accuracy and fit of any bearing. The fit of the

bearing shell into its housing must be perfect. I have learnt this the hard way and now

manufacture new bearing shells for all reconditioned engines.

Many white-metal bearings are made far to close a fit on the bearing diameter as well as the

thrust faces. This is either done in ignorance or as a misguided attempt to ensure “good oil

pressure”. An oil pressure gauge is a very poor method of judging the health of a bearing,

albeit the only method we have available. Oil pressure is only useful in ensuring that the oil is

delivered in sufficient quantities, to the correct entry point into the bearing to allow the

formation of a hydrodynamic lubrication system. The correct entry point is often referred to as

the “2 O’clock position”. Most Veteran and Vintage cars enter the oil from the bottom of the

Page 9: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

7

bearing cap, which is totally the wrong position for high-speed bearings. Lambda is high

speed and has the correct position. When the pump has done its job of providing the oil, the

bearing then needs clearance to form a lubrication film. Unfortunately, Peter Makeham and I

were going to collaborate on this and a related subject before his untimely death, as he had a

Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in this subject. No reasonable amount

of oil pressure will generate the film if there is insufficient clearance. If the clearance is too

little the film will not form and the lubrication regime is forced back into a “mixed friction”

phase. i.e. a lot of metal-to-metal contact, with its attendant friction and heat Whereas a

hydrodynamic lubrication film forms an oil barrier between the sliding parts, given reasonable,

well known surface finishes. If the clearance is sufficient to form a film but the alignment of

the parts is poor then the ability of the parts to form a film is also compromised. With the

slipper brgs I use on Lambda (MG and Volvo) the brg clearance is 0.025 to 0.067mm on the

mains (MG) and 0.028 to 0.08mm of the bigends (Volvo). In addition, slipper brgs are

manufactured slightly oval to provide clearance when the bearing caps are loaded by the

forces that reach maximum at the ends of the stroke. These forces reduce the diameter of the

bearing in the direction of the joint face. I suspect the clearance required for slipper bearings

are no different to those required for poured white-metal. From the Lancia drawings so kindly

obtained by Joachim, the Lambda shell bearings do not have any allowance for this pinching

force. However the drawings for the shells are for partially-finished shells, the final machining

(line boring etc.) has not yet been completed and we would need a spec sheet for this operation

to confirm the exact bearing condition as delivered to the customer of the day. That is after I

interpret the Italian notes on the drawings to confirm the absence of the data I need. If there is

insufficient oil flow through a plain brg, whether poured white-metal or slipper, the oil will be

grossly overheated and start melting the bearing metal.

The line boring of the white-metal bearing and the boring of the location bore for slipper

bearings needs to be carried out with utmost precision. Some line boring machines cannot

accomplish this due to their design (read cheap, old and/or nasty). Some line boring machines

are not used in a tradesman-like manner. Thus the block is bored with misalignment between

the three bores.

Lambda crankshafts can easily be ground with a bend in them. This is due to the truncated

circular drive face for the flywheel giving difficulty in accurately clamping, trueing and

driving the crank in the crank grinder. I employ a clamping and driving fixture to overcome

this issue.

The gear mesh for the vertical cam drive is governed by an offset dimension between the

vertical shaft bores and the crank bores. This dimension is 79.5 mm. All new gears are now

tested and stamped as tested for this dimension. When line bored however, the block must be

remachined to this same factory dimension. Any shortening of the distance results in the gears

running hard in mesh. The line borer must be setup as best we can on the remains of the ½

bore in the block (the caps cannot be used as they are usually in such poor condition). Then

rebore the block and reconditioned caps and new half shells made to a bigger fit diameter.

Most cranks have been ground so many times with indifferent care that the location taper for

the main cam drive gear is running out to the main journals. The gear mesh, even if the bore is

accurately located in the block, will reduce to zero backlash at some point in its rotation.

Adequate clearance on thrust faces on both main and big end bearings must be maintained. On

main bearings, I recommend using the rear main bearing as the sole thrust bearing for the

crankshaft. The centre brg is far too weak for thrust. To date I have not seen any evidence of a

factory spec on this feature (see above comments on the semi-finished factory shell drawings).

