Alfetta as a track car?

[Dna Dave]

A stock engined GTV6 won't be any faster than a 4, so stick to the 4 is my 2 cents worth...

Martin,

I remember a  owner Of a black gtv that replaced his worked 2L with a stock 2.5L when he raced with us, and he was a lot faster with it.

Also, I think the best bang for your buck, is a twin spark 75, factory LSD, and that extra 100mm in the wheel base over the gtv's make them a great handling car, especially if you take weight out of them.

Good luck

Dave

[Beatle]

I think you definitely need to get to the events to scope out cars.  But also, it's s good idea to check just what kind of events and classes you would like to compete in.  No point buying a fast car only to discover it's ineligible to half of the available events.

And, good luck finding anything older (pre '82) without rust.

Cheapest way to get an Alfa on the track would have to be a 75, 90, or a 33.  If you are only going to be doing club sprints, basically any roadworthy car is eligable.

[116gtv]

Actually, a 75 TS or a 33 twin carb would be hard to beat as budget track cars..

Yeah Dave, true but I'd call John's car an exception 

[Engineer]

I prefer the look of the gt to the newer alfas. Anything I should know about them? Such as mechanical problems, performance issues, spare parts?

[aggie57]

I prefer the look of the gt to the newer alfas. Anything I should know about them? Such as mechanical problems, performance issues, spare parts?

Yes, Not really, some, lots

'nuf said.

[Craig C]

Weight will depend on era of the car but within the range you have quoted, later ones would be heavier due to extras such as air conditioning, sunroof, bigger bumpers.

First question to consider regarding price will be whether you want to drive to the track or trailer the car.  RWC will include costs for things that don't add to the track value.

Neil is correct regarding best value overall but if you are looking at entry costs for a road / track car I would say $5,000 for a 2.0 which could be either $2,000 for car and $3,000 worth of work or $5,000 for a good car.  In the following years you would probably want to spend another $5,000.  The V6 would start at $10,000.

If it didn't have to be a road car there have been a few track car 2.0 ones fully set up advertised for around $10,000 .

I'm no. 16 at Phillip Island on Saturday.

[Beatle]

I prefer the look of the gt to the newer alfas. Anything I should know about them? Such as mechanical problems, performance issues, spare parts?

The steel bumper Alfetta coupes are eligible for Sc historics (see the separate section in these forums).  So this opens up another avenue of competition, as long as the car is prepped within the speceifications.  When they became eligible their prices went up and availability down, overnight.  They are pretty simple devices (no 'puters, no power windows etc) but the biggest concern is R U S T.  Rust in the base of the A pillar, where it meets the guard and firewall, is pretty much fatal.   Maybe less so on a fully caged competition car.

I bought a '79 model in 1984 and owned it for 14 blissful years.  It proved versatile, reliable, fun, and being my first Alfa, somewhat morish.....

There are some subtle differences between the GT and GTV (windscreens, steering rack) apart from the engine capacity, although these are more related to production year than the actual model. Most mechanical parts are readily available and shared with Alfetta/Giulietta sedans, and even down through the Giulia series.  Some body/trim parts are becoming harder harder to source now, at least for a concourse rebuild.

[Engineer]

Ok I'm starting to get an idea of what I want. Does anyone know what years the 2.0 was carbureted and injected? Which would be easier to modify?

[Beatle]

FI wasn't offered on Australian-market 4cyl Alfetta coupes.  I think there was a very late Alfetta sedan sold with motronic/injection, but I'd guess you could count them on one hand. Aussie cars were 99% Dell'Orto carburetted, with the odd Weber cars (rumoured) to sneak in occasionally.  Can't say I've ever seen a factory Webered Alfetta myself.

The 2L didn't get FI until the Twinspark engine in the Alfa 75.

US-market cars had Spica mechanical injection. 

[Darryl]

No expert on track cars but...

Alfetta 2000 were all carburetted barring a very few oddities that crept in with the US market targeted Spica mechanical injection on them (only mentioned for completeness - not likely to find one).

The later 75 2L that were sold here were all twinspark (TS) and injected. The TS engine is essentially just a different head on the older block (don't try building one that way though - block is just enough different to make that not workable) and it (not to mention the rest of the drivetrain from it ie the LSD equipped transaxle) is an easy swap into an Alfetta.

It is probably easier to modify the carb engine (ie more proven worthwhile improvements to be found). But the injected twinspark out of the box already has better porting (completely different head with a better inlet tract especially) so an even easier and cheaper modification to an alfetta is to put the injected twinspark engine in ...

Finding a not rusted out Alfetta body is a bigger challenge...

PS Hi Beatle - simultaneous post... fwiw I've seen a few factory Weber steel bumper GTVs - I suspect a cluster around a year I can't now remember had them...

[Paul Gulliver]

fwiw I've seen a few factory Weber steel bumper GTVs

There also some sedans around as well ( do know how many) . Matt Francis has one.

[Beatle]

Be aware that dropping a TS engine into an Alfetta coupe is not as straightforward as it sounds.  The TS reqires more physical clearance for a start.  But, there are quite a few around, so it's do-able.

If I were you I'd start collecting 75TS's now.  At the rate they are donating their innards to other cars, they will become very rare in future.... ;-)

[Beatle]

Here's a candidate to build up into a track car.    If you got it for $500.00, threw $20K at it, it would worth around $8K  

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Alfa-Romeo-Alfetta-GT-1976-2D-Coupe-5-SP-Manual-1-8L-Twin-Carb-/250986945324?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item3a6ffcdb2c

Here's one which shows how rusty they can get.  By the look of the phone on the seat though, the pics are at least 20 years old.........
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Alfa-Romeo-Alfetta-GTV-2000L-1980-2D-Coupe-5-SP-Manual-2L-Twin-Carb-/320839042642?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item4ab37f4652

[Darryl]

Right you are re fitting TS in a coupe due to extra height + a bit of a squeeze for the flapper MAF and airfilter - there doesn't seem to be too much of a problem in a sedan though. The electrics are pretty simple as such things go. None of this is completely trivial of course - but neither is modifying a non-ts engine to get the same performance...

So far as "project race cars" go you can't beat free but it is a sedan - see this post and its definitely not as rusty as that second example on ebay (is anything - any more rust and it would be a stain on the ground not a car)....

[Beatle]

Two steel bumpered cars plus an '82 on LPG.

http://darwin.gumtree.com.au/c-Cars-Vehicles-Motorbikes-Parts-cars-Classic-Alfa-Romeo-GTV-Alfettas-There-are-three-Red-cars-W0QQAdIdZ349068596