Lancia Beta Forum

Hello all.  This 1600 Coupe is the fifth Lancia Beta that I have owned.  The others were a 1981 2000 Spider, a 1983 HPE Volumex, a 1983 HPE ie spares car, and a veeeeeerrrryyyy rusty 1300 Coupe that used to bend when going around corners and had been awarded the World's most imaginative MOT by someone.

I bought this 1979 1600 Coupe in 2017, but it spent most of the period from February 2018 until October 2020 in a barn or in a workshop.  Its clutch failed in early 2018, shortly before I went to work overseas, so the car went into a dry barn and stayed there until after I returned to the UK earlier this year.  It then got stuck for many weeks at a local garage that had too much work on, but it has been back on the road for the last two weeks, with a fresh MOT.

The car was Ziebarted by its first owner, a Mrs Garland who lived near Aberdeen.  The car went to the Isle of Man in 1983 and came back to the UK some time before I bought it.  The bootlid has been welded at some point, and I had the front suspension turrets and one wheel arch welded soon after buying the car.  Most of the car's metal and paint are original.  The indicated mileage is around 51,000 miles and the car runs well.  It is shortly to get an Amedon Amethyst ignition set.  The mustard yellow seats have suffered from sun damage to the rear headsets, and the cover of the driver's seat has split in three places.  As a temporary measure, the car has a set of tailored seat covers in beige faux-leather. The oil temperature gauge does not work, but the other gauges do.  Its wiper stalk has been replaced by a panel switch, as the stalk broke off.  The car is shortly to get a new set of Pirelli Cinturatos or Dunlop Sport Classics, depending on which are available.

The car shares barn space with a 1962 Lancia Appia Berlina, a 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe 1800, a 1981 Lotus Eclat (project), a 1983 Land Rover Series III 88, and also a 1982 Moto Morini 350 Sport and a 1982 Moto Guzzi V50 Monza.  

The car has a twin that is up for auction at Brightwells with no reserve.  

I am waiting for a new V5 to arrive and will then change the car's VED status to historic, and put its 1979 T plates on it (white and yellow plates - none of that ahistorical black plate nonsense).  My Fiat needs welding to its sills and suspension mounts, so the Beta and the Appia (which is almost rust free and is mostly original) will be this winter's classic cars for use on fine days, followed by hosing down.  

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/tUgPwQAX.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/d6OOcem0.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/S72F8NAY.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/JXgCaKPW.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/jFEjN95v.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/iNMb2pyp.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/rEsqez9K.jpg)

This cheesy 1970s watch (a Breitling Transocean mechanical from circa 1970-71) was lost in the barn for five years, but has returned to use at the same time as the Beta.  It goes better with the more lairy Fiat.  I have a less knobbish 1970s watch that goes better with the Beta, but is in the Fiat below.

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/yhjrhQt8.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/9DB9e3gW.jpg)

Deeply unsure about the Breitling  but that's a smart looking Coupe!

Thanks!  I bought the Breitling on a whim in 2010 for not much money.  It is a bit bling and not my sort of watch!  I may sell it to fund rust repairs on my Fiat or a retrim for the Beta.

I have a couple of small and restrained 1962 watches to go with my 1962 Appia and they are more my thing.

Meanwhile the Beta stranded itself with a flat battery in a nearby village last night.  It was getting dark and I had forgotten to put a jumper pack in the boot, so I cabbed home and will go and rescue the car with a jump box in a bit.

Pubbing -

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/9n7CMPMW.jpg)

Even breaking down done with style. If you have to break down right outside a good pub is nice planning!

I jump started the car and drove it home, but I think that it may need a new battery, or if not that has a charging problem.    The alternator belt seems to be fitted OK, and the alternator warning light has not illuminated.    I shall go to the shops in my Appia until I am sure of the Beta's charging position.

You should see 14.4 Volts from the Alternator engine running. I recommend a CTEK Battery charger conditioner for each of your cars. Battery needs to be 175 x 175 x 243 size. I like the Yuasa YBX 5075 60AH 640CCA.
Seriously consider a WOSP Reduction gear starter motor they are so much better than the original and much lighter.

