75 3.0

[deano]

hey guys,

as of 2 pm yesterday, I am free from year 12 and school. now I can finally get stuck into this alfa project. To put it simply, im a complete noob when it comes to motorsport. My background is in sailing and yacht racing. Ive worked at a go kart track for 2 years and have met some people here and there but i have virtually no experience.

I bought a 75 3.0 potenziata a few months back and it has been living unroadworthy and regoed in my backyard under a cover. I intend to modify it and do aroca sprints and other track work in it.

Im after some advice, besides a roadworthy, where should i start 

[Mat Francis]

Congrats Deano, i too am in the same boat as far as finishing school and about to get really stuck into the project!
My honest advice would be to just leave the car absolutely bog stock standard for now, maybe get some reasonable tyres but thats about it.

Here's my reasoning.
-a 3L 75 will have more than enough go in standard form to scare the living s**t out of you.
-it will probably take you at least 2 years of solid track work before you begin to reach the limits of the car as it is (i'm not saying you  can't drive, it's just that these cars in standard form take real skill and balls to be used properly).
-the running costs of the thing might become too much if you spend a whole lot of money on the thing straight away.

Best thing you can do is download the entry form and enter Phillip Island in December 

[deano]

cheers mat. yeh how good is no more school, waking up in the morning and not having to do anything

I was thinking of entering phillip island but dont i need to have some experience, at least some sort of training???

tyres, i got a set of worn yoky advans on twinspark 14s and shes on 156 16s for the road.


thought id post in the tech section cause i have a load of questions. firstly, 75 brakes, wtf.... would good fluid, lines and pads do the trick for now, cause the pedal almost hits the floor and i think she would stop faster if i opened the door and dragged my feet on the ground....

and about classes, shes on konis at the back so thats ok in the standard class, but what about r spec tyres, if i use them, wont it mean i have to go to the modified class?

[jimnielsen]

Deano - it doesn't really matter what class you are in to start with anyway - just go along and have fun - see if you can get the brakes sorted just a little perhaps (at least bleed them and have some spare front pads handy...), as Phillip Island can be quite scary without brakes. I'd just change the oil and coolant - pump up the tyres and  - away you go!! You can learn by "doing" just start at the rear of one of the slower grids at first - you'll soon be loving it -

jimn~

[Mat Francis]

yeah mate, thats the one. R types put you straight into super modified this year, and i believe the modified class for next year. i run a set of r types which were given to me, and the difference is unreal. not cheap if you have to buy them, but it is incredible.

i presume you are a member of AROCA? if so, the only other thing you will need to enter at Phillip Island is a level 2S CAMS license, which is $95 for the year i think. you can download it from here http://www.cams.com.au/downloads/paperforms/2008_Level2_Application.pdf
no actual driving test or anything required, just about 15 minutes of paperwork

As for brakes, from the sound of it you will need to do something about them. when working properly they should be quite good. whether it requires a full rebuild or just a bleed, i don't know, but make sure you either know what you are doing or get someone to do them who does- of all things to go wrong its not good.

back to classes again though, i honestly wouldn't worry too much at this point. again, not trying to discredit your driving ability, but for at least the first year it would be really hard to be competitive- there are a lot of very experienced, very knowledgable people going very quickly around circuits out there. my advice (and what i do) is just get out there and have fun. i'm never anywhere near competitive in super modified, but the grin on the face is just as big as anyone elses 

[Paul Gulliver]

Deano,

You ought to try and get a hold of Alan Goodall. He won the 1984 World A class catamaran championships (sailing). He also knows a thing or two about getting the best out of a 75. 

He will probably be at Philip Island in December.

[deano]

the grin is already here. im so excited and nervous but she'll be rite

thanks jim. the oil and coolant are fresh. i changed them in septemeber and its still nice and golden. ive only been starting her every few weeks and driving her up and down the driveway to keep her going since then. I think i'll have to replace the cam seals cause its pretty sticky all around the front and the timing belt looks sticky as well so i'll have to change that which will be fun. i'll post some pics later to show you what i mean. i know someone who knows what they are doing who can give me a hand. hes got a 3.0 12 v alfetta sedan and used to do sprints.

yep im a member of AROCA vic, i'll fill out those forms and send em off tomorrow. mat, my driving skills... LOL! you'll probably read in the papers the next day about the water police recovering a 75 from bass straight it'll be fun though.

cheers paul. the name does ring a bell. is alan on these forums somewhere? im a laser sailor at the moment so i dont think i've met him.

