Lagonda Rapiers

4 minute(s) of a 484 minute read

It is all so easy, how could anyone mess it up?
 
Don't panic, the gearbox in my photograph is facing in the opposite direction to the one in the hand-book.

Here's a couple simple videos on the shifting action

11-20-2018

Thank you Mike I had not seen either of those before.
Unfortunately with the ENV 75 and virtually all Preselector gearboxes you  cannot  see most of the action. Basically what Mike showed us was the self adjustment of the bands. Even then it is difficult to see the actual movement of the "Nut". The hand book explains that to check if this is working you need to use a marker pen to draw a line on the top of the nut. Then by watching the action as you "pump the change pedal". It is actually the thin spring wire that grips and turns the nut. As I comtinue to re-assemble my "box" I will attempt to explain more fully.
Going to Mike's second video on Lagonda what it fails to tell you is that the 11.1, introduced in 1913, was the first "Mono" construction The angle iron body frame with the sheet metal panels riveted and soldered to it. There was no chassis as such.

11-22-2018

I have just finished re-assembling the Rapier brakes with their new Asbestos Free linings. At the same time I have had the handbrake lever off and dismantled. Now at last after I do not know how many years, I have the hand brake "fly-off" mechanism and the associated ratchet working after what seems like a very long day under the car. The main object was to build up the tip of the ratchet  and file it back into shape. To do this I had to remove the handbrake lever etc from under the car, then dismantle it.  Then finally re-assemble it all and bolt it back onto the side rail of the chassis. All I can say is  that much as I love the Rapier I do not want to repeat todays effort again for a very long time which in effect means never. With the brakes sorted out I can go back to assembling the spare gearbox while I am waiting for the "Asbestos free" gearbox bands to come back from England. When they arrive I will have the pleasure of removing the gearbox from the car and rebuilding it too. Can this all indicate the onset of dementia or something worse? "old-age"

Finally I have the documentation covering the Asbestos Replacement material. Hopefully this along with the Brake Service's receipt for relining the four pair of brake shoes will go someway towards satisfying the Australian Border Force when the Rapier returns home after our visit to the UK & France early next year.
I will need to obtain similar paper work from the people in England that are relining the gearbox bands etc.