1981 GTV2.0 popped my cherrie

[Nate Dog]

Thanks guys! Right friendly bunch

Am thinking of making it into a project, maybe figure out a way of sticking a better alternator in there, fix the lighting, after market radiator fan, maybe it'll allow me enough current to get a modern electric compressor going.
Maybe make a working aircon.
Come to forums to learn not preach, if you all think it's unlikely to be effective or work then i might give up on the idea.

[Beatle]

Not sure sourcing bracketry from a 75 will work.  We only got the V6 and TS engines and I suspect the bracket mounting positions of the TS differ from the old Nord 2L.

If you truly wish to have decent aircon, you need to direct your attention to airFLOW.  The factory A/C certainly gets cold enough when measured at the vent outlet, it's just that there is precious little transfer of air volume to cool the interior. 

BTW, US GTV6s had a tropical air option with an additional aircon above the passengers feet.

[Nate Dog]

Hmm..
Ok, Thats a handy tip,
So a kick ass internal fan might help the cause more so then going nuts with the compressor, will see what can be done.

shouldn't be too hard to pull apart.

(famous last words)

[Midda Samid]

easy to pull apart.. difficult to retrofit a new fan tho.. wait til you see the barrel fan in it.. you can clean it and lube it and help it out a bit(prob even relay it), reseal the aircon/heater box with new foam etc.. usually the tubes between the fan unit and the windscreen vents are perished however you can actually buy them on ebay surprisingly cheap.. I made some out of foam tube and cable ties thinking the tubes weren't available..

to remove the heater aircon, expect to remove everything including some skin from the back of your hands.. start with the centre console and work your way up.. if you haven't got one, get yourself the Haynes manual for the alfettas.. has step by step instructions for most jobs on the car.. a bible.. it's blue and has a pic of the sedan on the front.

[Beatle]

You would stand more chance of success by ripping the whole heater box out (and saving it for posterity) and completely re-designing the system, the ducting, vents and controls etc etc.   In fact it would likely be easier to remove the whole dash and include that into a re-design.  At least the instruments themselves would be pretty easy to reinstall into a completely redesigned dash (I'd love to do the same to my 90, but instrumentation is much more complex).  Manual (cable) controls could be replaced by vacuum actuated controls, which might give you more options in the limited space available, but add complexity.

Some of the Aussie dealer-fitted units had a HVAC console which extends further into the cabin, so it's not without precedent.

First thing you'd be looking at would be a decent (quiet & powerful) Japanese fan.  I've looked at the fan in my 80 series Landcruiser and reckon it might be a good candidate as it seems to be a separate entity and not wholly integrated into the dash.

Then you need to incorporate more dash vents, decent feet vents, decent screen vents, and have them closeable (the later coupes used closeable flaps for the screen vents as these are always open on earlier cars).   Note the outer eyeball vents on a 116 coupe are only open to fresh air.

I caution against using convoluted/ribbed ducting where at all possible as it really does slow airflow.  Smooth ducting is much better, if not easy or practical.

There are a few Alfisti who have redesigned the HVAC system, but I'm not sure how successful they've been, nor how costly the exercise.

The Alfa 90 and 75 had better setups (more vents open to conditioned air) but they are still dismal. 

Go the whole hog and remove the engine, drop a Monty V8 in where the back seats are, and fill the bonnet area with an aircon system....... 

[Beatle]

Oh, when Ebaying for a Haynes manual, make sure you get the Euro/Aussie version.  There is a separate US version available.  Pretty sure the US (LHD/Spica FI) version uses the term Sports Sedan in the title (the US name for the Alfetta sedan).

 

[Beatle]

When you have the console out, consider taking the opportunity to install decent thermal/sound proofing, even just a double layer of aftermarket automotive underfelt, all the way up the firewall.  It will help keep some heat out of the cabin.

Also ensure the rubber boot around the base of the gearlever (underneath the sock you can see from the drivers seat) is in tact.  If these get holed they allow hot air straight off the exhaust to come up into the cabin, particularly when you have a window open.  I've actually burnt my left knee on the lever on a long drive..... (longer lever in steel bumper car). After I made up a double skinned diaphragm the heat flow was all but eliminated.

[Alfapride]

Welcome Nate Dog! Agree with some of the earlier posts the 116 is very under-rated and will give you endless hours of driving enjoyment! I'm in the process of getting my 116 back on the road and the journey has been very enjoyable and I've learned heaps doing small bits myself along the way. I decided to remove the whole A/C system as this will be a weekend car only and thought the old system was useless anyway so it's nice to free up some weight and  tidy up the engine bay at the same time. There's some great threads on the forum advising of some very useful upgrades that you can make to these cars - check them out in the 116 section (in particular the head light upgrade is a must!) Be sure to add pics of your progress along the way!

[Nate Dog]

Thanks Gang.
Will do.
Cars off to the panel beaters this monday to fix the rust spots.
Will take the aircon under advisement. Not quiet going to be a daily nor just a weekend warrior, somewhere in between so would like A/C, at least in some fashion.
Headlight upgrade will commence on return from Panel beaters, followed by uprating the alternator.
Will see what project i feel like tackling after that.
In all honesty, i've never had so much fun working on a car or half as much fun driving it
Will try and document steps on the way as i go.
Any members in Sydney that go on drives let me know.
Haven't done the old pacific highway on anything other than a bike but keen as mustard to take this bad boy down there!

Cheers guys, See you in the world.

[Beatle]

Nate, being in Sydney makes the price of membership to AROCA NSW great value.  They do plenty of drives around the place.   http://www.alfaclubnsw.org.au/membership/index.html

[MD]

Hello Doggy 
Alfetta projects is what life is all about. Good luck with yours. Your enthusiasm is jumping of these pages. Congrats.

Here is my contribution to you air con. upgrade. It consists of a custom rack that relocates the (Commodore 85amp) alternator as well as repositions the rotary Denso compressor. You will notice that it also incorporates a Toyota idler tensioner to make belt tensioning a breeze.

Disregard the additional belt as this is for a power steering conversion done on this Alfetta sedan.

[MD]

A few more for clarity..

[MD]

Paul, those section cut ups you did and posting the photos is pure gold mate.

You can come out of the corner now, take that goofey cone hat off your head and go straight to the top of the class. All is forgiven.

[Beatle]

I still have a few of the cut sections in the shed.  They come out as training aides every few years   

Nice work on the AC on that Alfetta too.   How do you tension the belt running from crankshaft to AC compressor?

[MD]

Yeah, there is a huge story with the full treatment to make Alfetta chill your silverware off. 
The compressor belt is selected as a very close match and  subsequently, there is a slide fixing in the mount itself which finally tensions it. Once tight, the adjustment nuts are locked up.