1978 Lancia Beta 1300 Coupe

[anonymous-user]

Original grille for comparison. Hmmmm, looks better in this pic, but a but more meh in real life.

[anonymous-user]

Going for a series 1 grille would be unoriginal, but retro fun, maybe?

I know that the whole point of the plain black 1300 grille is that it is supposed to yell "yeah, I'm a cheap fker from Yorkshire, yeah!", but even so.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 26th May 11:10

[anonymous-user]

Could be! That is a Berlina, I think, rather than a Trevi, and I hear that it has been on sale forever at progressively reducing prices.

[anonymous-user]

NB: Northallerton dealership. The Rothko of Yorkshire.

[anonymous-user]

The standard Beta exhaust is indeed a load of rubbish to look at, and why Lancia did not fit twin pipers to the Volumexes I do not know, but my Coupe, and my old Spyder, have better looking after market tailpipes.

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 27th May 11:56

[anonymous-user]

I will have to put that right!

Doncha love fora? Through this one (thanks DELTAHPE) I have sourced fabric for my Volumex, and found a supplier in Germany to sell me a clutch release bearing. Through the Betaboyz forum I have sourced a new steering rack for my Coupe, as well as new doors. All for buttons. Betaboyz itself (the parts supplier) has gone quiet - possibly on holiday or busy at the day job.

Also, I am selling on my HPE IE donor car, as, guess what, I have been offered a complete Volumex HPE for spares, with supercharger present, for 450. I am biting the guy's hand off.

[anonymous-user]

DELTAHPE said:

I think the 1300 looks to have an hpe back box ? Ansa pipes were all the rage back in the 80s black crackle ans shiny twin pipe

Not a standard HPE back box as that is the droopy sticky out narrow one. The Coupe has a more chunky stainless fitting at the back. The cars sounds quite good, although of the three Betas that I have had it was the Spider that drove worst but sounded best. I am told that the Volumex sounds good when it drives past you at speed, but from the inside it sounds a bit harsh and boomy, and the wind noise and tyre noise are quite high on that car. It has a mega stereo to compensate. The probably OE stereo in the Coupe is dire, but I picked up a new Pioneer unit for 15 quid on the Bay the other day.

On inside vs outside sounds, a mate of mine who flies Spitfires tells me that they sound like bags of spanners from the inside. I haven't flown a Spitfire but I have flown a Yak 52, and that sounds ace from the outside (nine cylinder radial engine) but sounds really rubbish when you are sitting in it.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

longblackcoat said:

BV, that's comfortably the sheddiest car I've seen on these pages. Well done!

Seconded. Thoroughly, thoroughly gorgeous. Just _right_.

Cheers! It is even worse in real life. The photos fail to show just how terrible the paintwork, wob and scabby bits are. It presses all the buttons because of its pre facelift dash, small engine, steel wheels, crazy seats, and vanishing rarity.

[anonymous-user]

That would still make you more classy than I look when I am driving this heap.

[anonymous-user]

Cheers as always, DELTAHPE.

I have found a new steering rack in Eire. The car is currently parked under a tree and some polish I put on it has reacted with rain and tree debris to make the car dodgy blue with luminous green highlights.

[anonymous-user]

I took a couple but the ghostly/ghastly effect didn't show on the crappy mobile phone camera. I may try again when it stops raining.

[anonymous-user]

Grille thrills: screw originality, I am trying out a series one grille.

[anonymous-user]

The light level was low. In fact the grille is a light silvery grey (the standard grille is plain black). I will take a better shot of the grille later.

The Juke is to my eyes a hideous monstrosity.

[anonymous-user]

Amongst classics, the Daimler SP 250 is jolie laide, to say the least.

[anonymous-user]

A better view of the new (old) grille -

[anonymous-user]

Nope, that is the Shell Garage in Stokenchurch, Bucks, just off the M40.

[anonymous-user]

If you see one, you end up in a wicker man being lit on fire. It's a sort of tradition thing.

[anonymous-user]

Strictly speaking that grille should go with chromed headlamp surrounds, but this is all unoriginal anyway. I could have bought a brand new grille, but deliberately bought a used one because a shiny new one on such a scruffy car would stand out ludicrously. YAJ will stay involuntary rat look for a while yet. The problem is that if ever I start trying to make it look spiffy that could become a mega project and ker chingga chingg.

The car is still an utter blast to drive. You really do have to rev the tits off it to get performance, and it is just a super little hooligan. The exhaust is loud and wakes up people dozing off at the wheel of hewyarge modern cars up as this tiny, shabby blue rocket hurtles past them.

[anonymous-user]

Beta almost squished by selfish parkers in mahoosive moderns.

[anonymous-user]

Roy my mobile mechanic has been off sick, but is now back in action and giving the Coupe a bit of a going over.

Handbrake inspection reveals:-

1. The pistons have been put on upside down.
2. The pads are the wrong size and don't fit properly.
3. The cable is seized, so the calipers have not been self adjusting properly.
4. One wedge had fallen out but is still there and can be repositioned.

Also, the back wheels were held on by, in effect, two studs, as someone has fitted studs that are way too short and only grip by two threads. Yikes!


My eBay clicky finger is getting a workout.

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 15th August 17:47