My 33 16v

[Ricky Ricardo]

For a bit of personal fun here's a short video of the sound my 33 makes. I made up the exhaust myself and intend to make another, so this is a before video.
It has standard extractors then a 12 inch resonator then follows standard 2 inch bends to a Lukey glass pack muffler with a chamber, the reason it sounds so deep at idle. So it's a straight through non baffled system.

I think it sounds good and is very deep sounding especially at idle and is only loud under hard acceleration below 3500rpm then smooths out to a nice note at higher revs, it's nice at constant cruising at any speed and good on the highway. The only issue is the fluffy sound touching the throttle from idle (could be the rolled tip) and the Lukey is a bit to long to tuck up under the car more. I may have lost some low down torque but there's noticeably more go at higher revs.

The next exhaust will have custom 4 into 1 extractors I pulled off a car at the wreckers, there pipes are 1.5mm larger than standard. I still need to measure but would like a 18 inch resonator if it  fits then again 2 inch tubing to a Hooker Aero chamber copy muffler, again a straight through system. 

I like playing with my car and I'm keen to see what it sounds and go's like. I'll add another video latter. 

[colcol]

Love the sound and feel of the Boxer motor and that throb at idle, can you imagine if Fiat decided for a bit more Alfa Romeo DNA, all the upcoming small Alfa's had Boxer Engines, but sadly this will never happen as they are too expensive to build.....and the Multi-air's aint half bad engines, World Motor of the year in 2010, but Rudolf Hruska was on to a good thing with the Boxer Motor in the Sud, Colin.

[Ricky Ricardo]

I read on another forum that Alfa will stop all front wheel drive production by 2014 and only produce rear drive cars. They say there getting back to there roots and the 4C is the start of that philosophy.
But if they don't make a boxer front wheel drive I think there failing, the sud is a huge part of there history being there biggest selling car ever so they should try and recapture that.
But not the rusty part.  

[Frank Musco]

That's a nice 'crisp' note, makes it sound speedy!

It would be good to see an all alloy boxer in an Alfa. Front and rear wheel drive, take your pick.

[hammer]

I'm with you Frank. Bring it on!

Great sounding exhaust mate. Must be a pleasure to hear it on a nice winding mountain road.

BTW Frank my bro and I are dropping our sprint off tomorrow to have the half cage extended to a full cage. Then we're off on a 1500km round trip to pick up a donor 16v 33, from which we'll liberate the engine for the sprint. Can't wait to get the little bugger back on track next year.

Cheers.

[lombardi]

And no smoke, sounds like opera only more exciting, fantastico.

[Ricky Ricardo]

I bought the car with six bent valves from a belt failure and still using the heads as the valve guides seemed OK.

The block that's in there now came to me with eight severely bent valves from a belt tensioner failure at high revs. I had to breakup the valves to get the valve spring collets out. The stem guides are toast.

I only had to buy a full gasket and seal kit to build a good engine. I dose go very well.       

[Ricky Ricardo]

Did someone say "a nice winding road" There's plenty here.
Here's a few short edits from a recent drive. A responsible drive giving an idea of the sound inside. Exhaust is coming off soon. I'm a bit slow though with major back probs 

At least turn the volume up first

   

[colcol]

Nice sound from the boxer Ricky, type of road made for good Front wheel drive 33's,....how did you arrange the drive without a 4 wheel drive towing a caravan or Toyota Camry getting in your way?, Colin.

[Ricky Ricardo]

They were the bits I edited out   

[orgigeorgie]

sounds good I like it.

In the first video - are you washing your car with 2 buckets? Good man. Good to see!

[Ricky Ricardo]

From memory I was washing my van after replacing the timing belt. It's a 16v interference motor and broke the belt at highway speed and didn't touch a valve. Replaced the belt and runs perfect, lucky me!

[Ricky Ricardo]

OK I've changed the complete exhaust system with the components pictured and 2 inch tubing.
I pulled these headers off a car at the wreckers for $25 and been really keen to see how they change the car. I made the 16v flanges welding them to the 8v flanges because I couldn't lose a millimetre clearance under the gearbox so it added a bit and welded a Lambda thread in. There's an 18 inch bullet muffler packed with steel wool and a Pro Flow Aero Chamber muffler. The mufflers a dead ringer copy of the Hooker chambered type with no sound deadening material inside.



With the previous system I only thought it was too loud below 3000rpm under normal driving. With the new system I got exactly what I wanted, it sounds awesome at idle and low revs under  normal driving and also I gained torque back and quite a bit more go over 4000 to 5500rpm. Unfortunately over 3000rpm or under a lot of load the rasp that's a character of the boxer engine sounds really off, very tinny. Would be better with a inline 4.

So the rear muffler only is coming off and the Lukey back on.  I'm hoping the 18 inch centre muffler will quieten the Lukey at lower revs and honestly the 12 incher before was second hand and no idea how degraded it was.
I'm hoping the 4 into 1 headers are what's giving me the extra power and torque  but we'll see, they sound really great at the front of the car too 

           

[Ricky Ricardo]

So the Lukey went back on and it was very interesting to see the difference the 4 into 1 headers were making compared with the Lukey on the old header system.

The new headers are much better than standard. The car is better around town under 3000rpm, it's quieter and smoother running then at high revs over 4000rpm the car has more power and it's louder but in a good way, the engine pulses going through the system have a lusty harder edge to them and power keeps pulling hard to the rev limiter. I find I'm not winding out the motor as much for the next gear.
So this system is staying for a while and will always stay in one piece but will make another system from the headers back to try other things.   

I used a Canon 650d for the videos unfortunately while driving it has a rattle in the body, I've since found it's a common thing with DSLR's and there's a rattle coming through the gear lever I need to look at.   

 

[Duk]

Sounds real good! 
And the 33 are nice looking car. They have a bit of a tough, nuggety look about them. Would like to give an AWD 1 a go. With an Eaton TVS supercharger attached to it.