I recommend 0.03 to 0.05 mm end-float for the rear main brg. Both the centre and front mains

should have sufficient clearance to avoid them becoming thrust bearings when the block

expands more than the crank when the engine heats up. The centre main should have 0.08mm

clearance on the rear side of the centre main and 0.05mm for the front side thrust. On the front

Page 10: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

8

main it should be 0.1mm on the rear-facing thrust and 0.5mm on the front-facing face. All

faces should have radial oil grooves to allow oil flow through the faces and thus ensure that oil

is flowing continuously through the cylindrical bearing and out via the thrust face. This

prevents the oil from boiling when trapped in the bearing cavity with no means of escape.

Preferably these oil ways should be near vertical and point up at the cylinder bores. If the end

clearances are not correct, the cylinder block will buckle and bend the crank.

Poorly made gears also cause the crank to be tight to rotate by hand.

The overhead cam drive system can also cause severe pulsing in the rotational torque. The

common practice of using very high valve-spring strengths can mean that is takes a lever on

the flywheel to turn many engines, at certain points during any rotation. The Consortium

currently supplies close replicas to the originals. In addition there are errors in the replica

cylinder heads, both the iron and aluminium units, that position the valve guides up to 1.5 mm

out of their correct fore and aft position. This can cause a jamming of No1 exhaust valve

spring retainer and No 4 rocker and the same on No 3 exhaust valve. Hand turning can be very

difficult with this problem, let alone the damage when the engine is started. In addition I have

never seen a spec on the cam damper spring for the late series, but I have seen many different

springs, some giving rise to large torque variations at the crank.

What ever is done to the cylinder block, crankshaft and rods, if the engine will not turn over easily by

hand (without rings, weight-lifters strength or levers), then there is something wrong that must be

corrected before any further assembly work can be contemplated. Many engines have been assembled

when far too tight, but their life is short and the chances of damage beyond just the bearings is very high

and necessarily hard to predict.

Lambda Drawings

Joachim Griese [email protected] In the production period of the Lambda the Ufficio Tecnico of the Lancia company made the Lambda

drawings which were used to produce the Lambda parts. Today these Lambda drawings are necessary

for us to produce replacement parts. This article gives an overview of the structure and the content of

Lambda drawings.

Taking into account that the Lambda was produced in 9 series with 13 different frame types, you may

imagine that the total number of drawings is quite large. Even reducing the scope by concentrating on

the major components such as motor, gearbox etc. there are 3 motor types, 2 gearbox types, 3

Page 11: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

9

differential types and many other technical parts which are different for the early and the late series of

the Lambda. A good indication of the number of drawings are the Spare Parts Catalogues (which may

be downloaded from our website www.lambdaworldregister.org). If you add all the parts in the

Catalogues you may end up with a number in excess of 1000.

There are two types of drawings. One type is very obvious: There is (at least) one drawing for every

part; and – very simple - the part number which you will find in the Spare Parts Catalogue is also the

number of the part in the drawing. Over time Lancia may have made a technical change in this part

and therefore a new drawing was made; that means every drawing has a date on it. And as you see in

the example D1 there is another important information category on every drawing:

modifications; modifications of the material, modifications of the use of this part, for example

« Only up to Construction Number 4320 » etc. In addition you see in D1 the typical

information in every drawing such as dimensions, material, scale, quantity and so on.

The other drawing type is not for a single part but for a larger unit such as a motor or gearbox; this

type is referred to in Italian as « assieme » or « complessivo » which means something like

« overview ». This type of drawing is useful to see how the parts are assembled and what other parts

are in this unit. In D2 you see a part of the assieme-drawing for the gearbox type 109.

There are other categories in this drawing type like date, modifications and some technical

information; and there are all the part numbers belonging to this unit; for example in D2 above on the

right are shown the part the numbers 677, 783, 792, 791, 832, indicating also the drawing numbers for

these parts.

As you see from the examples, the drawings available today are sometimes not in good condition.

Nevertheless, scanning them and being able to enlarge them makes them in most cases at least legible.

D1: Drawing for the Lambda part 10-58 (spring for the oil pressure relief valve ) of the

engine type 67 with the date 4.6.1923 and some (handwritten) modifications.

