FLAVIA EXPERIENCES PART I
by Jacques Limpens,
February 1998
Flavia experiences II by Jacques
Technical stuff by Brian
Recollections by Brian
Flavia mainpage by Huib

Our webmaster Huib Geurink invited me to write something about my Flavia Coupé (1963, 1800 cc, carburetor). Because he gave me the tip that led to this buy, I feel at least obliged to comply with this invitation and share my experiences with you.

My Flavia is originally an Italian car. It is imported two years ago by one of the biggest classic car traders in the Netherlands. He sold it to a notary and I bought it from him a couple of months ago. The notary must hardly have driven the Flavia, because it had some defects that made it not pleasant to do long rides.

I had to revise the master brake cylinder, put a new battery, and mount new tires. (The originals were still from 1983! Did you know the tire size is the same as the VW Beetle?) During long rides I had problems with the carburetor. To overcome this, I replaced the original Bendix fuel pump by a modern pump, installed a fuel filter before the carburetor and cleaned the carburetor and the fuel tank. Because the tank has still some rust, I installed even a second fuel filter between the tank and the pump. Now the car runs very smoothly without any problems.

I also did some cosmetic work. I changed the original lamp units for halogen units. And the steering wheel was the same as the Berlina, so I bought an original wooden wheel with three spokes.

I had still one severe problem: the heating was not functioning well, it was not agreeable in the car during the winter. I tried a lot, but without any results. I discovered however that the car consumed quite a lot of cooling liquid. So I inspected the cooling system and yes, some hoses had to be replaced. Not the severest problem, but I also discovered the thermostat tube was completely done. It looked like someone had poured a can of acid on it. I suspect the cooling system was once filled with water instead of cooling liquid. Especially in Italy: hard chlorated water can do its devastating work when the car is not used for a long period of time.

On my search for a new thermostat tube, I found John Kriboo of World Parts International, not far from the place where I live. He can provide me with two double Weber carburetors, as used in the last 150 carburetor type Zagato Sport Flavia's. The Webers are quite easy adjustable, as distinct from the very difficult to synchronize and adjust set of two double Solex carburetors that were used in some 1500 cc Flavia's.

Because the Flavia Coupé is such a beautiful car and so lovely to drive, I'm completely addicted to it. I hate to have to wait till John has the Webers (plus tubes, plus water pump) available for me and my car is useless waiting in the garage. To overcome this period, I've bought a second Flavia Coupé, but now one of about 11 cm long, with other words, a 1:43 scale model of Tron. It is very, very detailed, but it has to be assembled together, and to be honest, it is too fine for me.

As soon as the Webers are installed, I'll let you know my further experiences. I still want to do a lot more on the car, but first it has to run again! I'll show you also some pictures of the car, but the film is still on the camera.

Jacques Limpens,
email: j.j.limpens@cepheus.nl
homepage https://www.cepheus.nl

Technical stuff by Brian
Recollections by Brian
Flavia experiences II by Jacques
Flavia mainpage by Huib
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