My new project, finally got my integrale.

[KevJTD]

A bit of a pictureless jigsaw puzzle I guess but I'm sure it'll not be that bad...

Probably got to chop the bottom few inches of the outer 1/4 bottom too, so that'll need a new one making up.

I'll make a start next week.

[junior]

Good luck with it all. I would find it over whelming. Esp as you say mentally.

Mind you that might be just because I went to Brightwell's auction yesterday and some of the stuff they have as an

`easy ' restoration are far from it.

Will you go for aa alloy or plastic cat flap in the boot or is the cat to be evicted.

[KevJTD]

lol, cat well and truly evicted mate, although at the moment there is a wide array of entrances to chose from!

to be honest the rear end isn't as much of a concern as the strut top bits was, ok the rear suspension towers are pretty much of the floating design at the moment but nothing much more complicated than that. the rest doesn't need to be particularly accurate for me, it's my car and will be forever so originality in the rear inner wheel arch isn't too much of a concern. once I get started I don't think it'll be too serious.
once I get the floor/turret/inner 1/4 panel all attached to each other again i'll build it back on the rollover thingy and make an inner arch and weld it in whilst the car is upside-down


don't think it'll be as bad as some bits, or i'm getting immune to it all!

[Johnboy]

I think just immune to it chap. It's just time . Same with my car . Any normal person would give up .were just hero's

[KevJTD]

time to start on the rear end work

dug out my tilt frame and with a fresh load of angle and box section the plan was to build up some supports then get it on the tilter

on reflection it seemed wise to try and get a bit of strength into the easier to reach areas before attempting to lift the car from both ends. so the drivers side arch was the winner today.

there was quite a complex array of angles and differing sections that converge there, probably was it has rotted out so much as plenty of double seams for moisture to get into.

aim was to build it all back up as it should be, but that would require quite a few complex repair sections to be made up. then considered just plating over it all with some flat plate but didn't want to allow flexing, without the angled return sections it's not half as strong as it ought to be. tried to make one big repair section but that proved too time consuming. chopped out what rot there was then assessed the situation

quite a few sections made up to make it good and strong, including the important bits like around the seat belt anchorage!

all welded up and ground back

rest of the inner arch i'll do once the car is on it's side, passenger side to sort next time then up on the tilter it'll go

[Johnboy]

Never easy .but it's turned out great kev

[Kegsti66]

Lovely job done there Kev.
You just make it look so easy. Top work.

[KevJTD]

don't know about making it look easy, must admit that it stumps me for some time on these bits. have to have a think then re-think, stop for a game of Sudoku on the phone, then realise that nobody is coming to do it for me so best have a go!

started out trying to make the whole length it one go but it twists and turns far more than the pictures show, would have taken hours to make something in one piece. worst part is getting going, once a piece is added and more bits gets made it starts to become clearer which direction to go in, I liken it to a big old flywheel that needs some starting but once going it carries momentum to keep at it..

started off with a small curved section plug welded to the door seal seam. the flange that sits under the wheel-arch sits mid point between the hole I cut, patch for attaching to the inner part laid here waiting to be attached and dollied into shape as it gets fitted

[Bluesuit]

Awesome stuff Kev, you seem to have no fear!

Cheers Ian

[KevJTD]

today the drivers rear arch needed finishing off, at least the forward section of it anyway, top side and rear i'll do when I can get the car upside down

the end of the sill needed capping in along with the inner face of the inner arch needs repairing and fastening to the new bits I put in last time. arch itself also looks a bit worse for wear

bottom of the arch where it meets the sill is also a bit rough

at least the rot hasn't travelled too far..

first bit made and welded in

then the piece linking to the new sill

[KevJTD]

next job to chop off the rust arch edge and make a new one,

bottom of the inner arch was all capped in plus the inner section linked into the previous new lip

new arch all welded in, it is quite a narrow folded edge that goes back on itself, like a U turn

when the door is closed the arch sits inside the door edge return, quite the muck trap, always needs careful cleaning which is why they rust so well!

when the door is closed and the sill cover is on you can't see a thing of all the hard work!