Eric

Cheers!  I have two of the  CTek battery conditioners that move around the cars -  they are great!

Yuasa ordered - Tayna undercut Halfords and others on that battery by almost 100% - v good.

Hi

Based on the above comments I bought one of the CTek battery conditioners. After reading a number of comments I plumbed for the low end 0.8A one as already had a normal charger for drained battery use!

It works very nicely on my Saab and the Beta batteries. Best price I found was oddly enough Halfords, not usually price competitive, but they were on this occasion.

Peter

Update: Yuasa battery good.   I shall take the car for a blat this weekend and then jet wash it.

Hi Gerard,

That is a very lovely Coupe.  I grew up on the Isle of Man where you can drive when you are 16.  In 1983 I would have been 18.  I was very lucky to be able to drive my father's series 1 (real no roof bars) spyder or one of his two fulvias (normally fast and late at night around the TT course).   

That is where my lancia obsession started and I knew most of the montecarlos and coupes on the island.  I am certain that yours is one I would have lusted after at some point so it is great to see it looking so well.
Also completely agree, it is absolutely essential to wear the correct period watch for the car.

Gerry (also a Gerard)

Cheers! 

Gerard (never a Gerry)

I have info about the couple that first owned this car!  The warranty is in the name of this man's wife, and he appears in correspondence with Lancia UK dating from 1986 in the car's file.   The names and residence details indicated in other obituary sources match, and the car came back from the IOM in 2017, so it appears that this hero of WW2 and his wife had the car from 1979, and that he kept it after his wife's death in 2003 until he died in 2016.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/100587 (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/100587)

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eric-garland-xqc6vl62b (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eric-garland-xqc6vl62b)


(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F6cd94dba-c5c3-11e5-a525-dadbc8daee86.jpg?crop=2175%2C1223%2C22%2C128&resize=1180)

I wonder if Flight Lieutenant Garland's experiences fighting with the Italian partisans gave him a fondness for things Italian.

Quick and dirty pezzer shot.

Jetwashed afterwards, promise!

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/7qgFULAB.jpg)

For some reason I thought this was still awaiting attention to the clutch BV - glad to see it out and about

After being stuck in a barn for over two years the car got stuck in garagejail from June to October but has been rorting about since then.  I am still waiting to hear from DVLA re putting the 1978-9 UK plates back on the car.

Play, wash, and engine shot -


(https://thumbsnap.com/s/dRikspmF.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/qwHqCMPi.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/hmoNnT9N.jpg)


Wax on, wax off -


(https://thumbsnap.com/s/RDjWaEkB.jpg)

(https://thumbsnap.com/s/ttXj4tc7.jpg)

The car spent the night out.  Very heavy frost first thing this morning.  The frost is now covered in about 3 cms of snow.  I wound the window up as the snow started


(https://thumbsnap.com/s/9z6yFzGH.jpg)

The car is today getting Amedon Amethyst mappable ignition, which I've had on my Fiat 124 for a while and is a good thing.

I shall take some photos, as the tatty mustard coloured seats now have well made and close fitting beige vinyl covers made by a woman in Turin.  Next: new tyres, and a bit of minor paintwork.

I also need to replace or fix the coolant expansion tank, as it has tiny cracks on the top and is leaking a bit.   Hey, at least the clock now lights up.

I add that I found some notes made by F/L Garland MC OBE or his wife when they had the car.  It had done 45,000 miles by 1990.  It is now showing what appears to be a genuine 50,500 miles, so evidently wasn't used a lot between 1990 and F/L Garland's death in 2016.

I am still trying to get the car back onto its UK T plate.

Hi Gerard

I have a spare one if you need it.

Peter

Fabulous, thanks Peter, I will email you.

Seat covers.  Not perfect, but not too bad, and a lot cheaper than a retrim.

(https://i.ibb.co/jznTfYJ/betaseats.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2SGyhrZ)

Very good. Probably not even noticeable as covers from outside the car?

Those do look rather good. I notice the rear seat backrests and the headrests look a bit loose fitting. I wonder if some foam padding under the covers would plump them up a bit.

