Lancia zagato help

Has anyone worked on a lancia zegato before 

Which Zagato Lancia? The Beta Zagato, no I have not, and don't wish too, although the power train is familiar. I have worked a lot on a Lancia Appia Zagato. That is a real Lancia!

It is the 1981 beta.   The car is rust free but been in storage for 15+ years.  I know it needs a water pump just wondering what else should be replaced and how difficult it is going to be. Btw I'm doing this for my 75yr old neighbor for one last ride down memory lane.

Any car in storage for 15+ years needs a lot more than a water pump much less an early 80's Italian car.

In reply to Toot :

Timing belt, IIRC these are interference engines. I wouldn't even try to turn it over otherwise. 

Any rubber parts like fuel lines might also be suspect.

Parts will be tough, but there are specialty shops.  Wiring in these cars was crap. Engine was a fiat 1800 turned sideways.  Underpowered. You are a good egg to try helping though.

I recommend going here: https://mirafiori.com/forum/

Those things are miserable to work on, unfortunately, which is why I never owned one despite loving most anything with that Lampredi engine. Timing belt is a must. 1981 should be EFI. I suspect they have the same ignition as the Fiat, so the pickup unit will probably need replaced. The wires always corrode where they enter the distributor. Fairly inexpensive part. Electrical issues are 99% dirty contacts/bad grounds. Shifters can get sloppy when the bushings go bad. Not sure if you can still buy them or not.

Lancia Betas get zero respect from the Lancia crowd. You'll need to hang with the Fiat people for respect and assistance.

Had a Beta Coupe, one of the first ones off the boat.  Also one of the few cars I never wished for again.  Did get me across the country 3 times and was a great handling car for FWD but a nightmare to keep running sometimes.  A broken ground wire from the battery to chassis stranded me more than once, wires corroded inside the insulation in the MIDDLE of the length.

Midwest Bayless has parts for Betas: https://www.midwest-bayless.com/lancia-beta-0-parts.aspx

One example of how old can be better than new.

I'd be reluctant to spin an engine that had been sitting for a decade or two if it used a timing belt, but wouldn't think twice about doing it with a proper timing chain in there (although I'd turn it first by hand to be sure it was free).

In reply to wspohn :

Lots of modern cars with VVT have moved from belts back to chains. Old is new again.