[LambyMan]

Anybody Home ? :( Hope All's Well . .

[Stanher]

Sorry for the long silence (again!) but work on my scoot was put to a standstill for a while, although thankfully resuming again now!

The mech. had an idea to replace the big-end and magnet chamber, so he took out the one from the engine of another early s2 I have as a parts donor and tried fitting it onto this scoot. He was told that it wouldn't fit in my scoot's engine, being a very old big-end. So he decided to change only the chamber and replace the oil-seals. After being away on a week-long trip, he was back a few days ago and resumed work today.

At first, there were problems in fitting the chamber in place, due to the collar of the bore (arrow-marked) getting in the way. But eventually, after a lot of attempts, he managed to fit it in with a knack, getting it just in place.

And best part is, we finally both kicked the pedal into start, and he confirmed that the air-bellowing sound no longer exists! So looks like the problem is solved at laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast!!! (phew:!!)

Then the stator/coil plate was fitted back.

The carb manifold also is to be replaced with an original "Innocenti" stamped one also taken from the parts scoot.

























More updates from tomorrow.

[Stanher]

PS: Sorry, I forgot to mention in my last post (which I cannot edit now being past 20 mins), that the bore and head were refitted with new packing. However, the earlier problem of air escaping causing a bellowing sound while starting persisted. Hence the mech's idea to change the big-end and chamber.

[LambyMan]

Great to see you back with more updates,

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by LambyMan

Great to see you back with more updates

Thanks Rakesh! I'm sure it'll be even greater to see me back with a final update- the scooter on the road!

OK, so just when I thought my problem was over, I get another call this morning from the mech.; he told me to bring the bore and piston from the parts scoot engine, from which these had already been dismantled.

I couldn't figure out what the matter is until I get there- the bore, head and piston you see on my scoot's engine had been taken off again...and I couldn't understand why, initially...turns out this replacement new bore that is fitted on my scoot happens to be not of a Lambretta but of a Vijai Super! And this I understand, happened to be the main culprit for the escaping of air from the chamber and thus lack of compression.
Because the manifold hole is different from that of the Lambretta bore (as seen in pic.), and so the Lambretta packing and manifold didn't suit it! Also different are the 2 holes around the bore collar (arrowed), as seen in the original Li bore on the left to compare with.
Ironically, this new (wrong) bore was bought by the guy himself!!

So it's back to square one now, with a change of the piston as well ( the rings turned out to be incorrect for it though, he said he could get a correct one)
'hope it's all fixed for good atleast this time!

[SA7VA5]

Hey Stanher

Thats really tough going man!

I had asked you right in the begining if the bore is correct and your mech had told you yes it was.

Please ensure that the LI 150 bore has 4 fins above the exhaust port and 4 below it. Thats the easiest way to recognise it

Also the Piston skirt is a complete ring and there are 2 holes on either sides of the piston one for exhaust and one for inlet suction. Its not a cut skirt piston - they were used in Vijay.

If you attach a LI piston on a Vijay crank then also you will have problems and vice versa too. Vijay crank has a longer connecting rod.

But if you have used a Vijay crank and a Vijay bore and piston then there is NO problem. Since Li parts are very rare now this is a standard combo being used on a lot of LIs now because Vijay parts are easier to source from the huge export surplus.

Check check check and re check once more before you do the fitment this time.

Cheers!

SV

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by SA7VA5

Hey Stanher

Thats really tough going man!

I had asked you right in the begining if the bore is correct and your mech had told you yes it was.

Please ensure that the LI 150 bore has 4 fins above the exhaust port and 4 below it. Thats the easiest way to recognise it

Also the Piston skirt is a complete ring and there are 2 holes on either sides of the piston one for exhaust and one for inlet suction. Its not a cut skirt piston - they were used in Vijay.

If you attach a LI piston on a Vijay crank then also you will have problems and vice versa too. Vijay crank has a longer connecting rod.

But if you have used a Vijay crank and a Vijay bore and piston then there is NO problem.
Check check check and re check once more before you do the fitment this time.

Thanks a ton Saurabh!

Yes its unfortunate that the mech. could make such a silly mistake!

I will surely check if the bore from the donor scoot has the right no. of fins.

Reg. piston, looking at the one in my pic., are you able to identify what type it is?? It was bought new.

Here are pics. of the crankshaft/big-end that is fitted to my scoot (ever since I bought it), please identify whether it's an Li or Vijai one:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1265509-post96.html

[Suresh Stephen]

Originally Posted by SA7VA5

Hey Stanher

Thats really tough going man!

I had asked you right in the begining if the bore is correct and your mech had told you yes it was.

Please ensure that the LI 150 bore has 4 fins above the exhaust port and 4 below it. Thats the easiest way to recognise it

Also the Piston skirt is a complete ring and there are 2 holes on either sides of the piston one for exhaust and one for inlet suction. Its not a cut skirt piston - they were used in Vijay.

