Fuel tank full of rust. Changing it is the first thing to do in old cars that don't run from a long time. And if you to start with that fuel, well you being the rust everywhere: fuel lines, fuel filter and so on.
well done, just for nostalgia you could’ve put all the other old parts back on one by one and just fix the fuel system and then seeing if it starts still. ❤
Haha you’re right. But I did check it before I took the risk. It honestly looked like new, very clean and no decay. And wasn’t hard etc. But I’m glad it’s now got a new one…
I love these Beta Coupes - I was a few years younger than you in 1977 and bought a new 2000 Beta Coupe - same colour, same interior different grill. I loved that car and had it rust proofed soon after purchase. It was a great car and I sold it on in 1982 with 90,000km on it. In 1989 I saw a very sorry looking white Beta Coupe parked down a side street in Sydney Australia - yes it was my old car. Sold while still pristine in 1982 now a rusted out heap in 1989. Even in the dry Australian climate, and rust proofing by Endrust, the poor car still managed to rust.
That’s amazing that is rusted so badly in a warmer climate. They didn’t stand a chance in the U.K.! This one has only rusted in easy to repair places. So it got very lucky!
I envy you and I hope you give it a loving home. One real thing to check…. Where the rear quarter light windows pivot at the rear of the door the spot welds fail which allow the window to pivot ! They sometimes fail letting the rear side windows to drop out.
I’ll definitely check that! The whole car is going to be sandblasted and all the rust tackled. So thanks for the tip, I’ll make sure I have a good poke around there!
I had two Betas one P reg and then a W Reg 2ltr Coupe in dark blue with grey cloth interior. I bought it only 2 years old and was it awesome. Unfortunately both came to untimely ends in accidents (Neither my fault) 😢
Ì can't comment on lancias, but every other car built in 60's and 70's britain suffered the rust problem possibly from poor quality steel/ paint, so they not on there own by any means. My mate was looking for a Triumph for his dad, every one we spotted had rotten doors at 3-4 years old! It was like an epidemic of rust.
I saved a 1300 coupe from the scrapyard 3 years ago and I am just about half way through the restoration. Similar rust to yours. Engine took a week to start but is smooth as an excited sowing machine especially without an exhaust. Because the body will not be perfect I also considered doing mine in Alitalia colours but am still torn by the original capri blue. I think there are only 4 or 5 1300s on the road in the uk.
Nice, just started watching. My first car was a 1979 ( pre facelift) 1600. Bought in 1989. Terrible car all in all but wished I'd never sold it. Remember some great roadtrips of several thousand kilometers. Secretly looking to buy another one but slightly afraid I will be disappointed. Not because of the car, but because I'm 35 years older and times have changed.....
The alfa looks cool in the miss match panels. I would keep it this way,or do a martini,or other race livery on the parts that is stock white,as it was a old race car that has been brought nack to life.
I had a Beta HPE Vx at university back in the early 90's (I couldn't afford the coupe). It was a proper shed, finally threw the cambelt, and became scrap at that point. ETA, it got replaced by a Renault 5 free from my brother who was on a drink driving ban!
What a tale! I’m excited to get it up and running. It will be a fun little car to pootle around in. Not sure it’s capable of much more than pootling though!!
Yes, cambelt is a must. It's seconds from destroying the valves! There's a shed-load of info and advice on the Lancia Beta Forum and parts available from BetaBoyz. Great project, good luck, Nigel.
It was the hose that connects the fuel tank to the metal lines! It had become porous, so the pressure created by the fuel pump was being lost as the pipe was sucking in air from outside!
With so much rust in the tank, did you clean out the carby, maybe reset it also? if you get fuel easily to your filter, check it.. plus, as one person mentioned, your cambelt probably needs changing, I was looking at buying one like yours many years ago, but the 1800, very sought after, but, they came even back then with many issues, so I didn't.. because it's so far gone, it'll probably cost you more than it's worth, but, all the same, if you love that car, then restore it.. it's a beautiful car, 1300 or not.. 🙂🙂🙂
@@HudsonAutoFilmses, true later cars had improved protection after the facelift cars, one significant item was plastic front wing liners. However plenty of later cars with significant rust problems as with all cars of this era. Make sure you check the front and rear inner wings which are most likely problems as well as the floor pan. Enjoyed video hope you keep going to make a series as so far no restorations on the Beta here on RUclips so far.
