Just Bought a 1968 Giulia Sprint GT and need a local mechanic !

[Davidm1600]

Say Hi to Marc from me, I am sure he will remember me.  Dave Mitchell from Hobart !! as I have done quite a lot of business with them over the years. 

It should be relatively straight forward to do the head gasket yourself. You might want to get the head looked at, to see how well the valves are sealed, stem seals, and also whether or not the head might need to be planned. 

The Haynes manual is fine, however, the one I have a copy of is the Autobooks (Motorbooks) Manual for Alfa Romeo Giulia 1962-78.  It has a well detailed section on the engine, suspension, brakes, gearbox etc.  Let me know if you need a copy of the relevant sections and I could photocopy them and post them to you.  I don't have a scanner and so hence couldn't e-mail the sections to you.

Yep do the suspension bushes etc.  You may need a hand with some of them as they need a press to get them out.  Also an upgrade to Konis would be a good idea. I have Koni yellows (though reds are fine) in my GTV and have been totally happy with them.  With decent tyres, rebuilt suspension and konis, it transformed the handling of my car. 

I havn't needed to fit rear seat belts so am unsure how you would go about doing this, but I would have thought it possible.  Cheers Dave

[boomerang147]

Dave, Thanks for the offer, I have sent you an email.
I have attached a few photos of the interior... The seats have a few rips and it is generally a bit rough. Also the carpet has fallen apart a fair bit. The photo's make it look better than it is. Also has a very strong old car smell !

Nick

[Krishnan]

Hey there Nick.

Nice stepnose, and good to hear another alfa in the area. I've just finished restoring a 73 2000 in hoppers crossing. It'll be good to have another 105 driving Alfisti in the area.

If its a head gasket have a go at fixing it yourself!! The beauty about these engines is that they are fairly simple (I've just rebuilt engine gearbox etc) feel free to drop me an email.

Also I'll second Milanos. I heard Vince has left which is a shame but Marc and Mario are good.

Regards

Kris

[boomerang147]

Hi Kris,
I have sent you an email..
Minor restoration has begun. Seats are out, radiator is out (small crack near filler), thermostat tested, rocker cover off. Will be picking up a manual today before I go too far.
Nick

[1600GTV]

Hi Nick
Congrats on buying her...I'd looked at the rust and hesitated !! quite possibly this is my old 68 1600 GTV that i sold in 1986...
I still have some photos and the original loan docs when I bought it...unfortunately the docs only mention the engine number which is AR0053621084 prev Vic reg BBV 062
Let me know if you decide to sell her... andrewmurray7@bigpond.com
Cheers

[boomerang147]

Andrew,

The engine number in the car and the spare engine number is different to the one you gave... Still possible though.
I am still waiting on a reply from the Alfa historical group which will hopefully give some more detail on the cars history.
Progress on the car: Stripped down top of motor and sent head to get checked out. Interior stripped out to enable a couple of rust repairs in floor. Rust on left side of car has been ground out and chemically treated.
My plan is to get it back on the road as quickly as possible and drive for a few years or so, then do a full restoration when I have room in the garage.

[boomerang147]

Just heard back from Automobilismo Storico.. Email below

Dear Mister Knight,

With reference to your request we are informing you as follows.

According to our documentation files, the chassis number AR 299640 originally corresponds to an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce RHD (105.37), engine series AR 00536 (not 00526), manufactured on the 26th September 1967 and sold on the 29th September 1967 in Melbourne, Australia.

The body colour is Alfa red, with black interiors.

Yours, Sincerely,

Marco Fazio


I suppose this confirms it is a 67 not a 68 model.
Sold three days after manufacture to someone in Melbourne. Maybe this was a dealer who bought it on that date and then imported it?

Also black interior surprises me, I thought the red looked original although I suppose it could have been completely changed over at some stage.

The engine number is of the correct series but doesnt give the entire number, so I cant confirm it is the original engine.

Nick

[GTV-074]

Nick,

I had the same story.....made on the 17/6 sold on the 19/6 ...I think you will find it was sold to "Alfa Romeo Australia" and then wholesaled out to a dealer. Could have been ordered by a dealer too I suppose.

I am guessing that AR Australia may have been a separate company to Alfa in Italy so to speak.

Cheers,

Paul.

[Davidm1600]

That too was the same situation with my 1750 GTV.

Nick I don't seem to have received the email from you.  If you wish you can PM me or alternatively e-mail me directly at osca1600@gmail.com

Cheers and good to see that you are getting stuck in to repairing your GT Veloce.  Dave

[ItalCarGuy]

Hi Nick I have AR299772 born 17th October 1967. I have heard a few times that the production year for Alfa starts around July or August so if your car is late 67 it is actually called a 68 model. Well at least that is how it is accounted for in the Alfa Archives.

As for them saying it had a black interior, I'd take that with a grain of salt. My Giulia Super definitely was an original tan brown interior but they said it was black from the factory.

And finally, none of the 105 series cars have their engine numbers listed with the chassis number from the archives. So unless you have an original sales receipt that lists the engine number, the best you can do is have an engine within the correct range for your chassis number. According to the now deceased Alfa historian Fusi, your engine number should be in the range of 00536.11034 - 00536.20532

Derek

[boomerang147]

Got the head back from overhaul on Friday. No cracks, needed new guides, inlet valves, stem seals, machine face due to corrosion etc, almost $800.
On the weekend I was able to put everything back together again.
The engine wouldn't fire so I pulled out No 1 plug with lead attached and held it to the head.. no spark.
I think the next step would be to check the points and coil. Any suggestions? Also why would a blown head gasket affect the electrical system?
Nick