Update 1/3/12: I have it on pretty good word that the car sold for $5500.
Update 12/14/11: Auction was pulled. An off eBay deal?
Update 12/5/11: Giulia Spider Veloce 10118*390672. She’s a Veloce!
Kip sent me a link to this Spider on eBay when it was first posted with the caption ‘car in a barn, without the barn’. Pretty good description. Car has a Pininfarina hard top guaranteeing it will sell for at least $1500. Even the optimistic optimist in me thinks this is a parts car.
You can bet the left side of this car is REALLY rusty. Looks like a reasonable car that got left for some reason and expired while waiting for it’s masters return. What am I saying, buy this, fix it, run it. Vroom!
Continue reading “Market 339: Leafy Spider on eBay”
Nostalgia and classic cars
We had been going back and forth for 6 weeks about selling the Fiat 124 sedan and finally let it go on Sunday. A charming young woman is the new owner and she couldn’t be happier. I thought long and hard about the reason we had such a hard time letting it go. Lots of good times were had in it and it represents a physical link to bygone days -albeit in this case not so long ago, having only been in our care for 5 years. It got me thinking about the cars we’ve had over the years and the good times had in each -and in the big sense, how people everywhere experience similar nostalgic feelings around their old cars.
The take away here is the big smile. She is in love with this car and excited to own, drive, care for and create good times in it.
Continue reading “Nostalgia and classic cars”
Market 337: Early Spider racer
Update later the same day: Sold for $19,800. A bargain?
Spider 750D 1495*02031. This car is on eBay right now out of Denver Colorado. Racing set up is as purposeful as they come, with lots of refinements that probably make it highly competitive. These cars tend to be a bargain to buy compared to the expense of the development represented in the final product. I’d have to tone it back a bit so it could be used on the street too.
Between the sun and the saturation of the red, the lines of the car are almost lost. Widened steels look very tough. I like the cut down windshield -reminds me of Conrad’s Spider Veloce.
Continue reading “Market 337: Early Spider racer”
Project: Dads 1947 Chevy 3100 part 5
Sometimes taking it apart actually isn’t easy. Last winter, when my dad called me to tell me the rear end was so locked up that the truck had to be dragged onto the flatbed, I got off the phone and looked up what the assembly looked like. Torque tube rear ends have a bunch of extra bearings, some complicated assemblies, and lots of tapered splines etc. I wasn’t looking forward to the day when I got to work on it, but today the day came and it really wasn’t that bad.
I showed up at my dads place about 11 and found him with a 6 foot pipe on the end of my 2 foot breaker bar trying to get the bolts that clamp the pre-load section of axles to the housing. The four bolts pointing out at the camera.
Continue reading “Project: Dads 1947 Chevy 3100 part 5”
Market 336: Spider 1600 Veloce project
Update 12/3/11: Auction was ended early, car is no longer available.
Giulia Spider Veloce 1600 AR390369, 00121*01965. This car is on eBay right now at $9500 with 5 days to go and perfectly represents the opposite end of the spectrum from Market 335’s nicely restored Spider Veloce 1600 AR390532 that is $68,500 and listed as ‘sale pending’. Seller says it’s numbers matching and complete but in need of much metal work.
Am I the only one that looks at a car in this condition and has a hard time accounting for the degradation? ‘I have a great idea’, says weekend warrior shade tree mechanic who fancies himself a restorer, either blind to, or imagining himself capable of seeing the very complex process through for 1000+ hours and at an expense of $60,000 over two or three years. Taking it apart is easy…
Continue reading “Market 336: Spider 1600 Veloce project”
Market 334: Giuliettas exclusive 101 Sprint project in CA
Update 11/26/11: I got some more pictures from the seller. The trunk rust situation is worse than I expected -not horrible -just needing attention. Still, it could be a good deal for the money. Throw them an offer -it may stick.
This could be patched, but replacement would be cleaner. Not the biggest job in the world and not really a sign that the rest of the car is rusty. My Sprint had it’s trunk floor replaced and you’d be hard pressed to find rust anywhere else on it.
Update 11/12/11: Seller has received some interest but it’s still available. $13,000 obo?