That might work.  The covers look better in real life than they do in photos. and, yes, from outside they hardly look like covers.   The mismatch with the door inserts isn't as annoying as I thought it would be, but I may try to find a match.

I think careful use of a hairdryer might get the creases out and let the covers settle for an even better look. Of course if we had warm sunny days!!

Thanks for top tipz!


The car now has an Aldon Amethyst mappable ignition system, a new exhaust centre section, and new Pirelli P1s.  So I am off out to play.

Hi Gererd, Can you provide a link to the mappable ignition? I Googled Aldon Amethyst  but only got lots of references to crystals...

http://www.aldonamethyst.co.uk/ (http://www.aldonamethyst.co.uk/)

I am a fan of these Amethyst systems.  I have one on my Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, which is a rorty beast.  The Beta needs more fine tuning, but already feels more lively.  The new tyres are great, and the car no longer sounds like a bag of spanners.  The mid section of the exhaust was in a bad state and rattling and rasping badly.  The tail section has one small hole but this has been covered.  I might paint it later today, although if the sun comes out I might ride my old Italian motorbike, which I put on charge last night.

Hi Gerard,

That looks very interesting and I'll certainly bear it in mind. Once the engine that I'm laboriously preparing is fitted to the Spider I will initially use the distributor that I have had refurbished at HH Ignition, as that is a known quantity to get the car up and running. I will also be using an MSD Ignition box and matching coil, and I'm not sure how that would play with the Aldon mappable ignition. I imagine it would be fine, but would need to check with Aldon.

Ultimately something like the Aldon would be a better solution than a distributor simply because of its accuracy, repeatability and configurability. But when I commission the new engine and ancillaries I think it's best to keep it simple and possibly move to mappable ignition once everything else is bedded in and working as intended.

Thanks for the link - much appreciated. Liking the Italian motorbikes from the 80s! Mine are 90s/00s...

Gerard, am living vicariously through this topic about your Beta. Looking on with slight envy. My 2000 Coupe I purchased back in Sep 20 has spent more time in the repair workshop and on the back of recovery trucks. Latest is an incontinent fuel tank, see 'filthy fuel tank' topic... Hey ho, I'll get there one day. On the plus side it is totally structurally sound and never welded. Lhd, from Florence. Silver with olive green fabric, 1977. 145,000 kms. Desperate to be out enjoying it. Jono

I hope you get there soon!  Pics please!

This 1600 was used by me in late 2017 and early 2018 but it went into a barn at that point while I went to work overseas for two years.  Then last  March I came home, and the garage that took the car in to do the clutch had it for months because of too much work.  I eventually got the car back on the road last autumn and since then my visiting mechanic has been slowly improving the car.   The car has had welding to the boot lid in the past, and when I bought it I had some welding done at the front suspension turrets and near the offside front and rear wheel arches, but the Ziebarting when new and, I assume, the care given to the car when it was on the Isle of Man have kept it pretty sound.  The recorded mileage of not much over 50,000 is probably genuine, and the car feels pretty together.

For the rest of this year's projects, there is work to be done on my Appia (brakes), and I await possibly bad news on how rusty my Fiat is underneath the cheap blowover that someone gave it a few years ago.  I also have in mind to get my Lotus engine rebuilt, but for that I need my mechanic to sort out the workshop at his place, and have the car trailered to him.  I am for some reason that I cannot fathom being tempted by a Mazda Luce, a very rare saloon car that has a half Italian half BMW neue klasse looking body designed by Bertone (a design rejected by Alfa).  It is mechanically similar to a Dolomite 1850.  I like very rare and odd cars.  Is anybody anywhere near Bradford?

PS:  I should NOT buy any more cars.  For the same money as some probably boring Japanese family car that nobody has ever heard of I could get a scruffy but mechanically sound Alfetta GT 1800 that I know of, or a very good Hillman Imp, or a  fancy Riley-badged ADO16 or whatever.   My first lottery win car would be a Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, with a Lamborghini Espada to follow.

