"-Amateur" (amateur)
08/17/2020 at 07:59 • Filed to: None
3
15|
"-Amateur" (amateur)
08/17/2020 at 07:59 • Filed to: None | 3
| 15 |
There are rumors spreading in the dark alleys of the red light district about a man who went off the deep end buying a dilapidated 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider that was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
He had traces of the neurotoxin “Alfa Love N237" coursing through his veins, losing all rational thought and reasoning...fueled only by a lustful passion to find an Alfa to call his own no matter the costs .
Once the toxin broke down, only then did he begin to comprehend what he’s done. The monster wasn’t him, no , the monster is what’s lurking beneath the Alfa sheetmetal....
Err, or the lack thereof! Classic Alfas like to rust, that’s an absolute truth in this world. What we’re seeing here is what’s supposed to be the driver’s side floorboard. The car went all Flintstones on me and underneath my feet is the exhaust and unibody rails.
At least the exhaust has a hole in it so I can pass out from carbon monoxide poisoning to forget my mistakes.
The passenger side floorboard is still kinda there . There’s a massive hole in it, I think they call that “Superleggera” in Italian.
The only upgrade I’ve done so far is replace the front passenger side coil spring with a block of wood . You read that right.
Funny story. The control arm steel dilapidated from sitting outside for 20 years, so the coil spring punched a hole right through it. I needed to tow the car 40 miles and this was my way of stopping the wheel from bottoming out. I’m somewhat of a genius in pinch situations.
Also the car has no brakes because the brake lines rusted away.
Well there’s the boot, it doesn’t seem so bad. ...let me stop you right there.
You can bet your toboggans that there is a gnarly rust hole underneath the spare.
Also the fuel tank has a rust hole that I punched through with my finger on top.
The metal skeleton of the seats rusted away. I threw out the foam cushions because they were gross. We have the technology to get replacements.
Upon inspection of its paint code sticker in the trunk, the car originally came from the Italian factory in yellow (paint code 119). My Alfa clearly got repainted sometime in its life to the more iconic red.
I am a personal fan of its original yellow.
I will be returning her to yellow because I like it better. Red Alfas are a dime a dozen and kinda bore me if I’m honest. Let’s have some fun and go wild.
Look, this car has A LOT going on and quite frankly a train wreck. But I love it.
I find this car to be beautiful in the truest sense of the word.
It has seen better days but that’s why I exist here and now. My goal is to return it to those days.
This car should absolutely be junked and taken to car heaven because financially, it makes zero sense.
The Alfa Spiders aren’t worth much to begin with (the boat-tail Duettos are a different story), so why bother with a car headed towards the event horizon?
That’s a good question. All I can say is that I’m this Alfas biggest fan.
This car existed a full 13 years before I was born. I’m suckered in by how advanced it was for its day. An all aluminum DOHC engine and 4 wheel disc brakes in the late 60s/early 70s is nothing short of amazing!
The Spider is a breath of fresh air. Every car I’ve ever driven has had an onboard computer calling the shots. As the years go by, the computer is calling more and more of the shots on what goes on when you drive.
It’s interesting to go back in time where the brains of the car was mechanical wizardry.
Exhibit A: The Alfa Romeo SPICA mechanical fuel injection system
Lastly, I think th is car is just flat out cool. I’m definitely in for some pain with this project and am well aware of how truly horrible the condition of this car is.
I’m always the optimist and will adjust my sails aiming for fairer seas...or just tie me to the mast and pray I don’t capsize.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the pics!
Bonus pic, my other car getting it’s transmission/diff oil serviced in my free time because I’m thifty:
pip bip - choose Corrour
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 08:12 |
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good luck fixing the Alfa!
Deltyn drives a meh car
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 08:18 |
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Valiant effort
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 08:28 |
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Kudos...true petrolhead love! :)
Looking forward to updates on this beautiful old girl!
hillrat
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 08:28 |
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So I guess you’re learning how to weld?
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-Amateur
> hillrat
08/17/2020 at 08:55 |
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Oh lawd, I definitely wouldn’t trust myself with something on this scale. It’ s getting media blasted for sure so I can see the true extent of the cancer. Most of the sheetmetal is re adily available in aftermarket reproduction and I will take care everyth ing until the actual weld, which is going to a pro for safety in doing it right. The plan is to repair it one section at at time and piecemeal it until completion because that’s were the budget is going to get hammered.
DasWauto
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 08:56 |
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I’d probably cut out the entire bottom of the car and replace it with a partial tube steel frame inside the rockers and build it to run Miata suspension.
I’d also go for a motorcycle engine, a la Matt Brown’s Honda S600.
/ I’ve actually been casually keeping an eye on the classifieds for cheap roadsters to do just that.
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 09:01 |
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Wow, what a heap. I am genuinely surprised that the doors still open and close with out the car breaking in half from rust... As a former Alfa owner I wish you luck, and also recognize you may be more than a bit insane...
I will entreat you though, to one thing: if that really is a SPICA injected model, and not an L-Jetronic model *do not* give up on the SPICA and fit it with carbs... It takes some leg work but SPICA can still be repaired and its entirely too cool a system to not have. So many SPICA cars got converted to carbs in the late 70's and 80's (and 90's) when the owners weren’t able to easily find the parts they needed, or a mechanic with any knowledge of the system... It’s a shame, and with the resources of the Internet there’s almost no reason to loose another SPICA car to the carburetor cop-out. In my experience, a correctly functioning SPICA system is excellent to drive, better by far then the L-jet system they used later, and much easier to live with than carbs.
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hillrat
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 09:20 |
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I get the urge to take it to a pro welder for safety, that’s a good, smart, and prudent decision. But the fact that you have this car tells me that you don’t always make good, smart, and prudent decisions.
I’m really into the idea of learning how to weld and work metal and this seems like a project where you would get a LOT of practice.
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-Amateur
> DasWauto
08/17/2020 at 09:48 |
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I like where your heads at, and that would definitely probably be cheaper at this point while sending the cars capabilities to the stratosphere. I told myself I’m keeping this one within period spec as a museum piece that I can take home. This car is surprisingly chubby at 2200lbs and might be much for a moto heart! I do want to cram a modern motorcycle engine in a Subie 360 in the near future, I think that’ll be a riot. It already has a 2 cylinder 2 stroke from factory and weighs just 1000 lbs. These cars are reasonably priced but parts are impossible to find for them.
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-Amateur
> JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
08/17/2020 at 09:56 |
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T he SPICA is part of this car’s charm, so it’s an essential must have. I’ve already done the groundwork and found a SPICA injection specialty shop in Washington that I can mail it and have it serviced when needed. #TeamSPICA
sony1492
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 10:26 |
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Whats the first order of business to tackle?
Dead_Elvis, Inc.
> sony1492
08/17/2020 at 11:08 |
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Tetanus shot
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-Amateur
> sony1492
08/17/2020 at 12:04 |
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All the bit and pieces need to come off so I can send the body to media blasting and get better idea of what I’m dealing with. Getting metal back into it is the name of the game in these parts.
MM54
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 12:22 |
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Trying to give Dash-doorhandle-and-bondo some competition? Good luck.
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JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> -Amateur
08/17/2020 at 16:26 |
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A good, complete SPICA driveline is far more rare than a rust-free-ish Spider shell... If it comes to that, this could be an engine donor for a better shell with a blown or hacked up driveline.