[KevJTD]

Other projects have again delayed progress on the Delta, despite having this week off work with the intentions of getting a few days on it I've only managed to get there today

So here goes a small update

The rear extension arches that the integrale has had some rot in the bottom corners with the unusual sight of some pop rivets on the inner side, something wasn't quite like it left the factory!

Sanding off the paint from the outside revealed what has been done in the past, a repair section has been riveted over the top, a galvanised piece by the looks of it but that still didn't stop it rotting through both old and new pieces You'll also notice the lip doesn't line up with the door edge, something that had got me thinking as the rest of the door lines are fine...

Only thing to do is to chop it all out and make a new arch section.

Held up to where it should go you can see how the previous repair section didn't meet the door properly along the bottom.

Bit more fettling to make a crisp joggled edge and reach for the welder......to be greeted by no gas

So all that effort and still didn't achieve a lot

Just a case of welding it in though next time, careful to check alignment with the bumper too

Of course there is still a huge amount of reconstruction to be done behind the outer arch including making somewhere to mount the side bumper guide, and making a side bumper guide!

[Kegsti66]

Great fabricating going on there Kev.
Really getting on well with the job now, don't forget the clocks change this weekend.
You're going to have to find a bigger gas bottle mate.
Keep up the great work.

[Johnboy]

Great attention to detail as always.

[KevJTD]

Cheers guys. Much appreciated

It's proving a bit tricky to figure things out where they should be with nothing but fresh air to go on, the side bumper mount guide needs to be in the correct 3D position which isn't as easy as it sounds, but I'll figure it out somehow.

Did manage to get a couple of hours at it this afternoon whilst waiting to go to East Kirkby for the Lancaster taxi run and fireworks tonight, panel all welded in to where it needs to be, the rest I'll reconstruct on Wednesday or have a go at least!

[KevJTD]

As much as I've tried to put it off the time came to chop out the boot floor grot, the outer seam got peeled back as it looked like there may be problems all along but thankfully only the top surface needs changing away from the outer ends.

Once the end of grot was found the bottom portion of the double skinned boot floor edge got repaired, still quite a space to be filling up!

A patch was made up to fill in the missing boot floor with the square holes for the bumper mount plus a few holes to allow plug welds to the lower section

All welded in and a good base now to build everything off

The chassis rail underneath got a small repair to make good a grotty bit then an outrigger got made up, would have been a lot easier to make in sections but neater results to be had by spending a little time.

This part helps to create strength in the floor corner and when the central arch is repaired back to it should make a solid base to fit the outer arch panel too, as well as a bumper mount

About it for today, all etched now to stop it rusting before next weeks visit, which at this time of year. Must say though I'm happy that the repairs are finally getting going, this is almost the last big job welding wise

[Alfamet]

Kev; good job chap. Keep it going!

[KevJTD]

Cheers Col, seeing all the other cars like yours getting done keeps me motivated

[Johnboy]

Your be driving to Italy in no time now kev

[KevJTD]

the reconstruction of the boot floor and inner arch continues..

started off repairing the rear panel seam edge at the central section

then the taller piece that goes over the bumper mount slot and joins the seam, which the allowed the inner repairs to be made and the outer panel to be welded back in place

next stage was to make the closing panel that would link the inner arch to the bottom edge of the outer arch I made last time, not as easy as it looks as had to line up in some different directions

bit of cleaning up and some etch primer on and that was my day done. little steps, but at least i'm making some progress, just need to get off my arse a bit more and stop having late starts and long dinnertimes

[Johnboy]

That's great progress kev

[Kegsti66]

Are you kidding mate!!
You need to have a break now and then

[KevJTD]

Cheers guys, nice to get some feedback as always.

