Allora help

[fulvia1600hf]

Guys, hello, just a quick email to ask for some advice / help. Where do any of you recommend to buy a complete wiring loom that would fit into an Allora, as I woudl rather try and start from a " known quantity " rather than the mess that is in the car, having restored numerous Lancia Fulvias, I am no stranger to the Italian wiring, just needing some good honest advice.
Also anywhere that you woudl recommend to buy a set of ready made cooling water pipes that would fit too.
Many thanks for your help and advice.
Best regards, Ian

[Guy Mayers]

You could try either Hawk or Lister Bell, the cars are all roughly the same dimensions but there's nothing stopping you just building a bespoke one for your own car one wire at a time. I've used a couple of old X19 looms for lengths of wire together with the remnants of my original one and should be finished and ready for testing any day soon.

Guy

[john]

I'd echo what Guy says with regard to the loom.
Water pipes are a different matter and I'd suggest that you make your own up from 1 1/4" aluminium pipe.
I've just spent a very frustrating time altering and revising a set of "ready made pipes" to the point where I as good as threw them away and started again. No two of these cars are ever the same and to get them just right with plenty of clearance to everything else means custom making them.
You can buy the pipe easy enough, and loads of fittings to help you from Car Builder Solutions.
I found bending the pipe easy enough with a set of conduit benders hired from HSS or somewhere like Hewden, but make sure you get an "old" set of benders with the 1 1/4" former. Newer sets only have 1" and 3/4" formers.
Fresh pipe stock helps as it seems softer, but to form a bend you have to soften (anneal?) the pipe and this in itself is easy enough. You rub soap on to the pipe and then heat it with a plumbers torch until the soap turns black. It's amazing how this softens up the pipe. Whack it into the bender and you can pull any bend you like. Even beyond 90' if you want to.
Most builders have found that it's tight getting two pipes through the central tunnel, especially if you opt for anything bigger than 1 1/4" (32mm).
I covered the aluminium pipes with butyl tube from old bike inner tubes to give the pipe some protection from chafing, expansion and contraction. Gives it all a nice classic appearance too, not like all this gawdy silicone stuff you see adorning most engine bays.

[ChrisCar6]

Nice idea that John - covering with the inner tube. I admit my guilt on the gaudy silicone!
Do you do something to re-harden the tubes after you have bent them?

[john]

No offence intended Chris!
No, you don't have to "re-harden" the pipes. Work does that for you in the form of heating and cooling, and age for that matter. Hence it being better to use fresh pipe stock if you can get it. It's not age hardened already.
You might just notice that I have covered my own gawdy silicone hoses with inner tube offcuts too!
They were already purchased for Frederics car and too expensive to throw away so I covered them so as not to offend my eyes!