Our very own "barn find"...

[Gary Pearce]

Ev common old paint stripper from bunnings. I'm suggesting that you only need to clean up the alloy, as the black steel area can usually be lightly sanded and painted with the spray can that we have discussed previously. Something in paint stripper that breaks down old oil (and old paint) easily. Like whats advised on the can, a little wire brushing or scraping also helps but just layer the paint stripper on and hose it off after the reation.

[Davidm1600]

Thanks Gary.  Sounds good to me.  Will give that a go with the engine.  I want it to shine  . 

Hey Evan it sure is all coming together really nicely.  Good to have someone like Sam working on this project.  I assume you are going to have the rear axle re-painted or powdercoated ??

[Evan Bottcher]

Thanks Gary, will give paint stripper a go.

Not sure whether to tear down the diff at this stage, or just clean up the alloy and paint up the tubes without disassembly.  I don't believe the axle was noisy when I parked it...?  Hmm not sure.

[Gary Pearce]

The diff is not a hard 'later' job Evan, so maybe just have Bruno do the wider wheel bearing kits that he and Colin make up, bolt it all together and try it.

[tuf105]

Hi Evan,
Doing something similar at the moment with my car.

What I found was that the pinion nut on the front of the axle was literally finger tight once the lock tab washer was knocked back. My theory to why is due to fact that the pinion shaft runs in two taper bearings and after forty odd years of running, the pre-load had all but disappeared.

At the very minimum, I would check for this condition and replace this front seal at the same time (as this is likely the cause of the oil all over the housing) as it's a damn lot easier with the axle out of the car rather than underneath it!

As far as the internals are concerned, I did end up pulling the axle tubes off to check the condition of the bearings, gears etc. My axle wasn't noisy either but it was just to give me some peace of mind that the bearings were ok, teeth all there, etc. (Which they were fortunately $$$)

Again, at the minimum, I would suggest pulling the axle shafts out and replacing the end seals and checking the condition of the outer axle bearings.

At least you'll know once the axle is back in, it's not going to leak oil for a few years anyway.

I hope this helps.

Your thread and website are a great read.....good luck with the rest of the restoration.

Frank.

[Evan Bottcher]

I picked up another second-hand dash the other day (thanks Paul!).

My original dash I had recovered back in 1999 but I was never happy with the result.  The re-skin took out the detail lines around the instrument binnacles, and the glovebox lid doesn't close properly.  The glovebox lid could probably be improved with a bit of heat and pressure, but I'll always be looking at the shape around the instruments and thinking it's not quite right...

This original dash will be a better outcome I think - it has been repaired in a couple of spots, but is in very very nice condition.

A couple more photos here: http://alfa.bottch.com/2011/05/old-bits-93/

[Evan Bottcher]

Not much to show on the bodywork front, as Sam has been busy on a Fiat 124.  That'll continue for at least the next three weeks, then he'll pick up our project again.  I'm happy for some delay, as I want to get all the suspension reconditioned before he's finished the paint – so that we can make a rolling car immediately.

I've spent a couple of days pulling apart the front suspension, sandblasting all the parts, and painting them with black enamel.  I'm using VHT engine enamel, which is supposed to cure to a very durable finish and is easy to touch up over time where it does chip.  I chose this instead of powder coating based on various recommendations – we'll see.  Turns out I'm a terrible painter and a slow learner.  Lots of runs.

[Paul Gulliver]

Turns out I'm a terrible painter and a slow learner.  Lots of runs.

Evan, I know what you mean . I think the secret with those rattle cans is " a little bit of paint a lot of times " . Instead of trying to get complete coverage on the first go.

[Evan Bottcher]

Got some more parts from EB Spares and Classic Alfa.  I'm puzzled by the brake proportioning valve, as it's quite different to the original - guessing this is all that's available these days.  Will wait for Giles at Classic Alfa to let me know.

More photos at this post - if you like *that kind of thing*:
http://alfa.bottch.com/2011/05/new-bits-13/

[Evan Bottcher]

Not much to report in terms of actual work (as opposed to opening boxes of parts).  It's been cold and wet.  I carefully sandblasted and painted the other trailing arm, only to find the lovely black enamel turning milky white in the cold damp air.  Bah!  Branko was amused.

Tonight I fronted up to get some advice about pressing out and replacing the trailing arm bushes.  Waited a couple of hours chatting and making cups of tea, fixing computers and generally being useful.  Bruno walks out to give me a hand, looks at the trailing arms and says "why do you want to replace those, they're perfect!".  Okay, I won't then.

[Evan Bottcher]

Got a big batch of plated parts back today.

More photos and detail here: http://alfa.bottch.com/2011/05/1750-gtv-may-2011-2/

For reference, the plating was done at Electromech in South Dandenong (03) 9768 2822.  II'm quite happy with the result given the state of what I gave to them.  I don't have a lot to compare with though – it's the first time I've had parts plated.

Question for the experts: The nylon in the nyloc nuts appears undamaged, although it's changed colour from green to white.  This might be because they parts were baked to prevent hydrogen embrittlement (!).  Thoughts on whether to re-use these nuts?

[aggie57]

Evan - that looks very similar to what I've got back from platers in the past when redoing old parts.  Did you clean everything  thoroughly before you sent it of?  As in wirebrushed and washed?

[Evan Bottcher]

Did you clean everything  thoroughly before you sent it of?  As in wirebrushed and washed?

To be honest, no - most of it was pretty clean as the car was degreased and parts were cleaned before disassembly.  Certainly not wire brushed.  They put all the parts in a tank to soak for a weekend which must have done the trick.  There's only a couple of parts that I think could be better, although I'm no expert

[alfagtv58]

Question for the experts: The nylon in the nyloc nuts appears undamaged, although it's changed colour from green to white.  This might be because they parts were baked to prevent hydrogen embrittlement (!).  Thoughts on whether to re-use these nuts?

Disclaimer - I dont claim to be an expert....and there are lots of opinions on this topic.

Nylocs are usually a single use item, they never work as effectively second time around as the nylon has a 'memory' i.e. it wont return to its former state as well as something like a low durometer rubber might.  I think nylon is hydroscopic too, so it may have absored some of the nasties in the plating process.

Given the relative low cost and how much you have already spent on this......I would replace them. 

[branko.gt]

.....

Nylocs are usually a single use item, they never work as effectively second time around .....

Given the relative low cost and how much you have already spent on this......I would replace them. 

i have been told the same, if you use nylocs second time around you need to add a spring washer...
sort of defeats the purpose...