Twin Spark Berlina

Divano Veloce · March 06, 2013, 09:18:21 PM

I recently purchased this Berlina.

The car was built by local alfa nut and great bloke Nigel Wright. I knew the car from when Nigel owned it and when accidentally I saw the car for sale I didnt have much choice but to buy it. The car has been mechanically restored and improved and has a stunning interior. The body is straightish and cleanish, far from perfect but theres nothing really to do for now, just drive and enjoy!

There were a couple of issues with the car, the motor had no torque and didnt rev, the brakes were very spongy, speedo didnt work and there was a horrible vibration at speed.

The issue with the motor was due to an incorrectly set VVT solenoid and the VVT relay was wired incorrectly. The speedo cable was not done up fully at the gearbox, there was air in the brake lines and the flexible coupling between the gearbox and tailshaft was torn into four pieces (one piece was missing!). All of these issues have been fixed with the only outlay being for a new tailshaft donut.

The car passed a RWC inspection today with zero defects. Now I need to remember how to drive a 105!

pancho · March 06, 2013, 09:22:50 PM

And a quick one at that! Good work!!

Divano Veloce · March 06, 2013, 09:34:25 PM

Me: "Its in miles darlin, go 60 and you'll be doing 100. Ok!?"
Later.....
GF: "Hey, i couldnt get it to go 60, I got scared at 45"
Me: what gear were you in?" GF: "5th"
What gauge were you reading?

?

Tony Raditsis · March 06, 2013, 09:35:30 PM

Congrats. I think it's a great car. Nigel's a top bloke and was kind enough to let me drive this car a few years ago to get a feel for the twin spark. As a result, I ended up putting one in my super and never looked back!
Tony r.

John Hanslow · March 07, 2013, 07:51:32 AM

Yep, congratulations, you have done well.

Look forward to checking out the car when we have a club drive to your area early May.

DaveT · March 07, 2013, 09:31:30 AM

Nice one, a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing, should be a lot of fun. Love the 1750 Berlina interior, particularly with the burgundy seats and door cards, lovely old radio in there too.

Divano Veloce · March 07, 2013, 07:40:21 PM

Its like driving a really comfortable couch

AikenDrum105 · March 07, 2013, 11:19:06 PM

What a ripper !

Phillip Island sprints are coming up ......

Divano Veloce · March 11, 2013, 01:11:46 AM

Sprints!! Cant wait. I'll need to sort out a few items first.

The idler arm is flogged out and the rear end wiggles over bumps. The brakes drag too, quite a bit.

Evan Bottcher · March 11, 2013, 07:28:43 AM

'Divano Veloce'. Cute

alfa75gta · March 19, 2013, 02:31:30 AM

Thanks for the kind words everyone... Yes I fondly remember this car but I spent too much money on it!

(don't we all?!) Glad it has stayed in the family. Hope to see it out and about a bit more now with its new enthusiastic owner!

AikenDrum105 · March 27, 2013, 11:37:47 AM

That is just Full Of Win - congratulations !

Divano Veloce · August 03, 2013, 08:43:14 PM

We returned from our honeymoon with a box of alfa parts to refurb the front end. Today most of the suspension came apart and I was surprised to find the castor arm ball joints were badly worn but the lower control arm bushes ok... All will be replaced anyway. There was some serious play through the left side track rid and idler too. Only 1-2mm of brake pad remaining. Tomorrow the intake comes off and the steering box comes out.

How does one correctly adjust the tie rod (drag link).

I have an idler arm repair kit, does anyone have experience with removing and rewelding the arm to the new shaft?

Barry Edmunds · August 22, 2013, 11:47:01 PM

Divano Veloce. Congrats on both the wedding and the Berlina. That car is a lot more than a mere wolf in sheep's clothing, a whole lot more fun too I'll bet and, unlike the wolf, much more easily tameable. There are a whole bunch of 105 experts on this forum so you shouldn't have any troubles getting answers to any of your queries. Castlemaine and surrounding area is fast becoming home to a few Alfisti too so answers could well be available locally. Good luck.
Barry

LukeC · August 23, 2013, 09:45:06 AM

QuoteHow does one correctly adjust the tie rod (drag link).

In a way that no run of the mill wheel alignment shop would do, only the better Alfa workshops would know (considering that few would actually do their own wheel alignments).

Caster (More the better IMO) and camber (if you have adjustable top arms: set for your tyres and intended usage) are straight foward adjustments (and are always performed first).

To set the drag link link: the steering wheel must be at the straight ahead position, the right hand wheel is then set to the desired toe (relative to the centreline of the vehicle) by adjusting the RH tie rod. Measure the length of the RH tie rod from centre to centre. The left hand tie rod must then be adjusted to exactly the same length as the right hand. The drag link length is the final adjustment to get the overall toe correct. Road test to see if the wheel is straight.

It is usually not that straight forward. It always used to take me one or two goes to get the steering wheel dead straight with the equipment I used back when I twirled spanners. Fine adjustments are made with the tie rods (as long as the difference in length side to side is no greater than about 3 mm to avoid bump steer) Modern laser wheel alignment equipment may make this easier.

The main point is that the tie rods are the SAME length (insist on this with the person performing the work). The drag link length will then be correct.