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Pasi and the Sprint part 1

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4.8K views 68 replies 13 participants last post by  Pasi  
#1 ·
Here's some info on what's going on with my sprint right now...

As you may or may now know, I bought a 1986 model Alfa Romeo Sprint 1.5 QV in january of 2004 ...

The Sprint served me for about 2 weeks in active duty taking me from home to work and back while my previous 33 was waiting for new shock absorbers...

After that it was driven about 100 km north east from my home into a yard of a american car club... There it has been waiting for almost a year now!

In the summer of 2004 I gave it it's last run (well I had it idling for 10 minutes) as for some reason, no gears would go in :rolleyes:

After that I removed both of the carburators, to take them back home for cleaning... I cleaned the other carb. right away, but came across some troubles... one of the adjustment screws (do not know it's name right now ;) ) was (and is) jammed, and while I was trying to remove it, the groove in the top was damaged, so it can no longer be adjusted, nor removed... I'm thinking of drilling a new groove at the screw to get it out, and hopefully the repair kit i'm going to buy will have that screw!
I have considered new carbs. as they cost "only" 170 € per piece :rolleyes:

No further job has been done to the carbs...

I have also removed the backseat and some of the backseats side panels and door panels from the Sprint. The back seat has been cleaned well and it is in good condition. The front door panels have had aftermarket speakers installed so there's a BIG hole in both sides. I'll be making whole new panels to them as soon as I get some material... I'm still thinking what textile should I use for the upholstery... as the backseats sides are leather look alike, I was thinking of making the front door panels leather also :)

I have also removed the whole meter cluster (nothing wrong with it as far as I can tell) and I also removed the center panel witch has the 5 buttons in it... 2 of the buttons were not working so the previous owner was nice enough to bunch holes in the panel and add 2 buttons of his own! :mad: These buttons were removed by me, and the holes are currently beign covered (look at pics below)...
One of the two buttons that were not working is working now. it was not working because the connectors were covered with thick layer of this nice "green stuff " ;)
The other one of the broken buttons misses a small metal clip that holds the button in "on" position when pushed... Must find a new button to replace...

Well... this is all for now... I'll give an update ... probably next year ;)
 
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#3 ·
It's not ok :(

It's rusty as h3ll!!!

But I can't really work on it right now... and I want to strip it completely and then do some sandblasting at it...

I can only work with stuff I can bring home from it currently... next summer I'll start stripping it more seiously...
 
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#5 ·
Yes, I'm going to paint the whole piece...

I'm thinking neon green or yellow.... :D

J/K

I'll paint it black :)
 
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#7 ·
Nice newspaper, Pasi. ;)
 
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#8 ·
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#9 ·
Toad said:
later 33 or 75 switches should fit the sprint.. you just need to remove the square buttons and replace with the round ones.
Click to expand...
That I knew... but where am I going to find a 33 or a 75 :rolleyes:
 
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#11 ·
Just on the point of painting dash parts. The guy I bought my Alfasud from (idiot) ruined the dash on it by going mad with a can of silver paint. I want to get it back to the way it should look (see pics) and have thought of painting it matt black but am afraid this will look gaudy and may start to peel off over time. Has anyone any ideas as to how to get my dash back to its original state or do I need new plastic parts :confused:
This is how it looks but should not look :mad:
Image

Image

This is how it should look :D
Image
 
#12 ·
Get some quality paint, it shouldn't peel off.... and before painting remove the silver color :rolleyes:
 
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#13 ·
Yuo can strip off the old paint using the correct thinners, and special paint for plastic is available. I had to go throung the same process on my car, and two years later the paint still has not peeled or degraded.
Keep in mind that you should use plastic primer before re-coating the "new" black paint.
 
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#14 ·
Better check whether the silver colour sticks OK to the plastic bits. If it does, you'd probably need paint thinner to remove it and thus destroy the plastic parts. Instead I'd recommend to sand it slightly with some 400 grain sanding paper or emery cloth, and spray it black. One word of caution, make sure the black paint you buy have the desired "matte" effect, as this varies much. One manufacturers idea of a silk finish can be totally different from other manufactureres. If the previous owner ran berserk with cockpit shine, I really feel sorry for you then. Silicone residue makes painting the parts almost impossible without getting "eyes" in the paint :eek:
 
#15 ·
I'd suggest the sandpaper too....

First use a 240 grain to get the paint off... then smoothen it with a 400 (or 600) and then you don't have to paint it, just sweep it good with a 1200 grain paper :)

it gives a nise and smooth surface without painting ;)
 
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#16 ·
I should then clarify the "thinners" option. Special acrylic thinners, specifically for plastic applications, are available. This stuff will not harm palstic, and should also get rid of any silicone or oily residue. I've used this product on numerous occasions, for instance when colour-cioding my bumpers, and have had no peeling of paint or cracks in the plastic. A good automotive paint shop should have someting like this in stock.

Sanding the surface goes without saying if you want a smooth surface.
 
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#17 ·
Re: Pasi and the Sprint part 1 - Update

An update....

Yesterday I stripped the front door side panels completely...

I took everything apart, even ripped off the upholstery from the panel...
Today I'll go buy (if I can find) some wooden sheets (is that the word?), which I'll cut to the original panels shape, and then make a new upholstery to it from real leather... so the new front door panels will be black leather :)
 
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#18 · (Edited)
With maybe some seats like these......
 
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#19 · (Edited)
But hopefully not like this...........
 
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#20 ·
The original front seats will stay... and nothing will be done to them (probably) ;)

And the color will stay black... nothing else will do :)

I'm not sure yet of the color of the car... it'll be black, red or like it originally was ... white.... :)
 
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#21 · (Edited)
Silver or dark metallic blue are my favorite colours.

Front seats could do with more lateral support. I had 2 of these Recaro's fitted into my Sprint - great comfort and huge grip.
 
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#23 ·
I still need them :)

but if you're sick, don't stress to much for them ;)

@Pascs, I just might get recarros... time will tell ;)
 
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#25 ·
*smack*

That too... but it's not about the money that much as I have time (50 years) to work on it...

50 years, because I'll die in 2055 :eek:

(this asumes the Sprint won't rust off ;) )
 
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