Tag: Alfa Romeo

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TI tidy 23: Home!

I guess I was closer than I thought. The list seemed daunting: set alignment, hook up blow by canister to breather, dip stick breather, intake manifold port and plumb it out the back, investigate a flickering dynamo light, hard mount the seats which required removal of no longer useable VW/Audi seat belt tension spools, double checking a few bolts for tightness and installing the hood. Here’s how it went.

IMG_9395I think it might look better in this picture than it is. Hood fits pretty good. I need to fashion a prop for it since I don’t think the stock prop will fit. If I paint it I think it will stay this color.

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Market 141: Superb Silver SZ

Giulietta Sprint Zagato 10126*00067.  This car, available now at Fantasy Junction, went through Bonham’s earlier this month and failed to sell with an estimate between $240,000 and $270,000.  Current asking price is $268,500 which, after FJ takes their 6% cut and monthly boarding fees, puts the seller in the low end of the above estimate.  FJ is a natural venue for cars that fail to sell at the Monterey weekend auctions, being close to the action and a very highly regarded outfit.  I usually try to do a walk through a few saturdays after the big weekend to see what exotica has turned up.

31261A very subtle design, with function informing beauty at every intersection, and yet in all its spartan glory, it has headlight rings, grill trims and hubcaps ‘just in case’.  A car in which to win the Targa Florio in or pick up your significant other for a night on the town.

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Ti Tidy 22: Time to start driving

Saturday morning I decided it was time to get back on the TI after a week of being tired after work and just going home and reading instead of going to the shop.  The steering box had been in for a week but I hadn’t hooked everything up and put the dash back together, so my path was clear before me.  The car had been on jack stands for 3 weeks and I was eager to get it back on four wheels so I started under the car.  I hooked up the tie rod ends, made some small adjustments to the alignment, bolted the wheel on and took it off the jack stands. 

steeringDash is at last firmly mounted and bolted together.  Steering wheel now has a woodruff key.  Headlight stalk has an end on it so it can be turned  without difficulty.  Column cowl is on straight and, best of all, the ignition key is mounted to a bracket that is screwed to the dash.  I need to get some cheap stereo to fill that hole.  Anyone have anything they want to donate?

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Monterey Weekend/Concorso 2009 wrap up

Monterey weekend was brief for me this year.  Brian and I drove down to Big Sur in his Junior Z on Thursday afternoon to stay at Trevor’s house, which would be our launch pad to the Concorso Italiano at which Brian had signed up to show his car.   We drove highway 1 from Half Moon bay all the way to Big Sur.  Just north of Santa Cruz we drove under the smoke/dust/ash/steam cloud from the Bonny Doon area fire, which was ominous in a post-apocalyptic way (see picture below).

No Monterey weekend is complete without a $9.25 tour of the 17 mile drive so we hit it on the way down as well.  About 10 miles into it I spotted the car you see below.  Photographers were crawling all over it and spectators had gathered.  I came away with a few iPhone shots and a lot of curiosity.  The car had a Ghia badge and a 5 inch turbine exhaust port right in the middle of the back. 

jimmy cropImagine if the future we were promised was the future we got.  Instead of Camry’s and Ford F150 trucks my commute would be populated by vehicles like this.  A later encounter informed me that this was Streamliner X “Gilda” built by Ghia at the request of Chrysler.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyP_ojULewk] Bat9d moving under its own power.  As it should be.

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Market 140: Some Rough Sprints

These Giulietta Sprints are part of that group of cars stashed away by the owner of a car dealership in Kaufdorf.  The Swiss government has ordered the site cleaned up so the cars are being auctioned.  These Sprints range from massive projects to seemingly ‘ran when parked’ cars.  The Europeans seem to enjoy a good challenge, so maybe some if not all will be bought and put back on the road.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they all go to one buyer, like Joop Stolze, for reasonable money.

pa_06big11988This guy lost part of his nose ot cancer a long time ago.  Plenty of good parts here or ambitious project.

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Market 134: 750F Spider Veloce

Update 8/10/09: This car sold for $24,700 with 7 bidders in the hunt.  The seller noted that the engine was incorrect and bidding seems to have taken this into account.  This money seems about right for the car.  There is a Veloce block on eBay right now that would be acceptible for this car, the new owner should consider snapping it up. 

Giulietta Spider Veloce 1495*04178, 1315*44341.  This Spider Veloce is on eBay from Brighton Motorsports in Arizona.  It is listed as being numbers matching but it clearly has a Spider Normale series engine number, so either it’s not really a Veloce or the engine has been replaced.  I suspect the latter since it comes with all the Veloce components installed and the Veloce engines were known to fail if not properly maintained.  Also, Veloce’s tended to be built in pairs or groups and 04177 is a Veloce.  I’ll check d’A&T tonight and update.  I emailed the seller about this and they said they would note it on their auction but they haven’t yet.  Some discussion has been made of this car on the Yahoo group for these cars and other discrepancies have been pointed out.  d’Amico and Tabucchi say 04155 – 04229 are all Veloce’s so I think there is a good chance this car is a Veloce.

149504178 nose closeNose ridge is shapely and blends to the edge of the grill nicely.  Some guys take the stamped edge off the grill so there is a smooth transition between the body and trim.  Between the grill and drivers side over rider the paint looks bubbly or textured by being sprayed over crud.  Have a look before you buy. 

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Pushing Product 4: Models not included

You’ve all been waiting for this.  I know because more than anything else I get emails with links to PG-13  auctions.  Not too much ill-advised content here, just decent looking chicks hopefully earning a few easy bucks while trying to make some poor guy bid on the object at auction with his virility.

!aveo kit twosomeThis is a kit car based on a Chevy Aveo.  Girl on the right reminds me a bit of Christine Taylor.  This picture is all curves.  I wonder how much a gig like this pays?

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Market 139: Low number Spider 750 D challenge

Update 8/10/09: 2 bidders, $51, reserve not met.  I’d give the seller $100 for the front suspension components without hesistation.  I have a feeling it will be a while before anyone decides to take this thing on.  Hopefully some kind soul will keep it out of the rain until then.

Giulietta Spider 750D 1495*00808.  Available out of San Rafael California on eBay right now is this project.  Early number is a draw for some Giulietta lovers, especially since it gives admission to many events open to 57 and before cars.  Doors, trunk and hood are included so $2500 buy it now is somewhat reasonable.

149500808 noseNot for the faint of heart finds definition here.  Must have been quite an accident.  I know of a Giulia SS like this.

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