@@andycollier6458 should have took it back they had a six year anti corrosion warranty by then ,I had series ones that rusted badly but series threes with arch liners were very good none of the three I owned rusted badly,fords were much worse from the same time period
All cars were rot boxes in the 60's to 90's but Italian cars were a joke as a youngin I remember coming into our street a guy at the bottom had a Alpha something or other there was something a big lump under the car on the it was the engine it had fallen out , years later I'm a panel beater at a Vauxhall dealers our head office was Datsun 6 month old cars you would snap wing bolts I remember having to weld Datsun's up to jig the cars , Vauxhalls were no better , years later when freelancing in the 90's I was touting for work ended up at a specialist Alpha , they offered me a 1 off job a mk2 Lotus Cortina that the owner had shot blasted I spent 2 weeks shrinking then hammering up then filling every panel on the car , there I say one guy welding up a scuttle panel the car was 18 month old and the wipers had fell out . At a place I worked a lad started he was from a PDI company who would drag new Fiats out of a compound in North Shield some had been standing for years and sell as new cars , my boss at that place told us his mate had traded a 3 year old Fiat for a new one , the guy broke an indicator lens he went to the dealers gave the chassis number and years the storeman said the car was 4 years old there was hell on about it . I did a Lancia Montecarlo for the Porsche guy 2 quarter panels 2 door skins and 2 wings all hand made by a company down south started with the door skins they were a shocking fit , I spent days getting them to align with the wings then tried to fit the wings just did not fit quarter panels were just as bad as well , I tried to get more money out of the Porsche guy all I got was a price is a price I said you did not tell me the panels were so badly fitting , not my fault he said , finished the car a week plus late all that extra work for nothing what a bummer , I never let it happen again though and never went back .
That’s correct, Lancia didn’t handle the problem very well, and the Russian metal is just a myth. Other cars in the 60s and 70s rusted just as bad but they don’t get the bad press Lancia did.
Havn`t read the whole comments but you are asking a lot to expect fuel to come from a corroded fuel tank and fuel line ..Feed the fuel pump /carb from a jerry can or similar.
I like Clarkson a lot, but that was the one of the laziest, dirtiest, play to the balding potbellied pub bore gallery pieces of journalism he has ever written/performed! Shame on the manchild, he's better than that! The Beta is a fine car, admittedly with it's challenges, but its' issues were grossly over exaggerated by nitwits, liars and halfwits (a high percentage of which have never owned a Beta in ANY of its formats). There was also a bit of skullduggery from the redtop press (no surprises there from Daily Mirror etc., etc!), other car manufactures too, that were clearly pissed off that their poor attempts at similar cars were a bit, well, shit! The Beta platform handles well, have great engines and are as comfortable as you can get for the era. Remember that the basic design was introduced in '72 thru to '85. You take any car that's had this much unwarranted neglect and this is what you get. Get it running properly, get the Bendix duplex brakes serviced with rebuilt master cylinder/calipers/discs, braided hoses and lines, and suspension sorted, talk to Betaboyz for parts and advice and never look back. You'll get there and when you eventually drive it properly, it will make you smile . Good luck with this and the Aston.......
Those are so beautiful cars. Please make it like new. It deserves to shine again.
I will!!
Fuel tank full of rust. Changing it is the first thing to do in old cars that don't run from a long time. And if you to start with that fuel, well you being the rust everywhere: fuel lines, fuel filter and so on.
My thoughts exactly.
well done, just for nostalgia you could’ve put all the other old parts back on one by one and just fix the fuel system and then seeing if it starts still. ❤
You are the luckiest man I know .
I can't believe the cambelt didn't let go on you, after 26 years.
You were born under a lucky star.
Haha you’re right. But I did check it before I took the risk. It honestly looked like new, very clean and no decay. And wasn’t hard etc. But I’m glad it’s now got a new one…
Beautiful car, i had a Lancia Beta coupe 1300cc 1977 , my first car bought for €625 2nd hand
Good luck with the restoration
Lancia Beta now....wel done.
Thank you!
Had a beta coupe 2lt twin cam what a car
I love these Beta Coupes - I was a few years younger than you in 1977 and bought a new 2000 Beta Coupe - same colour, same interior different grill. I loved that car and had it rust proofed soon after purchase. It was a great car and I sold it on in 1982 with 90,000km on it. In 1989 I saw a very sorry looking white Beta Coupe parked down a side street in Sydney Australia - yes it was my old car. Sold while still pristine in 1982 now a rusted out heap in 1989. Even in the dry Australian climate, and rust proofing by Endrust, the poor car still managed to rust.
That’s amazing that is rusted so badly in a warmer climate. They didn’t stand a chance in the U.K.! This one has only rusted in easy to repair places. So it got very lucky!