Page 12: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

10

As you know from our Editorials in the LWR Newsletter, we are compiling a collection of Lambda

drawings, at least for the most important technical parts and units, to assist members to produce

replacement parts to the original Factory specifications and quality, in order to keep our Lambdas

D2: Drawing for the « assieme » (overview) of the gearbox type 109

alive. Some Lambda owners have already helped us with their drawings, and further help is very

welcome. We were also very pleased to receive a donation from the Australian Lancia Register, who

have financed the cost of 10 original Lambda drawings from FIAT Centro Storico in Torino (the only

place in the world where some Lambda drawings are still available).

Around the World in 1988 Part 2

Rick Furlong [email protected]

„ ... Back in Australia we had to take the long way around, across to Perth and up to Darwin“

Page 13: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

11

In early march, a very jaded vintage car was unloaded from the container at Greenaways warehouse in

Sydney. To clear the car at Dagenham Customs in Britain had cost $20 and took less than an hour. In

Sydney it took a fortnight and the accumulated charges were nearer $1000, on top of an exorbitant

shipping fee from Los Angeles.

Somewhat despondently I headed immediately south towards Canberra, the prospect of completing the

16,000 kilometres of the Australian leg a little grim. On the outskirts of Canberra, a persistent misfire

set in. Then a huge stone thrown up by a passing truck badly holed the radiator. Forced to stop on the

roadside to make quick repairs to the magneto drive and squeeze silicon sealer into the radiator core, I

discovered one of the rear-mounted spare wheels was missing.

Seconds later a local sheep farmer pulled alongside in his Landrover utility, With a triumphant grin he

handed me the lost spare and retaining cap. He had been following me some miles ago and had taken

evasive action as the wheel bounded down the road towards him.

The Victorian border was crossed in darkness, the Bosch lights having extinguished as a fuse gave

way.

Another quick stop to insert a makeshift silver-paper fuse cobbled from a chocolate wrapper restored

the lights. Near midnight, I drove the Lancia into my driveway in Castlemaine. More than a month

would pass in frustration before new sponsors and another co-driver could be found and the round-

Australia leg continued.

In April, Paul Davies, driving the Talbot, phoned to say he had arrived in Sydney. They’d had some

anxious moments driving across the African deserts on compass

directions and difficulty building a raft of native canoes to cross one of the East African rivers. No-

one else had arrived, tough he had heard that his English compatriots were somewhere in India.

Early in May, fellow VSCC member and vintage Alfa Romeo enthusiast John Lawson phoned.

Would I join the Shell-sponsored Melbourne to Perth East-West Rally and take on a couple of fare-

paying passengers? Sort of a rally within a rally. Could he come along as co-driver after Perth?

Certainly.

Meanwhile, Tricontinental Merchant Bank weighed in with a cheque to defray costs, which seemed

appropriate as the Lancia had indeed been driven through three continents. With fuel and meals paid

for, we would sleep out or sponge off friends around the country.

Page 14: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

12

I arrived late and grubby at the start in the Bourke Street Mall to be greeted by my passengers. Frank

Rennahan and his tennis partner Leslie Walsh were both immaculately outfitted in whites. Vintage

examples of Alvis 1250, Alfa Romeo and Pontiac were gathered at the start, along with other classics.

Retired West Australian shirt manufacturer Brian Nevard had never set foot in a vintage car but was

preparing to set out in a 1932 Chevrolet he had bought on spec the day before from The Age

classified! Amid popping flashlights and inquisitive television cameras, the field was flagged off by

the Lord Mayor. The pace was fast and furious, with an Alvis 1250 breaking a crankshaft near

Horsham and the vintage Wizard Smith Replica Essex of Jack Mayes suffering a similar fate at

Bordertown. “Cripes” said Jack, “I was only cruising around 80mph when it suddenly let go. It

wasn’t as if I was flat out!”

After an illegal high-speed dash with Lawson in the racing Alfa around the Adelaide Grand Prix

circuit, we drove westward towards the Nullarbor. But first a southerly diversion to Port Lincoln were

the local mayor and Vintage Car Club member greeted us warmly. At Ceduna, on the edge of the

Treeless Plain, I suspected my passengers had been smuggling anvils in their luggage. The Lancia’s

rear springs were bowing downwards alarmingly.

Local Farmer Charlie Lorimer, Dodge fanatic and master of the makeshift, led us to a very dead

Zephyr in one of his paddocks. With hacksaws and cutting torches we removed two spring leaves in

the moonlight and later trimmed and fitted them to the rear of the Lambda. Back in business again.