Giulietta Sprint 10105*21453. This car is available right now out of Southern California for $14,000 obo. It is fairly original, with blue paint over original white and original drivetrain. Interior is decent but the seats are not original. There is a tiny bit of rust in the trunk battery corner and in the corner of the rear windshield, but nothing unusual or terminal. If you’re in California and looking for a very good car to fix up as a driver project -this is your car.
A better shade of blue than the preceding SS. Car looks straight and solid here -you may get away with a quick respray of the nose and tail. I’d make it mechanically sound and drive it as is.
Continue reading “Market 334: Giuliettas exclusive 101 Sprint project in CA”
Market 331: Project Spider 750D 03930
Update 11/20/11: Car actually did sell for $6500 and is headed for a new life in Germany. Thanks for the update Richard!
Update 11/19/11: Car failed to sell. I don’t know how much of an appetite there is for Giulietta projects in he world, but if what I’ve tracked is any indication, there are a lot of them in the works right now.
10/26/11: Giulietta Spider 750D 1495*03930, 1315*43426. This car is on eBay right now out of Novi Michigan from a seller that seems to regularly offer Alfa’s. Condition is rough, as you see, but I’ve seen projects start with a lot worse and it does come with quite a few parts still attached and the right engine. $7500 Buy it Now or Make offer is the asking.
Seller claims the body is nearly rust free, but everyone’s opinion of what that means is a little different so ask questions, examine the pictures and if possible, go have a look. Door fits very well and the nose shape looks original. Windshield is said to be uncracked.
Continue reading “Market 331: Project Spider 750D 03930”
Project: Dads 1947 Chevy 3100 part 4
Despite having a full plate I managed to get up to my dads place a few weeks ago and got most of the engine back together for the Chevy truck. In the last installment we cleaned up the pistons, inspected the rod bearings and got everything ready for reassembly. My dad thought we would be lucky to get the pistons back in the bores -he was pleasantly surprised by how much got done. I think I will fall back on working on old vehicles for a living if my business endeavors don’t pan out.
I was working along and realized I wasn’t taking any pictures so I got my iPhone out and took a few. We used the same ring compressor I use on Alfa engines to install the pistons, the same Redline assembly lube on the bearings and the same can of WD40 to wet the rings. Connecting rod caps and bolts are as expected. The main worry here is that the little ‘scoops’ in the sheetmetal parts that go over the connecting rod caps are oriented correctly so the turning of the crank forces oil into the scoop.
Continue reading “Project: Dads 1947 Chevy 3100 part 4”
Evan Wilson's Giulietta Book
Evan Wilson’s ‘Alfa Romeo Giulietta: 750 and 101 series Giuliettas and Giulias, 1954-1965’, originally published in 1983 is regarded by many as among the finest books about these cars, and even now, prices reflect this. It’s no wonder really, Evan’s narration is crisp, insightful and funny. This year a revised and updated hardcover version of this book was released and is available through Lulu for $34.95. (or on aBay if you care to spend about $55!).
The ‘collector car market’ tracking mentioned in the above description comes from giuliettas.com
Among the revisions and updates is a section about Yours Truly: Giuliettas dot com. Evan interviewed me about 18 months ago, spent some time with the site and produced a flattering bit of work. Also included is a series of tables culled from my market pieces, a matrix of conditions, locations and values. If you dig Giulietta’s (and Giuliettas) then you should get yourself a copy of this book.
Market 335: Clean 1600 Spider Veloce
Giulia Spider Veloce 1600 AR390532, 00121*02129 This car is available right now from Fantasy Junction in Emeryville California -my local candy store. These 1600 Veloce’s are highly sought after, having lots of power and flexibility due to the Veloce spec 1600 shared with the Sprint Speciale, the legendary handling of the Alfa Spiders, great brakes and all the Veloce goodies. Survivor-ship of this rare model is pretty high if my register is any indication. Asking price is $68,500.
Considering FJ only deals in the finest examples, this car is as expected. Clean, straight, detailed and ready for the road. All chrome bits have been restored.
Continue reading “Market 335: Clean 1600 Spider Veloce”