If you attach a LI piston on a Vijay crank then also you will have problems and vice versa too. Vijay crank has a longer connecting rod.

But if you have used a Vijay crank and a Vijay bore and piston then there is NO problem. Since Li parts are very rare now this is a standard combo being used on a lot of LIs now because Vijay parts are easier to source from the huge export surplus.

Check check check and re check once more before you do the fitment this time.

Cheers!

SV

Hello
I think Vijai's Crank, bore, piston and Flywheel magneto forms a complete set. You can actually cut the Lambretta's piston's bottom skirt( like vijai) and use it. since the piston is lighter, It improves the performance marginally. I used to do it long ( 30 years) back
Suresh

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by SA7VA5

1) Please ensure that the LI 150 bore has 4 fins above the exhaust port and 4 below it. Thats the easiest way to recognise it

2) Also the Piston skirt is a complete ring and there are 2 holes on either sides of the piston one for exhaust and one for inlet suction. Its not a cut skirt piston - they were used in Vijay.

3) If you attach a LI piston on a Vijay crank then also you will have problems and vice versa too. Vijay crank has a longer connecting rod.

4) But if you have used a Vijay crank and a Vijay bore and piston then there is NO problem. Since Li parts are very rare now this is a standard combo being used on a lot of LIs now because Vijay parts are easier to source from the huge export surplus.
SV

Hi Saurabh,
1) Never happened to observe an Li bore that close, nice piece of info. How many do the Lamby / vijai bores have?
2) Does it make a difference in the charge flow if the skirts are cut? Any performance improvement ?
3) Didn't all the Vijai/ Li? Lamby come with a 107 mm connecting rod?
4) Are there any differences in the porting of Vijai/Li?Lamby bores?

-Ilango

[Stanher]

Sorry, the project, just when I thought was coming to a finish, has slowed down again! I was hoping it'll be all done in time for 26th jan.! But things seemed to be working out otherwise this week.

The Li bore that was taken from the parts scooter also needed to be faced before being fitted, and not surprisingly our man flatly told me the lathe machine guy he knew of didn't have the right equipment for facing it blah blah blah....so couldnt get it done, and conveniently dumped the job onto my head! So brought the bore home.

But this time, I couldn't do the facing of the bore at home unlike last time, as there is no spare room available for me now to do the job, and what with my mom complaining about the 'stench of kerosene' the last time itself. So I decided to look for another guy to get it done at.

Unfortunately, while I had set out yesterday to find another guy I heard of in Secunderabad who supposedly could do the job, I met with a minor accident on the way, which caused me to lose my balance and the bore to get a little damaged as well, by some other (car) parts that were also being carried and may have fallen on it in the process. So it resulted in the bore getting chipped off at one corner of the topmost fin, although I was told that this shouldn't affect it as the area where the packing sits and comes into contact with the head was not affected.
And finally, my car mech. luckily found me another lathe machine guy he knew of, quite close to my area, where he got the bore successfully faced. Although I'm not sure if the guy did it the same way as I did, ie with lapping compound rubbing onto a glass etc. (as you may have seen in my earlier posts/pics.) But looks quite well-done.



I was not in a position, however, to go out today and so couldn't give the bore to the mech. I'm a little busy tomorrow until afternoon, so will hand it over to him tomorrow. I told him to do what he can to get the scooter ready by monday, even if we have to work on it into the night!

[Stanher]

Update as of today: Actually was going to post this yesterday itself but my net conked out, so...!
Anyway, things have gone better on the scoot for a change! The good (or rather, BEST?) news is that the engine was FINALLY found to be fit and fine, and was able to idle normally when started yesterday with no leak/air escaping etc. etc.....just the normal, familiar old Lammy idling sound (sans the tail-pipe though)!!

With the engine problem solved, the guy finally went on with assembling the rest of the parts on. The engine shroud, flywheel cover and also the rear mudguard, although my camera batteries went weak by then so no pics. of the last.

'also tried fitting the muffler and the new imported tail-pipe I got thanks to Saurabh, but the neck of the muffler to tail-pipe join was too narrow for the latter to fit in so was asked to get it widened a little. 'got it done at my known car garage. But on fitting to the scoot later, it was found that the 2 were not in alignment, so as a result, wouldn't make a proper fit, resulting in the muffler tending to come out. So it was decided to redo the thing and get it correct with it being fitted on the scoot itself. That has been put aside for later, while for now the old muffler of the scoot and an old tail-pipe will be used temporarily.
Also fitted for the first time, the pair of new, imported grey beadings on either side-panel groove, just to check them. The mech. advised not to cut the excess length though, as they being made of nylon, would tend to contract a little due to heat etc. with subsequent use on the scooter. So it's better to have a little extra length, which can be folded inwards and not seen he says. 'not sure how far this could be true though as I'm not familiar with this. Maybe it happens in case of Indian-made beadings only?

