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Alfetta Sedan "barn find"

4K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  alfettapb 
#1 ·
My newest purchase. "Find" is in quotes cus I knew of the car for years but the owner wasn't ready to sell.

An elderly Italian gentleman apparently loved sedans. He bought this one new in 74. Drove it in the summers only. He then bought an new 78 Sport Sedan (that I purchased from him 6 years ago, but that's another story). He then bought a 2.5 Milano and gave this car to his son who had it lowered with Shankle bits, converted it to Webers and a header. The old man passed, the son got married, divorced and moved across town. The car has been sitting for 10 years, but "ran when parked". Every year he would pull the plugs, add some oil and turn the motor. He is planning on selling the property and contacted our family about buying the car. The 78 sedan I bought from him is all original, no rust, original paint and runs like a charm, so I thought this would be a no brainer.

It has 78K miles, original paint, and interior. There is some rust on the passenger's shock tower but all the other common spots for rot seem to be in good shape.

As you can see, it's a little dirty! My winter project will be more of a preservation than a restoration. First a thorough washing. Need to pull some of the interior out because it has superficial mold on everything! The garage wasn't dry all the time!

Then pull all the fluid plugs, change all fluids, go through the carbs and fire it up. Here is the picture of how I found it and a link to photo bucket. I'll take pics along the way and post em.

Alfatta Sedan Slideshow by jeboniface | Photobucket
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Very nice. Actually I preferred driving the 75 over the 78, better transaxle gearing for sporty driving. Our blue 75 sedan came with the brown velour interior. Really liked that car.

However, having said that, please note, strongly emphasized, that the 75/76 at least rusted like there was no tomorrow, esp around the shock towers. Ours just wasted away there, whereas the 78 had no rust on it in the years and 180k miles we put on that car here in Seattle. It didn't help at all that the 75 spend a little time in the DC area.

Still, I advise you to take real care catching the corrosion on that car. Have it professionally taken care of. Too good a car to let go, or to drive anywhere there might be salt on the roads.
 
#3 ·
Congratulations on your find! I think the Alfetta sedans are next, next (after the Berlinas) big thing. They're under-rated cars in many respects. Properly fettled and with some more horsepower, they're great road cars. I drove a 1st series Alfetta sedan as a daily driver for many years. With a lowered suspension and a hot-rod 2 liter, it was a very enjoyable drive. The only thing I didn't like was the floppy gear selection. The Shankle shift kit made a decent improvement, however. BTW: Those are nice 15in Ronals (I think). The cars originally came with 14in wheels which never really looked right. Keep us posted on your progress.
 
#4 ·
SCORE!! Mine is very original as well and I didn't do anything to it. It's a crazy car and I love driving it. The shifting gets some getting used to, but it's smooth enough for me. Remind me of my YUGO!! She's in her long winter sleep. Good luck with her and just go to Europe to get the parts. Highwood is very favorable for 116's

When I brought mine to the Convention this year, it was the car that more people were asking if it was for sale?

NO way my 12 year old would KILL me!! She all excited to drive a standard and she wants the FETTA
 
#5 ·
This might be a little off topic, but you mentioned that the old man's son converted a 2.5 car to carbs. I'd love to hear/see more about that. Very nice Sedan, btw. I'm a big fan of older Euro sports sedans and drive a Milano/75 every chance I get. I'd like to get an Alfetta Sedan before they're too expensive...
 
#6 ·
I think you mis-read the story - the Alfetta was given to the old man's son after he bought the Milano for himself. The son then converted the Alfetta from SPICA to carbs....

@jeboniface: I take it you're related to Bob? I know your family has a very deep history with Alfas, and I'm glad to see another Alfetta sedan fall into caring hands. I wish I still had mine, but after 20 years of daily driving them, the upkeep became death by 1,000 paper-cuts. Keep us posted on your progress (even if it makes me pine for my '75 that much more).
 
#7 ·
sfalfa, Yes Bob is my younger brother, taught him everything he knows about cars! And yes, we have a "deep history with Alfa's". Our wive's would probably describe it more of a "obsessive pathology". My father bought his first Alfa in the late 50's. Had to be one of the first here in Ohio. He had been married for about a year in 1958, living in an apartment without a full kitchen and he had to make a choice, kitchen or car, kitchen or car, kitchen or car.... and you know the rest of the story.

