Not another GTA replica!

[alfagtv58]

I've been told to get thine hiney into gear and get a thread happening on my 105.  The story so far...

I used to have a stepnose 105 which I pedaled around club events and 6 hours for a few years, when I decided to build a Group S car it had to go.  I didn't want to put a 1600 back into it (which it would have needed to be eligible for Group S) and I needed the funds to build the Alfetta.  Anyway, as it rolled out of the driveway with its new owner, I wiped the tears from my eyes I vowed I would own another one day.

As I have a race car, the 105 didn't need to be a race car, I really liked Max Banks (@ Alfaholics) GTA replica and decided that's what I want to do, 80% road 20% track.  The search began.  I had a few false starts, some contenders but either the deal fell through or I didn't have the funds cleared (you know what I mean!) at the time.  Then Gary rang me and said, I'm selling the Giulia Super.  That got the gears in my mind working.....could be fun and I already had a clear picture in my mind of what it could be with Rosso Amaranto exterior and the tan interior (my personal favorite on a Super).  Before I handed over the cheque to Gary I asked him "are you sure you won't sell me the Stepnose shell, that's what I really want".  He wouldn't.  So a Super it was going to be, and I was genuinely excited about it.  It wasn't going to be the GTA replica I wanted, but more along the lines of 'as it was, so shall it be now'.  A few months passed and Gary rang me again and said, I'm moving the shell on....you interested?  Of course I was  

Time to sell the super and the GTA replica is back on the drawing board.

As it stands now, I have not done a lot to the shell (save for taking off the front suspension and steering column).  But I did manage to purchase an accident damaged car, thinking that this could give me a lot of the fiddly and hard to get bits.  As it turns out, I can use a lot more from this car than I had anticipated.  I spent a few days over the Christmas/New Year period pulling the interior out (which is now safely stored up in the attic) and the lights, brightwork etc.  I also have some shiny bits stashed away to go on later.

As of right now, I need to get the 'spares' car down to a shell again, and get both shells down to Rankins to establish which one will be the better base for a fresh coat of **insert undecided colour here**.  The original shell has some rust that needs attention, but the 'spares' car looks to be rust free (from a not so long ago restoration) but needs to go on a jig and will require some new panels.  I would like to think that both can be saved, I don't want to pinch panels from one to go on the other.  We'll see how we go.

Engine/Driveline: the plan is Twin Spark, hopefully with ITB's from a bike and ditch the Motronic in favour a mega squirt (or something along those lines).  The 1600 in the 'spares' car seems good, maybe that might go in at first while the twin spark takes shape.  Gear box seems ok too (I think!).  I have a couple of diffs at home, neither of which is an LSD.....think I will stick with that for a while (budget!).

FWIW - From Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo

According to our documentation files, the chassis number AR 298424 originally corresponds to an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce RHD (105.37), manufactured on the 16th October 1967 and sold in Melbourne, Australia.
I'm sorry, no further information about this car.

and....

According to our documentation files, the chassis number AR 298732 originally corresponds to an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce RHD (105.37), manufactured on the 23rd November 1966 and sold on the 21st February 1967 to Addison Motors Ltd, Adelaide, Australia.
The body colour is hawthorn white, with black skai interiors.


Photos of the 'spares' car here http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=3330.msg16965#msg16965

[Evan Bottcher]

I think white would be my colour for a GTA replica, with the green stripe and cloverleaf they look amazing.  I know you didn't ask... :-)

[pancho]

Hi there,

Can I ask - what or who did you use to get the paint off the car in the images above ? I've found a bead blaster in Sunshine who appears to be one of the only people doing bead here in Victoria - and haven't been able to locate anyone that does Walnut shell blasting. I'm not keen on dipping or soda at this stage nor garnet or glass. I'd be keen to find out more as my intentions are very similar with my rebuild. I hear Paul is looking to restore his GTV6 now - so I may have to speak to him about my GT sprint's body work resto and perhaps the GTV bits

[vin sharp]

Talk to Andrew at the Blast Factory in Coburg.  Sorry number not at hand.

[alfagtv58]

Pancho - sorry, I didnt take the paint off so I cant assist there.

I have been slowly pulling apart the spares car, having a lot of fun doing it too.  I have also removed the front suspension from the shell and it was sitting on some chassis stands, which got tiresome every time I needed something from the shelves behind, so I grabbed some surplus bits from work that were destined for the scrap metal merchants and made up some dollies for the front.  They are possibly a little high and too close together, so I may re-drill two more holes lower in the plate on the angle, which should lower the car slightly and space them apart a bit more.  I will make up another set for the spares car too, just because I could and the steel was cheap!

[alfagtv58]

I have also sourced a twin spark engine (thanks StormX!).  I had the steel sitting at home for years to make up an engine stand, just never had the need to put it together, so while the mig was out I made this up.

Still not sure what the plans are for the twin spark, I had intentions of getting ITB's and Megasquirt (or similar), but I'm currently a little daunted by this so I'm thinking I might stick with the standard set up....at least for now.  My only concern is fitting the standard set up in the step nose shell which I understand has a narrower engine bay than the later 1750/2000 105's.

