The best, worst and get it right pointers of any Alfa

[MD]

Well here goes. Putting the jewels on the line again in an effort to generate some HONEST TO THE BONE comments from Alfa owners. The idea here is to itemise the unacceptable faults,  shortcomings and uexpected dissapointments with the car/s you own. To balance the equation, you should also point out the principle virtues of the same car. If you were able to make modifications to your otherwise much loved transport which has cured the shortcoming so that it is now 99% acceptable, list the modifications so others can benefit therefrom.

Now the thing is, you have to be totally honest and call a spade a spade otherwise the idea of assisting current and future owners who may never have the correct Alfa experience will not get that chance if you fake it.

I'll kick this off with some commentry on the 116 series flagship, the GTV6. I am not going to refer to trivia that all cars have but stick to core issues. Bear in mind I own one and know it inside out.

See next post

[MD]

The GTV6
What's wrong with it?
1 Gearshift. 2.Driveshaft 3.Brakes 4.Air-conditioning 5.No limited slip diff.

What's good about it?

1.Brilliant engine 2.Great street ratios 3.Great twin plate clutch 4.More handling than power (good for safety) 5.Pin sharp steering. 6 Excellent downforces at high speed 7.Distinctive styling, stands out from the crowd.

The Fixes

Complete gearshift re-engineering (needs a topic of its own)
New driveshaft with BMW donut up front followed by CV in the middle and UV at rear.
Convert brakes using current Alfa model components and use larger diameter rotors and multipiston callipers.
Custom make airconditioner or learn to live without it.
Fit twin spark transaxle.

If the fixes are implemented, it transforms the car the designers always intended and overcomes the efforts of the beancounters at the factory that had some sway at the time.

[Davidm1600]

MD cheers mate, for this is about spot on from what I have gathered.

OK, so now for me. I have a '69 Giulia Super, a '69 1750 GTV and a modern Alfa, and a '03 156 JTS Sportwagon.  So starting from the 156, its an Alfa, and not to denigrate our Alfas but in some respects, aspects of the trim are flimsy, the carpet is pretty ordinary, the standard suspension is too soft, oh and if it is an ALFA then how come it doesn't really have a proper engine/exhaust note. 

And now for my 105s.  I hate the fact they rust, rust and then rust !!!! The amount of rusty metal I had to replace in my Super was huge. Quite frankly if it wasn't an Alfa Giulia Super it would have been scrapped as it was so rusty. The doors toast, ditto the cills.  Then there is the poor quality wood they used on the dash, the quality of vinyl in the interior etc.  On the other hand, Supers look great, (albeit slightly evil ), the interior has been given the connolly leather treatment and the gearbox rebuilt.  Thankfully finding all the parts I need to rebuild it are pretty readily available, be it at a cost.

However, while talking about 105s, how come is that 2nd gear synchro is such a bugbear with these cars !!  Then of course is the dodgy electrics, while perhaps not quite as dastardly as the Prince of darkness (Lucas), Italian wiring systems generally are pretty hopeless.

Oh and one last gripe, why is that whenever you need to do some minor fix on your Alfa, is that the last bolt or nut you need to undo is in such an impossible location to reach. 

The good thing these days of course is that there are so many specialists are out there making it relatively straight forward to rebuild and enhance a 105, and thankfully a good one can be made to be very reliable and so much more enjoyable to drive.

[Colin Byrne]

Nice topic, as 105 coupes are my vehicle of choice here goes, (and I'm assuming that we're talking about road cars here)

What's Wrong with it
1. Electricals unreliable 2.Interior/extiror door handles fail 3.Questionable handling (particularly in the wet) 4. Rear of the car (boot) has no strength 5.Excessive road noise

What's Good about it
1. Looks great 2.fun to drive 3.simply to work 4. Reliable mechanicals

The Fixes
1.   The quality of the wire itself is actually pretty good, the main problem is the fact that the chassis earth points corrode and cause poor connections, cleaning all the points and then using a corrosion inhibiter will help a lot.  Another issue is the lack of relays in the high current starting and lighting circuits, adding a few is relatively painless and a real benefit.  Alternators and starters can be unreliable, this is generally due to age as both have internal wearing components.
2.   The material used for the door handles is not to good and will fail over time, spending time to ensure the doors are hung properly and replacing the hing pins will increase their life substantially by reducing loads put through them
3.   High rear roll centre and low front roll centre creates some snap over steer tendency's, increasing front roll stiffness can help
4.   no real fix for the weak boot, put anything heavy on the back seat
5.   Good stereo or good exhaust?

[Duk]

I wanna play too 

Alfa 75 Potenziata:

What's Wrong with it:
1: To softly sprung, especially at the front.
2: Poor front suspension geometry and old school wheel alignment specs.
3: Excessive weight in front of the front axle line. All causing the car to feal lethargic in turn in and with excessive under steer and large amounts of body roll.
4: Feable brakes both front and rear.
5: Marginal cooling system.


What's Good about it:
1: Pure musical genius of an engine note.
2: It is better ballanced at speeds on more open corners.
3: Comfortable ride (even with the 17s that were on it when I bought her).
4: Flexable engine.
5: Deffinately differant to look at.
6: Compact dimensions.
7: Much potential if you are game  .

