Lancia Fulvia S2 5 speed transaxle

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="06000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>  </B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" "><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> back to  <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Engineering"><U><B>Engineering</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>By the way, see that list of cars on the left ? They are just there to look at , but not available for sale. I just leave them there as art.   Some cool stuff there !</B></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="061d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div>                                                   </div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Engineering"><U>Engineering</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gearbox Variants"><U>Gearbox Variants</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="2aefad10.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="209" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Wow.</div> <bR> <div> A 5 speed Fulvia transaxle. Pretty darn rare in the states. Overbuilt to an incredible standard, further proof that Lancia lost money on everything they made. They actually made two different 5 speeds on the Fulvia, & this is the second series of the 5 speed, offered only on the second series cars, not too be confused with the fist series car offering only a 4 speed. Actually the second series came with 3 different transaxles, first a 4 speed, then a 5, followed by a redesigned 5 as we have here. I thought it would be an interesting comparison to the Flaminia & series 1 Fulvia boxes.  There are  many subtle evolutionary changes here. Study the photographs & extrapolate. I'm sure Darwin would see the logic of the engineers, although who is to say that evolution is always progress?</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Filthy. A nasty thing to get out...</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="39f8ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Piggy mess:</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3a18ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Into the washer ( great tool....) I put a brass cover over the Lancia plaque so it wouldn't get erased in the cleaning cycle.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3a38ad80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="472" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Better</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3a68ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> May as well clean the fasteners too. ( I used a vibratory tumbler with ceramic media & oil emulsifier, for 2 hours. 4 hours will erode the plating on the fasteners, but works well on rusted parts.  3 hours will still gray the plating a bit. 2 seems about right.)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3a88ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3aa8ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Syncros can be freshened with fine lapping compound.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3acf7f40.jpg" border=0 width="503" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Note the line imprints left on the gear after lapping:</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3ae8ad60.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="470" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3b08ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3b201f40.jpg" border=0 width="513" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> There's a real interesting design to lock the ring nut that holds the pinion bearing in place. They used a pin, a multi hole plate, and a ball bearing. Too bad I didn't take a picture of it. You can get an idea from the side view though:</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3b48ac50.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="453" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Hand lapping each syncro, lapping the bushings to the shafts, & carefully filing & fitting the selector balls & springs to their hubs. There is a lot you can do to make a gearbox feel glassy to the touch if you can be bothered to take the time.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3b68ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Going together</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3b88ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Assembled & massaged. Nice!</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3ba4df40.jpg" border=0 width="589" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The shift mechanism. These 5 speeds feel terrible compared to the early 4 speeds. The goal is to make this box feel as nice as possible. The selector shaft we see here is preloaded with a heavy spring.  It removes the sensitive feel when going to the left of the H pattern for 1st & reverse. Lets' fix it.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3be30f40.jpg" border=0 width="560" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Here's where the selector lives. The aquamarine paint in various places is the factory confirmation that someone tightened a key fastener.  </div> <div> <IMG SRC="3c08ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Tricky to get apart this far, and now look: another secret threaded fastener inside the shaft.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3c202f40.jpg" border=0 width="514" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Time to make another special tool:</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3c48ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Here's the tool at work on the internal fastener:</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3d08ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Here's what's inside:The hooked chisel in the foreground was necessary to tap (pound) back the rolled lip around the internal  fastener. The darned thing kept eating the teeth off my special tool so I had to remake it 4 times. By the second round I had started to heat treat & harden the metal of the tool, but the fastener wouldn't yield until the lip was out of the way. </div> <div> <IMG SRC="3ce8ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Original spring on the right. Couldn't find a lighter spring around here so I made the one on the left out of .047 music wire.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3d28ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3c68ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Well, it was still just a bit heavier than I liked in action. Long as I'm this far I may as well get it right.</div> <div> Made some more springs...... That interesting tool in the middle is a springwinder. You don't see many of those around anymore. (This particular one has a patent 1909 cast on one side, & my family name Hjorth cast into the other. Now that's pretty darn obscure. Must have been some relative of mine that made it. I'm sure he'd be glad to know it's still making springs with some other Hjorth about 100 years later..) The one  on the far right out of .037 wire turned out to be perfect when installed. A really light & delightful action to the shift mechanism now.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3ca71f40.jpg" border=0 width="625" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Getting closer.....</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3de8ad60.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="470" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> For comparison, The first series 4 speed:</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3ea8a9d0.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="413" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> And the Flaminia: Note the oil pump driven by the layshaft. There's even a separate oil pipe to feed the speedometer drive gear. Possible overkill.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3ec8ac20.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Quick mensa test: Above, note that there are 7 gears on the 5 speed lay shaft. Why would that be? The answer comes from observing the design  history of  the other boxes.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3e08ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="3e282f40.jpg" border=0 width="642" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3f00bf40.jpg" border=0 width="523" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Going back in a bit cleaner than it came out....</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3e88ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Installed:</div> <div> <IMG SRC="3f28ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Wow. Transformed. a big change in the elegance of the shifting. Much better feel now. </div> <div> And the winner?</div> <div> Hands down the Fulvia 4 speed. This late model 5 speed has no charming traits. Overbuilt to an incredible degree it just has no delightful elements other than visual ones. It simply is a gearbox. It won't bust nor will it make you take the long way home.  The Flaminias are nice, but often baulky in first & second when cold. That removes some of the thrill right there. The Fulvia S1 4 speeds? Stunning even with old syncros, and a good one is magical. It  will make you smile all the time for no good reason other than the sheer pleasure of feeling it slide into another gear.</div> <bR> <div> And there you have it.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>