*squeals and runs around in little circles*

[wuvvum]

Look what I've just won!

 

 

 

 

 

[MrRegieRitmo]

Sweet! I thought the title was referring to the car! Even better that it isn't....

[Split_Pin]

Excellent! I cant remember the last time I saw one of these!!!!Lovely engine too!I take it this will be a project for you?

[Guest]

  IainL said:

Lovely engine too!

Any idea off the seller why it doesnt run?

[wuvvum]

  rootes_arrow1725 said:

Any idea off the seller why it doesnt run?

Nope, but I'm assuming from the advert that it's just because it's been stood for so long, hence points closed up / plugs died / petrol turned to varnish or whatever. As long as it still turns over freely (which he reckons it does) it shouldn't be too much of a job to get going again. Don't think those twin cams are particularly prone to head gasket failure through standing, are they?

[Volksy]

Yummy! Same as teh one my old man had, first car i ever went over 100mph in, down the mulsanne straight no less!!Top Buy!

[Ratdat]

I don't think the Alfa twin cams are prone to gasket failure. My mum had an Alfetta GTV and the only thing that was prone to was dissolving. My mums car still ran fine after sitting in a field for three years although the bodywork didn't fare so well. That a great buy... the sort of car I'd like to own.

[outlaw118]

Lovely!!Would love an old Alfa (GTV6, Guiletta, 6, Sud) but frankly I'm too scared. Would have to be in regular use, and the potential for open wallet surgery on a weekly basis is too much. (I wouldn't mind but "The Boss" doesn't "GET" it!)

[wuvvum]

  outlaw118 said:

Would love an old Alfa (GTV6, Guiletta, 6, Sud) but frankly I'm too scared. Would have to be in regular use, and the potential for open wallet surgery on a weekly basis is too much.

Actually the Sud's been remarkably cheap to run. Everything that's gone wrong so far I've been able to either fix myself or get a mate to fix, and the only expense has been £2.39 for a flasher unit and 49p for a brakelight bulb. Oh, and about a quid's worth of Asda's finest £4.27-a-gallon engine oil. I suspect a GTV6 (or indeed anything with a V6) would probably be more scary though, and the Giuliettas / 75s are supposed to be a bit of a pain to work on. Only really awkward job on a Sud (apart from potential welding) is the inboard front brakes.

[nigel bickle]

Marvellous cars- had 2 till they melted in the barn fire. 1.8 or 2 litre- leccy windows in the roof console? great weight distribution with the gearbox up the back. Tow start will sort it (-always did mine when I dug them out) and the engine sounds glorious.Envious -still I collect my Fiat from the docks today -hope its as nice!

[Mr Lobster]

Congratulations! Thats absolutely superb. I'd love a proper 'old' Alfa, suspect it would be less troublesome the the 145 I had (and cost less...)

[MrRegieRitmo]

Nigel, have you or do you intend to replace anything that was lost in the barn fire or would you rather 'move on' from them?

[vicsmith]

Wow, a Giuletta! More pictures of this are urgently required, deffo one of my favourite Alfas ever. If I`d just got that I think I`d be in a permanent semi aroused state!

[Spottedlaurel]

Ditto Vicsmith's comment, my dad had a couple of 1.8's for six years or so, remember them very vividly. Would love to come and see that one!

[Timewaster]

Takes me back too.I remember being taken to work with my mum during teachers strikes in the early 80's. The factory where she worked had just replaced their fleet cars, the reps had 3 new 2door 1.3 mk.1 cavaliers in lovely pea green - while their forbears, 3 beige Allegro estates looked on folorn from the corner of the yard.The boss had a new big Alfa - a 6 maybe?But the highlight was the factory managers new, white Gulietta.Lovely.Glad some have survived.

[nigel bickle]

50 /50 Reg -replace what I can, when I can, if it motivates me. As always!

[wuvvum]

Well, I dragged it home yesterday after a series of mishaps that I won't go into here, save to mention that the pictures below were taken after I'd had to pull off the A14 when one of the trailer tyres blew out.

 

 

 

It is rusty, but then I was expecting that. The arches are frilly but at least two of them would probably repair with Kurust and filler. The sills have plastic covers on them but I'm expecting the worst - the ends of the sills where I've been able to lift the covers off a bit look rather tender. Inner sills don't seem too bad though from a brief glance, and most of the underside looked in reasonable nick from what I could see. It's still going to need a fair bit of patching if it's going to see the road again though.

 

Whether it will or not is open to question at the moment as the engine has no compression. As it said in the eBay listing, it spins over fine - a little too fine. In fact there's so little compression there that it's possible to push the car along with the gearbox in second. A snapped cambelt was suggested, but after doing a bit of research it looks like these engines are chain-driven. Piston rings are another possibility, but I've never known them to go on all four pots. Anyone else got any other ideas? 'Cos once the engine's going I can then drive it to wherever the welding is going to be done - brakes and clutch are all free, bizarrely - even the handbrake.

 

Even more bizarrely (in fact rather worryingly for a 27-year-old Alfa that's been untouched for 15 years) all the electrics work, apart from the lighter. Even the electric driver's door mirror works, as does the stereo and the heated rear window, and the screenwash still happily squirts out its 15-year-old fluid. It's also the only car I've ever come across that has a warning light on the dash to tell you that your heater fan is on .

 

So I'm hoping that the engine issue is something fairly simple (ie something that can be done without taking the engine out and preferably without taking the head off), because if the engine and the bodywork both need a load of work it's going to reach the point where it's not worth me doing it. Which would be a pity as I'm quite looking forward to driving my new dr1ft machine.

[Ratdat]

All four sets of rings will be knacked if it's been seriously overheated at some time.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

This is interesting, my friend and I have a chrome bumper GTV 2.0 which has absolutely no compression at all either.

[wuvvum]

  Ratdat said:

All four sets of rings will be knacked if it's been seriously overheated at some time.

True true - I did something similar myself to a Renault Trafic once years ago. If the seller is to be believed, however (and everything else he said about the car was pretty accurate) the car was running perfectly and MoT'd when it was driven into the garage after the owner (the seller's dad) died.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Our GTV was alleged to have a good engine as well but had been parked up for a long time before we got it. I wonder if the rings are prone to getting stuck on these?Might be worth putting some diesel in the spark plug holes then leaving it overnight before wanging your biggest battery on and giving it some hammer.

[wuvvum]

  Mr_Bo11ox said:

Might be worth putting some diesel in the spark plug holes then leaving it overnight before wanging your biggest battery on and giving it some hammer.

I'll give it a go. Again I'd never heard of all four pistons suffering from stuck rings, but if your GTV is doing the same thing then maybe it is a common issue with these engines.

[Ratdat]

I would think it more like for valves to stick open when left standing but that's unlike to occur on all four cylinders. Do the Alfa twinks have hydraulic cam followers?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Nah I am pretty certain theyre an old solid tappet job with shims for adjusting.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

could even put two batteries in series if you are feeling brave, I have done this in the past and the engine wangs over like a good 'un, didnt seem to do any harm! I bet the rings are stuck you know. If you can get one or two to seal up enough to run, the others will free off with a bit of use i'm sure. Good luck Wuvz!

[nigel bickle]

I go with stuck rings- you'd know if it had overheated- just too many giveaways.If youi've a (relaible) mate -hitch it to an A frame and take it for a drag. Get him to tow you -drop it in gear and see what happens. You might just get enough together to cough it into life- cylinders returning as it warms/frees. Worked for me once- on a non runner -that was valves though