Anyways......now for the bad news! It turns out that it wasn't practically possible to ready up the scoot for the vintage/classic rally here today, even though I was hoping against hope it would be and spent a good nearly 5 hours yesterday at the mech's helping him out with some of the work! :((

He said there is too much pending work on the scoot, which won't be doing justice in hurrying up at the last moment. And none of my other rides being ready this time, I had to go as a spectator only!

This was the main reason I told him to get the body panels assembled before itself, while the engine work was going on!

Oh well......there is always a next time. Isn't optimism a really good thing?

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Hey Stanher!

I just came across this thread and was immidietaly intrested in all the restoration work. Reason? Even I had Vijay Super Dlx 1977 model and had did a restoration on that one years ago!

Later after riding it for another ten years or so, we finally sold it off. :(
(Which I till date regret a lot)

There are so many memories with that scooter which came flooding by. Like the long rides we used to go on it with the entire family of five!! (We had a side car attached to it and the sibliggings used to sit in the side car while both my parents on the scooter!!!)

It was the most nostalgic time!!

Later the scotter developed some issues which were getting hard to fix, like the magneto cover would come off every now and then as all the threads which were holding it were worn out. The rear wheel drum was worn out and used to come off on breaking, lights never used to come up, the bulbs started to worn out quick enough (mechanic, who eventually also had a dealership of these scooters mentioned that the wiring was a total loss and would have to redo it again, which my father aperantly was never keen about)

Anyways, I have been trying hard to find a lamberatta or Vijay Super again and lay my hands on it for restoration, lets see how it goes!

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Hey Stanher!

I just came across this thread and was immidietaly intrested in all the restoration work. Reason? Even I had Vijay Super Dlx 1977 model and had did a restoration on that one years ago!

Anyways, I have been trying hard to find a lamberatta or Vijay Super again and lay my hands on it for restoration, lets see how it goes!

Thanks for your comments!

Nice to hear about your Vijai Super- I too first had one, a 1985 mk2, my first scooter bought back in 2005, learnt scooter riding on it!

Sold it after barely 1.5 years though!

But glad I'm back on track with a Lambretta now! Good luck with finding a Lammy or Vijai- Pune still had a fair number of them around when I last went in 2005, I understand they are diminishing now...so do be quick about it!

Anyways, back to my updates-the assembling work is progressing (in a manner of speaking) as of now, with the front legshield in the process of being bolted on as are the floorboard strips. He managed to momentarily fabricate a rubber gasket for the tail-lamp as I cant afford to import an original one for now, and couldnt fit one locally either. 'having a friend of sidman in B'lore and Saurabh in delhi both help me with getting horncast beadings (pair) which I'm awaiting to be shipped over to me.
Other things like the horn and toolbox door with lock have been fitted in place.

Of course, there is a hitch again- the guy was in the process of fitting the headlight switch housing connections when the bakelight plate inside broke! Which means I've to now get another switch assembly!

The one shop I know of at Hyd. that still sells Lambretta parts did claim to have the switch when I called them up. 'said I can come to pick it up tomorrow. 'hope it turns out to be of better quality.

But come what may, there is no looking back now, and Iam focused on getting this scoot on the road in the coming week!

[Stanher]

Further update: All legshield floor strips fitted on, nearly finished. End caps to be fitted.

Remaining bolts of legshield floor to be fitted on too. Horncast and mudguard have been fitted too! The scoot looks refreshingly different for better now!

He also managed to get the beadings for the horncast and mudguard from another mech. reassembling his Lambretta, who had extras to spare. I'll be having these on temporarily, just so the scoot can be completed. 'need to get the headlight switch still.

Front brake also working now, fitted with the imported SS brake adjuster I'd got. He found something wrong with the rear one though, so didn't fit that on but a local one instead.

Also fitted the zigzag strips on one of the rear floorboards. He said he would be busy again on monday but would do his best to finish as much as he could.

can't wait until it's done!

[Stanher]

OK, a brief update! See the pics. this time and see if you can find a small development that makes a BIG difference in the looks of the scoot- yes, it's the legshield beadings (a.k.a "gola" beading)! That too, brand new imported (italian) GREY beadings that I bought atleast 3 years ago, even before I bought this scoot. I'm glad I did. The bottom beading end caps were yet to be fitted when I took the pics.

Also both seats given today for the top cover to be stitched and fitted. He said they'd be done this evening, asked the mech. to collect them for me. 'hope they've turned out well. I'm using a less glossy but better quality (read longer-lasting) type of rexine as the outer cover for both.

Meanwhile, I also had a small hassle with the spare tyre holder- all the 4 bolts that hold it to the rear body were left scr*wed into it all the while ever since I bought it, so they were now jammed in. No amount of pouring in oil and spraying WD40 would loosen them but for one. Tried unscrewing another when the bolt snapped off with more than half of it stuck inside- sound familiar??

So then we gave the holder to a local lathe machine guy to set right and also take out the other 3 bolts. 'asked my man to collect this too this evening.











Stay tuned for more- which, trust me, this time will be!