I have some good pics of my Beta on this tablet but sadly I am quite simple minded and don't understand how to transfer them. On the subject of unusual, slightly esoteric cars, I had a Citroen GS for 10 years - sold last year - I miss it very much. It epitimised reliability, with it's air-cooled, flat-four engine. Never once let me down, off road, motorway, it never complained. Am a long way from Bradford, basking on the beach in Brighton, Sussex. Jono

This image uploading site is free.

https://imgbb.com/

Upload to that site, then copy and paste the forum link.

Citroen made very cool and technically interesting cars for so long (often let down by nondescript engines), but nowadays makes rather dull cars.

The mad Mazda is in Bradford, which is an eight hour round trip from where I am.

Gerard

I live near/in Bradford if you want me to look at the Luce. I would suggest however that you are right in that your money would be better spent elsewhere!

Neil

I think I share your liking for the unusual. I had to look up the Luce but I can definitely see the attraction. You could even sneak Lancia badges on to the wheel trims and pass it off as a Bertone Lancia prototype.

A bloke in Australia stuck an Alfa Romeo badge on his Luce and nobody quibbled.

The Rotary engined FWD Luce Coupe is a very rare 100 grand beauty, sold only in Japan.  The more mundane straight four engined RWD Luce saloon is hard to price.  Maybe 8K.  

(https://m.atcdn.co.uk/a/media/w1024h768/8349f9b2067849679667fd6f76a66c4c.jpg)

Neil, if it is not a huuuuge fag, I'd be most grateful if you could vey kindly eyeball the Luce.  I would need to know your favourite wine, beer, or whisky ...

Any reckless purchasing decisions would be at my risk!

42 year old boot floor not bad.


(https://i.ibb.co/prtx4P0/betaboot.png) (https://ibb.co/5xN6s9M)


Fuel tank needs a wire brush and paint.


(https://i.ibb.co/n14s1v8/betatank2.png) (https://ibb.co/PWJZWnz)


Now you know what a knackered Beta fuel sender looks like.  You're welcome.


(https://i.ibb.co/QQzJrsW/beta-tank.png) (https://ibb.co/qjXDkbH)

Hi Gerard

Way ahead of you on that fuel sender, pretty much what my spare one looks like.....

Peter

That is a part that crops up regularly on the Italian FB Groups and ebay so worth a look.

Eric

Looking now, thanks.

The tank is now painted and will go back in tomorrow.

Gerard

PM me the details. I suppose it ought to wait until the 29th, but I'll see what they say.

You have mail, thanks Neil.

BTW, travelling to look at a car is legal.  Car dealers are still open.   That is, as the saying goes, an opinion, but I've been a barrister for 36 years, if that helps.

Thanks for the opinion but I'm fearful of who is going to get the bill......

Ignoring all the deliberate misinformation put out on gov.uk websites, the only enforceable rule is that you need an objectively reasonable excuse for travelling.  That's a very broad concept.   

Meanwhile my Beta is now smooth and quiet and powerful, except when intermittently picking up fuel line obstructions - the tank may need another flush.  The filter is showing some clag.

Many thanks to Neil for checking out the interesting Mazda.  It's pretty, and ultra rare, but mechanically a bit ordinary.  I was tempted, but a far better car buying opportunity has arisen thanks to the LMC.   

One in, one out!   I have today bought a 1974 Lancia 2000 HF Coupe, so my Beta, which I think is a good one, is now on sale.


Please see

 http://www.betaboyz.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4418.msg30349#msg30349 (http://www.betaboyz.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4418.msg30349#msg30349)

Hi Gerard

I have to say I have always liked the look of the 2000 and viewed it as a sensible option against a Flaminia Coupe...... Not that I am likely to get either in the near future!

Very happy tinkering with the Spider however.

Peter

Here it is -


(https://i.ibb.co/VJ2JhzV/009-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Jm5mbGn)

(https://i.ibb.co/KXV7bsD/011-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XbFpj5D)

(https://i.ibb.co/26gqQNc/20-mar-2019-a.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Jd5n4Qr)

(https://i.ibb.co/48xH9PB/2000int1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HtQj1nm)

(https://i.ibb.co/X7gmhC3/200int2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zXYKy47)

Looks like the b one I owned for a long time HJD208N?

That's the one!   I promise to look after it.

