can she be saved

[cc]

thanks

[Citroënbender]

I'd seriously suggest your cheapest option is to try getting it mobile (enough to make QLD safely) on a permit.

The DIY towing caper is dangerous if you're not thoroughly experienced, fatigue and loading practices are the big risks.

Go down with a mate and iLoad or Trafic van full of stuff you know you need, plus a few bits you might need, a million cable ties, baling wire, cordless kit, tyre inflator, porta-power, sledgie, truck grade ratchet straps, rechargeable torches etc etc and you should be under control.  Beyond that, shonk it with angle iron, stuff from Bunnies, whatever you need to make it safe at 80km/h.  Then share the drive back, rotating pilots between van and Alfa.

[As the day goes]

Lithuanian? 

Russian Lithuanian but

[Craig_m67]

Just buy this and save yourself the hassle... you can drive it home too

https://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Alfa-Romeo-156-2003/SSE-AD-5401213/?Cr=1

[bazzbazz]

Don't you just HATE IT when that happens, no matter how good a bargain you've just bought is, something even better will always pop up 5 minutes after you have handed over the cash! 

So whats cheaper, a decent full respray or the previously discussed rebuild?

I mean after you have repaired the front end ($$$$) it's still gonna need a respray of some sort as well?

[poohbah]

Man o man - I want that.

Same colour, engine and trans as my first, but dearly departed, 156. Put the original teledials back on and remove that awful fake rear diffuser and it would be perfect!

I note however that its almost exactly the same mileage as mine when it went up in smoke ... and I'm guessing it hasn't had the cambelt/water pump changed either. So I wouldn't risk driving it anywhere til I knew that had been sorted.

[bazzbazz]

Why do I have the sudden urge to hug my Fire Extinguisher tightly !! 

[Citroënbender]

Well, you can let go of the extinguisher now, someone else has apparently bought it...  (Not me! Not into 156s.)

[cc]

Well after a long period of not much happening with this car, am heading down to the nsw south coast from sydney in a hired ute and trailer to bring back alfa2 next weekend. Parking it in the rural outskirts of sydney for 3 months before the next leg to Brisbane. Its to be parked under sufferance in Sydney with family members..
The first step which I may do in Sydney will be to remove the engine and determine if the car really is an unrepairable write off. If so the 100,000km 2.5L engine will be kept and sadly the rest go to parts and the scrap metal dealer. Being such a low km car, its otherwise in fine condition..

Should be fun. A specialist alfa garage here in Bris has responded to my advertisement in the qld club magazine and invited me to take what I need off the front of a 156 they have parked up and earmarked for the wreckers. : )

[bazzbazz]

Glad to see that wreck being put to use finally.

[Citroënbender]

Well after a long period of not much happening with this car, am heading down to the nsw south coast from sydney in a hired ute and trailer to bring back alfa2 next weekend.

Did this happen? If not, I'm eyeballing a Citroën panel up your way and wondering if a biscuit was tempting.

[cc]

Retrieval to Sydney went ok. A six hour drive up the nsw coast from Bega.
The car was driven onto the hire trailer. Which was a bit trepidatious as its been parked up for 5 years.
So need to replace a few things on the engine.
Im in Brisbane so there will be a few more trips to Sydney prior to the last leg to Brisbane.
May remove the engine down there first.
Time to start accumulating parts!

[bazzbazz]

Have you got that french thing under the covers finished yet?

i can just imagine your missus, "what another project, why do we need another one, haven't you got better things to do!!!"   

(Bless her heart) 

[cc]

offsprings 504 taking a rest in the garage.
Have been looking in eper (accessed from the fiatforum) for more info on alfa2 repairs.The attached pic shows engine 'rails' that can be replaced
prices are pretty reasonable.

[Citroënbender]

That's normal modern construction. The detail you're possibly less familiar with is that you usually pull the chassis with the damaged rails still attached, to make sure everything behind your cut line is on the dot. Most rails will have three possible factory repair locations - at the back (full replacement), partway along (what some people call a "short cut") and then a very small portion right at the front.

Elearn details the locations and methods applicable.