International Lancia Forums

I want to give part credit to the Lancia Gamma Forum Commentor who recommended driving with the shaft nut a bit loose. I drove for 2 days ( not very far, nor fast, but on tight streets, corners & roads) with the bolt slightly loosened.
Perhaps this exersize had some effect on todays success, perhaps not. But when it did finally pop, I saw a coil spring - for the 1st time ever on a steering shaft - & then understood what the Gamma Commentor meant when he said "it just popped up".

Driving around with the clamps removed is also a good way of loosening exhaust sections.

now I know.

Conniseur-seems to be the preffered English spelling & is also 1/2 of the Brand Name of a Tin Soldier Line manufactured in Paris. The other 1/2 in Mignot. So my attempt to speel this word was a small success.
I hope success has 2 c's & 2 s's !

Connaisseur seems to be the preffered French spelling. I would never have gotten to this spelling, even if
I tried all night.

I preffer the English version. I assume they are pronounced similarly.

JoGo, that was one of the funniest things I've ever read on a car forum. Thanks for the frequent and hilarious updates.

Peter

I posted a "more-correct" version on the world's funniest Lancia Forum - "Lancia Gamma Forum".
Category - Technical Tips. Please read the "sanitized version" - it makes more sense ( I hope).

On that forum it is possible to go back & correct grammer, spelling & factual mistakes or add additional comments, even hours / days after posting.

On the Viva Lancia Forum, I have accepted the fact that someone takes my "perfect-entrys" & maliciously fills them with grammer, spelling & factual mistakes. & there is nothing I can do about it.

Although you may not be a Gamma Driver, the Gamma Forum is, in my humble opinion, worth reading. Lotsa great stories, photos, jokes, insults, lies etc (as is to be expected, considering that most Gamma Drivers are rough characters & / or hoodlums) as well as lotsa good / important Gamma & other Lancia information.

Oh, buy the way - I also drive a Gamma ! I like its steering wheel, so in it stays.