more questions...

what sort of gear will i need, cams approved helmet, gloves etc???

the power steering feels a bit stiff. when you first start her up, its hard to turn left and once you get going it loosens up after a while. there are bubbles in the reservoir and you can see its been a problem child all its life, there's a trail of grim and oil down the side of the engine bay. should i be worried?

what sort of brake pads should i use to get started?

cheers
dean

[jimnielsen]

All you actually 'need' is a helmet. I'd try the TRW lucas pads - they are cheap and they work - try Mr Brakes - in Ballarat - Both the Canny's that own the business there are regular Alfa club sprint entrants.

cheers, jim.

[alfagtv58]

deano, the guys above are offering excellent advice.  Dont get too hung up on classes or mod's at this stage, just get out there and start learning about the car and your abilities.  Maybe come to a club night and/or the phillip island sprint and ask plenty of questions....just floating around the paddock at a sprint checking out how it all works can be a good learning experience.

The other thing I would suggest is starting out at a track like Winton, nowhere near as daunting as PI or Sandown as your first track experience.  In March the club is running a weekend where there will be driver training on the Saturday and a sprint on the Sunday....this would probably be an ideal date to aim for.

In regards to the gear you need, you can find all the specific info here http://www.camsmanual.com.au/ look at the speed events section and the general requirments for cars and drivers section, but there is a lot of other info in there and most of it doesn't apply to speed events (it is predominatly racing stuff).  If you go and have a look at Neil's recent post about the PI sprint you will find the 'supp regs' (which is short for supplementary regulations), this should have all the actual requirements for both you and your car.

[deano]

hey guys,

my plan of aiming for phillip island was a bit too ambitious. I've had a few problems with the car which has stopped me from getting it ready. the main one being I only have 5th gear and reverse.  A light 3000 rpm clutch dump put me in my place. I'm getting it up on the hoist next week and seeing whats wrong. May just be a linkage pin but i suspect, considering the sound the box made when it happened, its full of marbles. i just have to wait and see. Clutch is fine though and it spins up fine in fifth and reverse. ive sorted out most of the annoying inside things that it'll need for roadworthy, but its never ending. Engine mounts and bushings next. yay.

I'm probably going to head down to phillip island tomorrow to have a look. I'll be armed with lots of questions.

cheers

dean

[Southern75]

Deano,

Congrat's on finishing school!!

Secondly ... nice choice of car.

With the 75 ... brakes definately ... i have never been able to get mine where i'd like them but throw a set of slightly harder pads at it as with standard alfa pads ... you may get 5 laps at most before you start having issues. (Btw mine is a 2.5l so won't having the same amount of straight line go that yours will.

I would seriously look at getting a harness too ... they make a great deal of difference as a standard seatbelt won't hold you well at all and you will be fighting to stay in the one position rather than focusing on driving the car.

And yes ... do they cam belt and ensure the tensioner is right as bent valves are expensive.

And my words of advice to my year 12's (and 11's and in case you're wondering I'm a teacher) have fun .. take it relatively easy and don't try to prove a point as I have a Sud as well and i find my 75 a  difficult car to catch when it gets out of shape.

Hope you have fun!

[deano]

cheers matt.

yeh the plans are to do the brakes, get the thing roadworthy, shes almost there but im going to need another unreg permit thing. then get a harness and a seat if i can.

the back end is coming off the car tomorrow so then i'll know what is really wrong with the box.

am i allowed to remove some stuff from the interior so i can mount a seat a bit lower and further left? or does this move me up a class?

[deano]

hey guys,

turns out its the 1st/2nd gear selector ring. it was in 6 pieces. destroyed one sinchro in the process but apart from that, the gear set looks ok. no chips etc. i'll get stuck into it after new years.

re the above post, i should have read the competition rules a bit more carefully. 

does anybody have any tips for doing engine mounts? they are at the point where i can rock the engine back and forth about 5 cm..... Im looking for the rear mount at the moment. I've got the front 2.

cheers

[Southern75]

Just noticed you're vehicles ... love the comment about the bike ... that's why i haven't got one!

[deano]

hey guys,

yet another problem i now have. theres a crack running from the top of the frame right the way through until it meets the weld joining the engine bay and the top of the frame. from the looks of things, its been there for a while. its directly inline with the left engine mount.

how do i go about fixing it bearing in mind i want to do some sprints in this car. i'll try and post some pics.

cheers