Videos, photos, and interesting facts about the restoration, repair, and operation of the chassis.

This page features pictures and videos about the suspension. No "Fulvia chassis restoration" course. Usually, we're so focused on all those beautiful parts that I forget to take a photo or video. Sometimes I do remember, and then you see the result here. A far from complete story. Years of study and decades of experience on a single webpage simply isn't feasible.

Yes, indeed. There are still Lancia Flavias and Fulvias from the 1960s and early 1970s on the road with the original rubber mounts in the suspension. This is proof that Lancia quality was (and still is) at a very high level. Around 2000, you could say that original Lancia parts that were still in good condition were better than (generally poor) imitation. Back then, I still sometimes left the suspension rubbers (like the silent blocks) in place. Meanwhile, all those cars have been due for new suspension rubbers and silent blocs. Today all cars will definitely get new rubbers and silent blocs. Just for fun, calculate what those rubbers have to endure when you're cornering at 120 km/h with a car weighing over a thousand kilos. People tend to look at the rubbers with the car stationary. Try to imagine the forces when accelerating or cornering or braking. Try to imagine the braking forces that travel from the contact patch between tire and road all the way to your arse.

Using rubber as a hinge is clever. You don't need to lubricate it, it's silent, and it dampens vibrations. The downside is that they can only pivot 15 degrees in one direction and 15 degrees in the other. You have to tighten them with the right tools in exactly the right position and the right torque, otherwise they'll be broken before you go around the next corner. Vibrations doe not only cause metal fatigue but also turn rubber into soup.

The Ageing and Shelf Life or Rubber. For most types of rubbers the life time is less than 20 years. The rubbers under your Fulvia, Flavia or Flaminia are well over 50 years old. Do you really like Russian Roulette?

Silent block

Below is a silent block that connects the front suspension wishbones to the subframe. That 50-year-old, cracked rubber was supposed to transfer the braking and propulsion forces from the wheels to the body. Casa Lancia has these silent blocks made in Italy from the highest quality natural rubber. The quality is on par with the original Lancia.

Come back in a few days? There will be more photos and videos then.