The Fixes:
1: Get either larger diameter torsion bars or add some additional coil springs over the shock absorbers. Quallity shock absorbers!
2: Get the roll center up and greatly improve the camber gain on compression by either using knuckle risers or better still, drop spindles. Bump steer correction is also a very good idea (but I haven't done anything about it yet). Add more caster angle to the wheel alignment. 3* isn't enough. More is much better.
The combined effect of adding 105lb/in springs (want higher rate still), PACE knuckle risers and only 4* of posative caster (only 1* negative camber) made a massive improvement to the understeery nature of my nose heavey 75.
3: Remove mass forward of the front axle line. The battery should be moved to the boot. The front impact bumpers are stupid heavy (tho I'm not in a position to get anything lighter). An easy weight reduction comes from replacing the heavy little bumper shock absorbers with fabricated steel or aluminium mounts. The radiator fan is surprisingly heavy. It could be replaced with a lighter 1. Basically, removing any weight forward of the front axle line will help improve turn in and reduce understeer.
4: Front brakes are the easiest to upgrade. I used slotted 164 rotors, a 6mm spacer between rotor and hub, Volvo 4 piston calipers (yes they are heavy compared to the Brembo's), decent pads (I used Race Brake pads) and custom made hard lines and Tee pieces that match up to the original Alfa brake hoses.
Rear brakes are currently on going. I'm in the throws of fitting Mazda RX7 turbo rear calipers over vented Wilwood rotors. Not an easy job but it will give a larger diameter vented rotor, a pair of self adjusting calipers, a hand brake mechanism that works reliably and pads that are atleast twice the surface area of standard. It's also easier to source better pads too.
5: I haven't got a fix yet, but a VL Commodore radiator could be modified to fit. They are much wider, dual pass radiator and can accomidate thicker cores if required. Still no bolt in replacement, tho.

[dehne]

Well i'll take the 85 mdl 90

THE GOOD
Leaded engine
Front self adjusting spoiler and it does help at high speed with handeling
great family car
has a better gearbox ratio than the 86.87 mdl 90's and the 75's (not sure with lsd though)
I think sheldon and I have conered the market
market value is starting to rise  (insurance $$$ back up to $6000)
the shape ( i love it )

THE BAD
  electrics (but this is most alfas)
  no lsd
  the shape (some peoples opinion not mine)
  Others please fell free to add to negs

  THE FIX
  putting lsd in (i dont think its needed for road use)
  the electrics rewire the car
  all in all i personally think that the 90 is a great car with no real needs to be fixed its still sporty and   
  goes quick. its a great family car (2 adults 3kids and i can fit pram in easily)

[MD]

Duk,

5: I haven't got a fix yet, but a VL Commodore radiator could be modified to fit. They are much wider, dual pass radiator and can accomidate thicker cores if required. Still no bolt in replacement, tho.

Good post mate.

Toyota hi lux core. brass tanks, three row flat tube(not round like original) 50% ethyl glycol $330.00 will see you through the Shara. Got one.

[MD]

Colin,

Spot on mate. My exact recollection of 105s. I usually give the 105 boys a hard time but underneath it all I am a closet fan (just don't let it get around  )

If in good overall condition, a 105 does everything very well except the inherent rear end twitch and power take offs cosistent with all makes with similar weight distribution and axle set up. No crime in that.

I know this is going to outrage the purists but my ultimate fix for a 105 is to transplant the De Dion rear end, install a transaxle with a torque tube and keep the clutch behind the engine then stand back and watch that little sucker go !! Suprised no-one  has done it for racing applications already.

[lombardi]

Regardless of Alfa model-the fundamentals i would like above all=

REAR WHEEL DRIVE
MANUAL GEARBOX
CHAIN DRIVEN MOTOR
GOOD ELECTRICS

enough said

[wetprickles]

Dehne has covered the '85 model Alfa 90 so I might add my perception of the '86 Super.

The 1986 unleaded Alfa 90 Super is closer in specs to the Alfa 75 of 1986 than the 1985 Alfa 90.

Compared to the '85 's diff ratio of 3.9:1, the 1986 is shorter at 4:1 and is marginally quicker over the quarter mile. I think it may have lost a horsepower or two changing to unleaded.



What's wrong with it

Understeers at the limit, with lots of body roll. It looks a little fugly. Difficult to work on brake & clutch master cylinders, rear discs are tedious to work on or adjust. It does not have key entry to the boot, lever under drivers seat and emergency chord behind rear set only.

The '85 had trip computer built into the clock that '86 doesn't get. Trip computer had cool things like fuel usage L/100km, distance to empty, outside temperature etc.

Headlining falls off the ceiling when heat perishes the original glue.

The isostatic gear linkage on these 160 series cars  is bloody terrible, even though its much improved over the 116 series.

The single plate clutch rusts to the clutch plate if left sitting too long.

Engine, transmission and driveshaft mounts wear out fairly quickly. As does the timing belt and water pump.

The power steering leaks and the window scrapers on the outside of where the windows disappear into the doors curl up and look horrible.



Whats right with it.

Sounds incredible. The V6 engine is a delight. Might have a dodgy gearchange but has the BEST gear ratios- ever. Handling at limit is pretty ordinary but on the road compared to most of the cars I've ever driven it turns in crisply and accurately, grip is very good with lots of positive feel through the steering. Long trips are where this car shines. These cars demand your constant input; heel toe changes, eyes well up the road infront so you can judge passing maneuvers , corner apex and position on road as you exit corners. Most late model cars will outperform one of these in a strait line for a few kilometers but throw in some corners, some traffic and an hour or more to get where your going and suddenly the Alfa 90 is very rewarding and capable and has lots of character. Mine uses about 10 litres to do 100 km.



The fixes.



Have had to fix heaps of things in the poor old thing but most are doable in the comfort of your own shed. A little help from this forum and that forum helps, as would having a shop press and a half decent mig welder, which I don't.