Scuderia Shitbox 2013

Sheldon McIntosh · July 30, 2012, 03:40:09 PM

My new shitbox arrived on a flatbed this afternoon, and I'm pretty excited about it. I know I've let myself into a world of pain, but hey, the preparation is half the fun.

Behold, the Scuderia Shitbox Mario Speedwagon III, a 1983 Alfasud Ti......

Sheldon McIntosh · July 30, 2012, 03:43:40 PM

More pics...

Sheldon McIntosh · July 30, 2012, 04:00:45 PM

I'm curious as to whether anyone knows the car from it's past life. I gather there aren't too many of these out there? Obviously it came from SA, but apparently it's been sitting at a Hawthorn Alfa specialist for quite a few years.

It used to be red, if that's a help. It's had an excellent respray in the silver (an excellent choice in my opinion, I think this is the best colour for these cars), but the interior bodywork (under the carpets) is still red. I thought this model came with red carpets, but maybe the PO that resprayed it decided to go with black carpets instead?

It's not as good as it may look in pics, and it's going to take a fair bit of work to get it to RWC standard, let-alone rally standard. The brakes will need a good going-over, there is a little bit of rust (but bugger all for a sud), and there are a few electrical issues to be dealt with.

All-in-all though, I'm extremely happy with it. I've wanted this particular model of Sud since they first came out, and this one seems like a good honest one. The engine and gearbox seem to be in excellent condition, and the ratty interior trim bits are not a major concern to me at all. It's an excellent sud for under $1000, and I'm confident it will handle the Aussie outback with aplomb.

I'll report back once I've had a good going over of the car, to see what needs doing. I'll be taking my extra-long notepad....

Frank Musco · July 30, 2012, 04:10:13 PM

That's awesome!

Make sure you buy it back and run it in the 6 hr.

Craig_m67 · July 30, 2012, 04:16:56 PM

Quote from: Frank Musco on July 30, 2012, 04:10:13 PM
That's awesome!

Make sure you buy it back and run it in the 6 hr.

second that !!
awesome price for a half decent Sud.
(i've a soft spot for Suds, it was my first Alfa)

aggie57 · July 30, 2012, 05:38:07 PM

You're right Sheldon - it looks way too good in the photos to be a shitbox. I reckon there may be a small queue of people in the UK ready to turn you a small profit right now at that purchase price.

Ray Pignataro · July 30, 2012, 08:49:00 PM

Frank, Sheldon has seen the light, looks like a good example,. Sheldon , Colin Thomas is the man you need he knows all that needs to be known about these cars.

Paul Gulliver · July 30, 2012, 08:59:12 PM

With any luck you & Evan could have a breeding pair.

Evan Bottcher · July 30, 2012, 10:19:36 PM

Quote from: Paul Gulliver on July 30, 2012, 08:59:12 PM
With any luck you & Evan could have a breeding pair.

I just choked and port went up my nose

colcol · July 31, 2012, 12:19:19 AM

There were 500 twin carb Suds bought to Australia in 83, half were silver, the other half were red, 2 sneeked in with the 'illegal' 105 horse power motor, they were black and couldn't be registed, the Australian Suds had 95 horses, they had red carpets, first thing to do is weld up the cracked chassis rails, i wonder what happened to the two black ones?, i heard one ended up at Nareen, Colin.

Sheldon McIntosh · July 31, 2012, 12:29:58 AM

Quote from: colcol on July 31, 2012, 12:19:19 AM
There were 500 twin carb Suds bought to Australia in 83, half were silver, the other half were red, 2 sneeked in with the 'illegal' 105 horse power motor, they were black and couldn't be registed, the Australian Suds had 95 horses, they had red carpets, first thing to do is weld up the cracked chassis rails, i wonder what happened to the two black ones?, i heard one ended up at Nareen, Colin.

Ah-ha. That's interesting, thanks Col. So why the story about the "250"? (I just posted on the thread about 'the 250' while you were posting this). That's a bummer they only had 95 horsies, am I going to have to rip the engine out of a 33 to put in this (or are they 95 as well, these boxers confuse me, too many versions)?

Why was the 105hp engine illegal?

Yes, it will definitely need some welding to be done around the front end, and not only the chassis rails. Luckily, my brother-in-law has just learnt to weld, and is looking for lots of practise. Boy, have I got the project for that....

I'm guessing that this one had completely knackered red carpet and Ti seats, and was replaced with easier to find black carpet, and red vinyl instead of Ti inserts (shame I just missed your ebay sale Col....).

aggie57 · July 31, 2012, 08:37:20 AM

Read that other post Sheldon and all I can say is you love this car too much already for it to become a disposable shitbox. I've only ever owned one Sud in my life, a 1976 Ti when I lived in NZ and even then I only owned it for 3 months. Which was very lucky as it was a UK import and very soon after I sold it I believe the rust started to show. The reg was IQ9896 or something like that - Dot Louie bought it off me; if you belonged to the Alfa club in NZ you would probably know of her and her extended family.

But I digress - despite owning it for such a short time I do recall it was a fantastic little car perfectly suited to the winding roads around Auckland. But for the trip to Freemantle via Uluru? Mmm....not so sure.

L4OMEO · July 31, 2012, 09:08:09 AM

Wheels magazine road tested an example the last of the imported Sud Tis in 1983, which they described as one of a batch of 250 Ti QVs imported that year. It had the 77kw (or 105bhp) motor.

This is consistent with most forum threads on the subject, Colin's reference to 500 of the 95bhp (and the two 'illegally-engined' examples) is the first I've heard of of read about - sounds a bit 'urban-mythish' to me Colin

Delighted you've picked this up for the rally Sheldon. Is it too early to start the post-rally bidding?

aggie57 - I knew Dot well, lovely lady, been a life member of the club for years. She kept sending me recipes and sewing patterns for publication in the club magazine when I was editor, tested my patience & diplomacy skills somewhat....

Craig_m67 · July 31, 2012, 11:30:22 AM

I thought the 95 vs 105HP argument related to unleaded petrol and emmisions ?

In 1991 I bought a series three Sprint QV (build date 85,compliance '88).
I always thought is was only 95HP due to the use of unleaded petrol and some emissions malarky.
There wasn't any real difference that we could pick in power delivery/speed between it and a mates 105HP Sud (and we tried a lot on the Brindabella back roads!). I preferred the Sprint, cos it's a Sprint... and they're just cooler (ask all the chicks).

It was put out to pasture working perfectly (Alfamotive, Peter) in 2002 when the chassis rail cracks became far too apparent (significant camber). 1x Clutch, 1 x gearbox (compression lock up), few valves (over rev) a front wheel bearing and a water pump. Not bad for 400,000klm of balls out redline every, single day motoring. Didn't rust much either (factory rust, sorted early

.

I loved that car.

... get all cracks welded (starting with those under the coolant overflow).
Might be worth putting/constucintg the OEM chassis brace used in the 33 for the same problem.

L4OMEO · July 31, 2012, 11:48:04 AM

Nope, definitely spec differences between the two motors and both were offered in most markets in various Sud/Sprint models. I can't recall the detail changes though, if memory serves there were different valves and/or camshafts, colcol could probably provide more detail here.

The extra 10bhp was often disputed as being less than that, although looking at your own comparison between Sprint and Sud the additional weight of the latter would also have an effect on performance.

My history shows a preference for the Sud over the Sprint but I love them both. Peter Brock was a big fan too (we had so much in common

)

Sorry for the thread hijack Sheldon, look forward to your updates.