The desolate expanses of the Nullabor were ideally suited to rally organiser Tim Flynn’s next

challenge for car and driver. The Nullabor Man-Versus-Beast Sprint was narrowly won by Brian

Navard in the Chevrolet from fleet-footed show tycoon Len Grunwold.

Similarly, the midnight running of the Maclura Hillclimb displayed Flynn’s penchant for the bizarre, a

howling mob of dingoes forming an appreciative audience on the desert skyline. All too soon the

East-West Challenge was over. It had been an unexpected bonus in my round-the-world trial, but with

the heavy round of social outsings laid on in Perth, I feared we may grow too soft for the solitary final

leg. In Perth, Shell agreed to sponsor my total fuel bill. The last financial problem had been solved.

John Lawson and son Paul left the racing Alfa on display in a Perth showroom and joined me for the

dash to Darwin, where Paul would leave us. At Carnarvon, Cyclone Herbie struck in the early hours.

Page 15: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

13

We awoke to see sheets of iron, dustbins and the contents of staffed clothelines whipping past our window in the gale. A rope tied around the Lancia’s girth saved the billowing hood from destruction.

With floodwaters surging up through the floorboards and into the engine bay, we gingerly made out

way through dozens of swollen creeks, the car occasionally misfiring but refusing to stop. By Port

Hedland, a crack had opened up near one of the spark plugs – a result, no doubt, of the constant

flooding. We welded it and drove on, but not before visiting the owner of an incredible Australian

“zoo” where I was at least able to take that elusive kangaroo photograph for my Italian helper.

Next day, after moving out of Broome, we passed another vintage rounder – Don Darwin in his

Oakland on his way to Derby to catch up with a group of Victorian Vintage Drivers Club members

taking a leisurely six-month trip around the continent. A week after leaving Perth, the Lancia motored

steadily into Darwin with the cylinder head crack in need of major repair.

The Richardson family, themselves vintage Fiat owners, generously opened their garage facilities,

enabling us to do our repairs in readiness for the drive to the tip of Cape York. The three days across

the Top End were the fastest yet, overnighting at Tennant Creek and Normanton on the way to

Mossman, in north Queensland. Near Carnoweal, we stopped to chat with Phil McDonald, riding a

penny-farthing bicycle right around the country, an incredible feat to raise money for Polio Plus.

Apart from a blowout which took the tyre clear off the rim and vibrations which shook some universal

bolts loose, the run was trouble-free. We stopped very briefly to photograph the Gulflander rail-motor

and the derelict ancient Daimler rail car in the station yard at Normantown. We heard that the British

Vauxhall 14/40 had landed in Darwin with the American A model Ford and that both were heading

direct for Sydney.

At Mossman, the prophets of doom were out in force. People who had never attempted the trip did

their utmost to dissuade us, embellishing their arguments with the most horrific stories. Impassable

rivers, trackless wastes, deep sand….you name it….all lay before us. Besides, the road was open only

to four-wheel drives.

We left for the Cape early. Four days later, when we returned triumphant after 1800 grinding

kilometres, mostly in the low gears, the same pundits were astounded.

True, we had been ploughing for hundreds of kilometres through deep sand or pounding over bone-

jarring corrugations hour after hour. Beyond Laura the road was little better than a bush track. At

Coen, the barflies greeted us with derision, predicting a week-long trip if – and that was a very big if,

they said – we could cross the Wenlock River.

Page 16: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

14

Indeed, the Lancia’s skinny tyres often sank into the sandy bottom of the Wenlock, forcing us to wade

ashore and tie the winch cable to a tree on the opposite bank. And sump bottomed occasionally,

leaving the wheels in mid-air over a washed out gutter. We become adept at prising the stranded

vehicle to firmer ground with a sapling.

At the Jardine River the rear mudguard crumpled as the car slipped back down the bank and hit the

ferry. We couldn’t have cared less. The tip of Cape York was less than two hours away. We made I

and on our return to the ranshackle Coen pub next day, the Lancia was given a hero’s reception. The

same derisive barflies were now openly impressed.

We had no way of realising that the following day would be by far the toughest of our trip. We would

be tackling the Bloomfield Track through the Daintree Rainforest. It took us more than 12 hours to

cover 100 kilometres.

The road through the Daintree is more like a goatpath mined with potholes. Potholes? Make that

elephant pits. The crocodile-infested rivers are tidal, so the depth of the crossing varies from knee to

neck high, depending on the time of the day and the phases of the moon.

