'63 Giulia Spider Normale Restoration (Euro) - Page 4

**pathung** · #46 (**permalink**) 09-16-2006, 01:15 AM

Jonathan,

It's nice to know that my sickness is a common malady! Would love to see some pics of your project! Please feel free to post it here if you like.

We have three guys down here in the Santa Cruz/Aptos area with 750/101s, and two of them have gone through complete restorations. Perhaps we could be of help with your windshield.

I guess that I really lucked out with my gauges, as I like the earlier ones better.

Please keep the rest of us posted on your progress - how far along are you?

**tipo101** · #47 (**permalink**) 09-16-2006, 12:17 PM

Patrick,
I'm 95% on the body and paint. Just started weatherstrip install and finished up getting the seats refurbed. I will get the wheels cleaned and powder coated next, then will have to put it all on hold for a few weeks while I attend to some building construction before the wet weather arrives.
I'll get some pictures soon.

Any idea from your crowd about what removes the sealant from the windshield rubber. I heard from the body man that WD-40 is the "solvent" to use. Haven't tried it yet. I did start a thread re: windshield, and have one reply offering some tips and encouragement (I need all I can get!)

I have been doing some thinking about ways to reinforce the trunk hinge/topclip. I have seen way too many broken at the flat, and it seems that it is a poorly designed casting for potmetal. I will share some of this soon as I have time to organize my thoughts (right!!!). Anyone done anything along these lines...reinforcing the hinge I mean, not organizing my thoughts.

I had my fuel tank LineX'ed (on the outside, of course) after cleaning and lining the the inside with Kreem. The LineX while certainly not "original" really did make the tank seem more substantial, and it looks great.

Question: what is the nature of the weather strip behind the back bumper? It goes over the horizontal seam there apparently. Mine is missing, and there seems to be a major difference in price depending on where you buy it. I would like to make an informed decision. Any help appreciated.

I'm a ex-Monterey Bay man myself. Carmel Highlands and later Carmel Valley. Now I've been in Mendocino County for 28 years and I'm still concidered one of the "new people". Many great roads for exercising the ol' Alfa around here, as there are in your territory.

Jonathan

fluongo1 · #48 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 04:26 PM

Hello everyone. My '65 Giulia Spider has sat in the garage since 1973. Several times I brought myself right to the point of selling it. It has some dents and mild rust with substantial chrome pitting and various problems none of which is terminal. However my latest decision to sell the vehicle created such a backlash from the part of me which stills loves it to death that I decided to try to get it
going and slowly improving it.

My first step was to fill the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil four days ago.
Yesterday I removed the radiator which is probably a basket case although the fluid didn't leak out the surfaces are heavily rusted and flaking.
I had the idea in mind that if I couldn't get the crankshaft to turn after a few weeks of soaking that I would have to dispose of the vehicle, since I have a hard time trusting someone to be capable and honest in getting it going and I didn't want to spend the money for a complete engine rebuild as well as all the associated expenses.

Lo and behold today when I put a breaker bar to the crankshaft after taking out the plugs it turned the engine as easily as if it had been running just yesterday. I am very excited by this and want to not screw this up. The next steps I have in mind are to rebuild the carburetor, replace the fuel lines, remove and clean out the gas tank and try to start the engine.

I would really appreciate some feedback and suggestions with respect to what I have described and my intended course of action. Particularly I wonder about the necessity of rebuiling the carb, as well as what I may be missing.

Thanks

alfazagato · #49 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 04:58 PM

Why not blow out the fuel lines where they are not perished, change the fuel filter, replace the points and plugs and give it a try. Turn the engine over without the plugs and get oil pressure to show before attempting to it . At the best it might start, at the worst you will have to do the items you list. Think of the fun in hearing it start. Best of luck!

fluongo1 · #50 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 05:15 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm really tempted to put a battery in and see if I can crank her with the starter
but I'm inclined to be cautious about the age of the gasoline and the contents and age of the oil reservoir. Whatever I do I want to get some idea if this car will start before the weather here in Maine gets too cold (about a month from now) to keep working in an unheated garage. The "fun" of hearing the engine start is a massive understatement of what it would feel like to me. I've owned the car since 1972, had the engine rebuilt and a new exhaust system installed
(from Int'l auto parts with a lifetime warranty!), and only drove it 2000 miles when second gear started to give me trouble. So I put it away and haven't bothered much with it till now.

One thread here mentioned a replacement aluminum radiator which I checked into which would cost about $600. I am not a purist and would consider such an extravagance if I can get the engine running.

**pathung** · #51 (**permalink**) 10-07-2006, 07:05 PM

It's been a year, and the tear-down is complete. The car's now sitting on a wooden dolly, and will go in this coming Monday for media-blasting (interior, engine compartment, trunk, undertray); then it's off to get painted.

Following are photos I took today of my two Spiders, before one of them turns into a svelte black car. It's a good day.

alfazagato · #52 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 08:11 AM

Can't wait to see the results Patrick.

alfa soon · #53 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 08:45 PM

Hey Patrick,

Who are you having do the blasting, and what are you going to have them use? Akitaman seemed to be concerned about panel warpage on one of his GTV restos.

Fluongo1, you should start a thread of your own and post a few pictures in this section, You'll get a lot bigger response as BBers like to see a new thread! I'm in a very similar situation to you with my 62 Spider except that it came out of a dry garage in California. I have to agree that hearing it run will be a big boost for you to be motivated to carry out your plans.

**pathung** · #54 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006, 09:55 PM

Matt,

My blaster (Bruce) was recommended by Tom Sahines, so I'm sure it's a good start. I'll be talking to Bruce tomorrow before he gets down to work, and will post details afterwards. I'm very much aware of panel warpage, hence my plan to simply do the "non-surface" areas of the car, where most of the rust is anyway. Andy Schank (my painter, also highly recommended by Tom) wonders if Bruce could even tackle the outer panels... I don't know, but will certainly find out tomorrow. Were you at the All Italian Car Day today, by any chance? I ran into a number of BBers there.

fluongo1 · #55 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 02:07 PM

Thanks for the suggestion Matt. As soon as I get some pics together that's just what I'll do.

Frank

**pathung** · #56 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 08:31 PM

Finally, onto the trailer and outta my sight - for a few weeks!

The chassis/dolly rode on the trailer to Fremont, CA without incident; the Chinese-made tie-downs were better than I thought! In any case, my blast guy and I had a good tete-a-tete, and we decided to do some of the larger panels as well, but with the doors and lids, he'll only do the edges, and leave the center sections for the painter to manually strip. Good compromise between speed and no-warpage, in my opinion. Apparently, it'll only take him between three and four hours. I also gave him the wheels to blast. I'll take more pictures after blasting.

Vivace · #57 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 08:44 PM

Did you say it's going to be black? That will be beautiful. What will the interior color be?

**pathung** · #58 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 09:30 PM

Hi Mike,

Yes, it's going to be black, and the interior will be a SINFULLY BRIGHT RED, of course. Attaching a pic of a car I'm modeling after, fog lights included! This photo was shot at 2005's RM Auction in Monterey (not by me, however).

alfazagato · #59 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 01:33 AM

Patrick,
Black and sinful red...a great combination! My California based Spyder Veloce is that livery and is great. If you need it I can let you have the details on the red. It is not a 501 blue/red but more like a Pininfarina red...veering to the orange.
My '56 UK Spyder is graphite grey and I am proposing a burgundy interior. Anybody have details on a period Alfa burgundy?

Vivace · #60 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pathung

Hi Mike,

Yes, it's going to be black, and the interior will be a SINFULLY BRIGHT RED, of course....