jogo48 wrote:
>
> see my posting of 08.12 - I hereby correct myself.
> Jeff is a Gamma Driver & not a Gamma Griver.
>
> See my smiling face. Task done, mission accomplished. But
> 1st some funny stories of todays events.
>
> At 0800 I went to look at my Iveco Truck, which was up on
> blocks at the truck-shop. I said to myself m"oh, shi-, this
> is gonna be XXpensive". A conversation with shop-boss &
> mechanics went like this:
>
> why R the brake discs unused after 128,000 km & R being
> replaced because they are rusty ?
> why R the new-looking / unused-looking pads falling apart
> after 128,000km, due to lack of use ?
> why are the calipers being replaced after 168,000 km, because
> they don't open & close like they should, because of non-use !
> Doesn't anyone in your company use the brakes ? How can we
> make money if we can only replace them every 4 years ?
> for heaven sakes (or words to that effect), step on the
> brakes sometime ! Hard ! even if you don't have to !
> we R replacing them because they R unused. If you had used
> them sometimes, they would've lasted another 128,000 km !
> I said "OK" & left. I figgered that they didn't care to get
> their very dirty hands all over the inside of a Fulvia, so I
> didn't mention the real reason I visited driving a little red
> car.
>
> at 0830 I called Mr Theil, who said "come any time & leave
> the car - maybe for some weeks & maybe for some months" (or
> words to that effect) until he discovered a
> "new-removal-solution" & found time to tackle the task. &
> that they would use that time to see what else needed to be
> done to the car, since no 1 could justify driving so far just
> to have a steering wheel removed. I said "OK, if I don't
> come up with a better solution myself, I'll bring the car.
>
> Somewhere in the middle of the day I remembered I used to
> have a friend located much closer that Rudesheim, who has
> many lovely Alfa's & other Ital-Exotica in garages he built
> around his (very large) auto shops - in a "outer-perimeter"
> configuration. When he decids to keep a car, he built
> another garage.
> I'd not visited him for quite some time & this would be a
> good excuse to !
>
> So I phoned & explained. He said "tonight at 1900". When I
> arrived there was a 4 man crew waiting to tackle the task.
> Lotsa muscle. The biggest person limped over to that car,
> saying "If I'da lost 50kg 30 years ago, my knees wouldn't be
> shot" & "I've been workin on Fiat, Lancia, Alfa for 30 years
> & I never saw a Lancia like this before". He sat in the car
> & said "I'll be finished in 1 minute " ( I said, to myself -
> if he is finished in 1 minute, I will pass out)
>
> Another one opened the hood (bonnet) & said " you need some
> new hoses, the carb is sucking in air someplace". Another
> said "neither carb is set quite right & they aren't
> sycronized & this brake vacuum hose is collapsing & needs to
> be replaced with a steel one & your are only getting 1/2 the
> power you should & using too much fuel " (Yes, I was
> impressed !!!!!!!!!!) .
> Mr Big got out of the car without a word.
> They we all went to work.
> The "usual.proceedures" acheived - (you guessed it) -
> "Nuffin".
>
> Mr Big said "well, I am outta ideas, so someone else sit in
> here & I'll look at what else this car needs".
> An aluminum hammer appeared & I was told "always use a alu or
> copper hammer when smashing steering shafts, they are softer
> than steel & won't damage anything. I rocked on the right,
> some 1 else the left & the hammer half-strength smacked the
> shaft = Nuffin !
> I said "iffin we ever get this 1 out, I hope the new wheel
> fits". We looked at the teeth on the new 1 & every1 said -
> more or less at once - "it looks like it might fit".
> Mr Big said, "you need non-pitted door handles"
> Mr Very-Tall went to get some "heat"; reappearing with an
> industrial strength hair-dryer pistol & proceeded to heat the
> shaft.
> Mr Big said "you need a new dash-cover - such a nice car &
> you taped over the cracks - you are lucky because we have a
> new dash-cover; its been in stock for 20 years & now we get
> to sell it"
> We were told to rock R & L; the hammer reappeared & tapped 1
> or 2 times lightly. The wheel gently popped free after years
> of entrapment.
> Lotsa smiles all around. The new (black leather) wheel fit.
> & - according to everyone - "looks-right".
> I was told "wrap up all the small bits / the original wheel &
> keep em", so I will.
>
> On Saturday the car returns to Bad Durkheim (Bad = Baths /
> Spa - Heim = Home - I've no idea what or whom
> Durks are / were , but that is where "Auto Geneiser*" is
> located) The German word "Geneiser" means (lets see if I can
> spell this word) "Connisseur". That doesn't look right.
> Lets try Conniseuer. Still wrong, I am sure ... but you
> know what French word I mean. The Hammer Mann of today is Mr
> Geneiser.
>
> He told me he would lend me his Fulvia 4 door, since he will
> have my car for some days, so the brakes don'r rust ! (ha
> ha). Nice man.
>
> He also agreed to tackle the task of installing the 4 point
> seat harnesses so that they are not wrapped "all over the
> place" in a poor attempt to make them shorter.
> & to install the rear side window lower chrome trim so it
> doesn't fall off anymore
> & re-adjust the electric back hatch lift that hasn't worked
> since my garage wall & my left rear bumper met
> last year. The wall was the winner, but I'Ve posted that
> story before.
>
> Everyone there warned me that I'd have to relearn how to
> drive without the truck-size steering wheel.
>
> I wasn't sure what to expect with the new wheel, but now I
> know. It is a real pleasure.
> I don't need to go hand over fist before, during & afta
> every corner.
> It makes driving my steel (no alu anywhere) Fulvia Z (40km
> back home, highway & country road) an entirely different
> experience..
> it now feels much more like a modern car than before.
> Although I am not a Mr. Big, it also make gettin in & out
> much easier.
> It looks like ( & is) & 'brand-new'-old- black Lancia leather
> steering wheel in a car with a black interior. Maybe I'd
> better put some leather-food on it tomorrow, since it is (or
> so I was told) from the early 70's & was never mounted before.
>
> I more, no - 2 more reasons I like it:
>
> it doesn't clash with the light blond wood on the dash like
> the brown plastic wheel did.
>
> i don't feel stupid for paying (I can't remember what I paid,
> I think Euro 130) for a steering wheel that I can't mount in
> my lovely car.
>
> Oh yes, a separate button will be mounted (somewhere) on the
> dash, since the horn isn't connected to the (Lancia Blue)
> horn button.
>
> JoGo.
>
>
> tim wrote:
> >
> > we all await the next episode!!!
> >
> > Tim

wouldn't there be a danger that they would fall off or at least drag on the pavement ? perhaps causing some
damage to ones own car or to someone following ? Unless they are so rusty that they just fall to pieces & return to the earth.

Hello to all of you. Hope everyone had a nice Christmas / holiday season.
I am aware that this thread is not the newest one, but I was wondering if someone can help me with my Fulvia Coupe (1st series) steering wheel removal.
I have been trying to remove the thing for a couple of days now; so far with no success. I am afraid of braking something. However, my problem is not removing the actual steering wheel (at least not yet) as described in the previous posts in this thread, but removing a cover (bronze colour, but made of plastic) which sits on top of the screws holding the steering wheel. I have attached two pictures, one is from my spare parts manual (part "18") the other is an actual picture of my car. Is this part srewed in (can't see any screw head) or just clipped on top?

Any help / advice is welcome.

Thanks guys
Stefan

Hi Stefan,

The cover you see is shown as number 6 on the spare part manual sheet. You will have to remove it first.
To remove it, just gently pull it out of the steering wheel as far as you can, until there is no play anymore. The cover is connected by an electric wire of some 5 - 7 cm if I quite remember, and at the other end it's got a plug, so you must be able to unplug. By holding the lower insulation part of the wire with one hand ( you might be feeling the plug!) and with the other hand underneath the cover you can pull the cable out of his plug.

Once removed this cover, you unscrew the big nut holding the steering wheel. Then you turn the steering wheel upside down for the screws to loosen.as the nuts are underneath.

looks like, (but i might be mistaken) you remove the steering wheel as an assembly. the bronze contact ring should be attached by studs accessed from the backside.
i don't have mine to look at right now, but that's what it looks like from the drawing.

you right, but first of all you will need to have the bronze cover as shown in the picture removed.