So much water came into the car as it struggled across the stony Bloomfield River crossing that the

groceries floated out the tucker box, cakes of soap bobbed round the pedals and a sodden town sank to

the floor. Lawson looked as if he was performing his ablutions in a giant Edwardian hip bath.

As he inched the car down the last precipitous slope into another ford, the acrid smoke from the still-

smouldering clutch swirled into the cockpit, mixing with the steam clouds billowing from the hissing

brake drums. With two exhaust valves burnt out, we limped into a backpackers’ lodge near the

Daintree ferry.

In fading light and surrounded by astonished German tourists, the cylinder head was dismantled and

refurbished with two replacement valves, then the lot reassembled in readiness for a dawn run to the

ferry.

The run down the east coast was something of an anti-climax…if you discount the minor matter of a

tyre which blew on the other side of the Harbor Bridge, within sight of the finish. Five months and

26,000 kilometres after leaving London, the Lancia coasted to the Opera House finishing without a

spare.

“Why don’t you wash it?” shouted a passing truck driver.

Page 17: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

15

Lambda 14154 – Curriculum Vitae

Count Alberich Lodron [email protected]

May I present myself: I am Lambda 14154, and I was born in Torino in September 1925.

Already my birth was something special, different from all the other Lambdas. You ask why – I will

tell you.

I was a special order! My owner, an Austrian aristocrat, was very interested in me, but he made a

condition before signing the contract. He wanted to have a test drive in his homeland: at the steepest

part of the Turrach pass (32%), the Lambda, with 4 persons, must be able to stop and then start again.

Unfortunately my elder brother (the demonstration car) failed to do that.

The Austrian aristocrat was very disappointed, and asked my inventor, Vincenzo Lancia, if there were

other gearbox ratios for the Lambda. Vincenzo made two proposals, but the Count was not happy with

these because he didn’t want to have a lower top speed in 4th gear. He proposed his own gearbox

ratios to Vincenzo, and this was designed and manufactured. You can see in picture below that I am a

„special“.

Due to the summer holidays, my delivery was postponed a little, but on November 20, 1925, I was

handed over to my owner in Vienna. Notwithstanding the winter temperatures,

Page 18: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

16

my owner proudly began the first of his excursions, but one of them ended in a pile of snow (this is

documented in detail in my logbook). The Countess also had problems in the beginning: I ended in a

ditch! But after these little accidents in my first months, we made many many kilometres and long

rallies without any kind of problem.

In 1929, we made a long trip together with one of my Lambda brothers, driven by the brother-in-law

of my owner to visit Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland (5.550 km). Average petrol consumption

was, according to the logbook ,13.13 litre/100 km.

In springtime of every year, and sometimes also in autumn, we crossed the most beautiful passes of

the Dolomites to visit my owner’s brother, who had a winery near Lake Garda.

I survived the second World War without tyres but undamaged, well hidden in a barn. After the war, I

was driven regularly until 1961. Then I was jacked up and left dozing for some time; this was really

boring! But – happily enough – in springtime of 1980 my sleep ended.

My engine was restored and I had the same performance as in the beginning. I also got a new coat of

paint (the car had already been repainted in the 1950’s). Since 1980 I have participated in numerous

classic car rallies, sometimes covering very long distances. One of them was the « Paris – Torino »

Rally. We started from our home in Austria, to Paris, took part in the Rally and went back home from

Torino (3.000 km). In 2005, we went to the East European countries Hungary and Ukraine; this was

fairly exciting.

And now? After so many years of my life (nearly 90), and having covered 187.000 km, I need a rest.

At present I am receiving a general restoration. My engine is already restored, and my body will be

ready in early 2015. Then everything has to be reassembled – and, my dear Lambda brothers – then I

will be with you again!

See you soon!

Yours,

Lambda 14154

Page 19: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

17

Editorial Note Keen Lambda observers will have noted that the gearbox data plate shows not only the unusual serial

number of S-1, but also an odd gearbox type number; Tipo 110 instead of the usual Tipo 112 for a

standard 4-speed gearbox. So the changes requested by the Count, after his discussion with Vincenzo

Lancia, resulted in not just the substitution of different gear ratios, but the construction of a complete

and different gearbox. These days, the notion of a car manufacturer providing this kind of customer

service is astonishing.

