Lancia Beta Forum

Weldathon is well underway with a local chap who is very enthusiastic in regards Italian metal (5 spiders, 1 gamma coupe and a couple of Fiat 130's) . Sills both side, lower near side of rear screen surround, rear arches, both posts where rear windows secure and rear wings where they meet boot floor all need attention. I think he may have it in his workshop for some time as he is working it around his other work.

Whilst the welding is being completed at the rear I have been left to clean up and paint the rear suspension which is showing its age. Hopefully a blast down and a lick of paint will have it looking a little more presentable.

Unfortunately a builder once dragged the car out of the garden with a rope attached to the rear transverse link? (tube with split down) and bent it in the process therefore I suspect i will need to replace it. If there is one out there for purchase please let me know. Also the dust guards on the brakes have corroded significantly, but I do not know how essential these items are (i'm not very mechanically knowlegeable) Can I live without them?

Anyway hopefully I should soon have some photos of progress so as far and when I have them I will upload them to the forum   

Sounds like good progress Slowe

The dust guards. Are they really bad.. Like all holes.?.  Id rather have them as although they are not part of the braking operation they are going to stop a certain amount of grit and stones that get pinged off the ground aswell as the dust.  MattNoVAT (see '1600 Coupe Restoration'.) gave his wire brush a good work out on those and they look the business. 

The dilemma you will run into is that to change the brake disc guards you have to remove the rear hub, so probably end up changing the rear wheel bearing.

I've seen people cut the new guards so they can avoid the need to remove the hub, but personally I would never advocate such an approach.

I'd not leave them off myself for the exact reason Cheeky stated.

One of the dust covers is still whole whereas the other is very lacey. I might have to borrow the lid of the biscuit tin.
Thanks
Simon

with a Beta you need to learn to keep a very eagle eye on ebay I bought a pair of those guards new form there you just need the patience to wait until they turn up, half the fun in hunting down those parts!

Trying to add a couple of photos of welding so far

Looks nearly as bad as mine that's a big job!

Welding is taking longer than expected as the man who is completing it is fitting it in around other jobs. At least it gives me more time to save up! In the mean time I am cleaning up and re-bushing the rear suspension. Bushes sourced from Mark W

Hopefully it's not a fruitless task rossocorsa I think I'm too far in

Keep the good work up..... I am so pleased that I'm not the only person knee deep in car parts and being told about the sheer amount of welding needed :-)

Makes me feel ever so slightly less bonkers!

mine is done with regard to welding so don't worry it will get there eventually, just a comment on the end of your sill in the picture I would recommend that you put the hole back in the sill end so that you can pull the sunroof drain tube through behind the arch liner rather than it draining into the sill and also you need to make sure that the wing will fit there should be a recess for the wing edge (see below)
(http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww247/rossocorsa/DSCF3234.jpg)
(http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww247/rossocorsa/100_0163.jpg)

Thanks Rossocorsa - I will have a word with my welder re the drain hole. He has trial fitted the wing and all seems ok at present

Matt - I don't know whether my situation makes you any less bonkers or me equally bonkers! Anyway you can't take it with you.

Had a day off work yesterday as it was raining. Removed the front wishbones, suspension and braking systems from the subframe. I started to clean up the subframe and have now decided to have it blasted along with the wishbones. I also fitted the new bushes to the adjustble transverse links and the rear ARB brackets, the former going in very easily after boiling them in the kettle - Mind you a cup of coffee tastes different now!
More progress soon as long as it rains. 

Check the mounting for the gearbox support very carefully they are notorious for developing cracks around the captive threads even if it looks superficially ok  when you clean it up you may find cracks. Best to repair it prior to blasting/powder coating

Thanks Alan I will have a good look round

More rot above the waistline - posts where the rear windows were secured appeared solid before removing all the trim and the windows. The offside post is worse than the nearside one which is pictured. The rust around the nearside lower rear screen surround looks quite scary but the man wielding the welding torch seems to be confident. Fortunately I had retained a rear screen still in it's solid surround from a Beta that I scrapped 20 yrs ago so it should provide the correct profiled metal to let in - fingers crossed

The other pic

Oh 'eck!! the areas that remain yet untouched on my car are just those! Hope I don't find the same when I take the windows out, although that will be a long time yet as lack of budget and other demands on time dominate

Alan

Fear not - I have rust in the same position on one of my B billars!

Will be going to see the progress later this week..... plus hand over some more money!

Hopefully all ther rot is now identified and a known quantity - I'm sure I will be handing more money over soon. Matt - I think your bodywork may be sorted before mine. I think my welder may be resting before the next onslaught