n00b 75 questions

[shiny_car]

Bear with me. Restoring my 75 3.0 is going to be the most mechanical work I've ever done on a car, so it'll be a quick and steep learning curve. But I thought I'd better ask!

1. when changing engine/transaxle oils, can the sump plugs be reused?
2. is a sealant necessary around the threads of the sump plugs? And/or will this make reusing the plugs possible?
3. what about the sump plug gasket/washer?
4. what engine oil do you guys recommend for the 12V 3.0 L-Jet? I have read varying opinions (not surprisingly), but one of my concerns is that a 'modern fully synthetic' oil does not have some of the additives of older mineral oils that may be protective; I don't fully buy into this, but nor do I have an engineering degree; if you have a favourite oil, I'd like to hear about it (brand/series/grade)
5. tappets: is there a good (ie: well-priced, readily available) Melbourne supplier of tappets? And will they compare favourably in price with US-sourced tappets (eg: Centerline or Alfissimo) - do they really cost US$30-40 each?
6. what petrol? I've read anechdotes that 98RON is 'less agreeable' (eg: rougher idle) than 95RON?!

In case it helps, my engine overhaul DIY plans include:
*removing oil sump and cam covers for cleaning out any oil gunk; new gaskets
*fitting brand new 164S cams and therefore new tappets
*checking and fixing any valve clearance anomalies
*overhaul the hydraulic tensioner with a rebuild kit

I was planning on:
*Motul 300V 10W40 engine oil (fully synthetic, high ester)
*Redline 75W90NS gearbox oil
*Mobil 98RON premium

The car will run the standard ECU, have a hiperformancestore.com air intake kit, and a full CSC exhaust w/cats. It will be a 'fast street' car; no track work. So it'll be doing a combination of city driving and fast blast, but used irregularly.

TIA

[Sheldon McIntosh]

1. Yes
2. No
3. No.  They just screrw on and off - unless they're currenyly leaking no need to worry about them.
4. I use a Martini recommended by my mechanic, sorry don't know it's name and I only use it because I usually change my oil when I'm at his workshop.  But before that I used Penrite HPR30, it's well known amongst V6 drivers.
5.  Sorry, don't know that one. 
6.  I've never had a problem with 98.  Or 95 the couple of times I've used it.

Sounds like it'll be a nice car.  Is this one black as well?

[shiny_car]

Thanks Sheldon.

The car is red, and I'll stick with that colour (my favourite for the 75). Because of the man-hours I anticipate this car will take, it'll probably end up my favourite and most cherished. Hopefully finished within 12 months, but of course subject to available time! I hope people will find it special too, once it's done.

I'll look into Penrite. Sounds good.

[stustustu123]

As far as sump plugs go, sometimes you need to replace the copper washer if it's been squashed down too far.  Alternately if it looks ok it is a good idea to 'anneal' the copper (soften it up so it seals properly) which just means holding it over a flame until it is red hot, then cooling it (usually by quenching in some water).

I've also never used 98 in our car, it always gets 95.  Tried a few tanks of 91 to see if it was worth the money - definitely makes a difference!  Couldn't hear any pinging under load with the 91 but it did lack a bit of power.  Not sure 98 would make much difference unless you run a higher compression setup.

[scott.venables]

4. what engine oil do you guys recommend for the 12V 3.0 L-Jet?   I use HPR30, partly because it's a local product, partly because it's supposed to be suitable for flat tappet engines

5. tappets: is there a good (ie: well-priced, readily available) Melbourne supplier of tappets? And will they compare favourably in price with US-sourced tappets (eg: Centerline or Alfissimo) - do they really cost US$30-40 each?  I'm not sure the inlet tappets wear out.  The exhaust tappets do lose their convex face which contributes to the clatter, but having them re-faced is very inexpensive.  A year or two ago I had the exhaust lobes re-ground (standard profile) and the 6 followers re-faced for $120.  To get the right inlet tappet clearance, inlet shims could probably be swapped with a friendly Alfa mechanic.

6. what petrol? I've read anechdotes that 98RON is 'less agreeable' (eg: rougher idle) than 95RON?! I've been using E10 95 octane for a while and haven't had any problems

Scott

[shiny_car]

Great info guys, thanks.

For peace of mind, I think I'll go with new tappets/followers all the way through, given they'll be new camshafts. I'll just be more patient and put aside the funds. :p

[shiny_car]

Thanks for the tip. However, I didn't think they were rare? I am going to buy a 'full gasket set' from EB Spares to have stuff on-hand.
http://www.ebspares.co.uk/PNF/PNF.cfm?id=/alfa_75/Engine_gasket_set_12valve/info.cfm&CFID=701963&CFTOKEN=cbdb513525581c9a-BE2705C2-155D-210D-9BA7EBD5893FC5A5&jsessionid=f0309c3e0eb9f8359bf3495663e7c757f4e3

Plus this from Centerline (is this the gasket you mean?):
http://www.centerlinealfa.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/p-EG759.html?L+scstore+dycf6007ff756675+1321738475