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Old 28th June 2009, 23:35   #136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperSelect View Post
Bhai Wah, Shyam.. I can just imagine the old girl firing up . What's the status on the body panels et al ?
Thanks ravi!

Body panels to be reassembled after engine is in place. I must remember to get the new beading for the toolbox fitted though.

Last edited by Stanher : 28th June 2009 at 23:39.
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Old 8th July 2009, 11:03   #137
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Sorry for the delay in updating, guys! But I've been having trouble uploading attachments in some threads lately, and even in posting, thanks to the net here!

Anyways, update: Engine has been fitted onto the scoot.

Front and rear hubs fully assembled and fitted on, so have the new tyres.

The brake pedal has been cleaned and the spring, brackets galvanised, and all clear-coated.

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3287.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3281.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3278.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3307.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3308.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3310.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3321.jpg

BUT here's a problem now.......!

While checking the wheel alignment the other day, I noticed that the rare end of the frame is crooked towards the left!!

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3313.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_0934.jpg

I don't know how and when this had happened! It didnt seem to be this way before the scooter was restored!

Could it have happened when the frame was lifted/moved a few times after the engine was fitted and before the wheels were?

But surely Lambretta frames are known to be solid enough?

Is there anything that can be done about this, without causing notable damage to the paint?? Any advice
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Old 8th July 2009, 16:07   #138
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stanher View Post
While checking the wheel alignment the other day, I noticed that the rare end of the frame is crooked towards the left!!
Hi Shyam, There is nothing to worry about the crookedness. It is observed in most of the scooters / and motor bikes where the driver is often accompanied by a pillion who sits one sided. As the driver tends to balance load by tilting slightly to the right, the tubular frame tends to bend over years. You dont notice this much in Bajaj and Piaggio scooters because the one seated pillion balances the weight of the single side engine. Hope its clear now.
Solution - 1) Bend the tubular frame and make is right at a place where proper fixtures are available, and then give it for stress releaving.
2) The simpler option is to have a pillion seated totally facing the right, until you are convinced that the frame is re-oriented.

As such it doesn't harm the structural integrity even if you drive it the way it is. And better not get bothered much about it. Have a rear mudflap which can hide your feel of mis-alignment and also protect the on-going cyclists from the mud-stains while you zoom the road with the scooter.
-Ilango

BTW the painting job is good, and would like to see it on road. Do post more pics of the complete vehicle.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 20 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post

Last edited by Technocrat : 9th July 2009 at 13:35. Reason: Please read the note in post, thanks
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Old 8th July 2009, 21:56   #139
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ilangop View Post
Hi Shyam, There is nothing to worry about the crookedness. It is observed in most of the scooters / and motor bikes where the driver is often accompanied by a pillion who sits one sided.
Solution - 1) Bend the tubular frame and make is right at a place where proper fixtures are available, and then give it for stress releaving.
2) The simpler option is to have a pillion seated totally facing the right, until you are convinced that the frame is re-oriented.

As such it doesn't harm the structural integrity even if you drive it the way it is. And better not get bothered much about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilangop View Post
BTW the painting job is good, and would like to see it on road. Do post more pics of the complete vehicle.
Thanks ilango! Well, I'll first try and get the frame aligned. If not possible, I'll just have to play blind.......OR go for your other suggestion of the right-facing pillion. But that'll be only after I'm married!

Anyways, no further major updates aas of today, but gave the go signal to fix the grey, imported OHH REE GEE NAL lever grips (got thanks to saurabh) today. I told him to do it slowly so as not to cause damage to the grips while fitting.

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3324.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3326.jpg
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Old 8th July 2009, 22:48   #140
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[quote=Stanher;1362719]Update:

Engine reassembled and fully working. Bore/piston etc. all fitted and so has the stator plate and magneto after being recharged last week.





Attachment 152675

Fantastic job done sofar. I guess 1960s Lambretta Li150 had 2 coils in the magneto, how come this scooter has 5 coils. In two coils magneto, coils are little bigger than the coils of 5 coils magneto.
My dad's 1960 Lambretta has a small electrical junction box fitted in the bracket of the left side which connects main tubular frame and the left side foot rest. Could you please tell what actually it is for?
Attached Thumbnails
Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3281.jpg  


Last edited by gaddiwale : 8th July 2009 at 22:56.
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Old 8th July 2009, 23:14   #141
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gaddiwale View Post
I guess 1960s Lambretta Li150 had 2 coils in the magneto, how come this scooter has 5 coils. In two coils magneto, coils are little bigger than the coils of 5 coils magneto.
My dad's 1960 Lambretta has a small electrical junction box fitted in the bracket of the left side which connects main tubular frame and the left side foot rest. Could you please tell what actually it is for?
Thanks!
Well, AFAIK, all 60s (Li) Lambrettas had this 5-coil stator plate only as standard? 'never seen one with only 2 coils. Those were there only on the previous LD models. here's a pic. of one taken from an LD:

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-jul0304.jpg

Junction box, its for the electrical circuit, that's where the lead wires (3 seen in the pic.) are connected. Similar to the ones cars have, only smaller.

