1982 GTV renovation

[bazzbazz]

Now now children . . . . ."Don't make me come back there!"

[Alfatango]

Please don't blame Alfa Romeo for the chassis and parts variations, as they progressed forward with the changes from the early Alfetta chassis to the later 75 chassis. They had no idea in 1985 that you were going to convert in 2022 a gtv2lt to a v6 made out of all sorts of different parts from different models. You started with the wrong chassis then added parts that changed the very essence of the car.  I have edited this post and removed what I really thought.

Have you got any info on the difference between the gtv and gtv6 chassis? Did they change much across the years?

This build is epic! Keep up the great work.

[Anth73]

Anthony is doing a fantastic job as project manager, sourcing all parts himself and doing his research, and being kind enough to document and share his journey for others to enjoy...

-Mick.

Thanks for your kind words Mick! It certainly has been a journey and I'm learning a lot along the way, doing what I can myself, forming great friendships with other Alfisti and enjoying the research and parts sourcing where required. Latest treasures are a rust free hatch in dry storage for 20+ years from Brisbane and an original GTV6 gear selector rod from the Netherlands!

Though having previously done some minor restoration myself I don't have the facilities at home now to undertake a project of this magnitude. To those that do I think it's great that you're able to and can contribute to the Alfa community in a positive and constructive way that keeps these wonderful cars on the road. I hope my little contribution here proves valuable and constructive to others.

[Anth73]

Have you got any info on the difference between the gtv and gtv6 chassis? Did they change much across the years?

This build is epic! Keep up the great work.

From what I've gathered the GTV6 chassis doesn't differ significantly from the "nuovo" GTV whereas the original chrome bumper GTVs differ more substantially in the front end. So far only the engine mount locations have needed to change on my build and I need the GTV6 gear selector rod to clear the larger tailsaft donuts. Also the boot floor differs on a GTV6 to accommodate the recessed battery instead of the under-floor fuel tank in the GTV. There was also a running change to the Alfa 75 chassis (short torsion bars) around September 1984 for both the GTV and GTV6.

Otherwise it's mainly been little things like the bonnet and bonnet catch, brake booster (though staying with my known good GTV example), gear selector rod, tailshaft donuts that have differered. I'm sure there are other differences in things like suspension setups, driveshafts, brakes etc but the chassis itself is very similar. When my conversion is complete the only tell-tale signs of it coming from GTV stock will be no sunroof (early GTV6's didn't have this either), no power windows and no battery recess in the boot. Yes it is not a factory original GTV6, it is not standard, but I'm okay with that as I've always wanted a hotted up GTV6....and a 105 series 2000 GTV but that will have to wait for a loooong time!

[Alfatango]

Thanks for the post above. Threads like this contribute to the knowledge out there as there a lot of Alfisti that have probably forgot more than we will ever know but it was never written down so people have to re learn it themselves.

I would like to build a 3.2 116 gtv from a bare shell one day but I don't have the space for a hoist or a rotisserie at the moment. It wouldn't stick to any originality as the interior would probably be a half cage, no carpets and a digital race dash. It would have a custom fuel cell and new boot floor made up. I have also noticed that the line between a race 116 and street registered 116 is probably a full cage, bucket seat with head supports and full slicks. A lot of the the other things like lexan windows, brakes and suspension seem to be state law dependent.

[gtvsix86]

HI Sportiva

No need to ban or censor you... you are always one of the first to chime in and help people with your knowledge and expertise and we need people like you. However sometimes you may get your knickers in a twist and its better off not saying anything at all. I thought you also went a bit hard on another forum over on the AlfaBB when a Australian YouTuber was posting videos of his GTV6 3.0 build.   

Need to realize we are not all mechanics or engineers and some of us have to pay experts such as Mick to do the work. This helps out club sponsors to pay their wages and keeps them also enthusiastic with the brand as they are doing creative stuff instead of boring services all the time. Dumb people like myself then learn along the way by researching and project managing. Man oh Man the amount of dumb questions I have asked Julian sorry buddy  but this becomes sometimes exciting for us layman's as we are and feel part of the process. We find great people from all over Australia willing to help and from overseas. I myself have dealt with people from Greece, England, South Africa, Switzerland and USA.

We also get to help the next poor Alfa tragic save some hard earned cash as a lot of my mistakes Mick and the team have been able to assist Anthony and any future customers. I would like to have my car safe, reliable and engineered and there is no way a DYI person with no mechanical experience can achieve this with the major improvements we are making.

These cars are getting rarer and more expensive and unfortunately we cannot always source the correct year make and model before modifying we are stuck with what's available and what our budgets allow. Plus even if I had the know how, tools and the space to take on a massive build like this  I rather like to keep my marriage and have a relationship with my kids because working full time and doing this as a side project it would take 20yrs. Just my 2 cents.

Anthony keep on posting love the content!