Lovely car absolutely lovely
She’s is lovely!
I envy you and I hope you give it a loving home. One real thing to check…. Where the rear quarter light windows pivot at the rear of the door the spot welds fail which allow the window to pivot ! They sometimes fail letting the rear side windows to drop out.
I’ll definitely check that! The whole car is going to be sandblasted and all the rust tackled. So thanks for the tip, I’ll make sure I have a good poke around there!
The wonderful Sandy Gall presenting News at Ten. He pronounced Lancia correctly, unlike anyone else.
I have 2 of them , beautiful looking beautiful sound, and I have the zagato model
They’re stunning! So underrated in my opinion!
PS I very nearly bought an HPE in around 1990... Not sure what I went for, maybe another Mini? I had three of those...
I had two Betas one P reg and then a W Reg 2ltr Coupe in dark blue with grey cloth interior. I bought it only 2 years old and was it awesome. Unfortunately both came to untimely ends in accidents (Neither my fault) 😢
Ì can't comment on lancias, but every other car built in 60's and 70's britain suffered the rust problem possibly from poor quality steel/ paint, so they not on there own by any means. My mate was looking for a Triumph for his dad, every one we spotted had rotten doors at 3-4 years old! It was like an epidemic of rust.
I saved a 1300 coupe from the scrapyard 3 years ago and I am just about half way through the restoration. Similar rust to yours. Engine took a week to start but is smooth as an excited sowing machine especially without an exhaust. Because the body will not be perfect I also considered doing mine in Alitalia colours but am still torn by the original capri blue. I think there are only 4 or 5 1300s on the road in the uk.
Nice, just started watching.
My first car was a 1979 ( pre facelift) 1600. Bought in 1989.
Terrible car all in all but wished I'd never sold it. Remember some great roadtrips of several thousand kilometers.
Secretly looking to buy another one but slightly afraid I will be disappointed. Not because of the car, but because I'm 35 years older and times have changed.....
I have to say…now I’m a bit further along with it. I find it a very fun drive!
The alfa looks cool in the miss match panels. I would keep it this way,or do a martini,or other race livery on the parts that is stock white,as it was a old race car that has been brought nack to life.
I had a Beta HPE Vx at university back in the early 90's (I couldn't afford the coupe). It was a proper shed, finally threw the cambelt, and became scrap at that point. ETA, it got replaced by a Renault 5 free from my brother who was on a drink driving ban!
What a tale! I’m excited to get it up and running. It will be a fun little car to pootle around in. Not sure it’s capable of much more than pootling though!!
Pity you scrapped it, the supercharger would have been worth money 💰 back then.
Brilliant Hollywood ending! We were all keeping our fingers crossed for you!
It really did feel like the end of a movie! The relief and excitement was a great feeling!
Yes, cambelt is a must. It's seconds from destroying the valves! There's a shed-load of info and advice on the
Lancia Beta Forum and parts available from BetaBoyz. Great project, good luck, Nigel.
Thanks Nigel, I’ve been relying on the forums so far! Cambelt now changed, will be in the next video. Nice to have the old dried out one off!! Thanks
Instead of brake cleaner try putting petrol in the carb it's much better on bone dry cylinder walls
Absolutely, I was being a bit silly really. But I was so desperate to get it going I wasn’t really thinking!
I wonder whet the yellow car...part of it briefly seen in the back ground was...is?
It’s a lotus Elite :)
Sometimes you need to prime a new mechanical fuel pump to get it to pull fuel, just manually fill via fuel hose 👍
I did try that off camera but it really was just the dodgy pipe at the back causing all the issues!
There's a micro screen in the fuel tank, it is probably clogged
It was the hose that connects the fuel tank to the metal lines! It had become porous, so the pressure created by the fuel pump was being lost as the pipe was sucking in air from outside!
With so much rust in the tank, did you clean out the carby, maybe reset it also? if you get fuel easily to your filter, check it.. plus, as one person mentioned, your cambelt probably needs changing, I was looking at buying one like yours many years ago, but the 1800, very sought after, but, they came even back then with many issues, so I didn't.. because it's so far gone, it'll probably cost you more than it's worth, but, all the same, if you love that car, then restore it.. it's a beautiful car, 1300 or not.. 🙂🙂🙂
Give the carb and jets a good clean and also check the timing.
