New guy

[LateFan]

Ruined brand new rear tires in 8000 miles, and the rear snows. It's only an inch and a half low, pisses me off.



So off comes the subframe, again, to add Ireland Engineering adjustable trailing arm mounts. I think it'll all come apart easily - it wasn't corroded the first time with the original bushings, and that was only a couple years ago.

Only issue is unheated garage.

[LateFan]

Yeah, I'm not in love with the idea. It's a big heavy Yakima hitch mount, belongs to the university cycling team. We had a production receiver hitch modified at a muffler shop to fit the car with the shorter bumpers, and added some reinforcement plates. Then when it's loaded, there are guy straps to the leading edge of the trunk lid to stabilize it from rocking or shaking. But with 5 or 6 bikes, it's a handful.

We actually had a cross bike almost come off the roof recently, which was a scare. 180 mile trip over a couple of passes. On the way back, the setting sun made a really weird shadow of the car and a bike - which looked like it was sideways....? We stopped, and it had somehow shaken the quick release loose, then the wind folded the handle back more, which made it able to shake more and come fully loose. It just happened to fall across the roof instead of falling off the side of the car. The crank arm just happened to be rotated so that it landed softly on the roof bar instead of a frame tube hitting, or a pedal hitting the roof. The tight wheel strap at the back helped it rotate slowly down onto the roof. Crazy.

If I wasn't looking at that odd shadow on the side of the freeway, we would have gone another 100 miles at 80mph like that.

He had a teammate / buddy last year with a Volvo wagon and hitch rack. he was taking a biking trip to the SW over spring break. A guy tail-ended him, destroyed both of his high end bikes, and totaled the old Volvo. Sucks.

[Echo30V]

Cool. Those trunk racks always scared me. Just could never see myself hanging my Trek Project One or Seven Odonada over the back of the car so close to the road and disaster. However, I’m sure it works.

[LateFan]

He can carry three on the roof and 5 on a hitch-mount rack - way more bikes than kids! But he helps haul team bikes to regional races.

[Echo30V]

Love all the bike racks. I’m a bike nut too.

[LateFan]

ugh...that white stuff is back....

[LateFan]

I dunno! There are still a lot of new parts to acquire, and he's going back to school in a week (but in town so the car is close).

This weekend is Audi A4 brake calipers, Volvo cam seals & TB, and mother-in-law birthday garden clean-up day. Whoosh, time goes......

[2mAn]

Nice, when is the swap happening?

[LateFan]

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[LateFan]

He took a 1000 mile road trip over the weekend, got 25 to 29 mpg at average 75-ish. So it's running better than ever.

[LateFan]

The only rain we've had in a month, but we loved it.

[LateFan]

OK, over the weekend we changed out the steering column (my fault), all the steering hoses, the reservoir, and the pump (thanks Austin!). So far nothing dumping on the ground, it drives nice and straight, no grinding pump noises! It's going on a 1000 mile trip this weekend, so a good test of how we did.

The swap parts target car at a pick & pull 3 hours away was crushed before they even cataloged it on their computer. The wouldn't even tell us they had it, now it's gone.

But!...we met a local guy who has many old BMWs, many E30s, his own shop, builds race cars and hot rods, and has a parts stash. So we got a nice set of pedals, clutch switch, and brake switch. I think I've located a decent single-mass early flywheel. Our NAPA resurfaces flywheels for $27 - win.

So I think that's everything, we just need all the replaceable pieces.

[LateFan]

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Link to transmission section with many questions, in case there are more eyes and ideas over here...

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=411066

.

[LateFan]

I did a 5 spd swap in my m10 with my son when he was 15. Now he drives a 06 335 w a zillion hp and his Great Dane sticking its head out the sunroof lol

Funny!

Thanks guys. Fingers crossed that we can gather all the right parts and figure out this swap thing! (The Alfa will never get finished at this rate...)

[parkerbink]

Looks like all the stragglers are here.

Nice build & Father/Son project, can't believe I missed this, I like the Alpha too!