I enjoyed it a lot over the years having saved it from a premature death with a comprehensive body rebuild in the late 80s that seems to have survived the ravages of time very well indeed. It was always great fun to throw around country lanes and also an accomplished 100+ MPH cruiser a true marvel.     

I have your resto photos.  The restoration has lasted well.  The car now needs one or maybe two new wheel arches, but is in pretty good shape overall.  I look forward to driving it once the brakes are sorted.

Lots of views on eBay and carandclassic, but so far the only offers are:

1.  swap for a Porsche 944 in a tomato soup colour.  Nice enough, but not my bag!

2.  PX for a 2000 Honda Civic plus some (not enough) money.

eBay yay!

Things may pick up as thoughts turn to spring and post lockdown jollies, but Betas are probably still a hard sell outside Lancia World because of all the pub mythology and Clarkson nonsense.   I  might give the car a whirl with The Market, who charge 5% IIRC.  It has matching posh tyres so ticks their boxes.

rossocorsa, I am trying to piece together the history of HJD 208N.   

Please feel free to correct any errors here -

https://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=12276.msg88161#msg88161 (https://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=12276.msg88161#msg88161)

If you don't mind, could you very kindly email me via this site at your leisure so that I can bother you with a couple of no doubt foolish questions about the car.     

I highly recommend the Amethyst digital ignition voodoo.   The Beta is flying.  That 1970 Porsche 911 going up that hill yesterday might have wondered what the bronze coloured blur whizzing past might be.   The only 1970s car with a 1.6 engine that I have driven which was quicker was a Lotus Elan Plus Two with a big valve Lotus/Ford 1.6 twin cam and two fat Dellortos.

I will probably still have to sell the car to free up space and money for my latest Lancia purchase, but I will have fun with the Beta first.

I have been enjoying this car so much just recently that I am not sure about selling it....

In addition, my Fiat 124 will be off the road for major welding for a while, so for sporty, nippy buzzbox fun, maybe I should keep the Beta after all.  My 2000 HF can be for more languid cruising duties as it is a bit more chilled out on motorways than the Beta is. 

OK, decided:  I am keeping the Beta for now because it is lots of fun.

Hi Gerard

Good man!

Peter

Correct use of standard fit Negroni holder -


(https://i.ibb.co/jG5M5Q4/negroni.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZKJ8JFT)

CHOOOOONZE!


(https://i.ibb.co/7p1vbFy/beta-radio1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jwrhHF4)

(https://i.ibb.co/ZTzd7Q9/beta-radio-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GPQ7NZm)

Weekend jollies in East Sussex -



https://i.ibb.co/QkT12tv/betasussex.jpg[/img]](https://i.ibb.co/QkT12tv/betasussex.jpg) (http://[img)

Hoorah for Ziebart -


https://i.ibb.co/HrSG07G/betarain.jpg[/img]](https://i.ibb.co/HrSG07G/betarain.jpg) (http://[img)

I think you might need to find a better method for securing that number plate Gerard!

It is temporary, because I am waiting for the UK T plate to be re-registered.

Filter King fitted - hopefully this will assist with some fuel debris problems that I have been having.

 (https://i.ibb.co/cCxgRyN/betaeng.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2s5nRFj)

(https://i.ibb.co/tLK6Nff/betafilter.jpg) (https://ibb.co/g498X11)

Lonely station runner at 0420.


(https://i.ibb.co/JdsfnCf/betastation.jpg) (https://ibb.co/thJ7B37)

The Facebook Beta Groups are useful for parts.  I have at long last found a matching Vitaloni door mirror for my Beta.  It's as new.  This presents a quandary, as the mirror that is on the car at present has been painted black because the chrome is pitted.  I had better check out getting that one re-chromed, as it seems a shame to paint the shiny new mirror black.


(https://i.ibb.co/xF09jJ6/beta-mirror.png) (https://ibb.co/7k5MW2K)

Hi Gerard

You can also get it chrome sprayed as I saw on a recent episode of Salvage Hunters Classic cars. It was an episode with a Volvo Amazon.

Eric

Thanks, that might do it.

Lovely mirror Gerard!