New episode soon. We got it going just right 😊
After 1978 they were better rust proofed than most cars on the road
Sadly mine is 77. But indeed, they got a lot more protection as the years went on
@@HudsonAutoFilmses, true later cars had improved protection after the facelift cars, one significant item was plastic front wing liners. However plenty of later cars with significant rust problems as with all cars of this era. Make sure you check the front and rear inner wings which are most likely problems as well as the floor pan. Enjoyed video hope you keep going to make a series as so far no restorations on the Beta here on RUclips so far.
Better ? My ‘81 coupe had rust in the tops of the doors, roof, boot lid, sills etc, when it was 5 years old. Great car tho.
@@andycollier6458 should have took it back they had a six year anti corrosion warranty by then ,I had series ones that rusted badly but series threes with arch liners were very good none of the three I owned rusted badly,fords were much worse from the same time period
Nice 1300, the betas were beautifully engineered and styled just not built the best like most italian cars tbh.
I agree, beautiful car. Looking forward to getting it solid and ensuring it will last the test of time…this time around!
All cars were rot boxes in the 60's to 90's but Italian cars were a joke as a youngin I remember coming into our street a guy at the bottom had a Alpha something or other there was something a big lump under the car on the it was the engine it had fallen out , years later I'm a panel beater at a Vauxhall dealers our head office was Datsun 6 month old cars you would snap wing bolts I remember having to weld Datsun's up to jig the cars , Vauxhalls were no better , years later when freelancing in the 90's I was touting for work ended up at a specialist Alpha , they offered me a 1 off job a mk2 Lotus Cortina that the owner had shot blasted I spent 2 weeks shrinking then hammering up then filling every panel on the car , there I say one guy welding up a scuttle panel the car was 18 month old and the wipers had fell out .
At a place I worked a lad started he was from a PDI company who would drag new Fiats out of a compound in North Shield some had been standing for years and sell as new cars , my boss at that place told us his mate had traded a 3 year old Fiat for a new one , the guy broke an indicator lens he went to the dealers gave the chassis number and years the storeman said the car was 4 years old there was hell on about it .
I did a Lancia Montecarlo for the Porsche guy 2 quarter panels 2 door skins and 2 wings all hand made by a company down south started with the door skins they were a shocking fit , I spent days getting them to align with the wings then tried to fit the wings just did not fit quarter panels were just as bad as well , I tried to get more money out of the Porsche guy all I got was a price is a price I said you did not tell me the panels were so badly fitting , not my fault he said , finished the car a week plus late all that extra work for nothing what a bummer , I never let it happen again though and never went back .
Crazy stories! Nightmare era of cars. Lancia definitely take the ticket for the rust…
That car would look really good if you did it as a Pioneer Lancia 037 tribute car. Have a google of that.
Absolutely, they are very cool!
You sach car romantic... Beautiful car
It’s true! Yes lovely machine
Definitely not an oily rag finish . Gleaming paint only for me .
I’m on that thought track as well now
The current thought is that the rust issue was nowhere near as bad as the media made out .
It certainly isn’t that bad on this car, I’ve seen much worse
That’s correct, Lancia didn’t handle the problem very well, and the Russian metal is just a myth. Other cars in the 60s and 70s rusted just as bad but they don’t get the bad press Lancia did.
Restore it it is worth it
That’s the plan, video coming soon on it!
It’s pronounced “Beetta”
Indeed, second letter of the Greek alphabet. I quite like producing wrong.
Master beta?
Havn`t read the whole comments but you are asking a lot to expect fuel to come from a corroded fuel tank and fuel line ..Feed the fuel pump /carb from a jerry can or similar.
I like Clarkson a lot, but that was the one of the laziest, dirtiest, play to the balding potbellied pub bore gallery pieces of journalism he has ever written/performed! Shame on the manchild, he's better than that! The Beta is a fine car, admittedly with it's challenges, but its' issues were grossly over exaggerated by nitwits, liars and halfwits (a high percentage of which have never owned a Beta in ANY of its formats). There was also a bit of skullduggery from the redtop press (no surprises there from Daily Mirror etc., etc!), other car manufactures too, that were clearly pissed off that their poor attempts at similar cars were a bit, well, shit! The Beta platform handles well, have great engines and are as comfortable as you can get for the era. Remember that the basic design was introduced in '72 thru to '85. You take any car that's had this much unwarranted neglect and this is what you get. Get it running properly, get the Bendix duplex brakes serviced with rebuilt master cylinder/calipers/discs, braided hoses and lines, and suspension sorted, talk to Betaboyz for parts and advice and never look back. You'll get there and when you eventually drive it properly, it will make you smile . Good luck with this and the Aston.......
Why bother?
All good fun