Lancia Dedra - now with added MOT amusement!

[walk]

Evening folks.

 

As you may have noticed last week in News 24 I finally managed to bag a bargain Italian chod-wagen which a work colleague had been using as his daily driver for the last 12 years! To be honest I did say that if he ever fancied selling it then he must let me know but I was still surprised when I got a call from an unknown number asking if I was "still interested in the car"?! Turns out that the guy retired in December - why didn't I know about this? (I tend to keep myself to myself at work!) and needed to shift it immediately to make room for his new Rover 75.

 

Obviously a thorough appraisal of the Lancia was completed (in the rain and without test drive) and the deal was sealed.

 

For those of you still awake at this point and curious to know more details, here you go:

 

It's certainly been well cared for with bills of £000s for servicing work carried out (all routine stuff, no bodywork repair or paint)

 

Lancia Dedra 1993 by dick dedra, on Flickr

Lancia Dedra 1993 by dick dedra, on Flickr

z1 026 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

Electric aerial still works and rear sunblinds look unused

z1 022 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

He bought a new set of original alloys from Lancia main dealer in late 2011, Walkers of Northallerton. Obviously I enquired as to the whereabouts of the old set. Apparently he scrapped them and got £10 each

z1 023 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

Interior is in good condition except for a rip in the drivers seat bolster. Should have no problem finding seat material to repair this!

z1 024 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

z1 019 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

I'd be disappointed if there wasn't some sort of electrical gremlin and here it is. The generic Fiat/Alfa/Lancia "electronic" dipstick is showing a top up needed - it's full to the brim!

z1 018 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

......and a trim gremlin. This worked fine until I cleaned it - now it won't open fully or close. Bollocks.

z1 017 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

z1 016 by dick dedra, on Flickr

z1 025 by dick dedra, on Flickr

 

So there you go. The old girl is being kept in the "secure" car park at work for the time being until I finally get my garage sorted. Observations so far. Drives well, engine feels spot on, nice and comfy like most 15+ year old motors but the trim rattles are going to take some getting used to! And when I checked this morning the brake fluid reservoir was bone dry!

 

Plans are to get the bodywork in tip top condition (a couple of rust spots underneath the bottom door trims need sorting. It's also clear that whilst it's been regularly washed throughout it's life, it has NEVER been polished!

 

If you fancy seeing it in all it's glory I'll be attending Auto Italia at Stanford Hall on 3rd June as well as ShiteFest

 

If you are repulsed by the idea of seeing an early nineties white Italian saloon car with a 78BHP 1.6, electric sunroof, alcantara head lining, rear sunblinds and a broken ashtray then I understand totally!

 

Cheers

(Oops, copied BBCode links this time - soz!)

[Mash]

Excellent, look forward to seeing it. I've always harboured a secret want for one of these!

[freebird]

Sorry to be a thicky but is the Dedra not a rebadged and booted Tipo? Are they the same under the skin?

It does look a very tidy car and its quite sobering to realise that a "modern" Lancia product could still be in such good condition 20 odd years after manufacture when I can remember those long ago days in the 70s when a Lancia couldnt even make it to 20 months old without it rotting so horrifically it had to be bought back by the company and weighed in.

It looks a good un fella, look after it!

[walk]

Thanks for the interest.

 

Freebird: Yep the Dedra is essentially a restyled Tempra. All mechanicals are from Tipo/Tempra - the Alfa 155 also used the same basic floorpan although with multi link rear suspension (I think?). Lancia seemed to go from one extreme to another bodywork wise, the Dedra was fully galvanised and just like the Tipo the few that are still around are surprisingly rot free. I jet washed the rear arches on mine this morning, the amount of mud and crud that fell out was unbelievable (don't think it'd ever been done) - but apart from a tiny spot of rust staining along one crease it is spotless.

 

Finding trim parts however is another matter!

[skattrd]

Nice Dedra, and I wouldn't say no to a turbo myself

 

freebird: - yes it is based on a Tipo, just like the Alfa 155 and countless other cars, but its a great platform imo.

 

walk: for parts tdc is worth a shot, not the busiest forum, but theres not a lot of Themas/Dedras about either http://www.lancia-tdc.co.uk/forum/

[Skizzer]

This is a cracker - can't wait to meet it at Shitefest!

