[Alfa155 TS]

Hi Lads,

As you all know I have my pride and joy 155 and my inherited project 33. Now the 155 needs a bit of work which I'd like to do but its going to cost me, I'm thinking of transferring the insurance off the 155 and on to the 33 and taking the 155 off the road for a bit. The list of jobs to be done are as follows

schutz (preserves the underneath from rust)
full body respray
5 speedlines refurbished
power steering reservoir replaced
heater matrix removed and fans fixed
steering wheel replacement
full timing belt kit
gearbox removed and synchros checked (possibly a new box)

This isnt going to be cheap but running costs of the 33 will be less and i might be able to save up for the repairs to the 155. I'm just not sure whether to put all that money into her. I dont know how long I'll hav it but in fairness if i did spend all thatmoney then i'd be in it for the longhaul. Has anybody out there experience of going down this road with their bellas? Did it end up costing more than originally thought?
Ideally I'll have something on the road for the next meet, the 155 nct is out

 

[Cathal_H]

I'm not expert but two of the jobs above there are biggies...imo.

The heater matrix is a right pain. I did this on a 1995 non-Alfa car 4/5 years ago.. ouch, painful. But it is satisfying when you complete it... :thumbs:

Full body respray, we had one done on a non-Alfa classic (restoration) 2 years ago and it was just south of 6k euro. It was a superb job but we though we might have gotten away with 3 or 4 grand, but no....some panels needed a second, fill, sand and spray etc. That was the cost for the bodyshop to sand, prime, spray and cure just a bare metal shell... we did all the stripping etc.

Sometimes then a job or a part will cost double what you expected, so some other part does not get replaced with a new one, just a reconditioned etc..

To be honest any money you put into a loved car will not be realised at the other end of the job... it's negative equity! The problem, imo, is when to stop replacing and spending. But if you love a particular car and have a sentimental (non logical) attachment to it then the enjoyment you get is priceless.... that's my take on it anyway.

If you do decide to spend, it's a bit of a commitment, but when your car is perfect you will keep it for the long-haul, and, you'll be glad you did what you did.

Best of luck........ BUT! if you're in a serious relationship at present then do get the buy-in from your partner. Because if you go ahead on the spend/refurb there will be 3 of ye in the relationship then... believe me.

 

[jf_cole]

What will it need after that though? Once those jobs are completed, will it be a top class car, or sitting on soggy shocks with a tired engine?

I dont know much about your cars condition and mileage etc.

 

[mo4]

That's a bit of a list you're starting alright but here's some thoughts/questions:

schutz (preserves the underneath from rust) - good job , messy but easy

full body respray - not worth it imo, you'll not notice the improvement too much, but you'll certainly notice the hole in yer wallet.

5 speedlines refurbished - these can be DIYed if you have the time

power steering reservoir replaced - come on man , get stuck in there

heater matrix removed and fans fixed - is the matrix leaking? it's a huge job although there are some shortcuts that can be taken. What's up with the fan?

steering wheel replacement - if it's round with an Alfa badge then it's fine

full timing belt kit - nothing unusual there i suppose

gearbox removed and synchros checked (possibly a new box) - have you checked the oil level and what's the symptoms?

 

[Alfa155 TS]

hi morgan to answer your questions
I'm getting an excellent price on theschutz, the lad who stores the 33 is giving a good deal at the moment

the bonnet lacquer is all coming away and is starting to look dodgy

I dont have the time

yeh I'll start the reservoir next week

when i turn on the heating fans they dont spin until i turn it up to 4 which is full blast or at least they will spin so slow you wouldnt notice they are on, also the 4 settings for the various areas such as windscreen etc. dont actually feed out the air where they are supposed to

true

will have to give it to the grand master of alfas for this job, Ti Autos

yes i topped up the oil but still it wont engage 1st, 3rd or reverse at times, you would have to select another gear then it will go in for you, sometimes it feels like your double clutching to get it in there and Gerry Campbell put a new slva cylinder on last year so its not that

 

[mo4]

If it's bugging you then just get the bonnet resprayed rather than the whole car.... probably about €300, most places can properly match the colour to your car.

when i turn on the heating fans they dont spin until i turn it up to 4 which is full blast or at least they will spin so slow you wouldnt notice they are on, also the 4 settings for the various areas such as windscreen etc. dont actually feed out the air where they are supposed to

The resister is gone in the fan motor, this is why it cannot run at the lower speeds.
I had the other problem with no control over air direction and it was a broken clip on the cable.
None of this suggests needing to change the matrix - only do that if it's leaking.

yes i topped up the oil but still it wont engage 1st, 3rd or reverse at times, you would have to select another gear then it will go in for you, sometimes it feels like your double clutching to get it in there and Gerry Campbell put a new slva cylinder on last year so its not that

Sounds like it could be selector rod issues. The reverse problem is definietly not synchro related because, well.... there's no synchro on the reverse gear.