Bill Jamieson [email protected]

A Surprising Lambda

Joachim Griese [email protected]

My first impression of this Lambda when I saw a photo of the car was somehow strange. From an

external view it looked like an early series car in fairly good condition. Some weeks later I had the

opportunity to actually see the car.

We were curious to check the details on the rear cross-member: On the left side there was nothing; on

the right side we found the number “63” We removed the boot-lid fasteners and there we saw on the

Page 20: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

18

back side of both fasteners the number “76” with an added “D” for “destra” (right) and “S” for back

“sinistra” (left). The same number “76” we saw on the wooden parts of the passenger floor seen from

below. The cylinder head cover has the typical rectangular form of the first series. The biggest

surprise came when we tried to discover the motor number: there was no number on the cylinder block

and the material was not aluminium but cast iron, with the letters „C G C“ (apparently the

identification of the foundry). The gearbox number is 300.

The registration plate numbers in Spain follow the same rules as in the UK. The original number stays

with the car as long as the car remains in the country. In a list of cars registered in Barcelona in 1927,

we found the number „11853“ and the name of the owner at that time. Another document shows the

name of another owner in the 1940’s (interestingly enough this document identifies the motor number

as „71“; so maybe this was the number of the original motor). A later document (apparently of the last

owner of the car) records the date of the first registration as 30.9.1923.

So it looks like we have found a very early Lambda of the first series with the construction number 76

and the chassis number 63. It now has a cast iron cylinder block. The original motor number was

probably 71 and the gearbox number is 300. Any comments are very welcome.

Some further Comments on Chassis and Construction Numbering

It is most interesting to see details of this very early Lambda. At this stage in the Lambda production

the Lancia Factory had not yet developed a formal system for recording the separate Car/Chassis and

Construction numbers. It is likely that initially the Factory proposed to use just one number to cover

all aspects of each car.

The number which we now know as the Car No./Chassis No. was then called the „Vehicle No.“

(Numero della Vettura), and was stamped on the right-hand side oft he rear cross-member. The many

hand-fitted components which were systematically assembled were individually stamped with another

number which we now call the Construction Number.

Page 21: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

19

In the very early Factory production records the Car No./Chassis No. was written by hand in the

margin of the record books opposite the corresponding Construction Number. By 1925, the record

system was revised, and separate columns provided for Car/Chassis No. (Numero Spedizione) and

Construction No. (Numero di Costruzione della Vettura) in the record books.

On the car itself, the Car/Chassis No. was now stamped into the left-hand side oft he rear cross-

member, and the Construction No. in the corresponding position on the right-hand side.

Bill Jamieson [email protected]

Lambda Spare Parts

Sliding pillar parts The king-pin cylinder 10-1004 and the hydraulic damper control rod 10-1034 are completely finished.

The king-pin is made from Ovaco skf 75 Tube ; the internal bronze is RG7 ; the control rod from

42CrNiMo4 steel. Hardened and ground.

Price per set (one polished king-pin tube and one damper control rod) = € 2,000

For the offer see Figure A, with the corresponding named parts.

A B The king-pin tube has been made according to the dimensions and specifications shown in the drawing

from 25-5-1923 of the Lancia Factory (see diagram B)

The piston rod and other components listed (see Figure A) are made according to the dimensions and

specifications of the original (see picture D)

King-pin tube C Piston rod D Price is without shipping.

Payment 60% in advance.

Page 22: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

20

Delivery is from private address to private address without any liability.

Leo Schildkamp [email protected]

Air Filter for 8th series Lambda

Part number 19-405; price without shipping: 800 Euro

Mario Beccerica [email protected] Lambda Running-Board material (ribbed aluminium profile)

Part number 10-1888; price without shipping: 150 Euro/piece

Mario Beccerica [email protected]

Screws for Lambda Cylinder Head Side-Plates Part number 10-845; price without shipping: 1,5 Euro/piece

Page 23: - Australia: Bill Jamieson

21

Mario Beccerica [email protected] Editorial Note

The usual specification for these screws is:

3/16“W x 5/8“ Stainless - Raised countersunk head.

For Tipo 78 and 79 cylinder heads, 27 screws are required for each side-plate.

*****************************************

An artist’s impression (figurino) of a proposed body design for the First Series Lambda. The car was never produced in this form.