Lancia Beta Forum

Hi
I'm going to go look at a VX (HPE) on Saturday. I've seen loads of pictures of the car, and I've read the guide on this site, but I'm not sure if there are any special checks I need to do on the supercharger or anything else connected with it. I'm aware that they are rare and relatively difficult to service, so what should I check and look/listen out for?
Thanks
Duncan

Is this the dark grey HPE for £3,600 in Car and Classic......needing a respray etc?

Yes. The underside seems solid from what I can see, there are a few crusty bits on the bodywork, but it's had a fair few mechanical bits done to make it useable, and the seller seems genuine. The plan is to deal with the crusty bits temporarily for now and get it sorted properly and sprayed over next year or 2. I'm aware it's not the best example, but they are rare cars and really good ones are out of the budget.

I hope it goes well on Saturday for you. The car has been for sale for some time now and the price has dropped a fair bit.... maybe still more wiggle room to be had??

Good luck and keep us updated :)

I saw it at £4,500 and inquired, but decided it was too expensive. I've agreed a price if it's as described (and mechanically sound), and I hope to drive it home on Saturday, but I suddenly realised I didn't know how to check that the VX unit was working properly. I figured this was the place to ask. :)

I didn't see any discussion of it in the For Sale Elsewhere board here or at the LMC forum, dunno why.

For checking the VX Supercharger. Is the oil in the reservoir clean or black? Are there any knocking or scraping sounds from the VX unit? How does the belt look? Has the owner re-greased the rear bearings in his/her ownership?
You can use a large screw driver against the casings the other end to your ear to listen to it. This is a mechanics stethoscope and will amplify noises. You will hear more so try not to over react.

I hope this helps

Eric 

He said he changed the VX belt - I don't know if he's changed the tensioner bearing, and I doubt he's re-greased the bearings. He's only had it a year or so, it was off the road for many years before he got it. Does storage have any effect on the need to refresh the grease? I saw on the guy croft site that you can grease the rear bearings, but anything else would need to be done by someone more qualified than me! :)

I'll make sure I listen to the VX unit specifically, thanks for the tip on the screwdriver.

Cheers
Duncan

You can do more yourself than you might think it's just the front end that's difficult as you need to be expert to retighten the rotors in phase. Other than that they are easy to take apart you can leave the rotors hanging on the front end and slide off the body. On the car,as already said, listen for nasty noises from the blower.

Is this the car that was discussed at some length on one of the Beta Facebook groups? If so lots of tips on there too.

I didn't think to look on facebook, but now I've joined about 3 groups! I found the post you meant, it has lots of information/opinion on there and it kinda confirms what I thought - the price is about right for what is a scruffy car needing at least some (maybe a lot) of work.  A project is what I'm after, but I'll see if it looks like being too much of one then I'll have to think carefully!

Conclusion - I didn't buy it and had to get the train home!
The engine sounded OK, and the VX while noisy (might be normal, I don't really know what they are supposed to sound like) wasn't enough to put me off. The condition of the shell was what did that. The sills and floors looked solid enough, but there was some rust pretty much everywhere. The bits that really put me off were on the scuttle, A pillars, and above the windscreen, and also around the sunroof.  Thinking over it now, there was also some under the black plastic panels in the C pillar which might be awkward to fix too. It looked like someone has painted over the original silver/grey with some matt grey paint - that doesn't bother me so much, but not knowing what's under the "surface rust" in those significant locations did.
So it's still in Preston, and I still have an empty garage. :(

I may be tempted to sell my one. PM me your email address and I can send you some pictures if you're interested.

Hi Duncan

Unless you were attempting the work yourself, I would suggest a wise decision given how much that sounds like it would cost to repair, even the parts you do know and I can vouch for there being a lot you cannot see.....

Peter

I think it's pretty much the case that they are all too much work, even those that look tidy, it just depends if you have the passion to do it.

I can weld, and I'm not too bothered by the cosmetics, but I've been burned before by cars that appear solid and the more you dig, the more holes you find. I'm not interested in attempting (or paying for) a full restoration, hence my squeamishness about that car.

That's just about where I sit as well. I don't have the space,facilities or cash for full restorations, so was very
lucky to find my HPE last October. It's got cosmetic rust for sure, but the structure is solid,having spent the first
half of its life in Australia. The recommissioning continues.......