Either way it's alot of money to spend on an old car, heart Vs head and all that.
Only do the work if you know the oil pressure is good and it'll pass the NCT easily is my advice.

 

[Alfa155 TS]

is the selector rod a complicated job? i presume the box will have to come out, I've never removed one so am unsure about that

 

[jf_cole]

Sound advice, unless the car will be pretty good after all of that, its a money pit.

Spray the bonnet, DIY refurb on the wheels (mad easy to do flat black in 2 hours!) and sort out the box and heater without spending a fortune and enjoy the thing.

Depending on the value of the car, how much mileage you do and how easily you could replace the hole in your heart if it let go, skip the belts. If the car is worth €800 and you can pick up something else you like for €1k, why bother spending €400+ on a belt that might go another 10k.

As I said, I dont know much about the car or you, just dont let it turn into a total money pit.

I was going to sink €150 into two new bumper supports, then thought what a waste of money and i just sanded them back, sprayed them and put a layer of hammerite over again. Not perfect, but should last the rest of the life of the car.

 

[mo4]

is the selector rod a complicated job? i presume the box will have to come out, I've never removed one so am unsure about that

No box stays in, battery tray and inlet piping needs to be removed.
You'll see the linkages when you're doing the ps fluid resevoir......

 

[mo4]

Spray the bonnet, DIY refurb on the wheels (mad easy to do flat black in 2 hours!) and sort out the box and heater without spending a fortune and enjoy the thing.

There ya go, summed up in one!

 

[insidius]

I bought a 155 a year ago in order to save money on the GTA. Bought 4 speedlines(€200) and refurbed(rolled and sprayed €400) them and 2 new tyres(€160). Also had the timing belt, 4 new pads, front discs, oil change, brake fliud change etc done(€800). Drove the car for 4weeks and over revved the engine and destroyed it. Bought an old 156(€500) and got an engine transplant done using the timing belt kit off the destroyed engine(€1000). Did I mention that I also had to buy the 155 first day and probably paid a bit too much but the inside was immaculate and the outside quite reasonable. I have now parked up the 155 and gone back to the GTA to reduce my motoring costs :lol:

Couple of points from this.
1. It's good therapy for me writing this down and telling the world what a plonker I am
2: Heart v head is never going to be very fair if you like your cars
3: If I offer any advice at any stage tell me to shut up

The 155 is not Alfa's best car but appeals on several levels and I happen to like it a lot. You do see them popping up for quite reasonable money and it might be worth buying a donor from across the sea and using that for bit n bobs. What ever way you go I hope it costs less than mine and that you don't over rev the engine the day after you have it finally sorted

 

[Fluffyduff]

I had to make a similar decision Mark:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/motoring-images/102245-decisions-opinions-welcome.html

when I started that thread, it had been sitting for about 18months and was wrecked. Wouldnt start/stop, the paint wouldnt clean up etc etc etc.

Since I finished that thread, Ive dropped at least 1k on the engine, 550 on the interior (it came with a free car :lol at about 1300 on the alloys and countless euros on other bits and pieces. I dont regret a penny.

Ill never see any of that money back but im resigned to the fact that it'll never be sold. If you ever see someone else behind the wheel, run into them cause they stole my car :lol:

In relation to yours, Id hold off on a full respray. Get the bits that are bad done and then get it detailed properly. A cheap respray can be worse than original bad paintwork.

 

[Alfa155 TS]

well i got a phone call from my old buddy Gerry yesterday who I completely forgot I have a donor 155 with :lol: we are gonna swap the bonnet and do job on the wheels and i might be able to remove the heater matrix aswell to check that

 

[Fluffyduff]

Jesus Mark its bad when you forget you have a spares car :lol:

 

[pendragonfalls]

Every cloud, an'that...Eh..? :mygrin1:

 

[Mufasa]

Jesus Mark its bad when you forget you have a spares car :lol:

Yeah Mark!