Lagonda Rapiers

7 minute(s) of a 484 minute read

Thank you Matthew

There was no problem about excess driver weight when KG 5363 was rebuilt by Beatrice Shilling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Shilling) as a racing car in the 1950s, she was just 5 ft tall and very slight. Pre war she had raced solo motorcycles at Brooklands, had a Brooklands Gold Star (awarded to riders completing a 100mph lap). She also held the Lady Rider's Speed Record for Motorcycles at Brooklands.

When I rebuilt the car in 1978-80 it was again totally dismantled including the chassis frame, indeed a "last nut and bolt" rebuild.

I have borrowed some head studs. I am told that I should not worry, it is not just my little parcel that was lost but an entire "Mail Bag". It seems that no one (except me) is overly concerned about the loss.

3-31-2017

Hello Paul

Thank you for the nice comments.

The Lagonda engine rebuild has progressed to include a new inlet manifold which is a much better design and includes a balance pipe with buffer ends, which I hope will go some way to prevent cylinder "robbing" and I have started to build a new exhaust manifold which will replace the previous, 25+ year old, set of pipes that had been badly cracked and had become very thin in places. I still have to collect the four "bends to finish the job. Then I have to decide whether I should Chrome plate it or paint it black or silver (spray aluminium) The previous exhaust I had aluminium sprayed which lasted very well and did not discolour with heat as chrome tends to do.

I am told that 80 year olds should not be worrying about these things. Why not, it keeps me active and using my brain.

I use oxy-acetelene gas for welding, I still don't have a mig or other electric welding and anyway I prefer gas as it permits slight modifications to be made as the job progresses. I will build another 4-2-1 system as I believe that they are better for road use than a 4-1 system, and they are easier to make to fit into the available space under the bonnet (hood)

Bernie j.

4-1-2017

Hello Paul

Thank you for your ongoing interest.The centre section of the "log" reduces to half an inch in the middle, My main aim with changing to this new inlet manifold is to over-come cylinder "Robbing" which happens in some four cylinder engines where you have one and three cylinders running rich and the other two, two and four, lean. There hopefully will be some other side benefits.  Apparently the "Buffer" ends of the balance pipe also have some benefit too.

I have a busy week coming so unfortunately there will not be all that much work done. I did get the radiator  fitted yesterday but even that took up some extra time as I welded a new end section, about an inch, onto the outlet pipe where it had rusted.

4-4-2017

Hello Matthew and Maoc

Right now I am running around in very tight circles, If I run any harder or the circles get any tighter I may well disappear.

I will be out of sight for the rest of this week but should be back before you have noticed that I have gone.

Perhaps next week I will be able to get back to the Lagonda. I have taken the inlet manifold and a template of the inlet ports out to our son Steve. Hopefully he will find some time in his busy programme to machine the inlet manifolds to match KG 5363's ports. These are just a tiny bit larger than standard. One day it will be all sorted out but all good things take time and effort.

4-7-2017

While our son Steve is working on the inlet manifold rather than sit and twiddle my thumbs I have just started on the exhaust side of the engine.

The first three photographs are Steve's the last two are mine. You may have gathered that as mentioned in my earlier post, KG 5363's inlet ports are just a whisker bigger than standard.

Bj

4-14-2017

IHello everyone I am actually back in body if not in spirit. Having received my new inlet manifold I find that withpout some drastic surgery to the right hand side of the Rapier's bonnet (hood) I cannot fit in my 1 1/2 inch SU carburettors so it is back to square one. Meanwhile I am doing a juggling act with all my pieces of exhaust pipe. Again it is a space problem but one that I must solve. The existing (1984) extractor manifold is now wafer thin and cannot possibly last very much longer. The problem is that the secondary pipes (1 3/4 inch pipe) have no more that a 1/4 clearance where they pass down beside the oil filter housing and the starter motor. Neither can easily be moved. Finally at about 4.30 pm this afternoon I have run out of both Oxygen and Acetylene. It looks like a quiet Easter. I still have to weld up the "collector" that takes the exhaust from the two secondary pipes into a single 2 Inch piple leading to the muffler.

Happy Easter

Bernie J.

Firstly MR2Red

You are way behind the times!  BOC have what they call their "D" Plan,there is no rent on the D size bottles and the cost to refill is extremely competitive compared to the Retail Price charged by Bunnings. I was probably one of BOC's first customers to adopt the D Plan.

Bj

Hello Paul

Life will continue, Once I have finished fabricating the new extractor exhaust system, I will transfer my attention back to the inlet manifold. I don't intend to chop up the original panel or otherwise mess about with the car. Enhancing the cars performance is one thing, choping up panels is something else.