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Restoring 1979 116 Alfetta GTV 2000...
Hi all,
Just introducing myself as a new member of the forum. I live in Western Australia and have just purchased a 1979 116 Alfetta GTV 2L coupe for the bargain price of $600. I was looking for a restoration project for a while (like that 1975 Ducati 900SS basket case in the workshop isn't enough of a challenge!) and stumbled on 'Alfie'. That was the name given to it by the previous girlie owner so I guess its a boy and I guess he'll have to learn to come when he's called.
Alfie's got a bit of a rust problem but he's running fairly sweetly and has another 6 months rego so I figure I'll enjoy the odd weekend drive for now and take him off the road some time around July. I need to sort out the sheds and make room. Fortunately I live on 5 acres and the property used to be a mushroom farm in a previous life so there are these 3 fantastic, huge rooms 12 x 6 x 4m of which , one has been converted into a gymnasium and another is full of building materials. The middle one is my workshop which currently houses my afore mentioned bevel drive Ducati (circa 1975) and soon will house Alfie when he goes in for surgery. There is also another large 3 bay machine shed (15 x 7.5 x 4m) which I intend to improve to workshop standards in the coming years.
The plan is to do a complete restoration from the ground up. Engine out, body off, cut out all rust and weld / repair / replace all rust affected areas, then treat with rust inhibitor followed by a hi-build primer before blocking (sanding) and respraying.
The engine will be an interesting one as I have never had my hands on an Alfa engine before, at least not in the 'complete rebuild' type of way! It will be a good thing because the gearbox is pretty temperamental at the moment with selecting 1st being a hit and miss affair - sometimes 'no worries' other times, even at a complete stop, it will grate. Second is worse. Again, sometimes it's fine but it is prone to crashing every second or third change until it really warms up. Today, even reverse decided to get into the act and started grating as well, so it will be good to pull it out and have a good look. Yes, I know I said 'engine' and have been talking 'diff' but the gearbox is the most annoying issue at the moment.
I ordered the CarDisc CD with all the parts and workshop manuals on it and also found on AbeBooks website a couple of interesting book titles which I've ordered as well, the first being "The Alfa Romeo DOHC Engine High-Performance Manual" by Jim Kartalamakis and the other being Pat Braden's classic best seller, Alfa Romeo All-Alloy Twin Cam Companion 1954 - 1994". Can't wait to get them. They sound like absolutely ripping yarns. Not! But hopefully will be beneficial in building up a nice new tight engine and gearbox for our Alfie.
So that's about it. I really hope there are some other owners out there with similar models to share war stories, woes and wisdom with. If you've had experience with restoring or maintaining a 116 GTV in the past or present, please get in touch.
Thanks for having me at alfaowner.com - I hope this is a good place to be.
Regards and cheers,
Chris
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