[KevJTD]

been to cadwell today, last event of the year there is a stage rally. was an integrale in amongst a line up of Group B display cars, just a road going one.
took the opportunity to have a good look at the rear bumper mount area to see if my theory on how it should look was about right!
heard a guy say "that's the strangest picture I've seen taken" as i'm knelt on the grass with my camera in the rear wheel arch!
then heard the central locking go, it was the owner!
anyway, had a chat with him and he confirms the originality of it in the area I needed to know so a great relief to know i'm on the right road.

GT I bought though has taken my time which a few days off last week was hoping to use on the car, but happy now to know the direction to go in..

[rsfruitbat]

Hi Kev

my mate was doing that in a Toyota Yaris.

Did toy with the idea of making the trip over with the 33 but the job-list took precedence im afraid.
I was planning on having Sunday on the 33 and ended up doing other things.

Integrale resurection look awesome which fits with the quality of work you do Kev.

Although I think the integrales are great my Lancia heart belongs to the Montecarlo i'm afraid. Managed to get a sit in one at the NEC and even bought the T shirt

All the best rsfruitbat

[rsfruitbat]

hi Kev.
Just read this thread through from the start.


Gob smacked. Totally gob smacked.

That's all I can say at what you are able to achieve and the way that you achieve it. I have nothing but admiration and respect for what you are able to achieve. Incredible.

One query though. Did you ever find out of your grale had the grp N engine in???

Rsfruitbat

[KevJTD]

Quite an interesting array of cars there mate, did wonder about mentioning it to you but guess you already knew about it so left it at that.
There was a poor guy who rented a newish Polo from one of the companies that do the hire & drive deals, rolled it at the bottom of the mountain by the looks of the car I bet he's lost his deposit

Cheers for the comments on the car mate, it's definitely a labour of love, hardest one to keep motivated on really as it needs so much doing, the end result to come is what keeps me at it..

The car is 99% sure now to be what I was told, well 99.99% really, as sure as we can be without written confirmation.
I have actually been lucky enough to get hold of John Whalley who was THE guy back in the day doing the RHD conversions.
Mike Spence was the "factory" guy in the UK that was assigned to do the conversions but apparently the job was often done so poorly that other Lancia Dealers decided they could do the job better so started doing their own.
From the details that John spoke to me about it isn't one of his, nor is it a Spence one.
It is entirely plausible and from the words of the previous owner (from new, don't forget) that it is a car that Walkers experimented on doing the RHD conversion with a view to doing a few themselves, the engine being out making it a perfect candidate for a test run. According to John it was almost impossible to do the conversion without taking the running gear out but they devised a way of doing it, saved on 2 to 3 days extra labour!

The engine being the Group N one from the RAC/BRC car is pretty much a given. I really need to try and confirm it but everytime I try and find an avenue to disprove it I can't, it always comes back to this being the car...from several different people from back in the day..

It will be staying with this 8V engine and gearbox now anyway. I did seriously think about going with a 16V gearbox as it has a slight bias to the rear rather than the 8V's 'box a slight bias to the front but there are other differences too apparently, not least an hydraulic clutch on the 16V which would mean a different peddle box being sourced etc. A guy I spoke to from Tanc Barret who knows inetgrales inside out reckons for road use i'd be hard pressed to notice the difference anyway

[rsfruitbat]

If you are ever stuck Tanc Barrett is about 10mins from where i work.

All The Best Kev

[Johnboy]

That was a great read kev . I remember back in the day. They used HF turbo racks . But as you said .some where badly done .

[KevJTD]

Drivers side rear arch behind the bumper section got finished off on Wednesday afternoon, luckily the integrale I had a good look at at Cadwell the other week meant I had a better idea of what it should be like, fresh air both sides didn't give many clues
I'll do further up inside the inner arch when I turn the car over, be much easier than trying to weld upside down.
Main thing though was to get this area done before it goes on the rollover frame as I'll use the bumper mounts into the floor for the jig, so getting the bumper mounts sorted now is necessary as the underside and arches I'll paint on the frame.