Yesterday I watched Sprint 20379 get winched up on to a flat-bed truck and then slowly disappear from sight around a corner. Â No, I didn’t sell my old friend, it is just going south for a few weeks/months of residency in the garage of Tom Sahines for an engine rebuild and a few other much needed and overdue remediations. Â Didn’t I just rebuild the engine you ask? Â Well, the answer to that depends on your definition of “just”. Â I did rebuild the engine in the last 5 years, but I also drove the car daily on my commute for at least 6 months – not an exceptional feat for a Giulietta until you consider my commute was 70 miles each way, and I also drove it on all my incidental trips in between, probably totaling 20000 – 25000 miles in just those 6 months, but it’s not really the miles that has me rebuilding it.
On its way to the spa.
I am having it rebuilt to cure oil leaks, cure low oil pressure, get a set of 1400cc pistons I bought installed, install hotter cams, a new Weber DCD and programmable 123 distributor -basically, it’s being rebuilt to improve performance. Â While the engine is out the engine compartment will be repainted in original red and the brake master cylinder and other components will be rebuilt to cure poor pedal feel and stopping power. Â Once all this is done I am thinking a paint job is in its future, complete with a new windshield.
What got me motivated to do all this? Â Rufus is now almost big enough to ride in the Sprint and I’m excited to get back to driving it as much as possible.
Rufus ‘passport’ picture. Â It’s amazing to me that he is closing in on 3 years old!
Anyone else going through a performance oriented 1300 engine rebuild right now?