Lagonda Rapiers

4 minute(s) of a 484 minute read

"Great minds think alike!" I have the "bands and top gear cone" from my spare (Wide ratio) box all packed ready to go to Jeff on Monday morning. He will require them for two weeks (he says) and about the same for postage each way, which takes up all of one month. My plan is as you suggest to rebuild one or the other or both boxes once I get the relined bands back from the UK. We have the five day  VSCC Alpine Rally  at the end of this month which we are committed to attend so I will not start taking the Close Ratio box out until after then While It only takes one day to dismantle one of these gearboxes it seems to take considerably longer to put one back together and get it operating smoothly again!
 
Below are two more photographs the first showing the "female" section of top gear cone. You can just catch a glimpse of the "male" cone next to it on the bench. If you look at this even closer you can just make out two points of the "star spring"  The purpose of this is to prevent the male cone becoming stuck in the friction lined female cone when another gear or neutral is selected.
 
I hope you are all following this very closely.  I have been "playing" with these gear boxes for almost 50 years and I am still learning.........
Please note This gearbox has ben on the shelf for more than 20 years and I have not as yet started to clean anything. The bands and a top gear cone are already packed ready to be sent to the UK tomorrow morning (Monday)

10-17-2018

The four bands and the top-gear cone are now on their way to England where they are to receive new Asbestos Free linings. Meanwhile I am throughly cleaning both the inside and the outside the housing and the various internal parts to be sure that there are no rogue Asbestos fibres remaining.  Today I also chased down an amoying oil leak at the "banjo" fitting taking oil to the valve gear in the cylinder head, fitting new copper washers on either side of the "banjo".
 
 
I have also made contact with the Royal Holloway, University of London at Egham, Surrey, England. I have recently learnt that in the New Year they are to open a new Building the "Beatrice Shilling Building". It seem that she is finally after almost 100 years receiving some recognition. For people with short memories she was the Carburation Specialist at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough in England during WW2, and is credited with saving many young pilots lives having solved a serious problem with the induction system in Spitfire and Hurricane engines. This problem caused their engine to cut out without warning when the Pilot was making avoiding action during an  heated battle with German Fighters.
After the war she owned and raced my Lagonda Rapier.  
Some people still think that I destroyed a historic car when I rebuilt it in 1978. I doubt that it would still exist if I had not saved it.  When I bought it, it was already partially dismantled and the engine was in pieces.
Certainly today it would be hard to recognise it as the same car.

Re:- The green words seen here on the trailing edge of the bonnet (hood) "Equipe Australie",  is French for "Team Australia."
It has now been removed, It was put on the four Rapiers and one Riley that went with us to France almost fivge years ago, to identify them as belonging to the group of six cars visiting from Australia.