 :)

Some minor improvements:

(1)  a new perspex cover for the instruments - now clear instead of cloudy.   I have still to get the oil temp gauge working, and I am waiting for a new fuel level sender to arrive from Italy.

(2)  fitting of replacement stalks - the wiper stalk had broken off, and the wipers had been wired to work from a switch under the instruments.   Now they work as they should, and I have the intermittent setting again.

The car is running well.

Here are some of recent photos of my Beta out and about.   Correspondence with the DVLA relating to changing the Isle of Man plate back to the UK "T" plate continues....

Thanks to two friends, I recently got all three of my Lancias out at the same time.


(https://i.ibb.co/XZWtbyR/betasq.jpg) (https://ibb.co/WWHf6DJ)

(https://i.ibb.co/Nj2Q9vR/betasq2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YkBYcCg)

(https://i.ibb.co/PTsbdT5/betasq3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JxWb9xz)

(https://i.ibb.co/HYxNf9r/3lancia.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2Ps81pj)

(https://i.ibb.co/kmD14x0/3lancia4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/y4kS6X5)

(https://i.ibb.co/5MGBr4y/3lancia2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qy7kNjf)

(https://i.ibb.co/wWxgp1g/3lancia3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Kq3hVHh)
 

Long time no update!

Since 2022 the car has had its head off to fit a new head gasket and rocker cover gaskets.  Inspection of the engine when opened up showed it to be in good condition.  It has run well, and stopped leaking oil, since being put back together.  I have also picked up a spare 1600 engine for future proofing, thanks to a kind person on Facebook.

The car also has a new rear exhaust, as the old one rusted.

Over the New Year, some yob smashed the driver's window.  Betaboyz supplied replacement glass, many thanks.  

The inside of the driver's door is pleasantly free from rust, and seems to have its original paint.  The passenger door is more suspect, but I have a spare passenger door in primer.

The usual problem of too many cars and not enough money makes me think yet again of selling the Beta.  I almost sold it last September.  Anyone interested?

My nephew says that he will buy it if he gets a big bous next year, but promises, promises, and the bank he works for (and/or the global economy) might go FOOM before then.

I took the car to the Sunday afternoon of the 50th anniversary meeting in September 2023, which was fun.  My 2000 HF came too.

PS:  I sold my Leyland Princess and my Triumph TR7. I also sold my Moto Morini 350 Sport motorbike.  I won a Yamaha YB 100 motorbike jn a raffle. 

I bought a LHD French registered 2005 Alfa Romeo 156 Crosswagon Q4 for Alpine and Euro duties - it will live in France. 

I am trying but failing to persuade two friends to go with me to rescue a RHD UK plate 1978 Alfetta 2.0 from Turin, but they think it's too rusty.

 

(https://i.ibb.co/x5RVZsZ/betawindow.jpg)


(https://i.ibb.co/BtWpK3F/betadoor.jpg)

Back on the road after a bit of a delay.   Thanks again to Betaboyz for supplying a replacement window.




Last week, the fuel line from the filter to the carb came off while I was driving.  Yikes!  Luckily the petrol poured down underneath the car and not across the top of the engine.  I was able to make a repair by the roadside using the 1970s toolkit.


 (https://i.ibb.co/Lv4nhGW/beta-tesco.jpg) (https://ibb.co/25XgYbQ)


(https://i.ibb.co/bsV5Kj3/car-fix.jpg) (https://ibb.co/9b0Hrmv)

It would be worth replacing all the under bonnet fuel lines with E10 compliant hose Gerard. I've found in the past that once one comes loose or starts leaking at the joints then the hose has had it's day.

A good idea, but the hoses were done recently.  The problem appeared to be with the connector at the carburettor end.  This has now been refixed and appears to be secure.

Boo hoo that Esso has stopped selling ethanol free petrol.

What's the black box bolted behind the ignition coil?

It's this - it's fab.    My 1600 has been tuned using this and is go-fasty.


http://www.aldonamethyst.co.uk/ (http://www.aldonamethyst.co.uk/)

See also -

https://classicenginesmodernfuel.org.uk/

Next job:  new brake lines needed.