Since last post, here's what's been done:

Drain gas and oil.
Clean points, new distributor cap to obtain spark. adjust throttle linkage. install new battery and she fired right up. Strange though, the timing and throttle linkage were WAY off, and the previous owner said "ran great when parked". Those mice living under the hood must have had a great set of tools.

Brakes were dragging so pulled front pads and worked pistons in and out a few times and now it's at least drivable.

Washed and buffed the paint and wheels. Then cleaned all interior hard surfaces with full strength Pine Sol.

She is now at least drivable and I can begin the slow winter process of fine-tuning the mechanicals and eliminating the remaining musty smell and mold from the interior. Again, I'm leaning more towards a preservation and not a restoration, so the body work will be limited to eliminating the little rust that exists and leaving the overall cosmetic aging, i.e. patina. And of course making it mechanically sound.

180out - Yes, the Ronals are 15 x 7 and no curb rash. Interestingly, the rims are polished aluminum and the dial face is painted. I have never seen that on Ronals before. I asked the PO and he said they were that way when he bought them in 1980.
 

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#8 ·
By the way, I moved the photo album to Flickr. iPhoto no longer supports direct up loads to photobucket so I moved. the new album is https://flic.kr/s/aHskpqGdHb

I have a survey question on the topic of originality. What do you consider more important, original motor or original induction? Spica vs Weber.

The Alfetta sedan has the original motor with tubular headers and Weber carbs, otherwise stock, and according to the PO's log book was rebuilt at about 50K mile and now had 87K.

I have a 79 Alfetta Coupe with a non-original motor, 10.5:1 pistons, headers and a Wes Ingram performance Spica that runs great. Probably the strongest 2L Alfa I've driven. Starts first crank after sitting for months using a Shankle surestart, has great oil pressure and pulls strong to the redline but the body is in need a significant rust repair.

My question is this: Is the original motor more important or having the fuel injection when considering originality? (And no, I don't want to take all the go fast parts off one motor and rebuild the original.) I don't dislike Webers, I have em on my Duetto and love the sound and response, but on a car that isn't driven regularly and will sit for weeks to months without being started or driven, the fuel injection is very convenient.
 
#9 ·
Ugh - you're killing me - that car is gorgeous, and really makes me miss my red '75 (and I love that it doesn't have a rub strip along the side). I'm going to go stare at my Fulvia and try to tell myself not to be jealous.

I'm a huge fan of the SPICA system, but your question of what's more important; original motor or original induction, I'd have to go with motor, since the rest of the world received these cars with carburetors. Lot's of people in the US have swapped the SPICA for carbs, and I think it's rarely considered a big deal.
 
#10 ·
I'm moved to comment that considering the "value" question on a 'Fetta sedan at this point is perhaps like worrying about the future value of Supers back in the 70s or 80s, or even the 750 and 101 Sprints in the 70s. Who knew?!

I think the real question might be "is this one likely to be one of the 10 remaining worldwide in about 2040?"

They were never rare or very special, so it's likely to be as last of the species that will make them worth much at all. I seriously doubt originality, as we usually apply it to Alfas, will much matter.
 
#11 · (Edited)
"Then cleaned all interior hard surfaces with full strength Pine Sol"

Now go through and treat all the vinyl and hard surfaces with ArmorAll to protect it all. Friend of mine did this religiously with his Berlina, and after~250k miles, all was still supple, and no cracks in the dash, etc. I'm a believer, as it slows down outgassing of the plasticizer chemicals in the plastic.

We did this with our 78 sedan, and everything was still fine after 180k miles.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Del,

After the Pine Sol I thoroughly washed down all hard surfaces and then applied Meguiar's. Similar to ArmorAll but I like it better. Actually I have since applied two coats and the dash and door panels look great.

Last night I adjusted the timing after finding the marks on the flywheel under grime and rust. I tool it out for a late drive to see how she ran. It was dark and cold but all the lights work fine. It being cold I thought I'd try the heater. Nice warm air, but then I turned on the fan and heard all kinds of rattling from the heater box and got a real nasty smell. When I got back the to garage I noticed that the floorboards and dash were covered in little bits of mouse nest! Same material I found under the back seat. Must have been his vacation house. Now I have to pull the center console and heater box. I'll do that at the same time I pull the seats to clean the carpets.