[njh1964]

Hi,

I went through the process of trying to fit a Twin Spark with the stock Bosch Motronic system into the engine bay of a step-nose - in my case, a 1969 GT1300 Junior. The step-nose engine bay (ie above the chassis rails) is indeed narrower than the smooth-nose engine bay.

The "easiest" way I could have retained the original Twin Spark intake plenum would have been to "relieve" the driver's side upper wheel well (ie the sloping section above the chassis rail section in the engine bay). I wasn't keen on this option, given the often draconian views VicRoads adopts in relation to structural/body modifications.

Alternatively, I could possibly have removed the rubber couplings between the Motronic intake plenum and the intake manifold, and then weld the former to the latter. However, I'm not convinced that this would have provided me with enough clearance (ie I'd probably still have to relieve the wheel well).

I tried a fabricated intake manifold, but was then presented with the problem of where to locate that big-arsed Motronic flap-style air flow meter and route the air intake plumbing. I looked at a piggy-back computer (eg Split Second) so that I could replace the AFM with a more modern and compact mass airflow sensor (MAS), but you're looking at the best part of $1,000 for that kind of set-up, with no guarantee that it will actually work properly.

I thought about ITBs and an aftermarket ECU, but again, this is not a trivial exercise to get working properly - at least not for an amateur spanner monkey like me. Also, my contact at VicRoads advised that an aftermarket ECU would need to be emissions tested and certified (and then the ECU would need to be sealed) in order to be properly road registerable in Victoria.

So... long story short, I'm now going to keep the Twin Spark, but convert it to twin Webers and a single 8-pole electronic distributor set-up. I would have liked to have kept the car EFI, but I'll now rationalise my decision (ie compromise) on the basis that the twin carbs and distributor will make the resulting set-up look more period correct and original.

Cheers,


Nick 

[ItalCarGuy]

According to our documentation files, the chassis number AR 298424 originally corresponds to an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce RHD (105.37), manufactured on the 16th October 1967 and sold in Melbourne, Australia.
I'm sorry, no further information about this car.

and....

According to our documentation files, the chassis number AR 298732 originally corresponds to an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce RHD (105.37), manufactured on the 23rd November 1966 and sold on the 21st February 1967 to Addison Motors Ltd, Adelaide, Australia.
The body colour is hawthorn white, with black skai interiors.

Hey Phil, which one is the spares car and which is the project car? Mine was apparently built 1 day after your 298732 and has the four bolt front suspension where it connects to the body as opposed to some of the earlier GT Veloces. Its interesting how the later number of your two was built nearly a year before the other. I had heard they werent completed in sequence but that is a pretty big difference.

[alfagtv58]

Hi Nick,

Thanks for your input, appreciate it.  I have been watching your progress and questions on the BB with interest.  I had considered going carbys, but I think that kind of defeats the purpose of the twin spark.......I'm really not sure what to do!!!!!

Derek,

I hadnt picked up that the later number was built earlier, well spotted!  732 is the 'spares' car, but who knows it may end up being the one that is repaired, that decision will be made a bit later once they both go down to the paint/panel guy (Rankins Restorations here in Melbourne).  I thought the 2 bolt ones were only the GT, and the Veloce all had 4 bolts?

[alfagtv58]

I just remembered, Stuart Thompson has a Junior with a twin spark and I'm pretty sure it used to have the standard FI.  Stuart, if you read this, how did you shoe horn it in?

[Paul Gulliver]

Just in case our club president ( Stuart) is tied up with Important matters of State and unable to respond. My last recollection of Stuart's TS Junior was that he had a problem with a miss in the motronic and was moving to ITB's. That was about 12 months ago.
I only mention it cause i recently found an old club magazine with the story of Stuart originally fitting  the twin spark. Great read !!!.

Bump, Isn't Stuart heading off on the rally with Sheldon (different car) later this week.

Bump Bump Phil, just picked up on this thread I have got to say i love the stands you have made for the car . Thats the first Alfa i have ever seen " wearing stiletto heels".

[Evan Bottcher]

I think Stu's car is a smooth-front late junior..?

[alfagtv58]

I think Stu's car is a smooth-front late junior..?

dammit, you are right.....anyone remember whose RX7 it is in the background?

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Colin Goundrey's RX7 I believe.  I drove that once.  It was pretty boring though because he had the power turned down to only 400bhp, from it's usual 500.

[njh1964]

Hi Nick,

Thanks for your input, appreciate it.  I have been watching your progress and questions on the BB with interest.  I had considered going carbys, but I think that kind of defeats the purpose of the twin spark.......I'm really not sure what to do!!!!!

No problem... I console myself by gazing longingly at the Alfaholics GTA replica, which runs Weber 45s on a Twin Spark motor. Scrapping the Bosch EFI system is a compromise, but, from what I've read, the general consensus seems to be that a well sorted Twin Spark on carbies should out-perform a similarly sorted Nord on carbies... all other things being equal.

Good luck with your decision... I feel your pain  

Regards,


Nick