'73 1600 GTJunior

[Craig_m67]

Okie dokey

Got the donor 1750 transmission tunnel out and back home on Tuesday evening.  Thanks John!! (Alfafarm), appreciate the chat too.

I've chopped off the extra bits left on when I cut it out of the donor to allow me to the drill out all the spot welds for the bits attached to the tunnel ie. front gearbox housing, side floors, chassis cross brace and the top parcel shelf attached to the rear kick panel.



Then I cleaned it up a bit.  Will wire brush tomorrow and flatten down the drilled out spot welds and straighten some other bits to ensure the new floors fit flush. Still need to remove the final bits of the chassis cross members, they're seam welded on. Hopefully the rear kick panel isn't to toasty and I can use it in my car. 



The crusty looking stuff on the rear kick panel is foam that has melted a bit (thinners), it's also has a bit of surface rust under it... Don't put open cell foam on steel people, it holds moisture and rusts!


It's a nice piece (now ), I just have to decide if I use it.

Attaching it at the back using the kick panel should be fairly straightforward as it can be rosette welded from above onto the parcel shelf, then a simple vertical butt weld on each side to the existing kick panel (if i cut it to the right width that is). The front is more contentious as it means separating/cutting about 10cm of the good front floors, the gearbox housing spot welds (easy enough) and the middle chassis cross members off the tunnel to remove it.... oh, and the handbrake.

I'm very tempted to attach the floors to the tunnel before I fit them which will save me welding underneath later.  When done it will be 'as new' but it does seem a bit of a palaver. I mean I could just patch the double tunnel and move on, who'd know ?? (Shh, Internets people are watching)

Interested in anybody's thoughts as to how to assemble and if it's worth it.
Anybody there?
I am using new rear floors from Classic Alfa.
I also have new front floors but don't *think* I will need them.

I don't have good access to the underneath, it's on it's wheels.

[LaStregaNera]

Craig - I reckon rather than selling this off you should stich it back together and just drive and enjoy it - it sounds like it's mechanically pretty good, and it's just the cut/shut that's the issue for you - In which case, just enjoy it for what it is
I spent the first couple of years daily driving my rusty GTV and flogging it through the hills - they're fantastic fun when you're not too precious about them!

Come to car/coffee tomorrow and talk shit and look at cars

[LaStregaNera]

And fwiw, it was probably cut/shut before the previous owner bought it - I'd suspect it's a 70's or 80's repair job...

[GoldCLoverLeaf]

There is nothing actually wrong or illegal about a cut and shut if done properly, there are guidelines that the RTA, VicRoads and the others have regarding this, might be worth a read.

Looks like the perfect GTA rep candidate to me!

Good luck with sale.

[Pedro69]

Totally agree with Ben, get out there and use it. Who cares if it's cut and shut as long as it's structurally sound I don't see a problem. If it doesn't have holes in the panels you can put your fist through and it's mechanically sweet then that's a good 105 in my book. They can't all be show queens and nor should they be. Besides if you sell it you know you'll get overwhelmed with the amount of work on the Duetto and buy something else. Also if you decide to keep it I won't be tempted to make you an offer
Better the devil you know. Hang in there mate, you can do it 

[Craig_m67]

Hej

Thanks for all the replies, I've been away up Hervey Bay for a Father's Day weekend with Finn at our grandmas, internet free.

I'm not worried about the cut and shut aspects of the car and agree this is most likely how they repaired them back in the day.  The repair happened when the car was still AR727 Metallic Silver and somebody obviously cared enough about the car and repair job to maintain this colour throughout.  The sill welding is quite neat and the location of the tunnel welding has clearly had some thought applied to it to retain strength for the seat belts.

With the floors and tunnel replaced it will be just as good as new in my mind, if not better than those running around with unknown trouble spots waiting to be addressed or explored correctly.  The only question then will be the sills and how/where it was joined around the C pillars. Areas that would get explored and addressed as required when the thing has roadworthy and can be used.

My reasons for listing it are not related to the condition, more a rationalisation of projects to help me focus over the next three months.  There's change coming.  I could probably finish the floors quite quickly. Although I do wonder if this would help sell it. There are several tens of 105 coupes in all manner of fettle and price for sale at any time in Aust. that just don't seem to shift. 

