h14

20 July 2011 at 18:22 #48377

Hi Peter

It’s just come to me…it’s a firm called Wefco, they’ve got a website so still active.

Laurence

h14

20 July 2011 at 10:33 #48375

Barry,
Thanks, have sent pm.

h14

20 July 2011 at 10:23 #48374

Not sure of the context here, but perhaps “conversion” referred to altering the ignition timing to suit unleaded petrol? I seem to recall that when unleaded was introduced, charts were available showing what changes to make.

h14

19 July 2011 at 10:22 #48369

Hi Colin, Barry,

Interesting. Were these also original fittings to LG6 & V12? Have had new springs made for the LG6, & the V12’s rebuilt, so would like to look after them! No mention of such a fitting in the handbook, & the springs are bare in the photos therein.

Laurence

h14

13 July 2011 at 09:55 #48360

David,

It might be a better approach to let us have details of the car…registration number (and chassis number if known). Then, if the car still survives, the current owner has the opportunity to buy it…it is after all part of the history of that particular car.
Value wise…you won’t be able to take early retirement! I paid ?12 for mine in the 1980s. I also knew of someone who had something like 50 left over old stock from the factory, so there are probably more handbooks than V12s.
Would be lovely to see some of the pictures, if you can download them without too much trouble.

h14

1 July 2011 at 13:17 #48337

I have an SU carburetter workshop manual, & that states that the brass suction piston was replaced by a thin-walled aluminium one in 1950 (but the brass one can be replaced by an aluminium one with spring). Up to 1939 the pistons were thick-walled aluminium or zinc.
This might at least help date the carburetters…certainly the longer neck ones are earlier, & I’m fairly certain the shorter neck ones are post 1950.
Laurence

h14

30 June 2011 at 09:54 #48333

Hi Peter,

Already asked Distributor Doctor re V12 distributors; unfortunately he only works on Lucas types.
Regarding the Voltage Regulators, my understanding is that pattern replacements have a pretty poor reliability record. The RB106 regulator comes up frequently as new old stock on ebay.
Likewise I’d avoid pattern rotor arms. My LG6 currently has 1 distributor & 1 coil. When I bought the car, the coil ignition wasn’t working. Soon found the new “Park” rotor arm had burnt through. No worries, another new one made by Park amongst the spares. That lasted 500 miles. Fortunately the original, but very second-hand Lucas rotor arm was also with the spares. Still working fine.
Laurence

Laurence

h14

25 June 2011 at 09:19 #48316

Hi Barry,
My LG6 was rebuilt with Volvo pistons. If you wish I’ll look & see if I have the references.
A word of warning. The engine was rebuilt by vintage engine specialists for the previous owner. They failed to allow for the fact that the longer stroke means the pistons run hotter (further from cooling oil thrown up from the crank) than in their designed application. Result…engine siezed after 500 miles. Owner takes engine back….”specialists” bore out block…but this time go too far….result I have a lovely quiet rebuilt but effectively worn out engine, burning & blowing out oil….grrr!

h14

10 June 2011 at 13:50 #48275

Hi Julian,

Thanks for looking this up. Turned out it’s clockwise rotation, whereas the NV6 (on my LG6 at any rate) is anticlock. So perhaps an AV6 is a clockwise version of the NV6. Strangely, the contact breaker is mounted identically in both (whereas the those in the V12’s Delco Remy distributors are different), so whether it would need much work to change rotation, I don’t know. Guess the advance mechanism would be a serious problem!

Didn’t realise the ignition should be 2 degrees different side to side…suppose this means more complete burn of the mixture. Certainly remember the second ignition was worth an extra 50rpm at idle.

Laurence

h14

11 May 2011 at 09:41 #48215

Hi Peter,
Interesting reading your thoughts on the V12 dhc conversion. Strangely, my V12 dhc, which is an original one, has the larger/more pronounced boot, and also the taller radiator more commonly fitted to the longer chassis V12s. It is a very late car, first registered in December 1940, & was the property of Alan Good, so I suppose he had it built to his personal criteria! I think Lagonda built 25 dhcs, and I daresay they all differed in one respect or another.
If Ilan remains keen on 16063, perhaps it would be a good idea to see if photos are available of the conversion under construction, which might at least give some idea as to how “correct” the conversion is, & the quality of the work.
Laurence

h14

9 May 2011 at 18:37 #48208

That looks like a Lagonda number to me.

h14

9 May 2011 at 18:35 #48207

Hi Ilan,
Unfortunately I have no knowledge of this particular car. I think much depends on how well the conversion was done. In terms of prices I have seen on genuine V12 dhcs, this doesn’t seem that overpriced to me, if the job has been done properly. At least they didn’t turn it into yet another Le Mans replica. V12s are difficult mechanically, so it is important to ensure all mechanical work has been done by people experienced with them.
Laurence

h14

29 March 2011 at 16:12 #48143

Let’s hope this does get restored. Saloons are becoming an endangered species…perhaps rarity will increase values & help justify restoration costs? Many 30s saloons are pretty dull if not ugly, but Lagonda saloons were always handsome, so surely that must help?!
My own LG6 was bought by the previous owner as a pretty derelict rolling chassis in 1985. I assumed it had lost its original saloon body in the 60s….but on getting what history I could from DVLA, was appalled to discover it had been taxed & on the road in 1979! What upsets me is that I’ve since been contacted by the families of the original owner and second owner, so I now have pictures of it on the day of delivery in 1939, and in the early 50s. Difficult explaining to them that, yes, “their” car survives, but not in a remotely recogniseable form. This is particularly galling for me, as I’d love similar photos of my V12, which is an original factory dhc….but no such luck.
At least the guy I bought it from, Richard Kelsall, had a body made up to his own design, as I would not have bought a replica.

Laurence

h14

23 March 2011 at 19:23 #48131

Hi Peter,
You’re welcome, & thanks for the links. Now I know how the system works!

Laurence

h14

22 March 2011 at 18:59 #48128

Hi Peter,
In the absence of any other replies, the only help I can offer is that the windscreen wash system was likely to have been made by Trico. Their washer systems appear to have been popular fitments in the 1950s. My 1951 Riley had such a system at one time…like yours abandoned in later life, only mine was replaced by a rubber push-bulb affair & plastic bag type reservoir…which I recognised as being from a Fiat 500! At least your alteration sounds more up-market! The Trico reservoir was a large round glass jar (like a huge jam jar) containing the pick-up & a copper unit which presumably converted the vacuum into pressure to expel the water. Sorry I haven’t a clue as to how the system worked. I have seen them on ebay so if you want to revert the system, it shouldn’t be too difficult. You might still have the retaining bracket for the jar, perhaps bolted on the inner wing in the under bonnet area.

Laurence