The Alfa Thread

[Aufbau Principle]

Couple of cars that were at an Italian car show a few weeks ago. Apologies for image size.

[Wschnitz]

So many handsome cars. Give me that 105 pls.

[BlackbirdM3]

Screw the 105, I want the TZ1! That is hands down the one to have.

So, got 7 hrs worth of work in on the Sprint today. Fuel tank is out, and by some miracle, doesn't look like something off the Titanic inside. Its got some varnish and strange crystallization, but I can't see any rust. The fuel tank straps are in good shape as well.

I scraped most of the rubberized undercoating off the trunk floor looking for more rust, only found a small area that might be fixable through brazing the crack. There is a big hole where the battery sat, but that isn't a surprise. The wiring also looks good with clean connectors for all the tail lights fuel gauge sender and license plate light. I'm really hoping my body guy can get the work done for less than the $ I have so I can try and find an engine for it. I don't care if the car rolls around in primer for a few years, I just want it straight and drivable at this point. Fingers crossed.

Will

[Wschnitz]

Wow I just looked up what a 59 sprint actually is since I didn't remember. Thats going to be a pretty car when its finished.

[BlackbirdM3]

There is a pic of one above. Yes it will be a good looking car. Mine is an interesting car as its a very early 101 series and is made from both the late 101 series parts as well as the early 750 parts. This is both a good and a bad thing. The rocker panels are open so they don't rust, but there are random other parts that you have to figure out if they are 750 or 101 parts. My dash for instance is 750, no padding or covering on top as well has having a 750 mirror. The more I dig into it, the more I find that its a solid car that just needs all the parts cleaned up and repainted. Hard? No. Time consuming? Yes. Some of the rubber parts are stupid expensive, but at least they can be found. Another lucky break is that the trim on the car is all there, and for the most part in good shape. That stuff is hard to find, and when you do its insanely expensive. Some of the chrome could look better, but it will work for a driver, especially one that is in primer.

Will

[BlackbirdM3]

160 hp 1750 all setup for a Sprint? Yes please. Might be a little scary with an open diff and 165 series tires, but for the price I can't say no. Things are coming together on this project. Looking to get a good 8 hrs of work in on it tomorrow. The existing destroyed paint is going to come off. Hopefully it will go to the body shop in bare metal.

Will

[ELVA164]

I've been avoiding this thread because a friend has a 1959 Giulietta Sprint project I've lusted after for years but know I'll never own. That said, this video is mandatory viewing for all you Alfa guys. Grab a snack and get comfortable!

[BlackbirdM3]

Is it me, or are there a huge number for former factory BMW E30 M3 drivers in that field? Passing a Cortina in a corner is a scary thing.

Just curious, would you guys be interested in my using this thread to chronicle my Sprint rebuild? As it looks right now, barring any unexpected surprises, I think I'll have the car on the road by April if not sooner.

This is pretty close to what I'd like mine to look like when its done.






The biggest differences are that I'd like to rebuild the original multi layer door panels and perhaps different seats. I'm also going to explore the possibility of running a later LSD rear end modified to run in the Sprint axle housing.

Will

[ELVA164]

Grogeous. They're such awesome little cars; I can't imagine what they were like in the late '50s when they were new.

[Wschnitz]

God early alfa coupes look like they were made for the track.

Definitely post all the sprint stuff here.

[BlackbirdM3]

I spent a good 7 hours on the car today. Sadly, I don't have much to show for it. I got the hood stripped to bare metal, some deep surface rust in a couple places. Not through, but pretty deep. I treated everything with SEM rust converter, after treating it with a rust remover. I also treated the trunk floor as well. I still was unable to extract the front brake drums from the hubs. I did manage to loosen the brake lines without destroying the hard line fittings. I'll head back up tomorrow and see what else I can get taken care of.

The worst part about working on this thing is the amount of filth that is generated. I've come back from long mountain bike rides cleaner than I come home after working on this car.

Will

[flyboyx]

I still was unable to extract the front brake drums from the hubs. I did manage to loosen the brake lines without destroying the hard line fittings. I'll head back up tomorrow and see what else I can get taken care of.


Will

Do you have an acetylene torch? If you were local, I'd let you use mine.

[Wschnitz]

Yeah even a propane hand held torch would work well for heating it up a little.

Ha yeah when I cleaned out my first E30 it was ridiculous how much junk falls out of every panel when you take it off, I cant even imagine an alfa thats been rusting for years. Probably drops a mountain of dirt and rust just touching it.

[BlackbirdM3]

Do you have an acetylene torch? If you were local, I'd let you use mine.

I've tried head, cold, and a giant brake drum puller. Stuck fast. I've sprayed huge amounts of KROIL in there as well. They don't want to let go. With the brake adjusters I can crank them down and see the drums distort, but they will not break free. You'd think after 8 years of screwing with them they'd let go, but no. I had one drum last week so hot that things were smoking. I got nowhere however.

There isn't much rust on the car, just lots and lots of dirt from sitting in a barn with a dirt floor since 1972 (I looked at the last registration tag on the plates) The suspension is caked in a mix of grease, oil and dirt. The good news is that the metal under the crud is really nicely preserved. The insides of the wheel wells do have a very light undercoating of some sort. Some of it flakes off with a scraper, the rest is very firmly in place. Getting in there and scrubbing with a wire brush or scraper is just a dirty job. The little rust I find is light surface rust and nothing more. Once I have everything cleaned I'll paint it with SEM Rust-Mort, then POR-15.

Will

[Wschnitz]

Sounds as bad as my wheels that are stuck on my E30 lol.

can you tell where is seizing? is it the pads just welded themselves to the drum or the hub itself thats stuck to it.