the jonbretta
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things for and about lambrettas

Most Americans have never seen one of these. It was sold in the U.S. as I understand for just one year, though in Great Britian they had a Great long run of many years in a few evolutions, the biggest of which was the stroked-up 2.5 motor. This is the first Mk with the 6 cylinder 2000 c.c. dual-carbureted motor, the same as was fitted to the GT6.

It's basically a 60s British sports roadster coated in family sedan, with such features as bucket front seats with factory 3-point seat belts (in 1963!), rack 'n' pinion steering, McPherson strut front and independent rear suspensions, front disc brakes, 4 speed floor shift with overdrive in 3rd and 4th, and that smooth as silk 2 litre 6 under the hood. Six Appeal. Alot of these features actually debuted on this car and were later handed down to the sports models like TR4 and GT6.

And speaking of the lump, it's being rebuilt from crank up as I write at Harloff Motors in La Mesa, Ca. by Robert Nobles who is their Britcar specialist and who used to own one himself, Can't do any better than that.

I'm pretty hot-to-trot on this ride. I didn't get it together in time for British Car Days in Fallbrook recently but I should be up there with it next year. It's alot of fun to drive and rides really nice. At 90some H.P. it's not the fastest thing but it does pretty well and has alot of character to it's performance. You sit pretty low and so it seems like you're goin' really fast.

Maybe someone would like to send in pics and write-up of THEIR 2000/2.5 and we could get a collection of them going.

These wet last few weeks in Sothern California have forced me to address the defrosting and heating functions of the heater. I removed, inspected, cleaned and replaced the blower and heater as well as cleaning the firewall installation area in which said components reside. They work (AND LOOK) better now. This being an El Nino year I'm soon to service the wipers, motor, cable, switch, etc. so as to make the wiper system reliable which is now not.

Update 4-7-'05 Had it in the shop today for the first tune-up/oil change. Also diagnosed worn out right bushing for the steering rack, allowing some play in the right wheel and thereby disallowing an alignment to be effectively done until the rack is replaced.
Furthermore in the steering; the steering column tube is loose in/through the firewall, the steering lower u-joint is sloppy and the upper steering rubber knuckle is starting to tear.
Installed some urethane rack mounts to replace the squishy old rubber ones.
Found out that the brake booster is leaking air, thereby allowing excess air into the vacuum system and throwing off the carburation.

Update 4-9-'05 Converted the electrical system to negative ground in anticipation of installing a stereo. Here's the site where I took directions for the conversion procedure: http://www.vtr.org/maintain/negative-ground.shtml. To start with I just want to get a radio in there, then maybe later put in good speakers, power amp, and an ipod-ready tuner.

Update 6-12-'05 Driving home the other night the clutch pedal seemed to have alot of free travel, and a couple of times I had to pull back the pedal after clutching. The next morning, the pedal was completely slack, swinging back and forth like a man after a visit to the gallows. I figured that the hydraulic actuation of the clutch had given out, and I'd just warm her up, turn her off, put her in second, and limp down to the garage for a repair. No such luck. When I started the car it just sat there idling as if it were in neutral.
Had the 2000 flat-bedded down to the shop, where the initial speculation is that the splined hub has torn free from the rest of the friction plate. Whoops.
Got it to the shop. In preparing to remove the transmission Robert noticed that the clutch slave cylinder arm was in the pressured position and that what had really happened to the clutch was that the master cylinder internal spring had broken within the cylinder, and had locked up the cylinder in the activated position, so that the clutch was stuck on. He fixed the cylinder and back on the road we were.

Update: last week of June -'05 When prepping to remove the trans, Robert had removed the shifter from the trans. After he replaced it, the car didn't shift right, as well, I had asked to have the hand brake adjusted up so that it actually held the car whilst parking on a hill (pointed downhill, of course! * ).
Well, now after getting the car back following the above mentioned clutch repair, the car didn't shift well ( was perfect before) and the handbrake cable now clanged on the driveshaft in a variety of driving situations. Took the car back. Turns out the a shifter spring was installed upside down, and the handbrake cable had to be deflected away from the shaft to not clang. Anyway , got it all sorted out and the car worked well again.

Furthermore,The rear brakes were now sticking on. Diagnosis: ancient rear brake hoses which aren't allowing fluid to return out of the cylinder, a half jammed left wheel cylinder operating only one shoe, and a missing handbrake return spring in the left wheel.
Got the parts from Moss Motors. My Mark I 2000 one used the same brake hoses as a TR6. The wheel cylinders (.800'' bore) and return spring are the same as those used in MGB roadsters and early MGB GT. The later GT used a bigger (.875'') bore cylinder. Probably the MK II 2000 went to the bigger bore cylinders as well, but this is just speculation.

Update: August-'05 Speaking of brakes, I just had the brake master cylinder rebuilt, it was schmerching by the fluid when you stepped on the pedal. This is the single circuit type for the 1963 model year. After these they went to the dual circuit type master cylinder which was this kind of wedge/rectangle shaped thing. So anyway, for these primitive first types you use a rebuild kit for a MG Midget clutch master cylinder (they had hudraulic clutches, I think that it's the same as for the Sprite). so I lucked out again in being able to use parts from one of the more relatively common British cars on the 2000, and by having the services of Robert Nobles who knows all of these parts by sight.

Update: December-'05 The old Lucas generator, though still putting out like a champ, was wasted. The front bearing was shot and the pullley and fan were slopping around up and down and weren't due to last too much longer. I bought a used gen on ebay that the guy said worked. Well it didn't and I was out $35.00 with shipping. I wasn't surprised. I went to Broadway Auto Electric in Lemon Grove and they said that they could get a new ''Lucas'' generator, now made in India, and not really related in any way to the actual Lucas company, long since out of business I guess. The 2000 actually calls for a C40L, for long. The L is about 1 or so inches longer that this standard type C40 model and you have to pay attention to getting it mounted as far forward as you can so as to align all of the belt pulleys into the same plane. I got it pretty good and this new unit works like a champ so far. The production quality of the unit looks pretty good as Indian goods go. Might have actually been made in a factory of some sort instead of in someone's living room on the floor like some Indian Lambretta parts I've seen.

Also, I ordered the u-joints and boots/stoneguards for the rear half shafts. They're from Moss Motors. The u-joints are common to Triumphs, Jags and Healeys of the era, the inner boots are from TR250 and the outers are from TR4, 250 and 6.