BTW, could you try and upload a pic. of the junction box on your dad's lambretta? I'm curious to know wht the original shape looked like.
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Old 8th July 2009, 23:35   #142
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shyam what are you going to do with all the other rubber parts for the floor, etc? The handles are really fab Saurabh sent me a pair too!
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Old 9th July 2009, 00:01   #143
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@ Stanher: You are right. Please see the attached file (Part book-Lambretta Li150 Series II) also shows 1960 Lambretta Li150 Series II has 2 ignition coils (Fig no. 21) and 3 Lighting colis(Fig No. 6) in the Stator plate.
I have to ask my dad how come his one has 2 coils! Sorry buddy I scooter is at my native place at northern part of West Bengal, so next time when I visit will post the picture.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf lambretta1.pdf (174.7 KB, 478 views)

Last edited by gaddiwale : 9th July 2009 at 00:06.
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Old 9th July 2009, 01:29   #144
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Frame!!!

Hi Stanher!

Stop with all that you are doing right now and go after the frame misalignment.

I am sorry but I dont agree at all with the reasons for this misallignment given by Illango. NOne of those can either cause this or rectify this situation. Some thing is seriously out of alignment on your machine.

Lets work on why this has happened if it was not here earlier.

1. It is not easy to bend the flate frame away from the tubular chassis to get into the situation that you arein right now. Impossible without an accident situation!

2. Check your engine mounting cones. Are they OK and new? is the engine mounting sitting as it is supposed to sit

3. Check your layshaft - I hope it is not bent where the rear drum seats on it. This will make the rear wheel run untrue

4. Take your scoot off the stand and keep the handle bar ABSOLUTELY straight ahead position. Ask some one to hold it there. You go right behind the scoot and lie down on the floor and see if the rear wheel is in ABSOLUTE alignment with the front wheel. The Thread method used for car alignment will give you a very good estimation as well except that the thread should be used on both sides of the wheel simultaneously by two experts - one in the front and the other at the rear end.

5. Any welding or frame job done by any one before painting? Please let me know where and for what?

Tell me the results of these findings and then I can advise some difficult measurements to figure out where and how the frame is mis-aligned. If the wheels are aligned and this situation was not there earlier as is clearly evident from your earlier pics there is definitely one or two weldings that have come loose and we need to figure out what was happened and where.

Dont leave it at this because it may seriously affect your ride quality and handling in future.

So lets get to the bottom of it.

Remember - WE MUST SORT THIS NOW!

Regards

Saurabh
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Old 9th July 2009, 13:56   #145
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SA7VA5 View Post
2. Check your engine mounting cones. Are they OK and new? is the engine mounting sitting as it is supposed to sit

3. Check your layshaft - I hope it is not bent where the rear drum seats on it. This will make the rear wheel run untrue

4. Take your scoot off the stand and keep the handle bar ABSOLUTELY straight ahead position. Ask some one to hold it there. You go right behind the scoot and lie down on the floor and see if the rear wheel is in ABSOLUTE alignment with the front wheel. The Thread method used for car alignment will give you a very good estimation as well except that the thread should be used on both sides of the wheel simultaneously by two experts - one in the front and the other at the rear end.

5. Any welding or frame job done by any one before painting? Please let me know where and for what?
If the wheels are aligned and this situation was not there earlier as is clearly evident from your earlier pics there is definitely one or two weldings that have come loose and we need to figure out what was happened and where.

Dont leave it at this because it may seriously affect your ride quality and handling in future.
Hey saurabh, welcome back! And just in the nick of time I'd say!

Thanks for warning me!

Well, the cones (metal) did seem ok to me, weren't new though.

Unfortunately this is the only pic. of the engine bolt and cones I have, taken prior to galvanising them.

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-bolt.jpg

The frame sure didn't have an accident damage after I got it done up. I doubt if it did have any before either, as I mentioned, the frame seems all straight in the pics. taken then.

The frame did seem to have a slight cave-in on the left side- attaching a pic. showing it (circled) But in that case it should've been bent towards the right and not left as is now.