[Alfatango]

Sportiva - I have no idea what has happened previously but you have a lot of great knowledge that we are grateful for being shared. I don't think anyone is criticising Alfa Romeo in a negative way especially when they spending 10s of thousands on the build of an Alfa Romeo. We don't all have decades of experiences building these cars to concourse standards so there will always be amateurish decisions being made. But we learn and than apply it on the next build. I didn't know what a torsion bar was till after I bought the 116 and 75. To be honest still don't but I will get the mechanic to install some fatter ones. I have learned what I can realistically achieve on a project and do that work myself and hand over the rest to the people that know what they are doing. It's all good as we are all here for the same thing.

[bazzbazz]

"That's IT! I'm turning this car around!   

[Anth73]

Apologies for the time lag since my last post. COVID and influenza has hit the team and myself at Monza Motors, resulting in work on my GTV6 on hold for the last month. It's frustrating and disappointing when factors like this are out of your control. Reading through my blog highlights how long the V6 conversion has been going and I'm so looking forward to progressing with the build ASAP.

During the lull I've managed a couple of positives. Firstly a pair of GTV6 Recaro front seats came up for sale that had been in storage for 15+ years. Consequently the velour is in fantastic condition compared to my current seats and are without the typical sun bleached green tinge.

My GTV6 gear selector rod arrived from the Netherlands. Also coming are the GTV6 fuel tank mounting straps and a pair of power window regulators. Note that there are two different model regulators, based on old style door as per my 1982 build which originally had the screw mounted door cards and latter doors with the Recaro style door cards mounted with push in plastic clips.

I've also sourced high impedance 255cc hose style Bosch injectors from FiveO Motorsport. Based on several online calculators and an estimated 230hp power output I needed a minimum of 245cc flow rate injectors. Options are limited in the old hose type style used by the GTV6 so FiveO Motorsport modified a set of Bosch 0280150947  O-ring style high impedance injectors for my needs.

Hoping the guys at Monza Motors are able to resume work next week with the aim to complete all hoist related work e.g. tailshaft, gear selector shaft, fuel tank / lines and exhaust system fitting.

[Anth73]

A lot of progress this month has brought a big smile back on my face. Thanks to FiveO Motorsport I have my custom Bosch 0280150947 injectors now ready for installation. Melbourne Performance Centre also supplied the Motec M84 ECU and wiring loom, ready for Monza Motors to layout and measure all the wire lengths so we end up with a tidy engine bay.

The multinational flavour of my build continues with all the GTV6 fuel tank fittings (straps, inlet and outlet banjo fittings, vapour canister, filler hose and neck) and bent LS watts arm sourced from the Netherlands. We realised that my GTV fuel filler neck with bayonet style cap was not going to work with the GTV6 fuel tank and the required GTV6 part used a screw-in cap. Luckily I had bought a good used one with key from Switzerland almost two years ago as I thought it would come in handy...which it certainly has given the post COVID prices now being asked for GTV6 fuel caps. And in another "why did Alfa do that" moment, my floor pan had the fittings for the GTV6 fuel tank straps but not the holes in the floor for the two banjo fittings for the fuel lines. Monza  Motors were able to create a template from another GTV6 and replicate these two holes in my floorpan.

Also completed was the installation of the Chris Snowden Racing vented rear disc rotors and spacers for my existing calipers, the shortened and balanced 75 tailsaft is now in place complete with Chris Snowden Racing front doughnut cage, new clutch was installed replacing the rather heavy racing "button" clutch that was a real pain to drive smoothly, and the clutch slave cylinder was also overhauled.

Next on the to-do list is to fitout the fuel lines and install the GTV6 bent LHS watts arm so my exhaust clears. Then we'll install the factory underbody exhaust heat shield and then my stainless steel exhaust goes on. We'll also overhaul the centre watts link and tidy up the remainder of the rear suspension to close out all the hoist work.

Below are photos of the Motec setup and custom Bosch injectors, plus the shortened Alfa 75 tailshaft.

[Anth73]

Photos of the fuel tank components, required holes in my floorpan to clear the fuel line banjo fittings and the CSR vented rear discs with caliper spacers.

[shiny_car]

Looking good!  'Almost' inspiring me to get back into the garage to restart on mine, lol. 

[GTVeloce]

More 'drooly' pictures! Looking good and progressing well.

Both my 83 GTV's and my current 86 GTV have had screw-on fuel caps, not bayonet. Maybe that was something that changed with the (I think mid) 83 update? Maybe the early (81 and 82) GTV6's had bayonet?

You didn't want to keep the centre exhaust? I quite like the central exhaust although maybe its the fuel lines that dictate the exhaust route not the battery which I aways assumed?

[Anth73]

You didn't want to keep the centre exhaust? I quite like the central exhaust although maybe its the fuel lines that dictate the exhaust route not the battery which I aways assumed?

I had the option of retaining a centre mount muffler but given my Zender rear bumper has the cutout for the standard GTV6 rear muffler tip I went that way.

[GTVeloce]

That makes sense. I forgot you had the Zender bumper.

I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing this thing soon!