The engine is running better but still seems low on power compared to my other 2L Alfas. Need to confirm that the throttle linkage is fully opening and on the electrical side I need to replace points and wires.
I spoke with the PO and he said he put in performance cams at 49K when he converted to Webers and rebuilt the head and replaced the main bearings. I plan on pulling the cam cover to get the numbers off the cams. Does anyone have a simple way to determine if the motor has high compression pistons? PO was unsure if he did that or not.
 
#13 ·
" then applied Meguiar's"

Great, I don't know if it does the same thing.

I really like your find. I do miss driving our old 75, with it's sportier gearing compared to the 78. Also, as we drove ours across the country from Seattle to Washington DC, while it was a little gutless in the mountains, it had a great feel in the curves with that gearing, the 78 being seemingly more sedate, although generally better in most other aspects.

I liked the 75 hood and grill design better. Didn't really care for that big flat hood on the 78, and the lack of the front vent windows.

We only got rid of the 75 because of the unstoppable rust, whereas the 78 had no rust during the years we had it. Keep after this one with diligence.
 
#14 ·
Me 75 is just as it was 40 years ago. Got the paint cancer, Thanks ALFA, The bumpers had to be changed as well for the same reason. When I brought it to my local ALFA dealership the guy was so impressed with the features it had for it's age, and the condition it was in. The trunk is huge! The room is great. The ride and handling is excellent. Love this Luggage picture, and me Sedan.

Motor vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Bumper



Land vehicle Vehicle Car Classic car Sedan
 
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#15 ·
I think the trunk size of the Milano we have is the biggest irritant my wife has with her car. She was used to the trunk size of her 78 sedan, and while she likes everything else about the Milano, the small trunk kinda pissed her off. That gas tank location is bad compared to the one for the 75-78 Alfettas. regardless of a perceived increase in safety.
 
#16 ·
I did some more interior cleaning. Removed the seats and used the "rug doctor" to clean the carpets. Removed a big chipmunk nest from the heater box and installed a wooden Alfetta coupe wooden steering wheel. I also cleaned up the original radio and installed it.

On the mechanical side, I had to modify the long rod on the throttle linkage. Shortened it up as much as possible and the linkage was still only opening about 3/4 so I cut off about 1/2 in. and rethreaded it. Also adjusted the short rod. Running much better but the carbs are going to need cleaned. The bell crank for the throttle is worn and had slop therefore preventing the throttle from completely open in up. My Duetto was the same was so I will use the same solution. I'll modify the crank with a large diameter piece of pipe and insert a nylon bushing. After the mods the gas pedal response is much better off idle cus there's no slop to take up on initial application of the gas.

Just got the email about the national meet in Nashville. Love that city so my goal will be to have the GTV-6 track ready and the sedan for the show.

Posted some new pics to Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jebones/albums/72157661276406500
 
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#18 ·
I've finally got around to the engine bay on the red sedan. We pulled the motor with the intention of detailing the engine bay and installing a 79 Alfatta motor I have that has performance cams, Wes Ingram pump and great oil pressure and compression.
 

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#19 · (Edited)

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#20 ·
Congrats!
I believe the Alfetta sedans will be untouchable very soon.
These were Alfas trademark during the 70's and they were used in everything
.Family transportation..Grocery getting Bank Roberry. 380 Films..LOL

Hard to to find one in good shape and if you do jump on it faster than Eastwood on his 45!!!

Love the red and rims..
 
#21 ·
great alfetta sedan you found there and hope it all ends up pristine and driven regularly!

As people say the alfetta sedan is getting rarer and pricier and apart from gearchange, is superior, if well setup, stock in every area, than any 105 alfa with superlative rack and pinion steering feel, excellent rear traction no matter the road camber, and reduced unsprung weight front and rear not to mention near 50/50 weight distribution.
The culmination of Alfa Romeos post war efforts and the last platform Busso and Satta signed off on; the susbsequent transaxle models were all offshoots of the alfetta 1972 platform.
 
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