Mind the gap - Dry build advice? (photos)

[vegansydney]

I have a few questions about panel alignment on a S3 TV I'm building and welcome any advice.

Currently I have an 10mm gap between the LHS panel and the rear floorboard. This is with panels locked into position, new Scootopia rubber beading and new anti-vibration strut washers. All parts are Innocenti, mostly original paint and, I believe, original to the scooter. There is no obvious signs of anything bent or misaligned.

Before I drill out the rear dog leg and weld it back into a higher position is there anything else I should be double checking? The reason I ask is the gap between floorboard and panel on the RHS is a similar size. To align the right side the two holes on the removable dog leg will need to be re-drilled significantly lower. The gap on RHS is currently too large to even elongate the holes in the removable dog leg.

[citydaz]

I had a similar problem with my 150dl regarding the gap.
No need to reweld the brkt back - just bolt the free brkt back into the correct positon.
I removed the welded dog leg brkt and have fashioned a replacement, elongating the holes in all directions.
with the dog leg brkt sitting higher the gap should be able to be closed.
You can also build up the gap with additional vibration rubbers.

Cheers

[Storkfoot]

Is the rear strut in line with the middle strut ie, if you lie a long steel straight edge across the main strut does it meet the rear? Is the rear strut at 90 degrees.

[Warkton Tornado No.1]

'New rubber beading' is never the same, thinner section as OEM & although it compresses & settles allowing the panel/floorboard gap to decrease, the only solution involves raising the surface of the dogleg flat.

It can be achieved by simply adding packing between the 'board & the dogleg but I confess to have resorted to making both doglegs slotted & more adjustable as that seems the better engineered fix, being the method used on one side in any case. Much depends upon how far you feel the need to replicate a factory build. I wonder what RLC do

It's also very practicable to fit the floating M6 fixings on the underside of the dog legs IMO particularly on the RH side.

[vegansydney]

Thanks for all the recommendations!

With the side panel rubber beading completely removed the panel to floorboard gap is near perfect. I'll experiment with some different versions of beading and hopefully find some that are not so thick. Unfortunately the original ones are long gone.

Is the rear strut in line with the middle strut ie, if you lie a long steel straight edge across the main strut does it meet the rear? Is the rear strut at 90 degrees.

Laying a long spirit level across all the struts (front, main and rear) there is a slight movement between all three. The main strut seems to be acting as a fulcrum.

[Storkfoot]

In my experience, the thinner beadings that are widely available allow the panel to touch the loop in places. So, in having a thin beading, you may be swapping one problem for another.

Assuming that the struts haven’t been re welded back on, I’d make sure that the main frame strut is straight. You should be able to see this by whether there are any gaps between the stand and the strut. I also took measurements from the tips of the strut to a central point on the frame. I took the mid point of the top of the toolbox door opening.

If the two measurements were the same, and the stand level with the strut, I made the assumption that the main strut was in the correct position. Again, this was a case were the struts had not been taken off and welded back on.

If you lie a long straight steel edge across the main strut, it should show you in what plane the rear strut, and front for that matter, should be.

[vegansydney]

Thank you for the detailed recommendations!

I took a detailed look and the main strut has not been re-welded on. The frame is original paint and there is an even gap in the middle where it passes under the frame tube. Measuring it to a fixed stop on the frame loop, as per your suggestion, there is approximately ~2mm difference between the LH and the RH sides, which I have since corrected.

I'm convinced the LHS dogleg is a 'Friday afternoon special' from the factory and is welded in the wrong position. Before I go any further I plan to order a set of Tutto or Casa side panel rubber beading and see if that makes any difference.

It's always the small things on Lambrettas that seem to take the longest time

Thanks again for all the suggestions!