Newbee - 76 Alfetta GT

[bjalfetta]

Just wanted to introduce myself to everyone on here.
When i was 17 i bought a 1976 Alfetta GT 1.8L. I then spent every last cent i had doing up the car i loved so much. Unfortunatly due to work the car slowly went down hill. At the moment it is sitting on my dads block looking pretty sorry for itself which breaks my heart. I could never sell it as i think i wouldnt be able to stop crying.
I currently drive a 2004 VY II SS M6 and have been a member on ls1.com.au for a fair while. As nice as the SS is to drive it still does not compare to going up a twisty road in the Alfa.
I am looking at doing up the car but this time i want to strip it right back and do everything 100%. Unfortunatly money is a bit tight due to paying for the SS and mortgage. So it will be a slow and long rebuild.
I would be open to any ideas for the motor gearbox combo (when its time) as i would obviously like more power and hopefully lower maintenance. Is it possible to fit a newer engine/ gearbox combo into the car?

Anyway there will be plenty of time to pick peoples brains on this site.

Thanks!!!

[Sheldon McIntosh]

That's fantastic that you say the SS has nothing on the 30 year older Alfa in the twisties.  Good to see some people appreciate finesse over brawn.

If you're after more power and lower maintenance, then a good transplant would be a 2 litre Twinspark engine, combined with a 75 Twinspark lsd gearbox.  It has good power straight out of the box, with plenty of scope for a little tuning, and probably more reliable.  There are plenty of suspension and brake options around, nothing too expensive (unless you want it to be, like anything I guess).  There is a member who frequents this forum who has a beautiful Alfetta with a TS engine and gearbox, I'm sure he'll pipe up soon.  As far as I'm aware the above options will bolt straight in, but if not I'm sure someone will put me right.

The other thing to bear in mind is that the GT 1.8 is a reasonably rare car, so if I was you I wouldn't want to mess around with it too much.  If you were to do an engine/drivetrain change, I would make sure that nothing was changed structurally, and all original parts were kept.

Sounds like you have the right attitude towards it all, good luck with it, keep us informed.

[Paul Gulliver]

Sheldon,

If applicable thanks for the handpass and intro. I have a 1979 Alfetta GTV Twin spark. Conversion done earlier this year by Monza Motors in Bayswater . Without going on to much its probably simplest to say that a twin spark is a drop in option without compromising the aesthetics of the original steel bumper cars and still keeps the car very drivable. In addition is starts to give the car the power the chassis deserves. In my opinion the 116 GTV probably hasn't got the racing heritage of a 105, but it is probably the best handling road car that Alfa produced.

If I had an Alfetta GT sleeping some where I would want make sure it was in a state and location where it would not deteriorate any further. To quote Neil Young "Rust Never Sleeps".
The worse thing that could happen is that you keep looking at it and when you finally get the time & the money to restore it, it has slipped even further. I have enclosed a link on preventative chassis maintance; none of this stuff costs much except for time. But the time spent will certainly help you fall back in love with the car. Then when you have the money you can grow old with it.

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/car-restoration/14822-alfetta-sill-cut-2.html
(make sure you read both pages)

Cheers



Gully



 

[bjalfetta]

Thanks for the tips guys. I wasnt sure as to weather or not i should get the engine rebuilt or look at dropping something more powerfull in. More options to way up in the future.
The SS is obviously alot more powerfull and a lot easier to live with, but nothing beats the connection you get with the alfa. Its a PURE driving experiance - that is why i could not sell it.
I need to clear out the shed so i can put it in there and start to strip it down as i want to do a full restoration this time round.
I look forward to seeing other alfetta's on this forum and would love for anyone to put up some pics of there pride and joy.

[bjalfetta]

Some pics of the SS when i bought it about 3 months ago.



Some pics that will interest you guys more, these were taken about 4 years ago when i got my P's, In the good days for the Alfa.





I got the rims specially made up, so they would be a one off on an alfa.

[Paul Gulliver]

The original Alfetta GT just looks like sex on wheels. I remember when they first came out I had a 105 and wasn't sure about the new shape. But like all Alfa GT's they just grow & grow on you. Not many cars would better sum up the edgy angular 1970's styling.

I  know these photo's are a couple of years old . If the car is in reasonable shape why don't you put it on Classic Historic plates, (cost you about $100.00 p/a)  and do a rolling restoration . You can then work out what you want to do with the car (club car, sprint car or just a weekend car) Along the way you can have some fun and met a lot of like-minded desperates who have already done most of this stuff.

Why don't you drop out to the Sandown Sprint in 2 weeks time and say hello???

[philpot]

Hey, that car looks familiar! Not by any chance from 'The Victorian Riviera' is it???  Have seen it around town and at the mechanics i Use...Bravo you're keeping your first love...always the best!

[Craig Sinclair]

Hi BJ (?). It's always nice to find that there is another GT out there that lives on. I have one that's currently in use (and occasional abuse as those at the motorkhana will attest to!) and two more sitting in the shed becoming 'future classics' - or not.  Looking at your photos, I'm interested in the fact that the panel under the grille is that of the GTV, not the GT, which did not have the air vents in it. Perhaps it has been replaced in a repair at some time, or maybe just an anomaly of Alfa production (that would neve happen, would it?)  Is the motor a 1.8? The only external visual differences that I'm aware of between the GT & GTV were these vents at the front, the air vent pattern on the rear quarter and the grille insert.

[bjalfetta]

Not sure about the front end. It did have a bumper bar on it which i took off as i believed it looks better without it.

I bought the car about 5 years ago from werribee, it has an Alfa Romeo car club of victoria sticker on it. The story behind it was an older guy owned it who than passed away, than an alfa mechanic bought it for his girlfriend, they split up and she just wanted to get rid of it.

What are the dates for the sandown weekend? i would love to come if im not working, although i would be in the SS.

Cheers for the warm welcome guys.

[Paul Gulliver]

BJ

Here's a link to the Sandown Sprint meeting & supp regs. There's no written exam on this by just so you can get a feel for how the day is run.

http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=3275.0

If you do want to have a crack at one of the sprint days in the future here's a handy resource.

http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=300.0


Having been a member of the club for many years but only getting involved in sprints in the last year or so i have got to say "it's as much fun as you can have with your pants still on"

Cheers

Gully

[bjalfetta]

Thanks for that. So it is ok to just come as a spectator and have a bit of a look at the cars?

[Paul Gulliver]

Sure is.

Free entry, Sprints start about 9 -9:30 and go all day until about 5.00pm