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Old 20-05-2007   #1 (Post Link)
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checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Hi,

I "inspected" a 1600 GT Junior today. It's the first time I have ever sat in a classic Alfa.

Anyway the body look excellent. It had been restored/resprayed at some stage and the paint was flawless except for one small blemish on the boot.

The interior was very good. Looking slightly tired but nothing major. It drove well without any problems.

I have a few questions though.....

1) Oil pressure. The oil pressure reading never went very high. On my old classic Merc it was supposed to stay at the top all the time. On the 1600 GT it stayed just below middle... at about 40-45. The car was driven for about 15 minutes and it didn't climb. Is this normal?

2) On the dash RHS bottom were two buttons which you can pull out. I think one was the choke/idle adjuster. The other one seemed to just rev the engine up. What is it for?

3) Is it easy to fit inertia seatbelts up front?

4) Has anybody fitted inertia seatbelts in the back.... for the kids?

5) What is the round button beside the rear heater button for?

Thanks!!
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Old 20-05-2007   #2 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Hi Merc, welcome to Alfa World.
1. Oil pressure gauge on old Mercs only show pressure to 2 kg/cm3 (=20 pounds - only cars I have seen with that system), the Alfa gauges are supposed to show around middle driving and it's OK to show O idling, warm.
40-45 is OK.
2. The button you think is choke/idle is only choke. The other one is engine speed, usefull for the first minutes of driven off from cold, and not installed an all Alfas. Could be used as a primitive cruise control.
3. For the front seats, yes - see:http://www.highwoodalfa.com/alfa&#37...ertone.htm#ext
4. Highwoodalfa only offer static belt for the rear seat, but others have them.
5. Don't know, got a Spider.
Erik
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Old 20-05-2007   #3 (Post Link)
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'72 Berlina 2000

Thumbs Up Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Hi Merc, And welome to the world of Alfas, I'm still fairly new to driving/owning a classic Alfa myself (around 9 months now). The choke and fast idle levers you refer to were diconected/falling apart on my Berlina when I bought it, you don't need the choke on an engine with twin 40's that drinks like a fish so I just use the fast idle/hand throttle lever when its cold to stop it stalling while closing the garage up or until its at least warmed thru enough to idle correctly at junctions.
I wouldn't recommend using it as a cruise control tho' as it doesn't "cancel" when you brake like electronic systems do on modern cars .
The button next to the HRW button is for changing the brightness of the instrument cluster lights on my Berlina so I guess this does the same on the Coupe. Bright/not so bright.
The oil pressure guage reads 0 55 110 (55 being half way)on mine, I guess this is PSI. When cold and working gently it can go up to around three quaters of the range on the guage (roughly 75 PSI?). It always stays around just over half way when cruising (60-65 PSI?) but drops to show very little at idle when hot which is normal. The time to worry is when the low pressure light comes on in the left corner of the guage . All of this is on a 54000 mile original un-messed with (almost 35 year old) 2000 Berlina running on unleaded and 10w 40 semi-synthetic oil.
Hope this helps and you buy it, come join the fun, you've got the bug now you've been to have a look at it, go on you know you wanna

Alfa Romeo 2000, "Typical Alfa, un poco piu vivace"
(Quote from "Autocar" 15 march 1973)
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Old 20-05-2007   #4 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Some of the later 105s had a big round button for hazard lights or heated rear window. Could be that. Levers are choke and hand throttle. There are seat belt anchorage points in the back so someone like Quickfit Seatbelts would be able to fit them if required I am sure.
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Old 21-05-2007   #5 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Thanks for replies. Sounds good!
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Old 21-05-2007   #6 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

The large button on mine is an instrument Panel light dimmer.... mine does not have a rear heater.
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Old 22-05-2007   #7 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Hi,

Is there a buyers checklist for these cars or a list of major areas to watch?
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Old 22-05-2007   #8 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Buy the Veloce Publishing buyers guide http://www.veloce.co.uk/shop/products/productDetail.php?prod_id=V369&prod_group=Cars%20V ans%20&%20Trucks&

Brilliant book, really focuses your mind when your looking at potential cars.

The best £10 I spent when looking for my GT.
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Old 22-05-2007   #9 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Thanks but I'm supposed to be picking the car up on Thursday or perhaps this weekend, so I was hoping to find something on the web TBH.
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Old 22-05-2007   #10 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Oh dear !

Might be still worth ordering a copy though.

Have a look at the steering box joint, mine was cracked and the joint moved when the wheels turned. Not a major job to get it welded, but it is an MOT failure.

Also have a good look at where the trailing arms meet the body, the front ARB bushes.

I bought mine with the condition it passed a new MOT before I took delivery - save a few jobs I would have had to have paid for myself.

It needed a new servo and the chassis rail welding at the steering box, not major jobs but not the sort of thing I could have spotted before traveling the length of the country to view it.

Good luck, keep your cool and don't get too excited !
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Old 22-05-2007   #11 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

thanks. i'm already too excited
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Old 22-05-2007   #12 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Just a few other common spots you need to check out;

Boot floor, around the tank support and to the right of the spare wheel well. Wheel well itself can rot out, but it's not too bad to fix.
Lift the carpets and check out the floors front and back, both sides, they will probably be patched but strictly speaking they should be one piece panels. Mind you not many are, so as long as they are solid thats OK.
Do your best to check the sills, they are a three piece design the outer is almost non structural, it's the inner and middle which do the work, you cant see the middle one so all you can do is judge it by the ones you can see. Have a poke about where the front anti roll bar is fixed to the front cross member, thats another trouble spot.
Another area is the little housing on the engine bay of the inner wing where the top suspension arm is fixed, you can only see the NS as the OS is under the carbs, but scrape and poke at it, it's not easy to fix and rots out as it catches all the salt and grime inside it.
A good shiny upper body is a good sign, but be carefull you don't get sucked into it without checking the the underside, it's down there where the problems will be.

Mechanically these cars a pretty bullet proof, the Engines are strong, the transmission apart from second gear synchro, virtually faultless. Suspension may need bushes and dampers may need changing like all cars, but everything is available and it's all reletively simple.

The only tricky bit are the Brakes you didn't mention the age of the Car and over the years the brakes changed, the early ones had a Dunlop set up which is OK if set up right, but can be troublesome, next came a ATE single circuit set up, which is probably the easiest to work on, but still can be enfuriating, the later cars had a twin circuit, twin servo ATE system which can be a real pain in the Ar*e at times. Mind you when they work all the systems give almost modern day braking capabilities which are a class above most classics.

Hope you get on OK, most owners would agree that you won't find a better classic for the price, in fact for double the price of a Bertone Coupe.
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Old 22-05-2007   #13 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Thanks for the info. The car was first register in May 1976. Do you know what brake system it would have by this?
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Old 23-05-2007   #14 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Definitely an ATE system. Open the bonnet and if there are two servos (look like brass coloured trumpets) it's the later twin circuit system. If there is one servo it's the middle period one. A 1976 car is one of the last so it may well have the twin setup.
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Old 30-05-2007   #16 (Post Link)
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Re: checking out a 1600 GT Junior

Congratulations, these car just get to you and life's never gonna be the same again.
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