I'd also likely want to keep as it would be a known quantity to me at least, my mum (75) fell in love with pictures of it over the weekend and said I can park it at her place just so she can look at it *L* maybe take up driving again.

[Craig_m67]

Decided to weld up the ten or so trim holes in the tunnel after successfully removing all the spot weld nuggets and old crossmember bits ....



After this quite successful start I managed to blow massive holes everywhere else 
The transmission tunnel is paper thin (0.7mm)

I hate it. Having beers instead.

[17fitty]

Must agree--beer helps

[LaStregaNera]

Get your hands on a big chunk of brass (or Alloy) and hold it behind where you're welding - helps alot with blowing of holes.

[Craig_m67]

It's been a difficult month, just wanted to say thanks to those I've been in contact with. Small steps, onwards.  Finn and his mum left OS today for a few weeks/mths should give me some time to sort/plan/action some things for myself.

A special thank you to Keith, when you're next in Brissy please let me buy you that beer.


So, after a good month pfaffing around with the 'new' tunnel I decided not to use it as it was just going to increase and complicate the floor build time. I've wasted a month (on and off) with it already so decided to simply patch the original tunnel as planned and fit the floor.

Managed to move a fair bit forward on Saturday.  The floor needed a little bit more fettling after these pics but is essentially, correctly in place. I had planed to seam weld (inch on, inch off) from the top as I couldnt be arsed drilling a 100 or so holes and rosette welding upside down for that factory look.. This car is not factory - it will be honest, strong, clean and hopefully acceptable in the end though.





My tunnel patch, I need to grind down the welds here and clean up the birdshot. Also discovered the tunnel contour doesn't quite follow the new floor very well, although now I'm a tunnel expert I can declare this tunnel solid but nasty. Nothing a bit of hammering won't fix.. Looking forward to it

You can also see the toast in the rear kick panel.



Perfect fit on the inside sill.  I will cut through the front (new and old currently overlayed) to get a perfect line and butt weld this joint.


Yesterday I folded up a replacement kick panel/patch from 40x1.5mm flat to replace all the toast on the bottom of the rear kick panel. It's a fairly hefty panel at 1.5mm thick and I figured it's probably hefty for a reason, so fixed it properly.  Much easier to weld 1.5mm steel. Although harder to fold, bend and weld up the corner contours



Following on with this little success, I also chose to drill eleventy billion holes and rosette/plug weld the floor in from underneath. Managed to butt weld the front and then get three plugs done at the back before the light failed. The floor is much thinner steel (1mm) and harder to weld, upside down, in the dark.

As of this afternoon I just need to weld up the tunnel side, attach the two rear seat mounts, clean up the welds and paint. I decided to mimic the factory spot welds as closely as possible in the end as they're invisible from above or in the car. It looks nice

Only set fire to myself a few times





There's a cover plate that goes on the end of the rear swing arm that I need to bend up and attach. I suspect it's just to protect the bush from detritus as I can't imagine it adds any strength given it's welded to the floorpan.

I think it's worth saving

[Colin Byrne]

yep worth saving!

Love the new floors, i was so tempted to get them for my current project, but didn't make much sense when the $ could have been better spent on speed!, if it was my road car then that would be  a different story

Those kick panels on the drivers side always rust badly, your repair looks good though

The little bracket that closes of the trailing arm mounts is definitely worth putting back in, its not so much the connection back to the floor, more the fact that it "boxes" in the trailing arm mount and therefor ads some rigidity in that area

[Craig_m67]

Cheers Colin, it's easy enough to fold up, will look to it tomorrow along with placing the rear seat mounts and some paint... to stop it rusting



Getting there.

[17fitty]

Great too see you ended up perservering with it--well done--its  looking good

[Craig_m67]

Floor painted and seats and stuff fitted.

Driving her up to Hervey Bay tomorrow to put her in deep storage on my sisters property for 6-12mths or so while I reset my life to single.





Here endith the Junior for the moment.
Need to get the Duetto mobile.

[Alfetta77]

Hi there, loving your persistence. Who rebuilt your starter motor? looks fantastic