 

I'm planning to join TDC as well, just haven't got around to it yet - if we both do then I think we may double the Dedra contingent

[walk]

Thanks Skattrd, I'll take a look, you never know I might need their help!

 

Must admit the Dedra does drive well and it's got the added bonus of non ABS brakes (it was an option!) so less to go wrong. The only "problem" is that the previous owner never thrashed it - more Italian tune ups are on the cards.

[walk]

This is a cracker - can't wait to meet it at Shitefest!

 

I'm planning to join TDC as well, just haven't got around to it yet - if we both do then I think we may double the Dedra contingent

 

Good stuff Skizzer -see you there!

[ProgRocker]

Lovely.

 

Just 78 bhp? I would have thought 90+ bhp with the 1.6ie engine.

 

My poverty spec Fiat Tempra 1.4 had 78bhp. 'Had' being the operative as I late found out (and I'm no mechanic) that it only fired on 3 cylinders.

[walk]

Lovely.

 

Just 78 bhp? I would have thought 90+ bhp with the 1.6ie engine.

 

My poverty spec Fiat Tempra 1.4 had 78bhp. 'Had' being the operative as I late found out (and I'm no mechanic) that it only fired on 3 cylinders.

 

Afraid so, according to the handbook once the Cat was fitted in 1991, 78BHP was your lot - and it feel like it

[Vin]

Wow. GOOD WORK WALK. That's loverley Mister W.

 

Looks like the original Grundig stereo there. I hope you still have some cassettes.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

78bhp is prety dismal! Looks nice though. Do the rear wings unbolt on these?

[dollywobbler]

It wasn't Lancia's most inspiring vehicle was it? So plain. Great to see some Dedra love on here though. Definite autoshite!

[walk]

Wow. GOOD WORK WALK. That's loverley Mister W.

 

Looks like the original Grundig stereo there. I hope you still have some cassettes.

 

Indeed it is Mr V. I must admit that I don't own a single cassette these days but donations are very welcome!

[boobydoo]

Brilliant! I always liked the styling of these and this one looks a peach. I cant be arsed looking at 'howmanyleft', but there can't be that many still knocking around. A classic already in my book!

[walk]

Hello folks, not had chance to post for a while due to hectic work commitments, so here's a quick update. Had a brilliant drive down to Auto Italia at Stanford Hall in June, except for the torrential rain and storms which lasted every minute of the day. The Dedra went really well, no issues, comfortable, good economy etc. etc. - life was good! Unusually today I found myself with a quiet hour at work, remembered the old girl was due an MOT by 1st August and booked it straight in. Remember this car has been lovingly cared for over its 19 year life, regularly undersealed, no expense spared on the mechanical side of things and absolutely no fails OR advisories for bodywork or rust damage in the past.

 

Anyway it's well and truly D.C.Cook-ed! - just my luck! It has developed a split along each bottom edge of the rear wheel arches all the way from the back of the sill to the rear bumper - unbelievable! Doesn't look too difficult a fix except for the fact that the struts/springs and pretty much all the rear suspension and brakes will need to come off to gain access to put in some new metal. I'm awaiting a couple of quotes - more updates tomorrow.

 

Anything else? Oh yes, failed on emissions - again! I'm sure it's only a dodgy oxygen sensor - again, we'll see....

 

I'm off to the pub!

[fiatdaft]

Unfortunatly they do go there,also the split can go the full way along the sill to floor seam.

[walk]

Well that's really cheered me up! To be fair the rest of the bodywork is still spot on, just need to get this repaired and undersealed ASAP

[walk]

Well I got the call from the MOT man so I popped round to negotiate! The welding will definitely be a biggish job although we did agree on a fixed price to finish and underseal both sides. Unfortunately the oxygen sensor is switching perfectly so it looks as though a new Cat will sort out the emissions fail

 

Looking through the large pile of bills a Cat was previously fitted in 2005 and the Dedra has been treated to 3 oxygen sensors throughout it's 127000 mile life - why so many? My theory is that I know the previous owner had an obsession with adding Winns (or similar) oil treatment every 3000 miles - can this stuff poison the cat over time or is the failure just mileage related?

 

I'll try and grab some photos of the metalwork depending on next week's work schedule - should be back on the road by Wednesday