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-frame.jpg

I had the mech. and someone else who was with me at the time, to keep the handle straight and check alignment of the wheels front and rear. There was no misalignment there. Also in the pic., the rear wheel appears straight, problem seems with the frame only. But can't put my finger on it and say what exactly.
Yet I will still do the check again. BTW, what is "layshaft" exactly? Where does this come?

I'm also uploading a pic. showing the engine mounting (one side only for now) for reference. Please check and let me know if the mounting is ok on this side?

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3285.jpg

I never had any welding done on the chassis/frame, it was allright then, barring the misaligned front cross-member. Only there was some welding done at the rear end to fit the side-dome clamping bracket, which was not there earlier.

I feel bad about this, but will still go ahead with any correction possible, since it's a safety issue.
Thanks again!
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Old 10th July 2009, 21:48   #146
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Hey Shyam, I really hope it all comes together well in the end...I am trying to find out from my mechanic what the issue could be. However, the "side-saddle pillion" theory offered by Ilango is not possible, according to him...not on a Lambretta at least. This kind of twist can happen when the scooter hits a large-ish speedbreaker pretty hard, possibly at an angle. But I do not understand why it was not visible at the beginning of the resto. It became apparent only during reassembly...its quite interesting in a way, but a huge bother for Stanher, specially at this stage...we're with you all the way, let me know if there's something I can help you with.
A few updates from the resto of my 1970 API Lambretta LI 150 S2:
Except the side-shields everything has been tinkered.
Chassis was slightly tinkered, some of the welds needed renewing, and were ground down a bit, without weakening the welds. Chassis is ready for paint. Engine parts have been painted. The monsoons are here again, so we got to be careful when we paint the scoot.
Body parts that required no tinkering have been primered and undercoat applied. Photos:
Attached Thumbnails
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Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-image296.jpg  

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Old 11th July 2009, 00:13   #147
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Hole Near Petrol Door

HI Sidman

Why is there an additional hole in the frame near the petrol filler door aperture in your scoot? Its not supposed to be there.

Please have it filled in at this stage by welding and re-spray the primer.

Cheers
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Old 11th July 2009, 16:56   #148
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More pics of rear frame

Hi Saurabh,

Following ur advice, I had checked the scooter myself today, for any misalignment between the front and rear wheels, with the handlebar kept straight. They both seemed in line to me.

Only rear wheel needs further tightening of the nuts he told me.

The problem seems to me with the frame only. But again, on checking it in detail, couldn't pinpoint the exact fault- checked all the welding points between rear frame and chassis. I dont see any disjointed welds but for one spot (where the rear seat sits I guess) marked with arrow- how serious is it?
Here are pics. of the same so you can check them out and guide further where possible. Also is it just me or is the rear inner mudguard also out of alignment?

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3336.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3338.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3337.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3339.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3344.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3345.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3350.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3353.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3346.jpg

Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-img_3347.jpg

Last edited by Stanher : 11th July 2009 at 17:04.
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Old 12th July 2009, 20:39   #149
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SA7VA5 View Post
HI Sidman

Why is there an additional hole in the frame near the petrol filler door aperture in your scoot? Its not supposed to be there.

Please have it filled in at this stage by welding and re-spray the primer.

Cheers
Hi Saurabh,
The previous owner had got this modification done, and I decided to keep it. A small bolt is supposed to be mounted here, as a stopper for the fuel tank lock's catch.
Shyam, I spoke to my mech, and he has seen this kind of thing before, and has traced it to the following part on the chassis (circled):


Cheers
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Lambretta scooters - Restoration & Maintenance-image281_edit.jpg  


Last edited by Sidman : 12th July 2009 at 20:47.
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Old 13th July 2009, 12:14   #150
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Stanher's Scoot

Well not being at the spot is definitely something that is not helping me take a good call.

From what you are tellig me that the front and rear wheels are in a straight line - they are upright as they should be (after having tightened the wheel rim to the drums in their final position) then the alignmentof the chassis frame is OK.

But then there lies a problem with your flat frame on which the seats are mounted. This is more of a cosmetic problem and we should know why ? If its because there was some welding / heating done to tinker the dents on the flat flame or patch up any rusted parts then its quite possible that the rear end warped away because it was not in the original pics. Warpage is something very common specially when you heat / weld a part.

Its difficult to pin point the weld health of the joints that you have shown under the seats. Definitely they are not in the strongest of shape for the reinforcement plates but if the welds are not present evenly on all sides of the reinforcement plate or they have got opened / cracked during denting process or naturally (as is quite common) then the plate will loosen up and let the flat frame be pulled to one side as is visible on your machine.

Please take a close look at these things and call me.

Cheers!
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