1967 Sprint GT Restoration

[GTV-GR]

20 k will be just the body...

[SpiderWebb]

I've started out with a straight, no-rust, '81 Spider. I bought it for $1,000. I'll soon be out $9,000 ($1k + $8k) on lots of rebuilds and parts. And I have barely touched the interior or body. But mechanically speaking, other than the engine block, I basically have a completely brand new, reliable, 1981 Spider. Compared with my 2004 Durango that drinks gas like a 'Frat Initiate on spring break', runs like crap, and is boring, my spider's a bargain! It sips the stuff and I can't stop grinning while driving it. Yes, it makes little logical sense when the resale value is so low. But, I'm enjoying the heck out of my nice Older Spider.

To the point:
With regards to this GTV car project? If it is too rusted out to save, it will become obvious in due time. Another life lesson learned. But, what if it's not too rusty in the end? What if it all falls together like he envisions it? What price would that kind of satisfaction cost anywhere else in life?

Pathung can always buy a second GTV and transfer the good bits he's bought to the new car. It is very good for us to point out the real world pitfalls and heavy costs. I'm sure the constructive criticism is helpful and wanted. But if pathung gets years of dreaming and fun out of it...

It's his car, his burden, his fun, his dream. Pathung, if you see the end result in your mind, and have that inner fire to go all the way and have the scratch to pull it off, I can't wait to see its journey.

I’ll be one of your cheerleaders…

Go for it pathung!

[GregTV]

Don't let these guys scare you

If you're comfortable with a fun driver (as apposed to a trailer queen) do all the work yourself. I did all my body work and paint, and I only have around $2K into it. Looks great! Of course, I spent countless hours in the garage welding and block sanding

I say go for it!

[pathung]

I doubt that bodywork and paint will take $20K, and am relatively confident that my limit of $10K won't be exceeded. No sense arguing or getting scared about this potential money-pit, yeah? If the passion's there to get THIS car fixed up, and it's there, by all means I'm going to get started... slowly.

As I mentioned earlier, I'll try to get the brakes working again so that I can have some fun with the car on Alfa tours for a season or two before tearing it down - this has been my mistake with my current Giulia project - should've had a couple of years' of driving fun first!

Hopefully I'll make some progress this coming long weekend.

[italcarguy]

Have you ever thought about making this car the racer and restoring the Sprint for street use?

[pathung]

Anthony, your suggestion was my initial intention, till I decided that racing with my mechanic in his Giulietta group would be quite a lot of fun; hence the thought of turning the GTV into a racy street/track-day car instead. I also plan to auto-cross it when I get a chance. That's the plan, anyway.

I figure that I already have the Giulia Spider for the Giulietta events, so there's no need to have a similar car for the street.

[pathung]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chsmadden ... is it carbs or SPICA? Good luck!

[alfa2go]

Are you sure a 67 had DCOE4s? I thought that was just the Sprint GTs that finished in 1966 and from mid 66 on the GT Veloce had DCOE27s

[pathung]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfa2go Are you sure a 67 had DCOE4s? I thought that was just the Sprint GTs that finished in 1966 and from mid 66 on the GT Veloce had DCOE27s

[alfa soon]

Knowing Alfa, DCOE 4's and 27's were probably used on a 'whatever was on hand on a given build day' basis, and the change-over point is more like a 6 month or longer phase-in.

Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale

[emerald]

for what it's worth, my '67 GTV has DCOE 27s on her. Any correlation between flavor of DCOE and Italian versus US market? If remember right, mine was built in June of '67.

[pathung]

David, my car was built in July of '67.

[pathung]

Here it is, the front brake caliper. It looks pretty bad, and not having yet looked at the parts book, I can't tell what component is what, not having ever rebuilt calipers myself - aren't there pistons that slide in and out, pushing the pads against the disk? I'll find out.

At $110 each, a rebuilt caliper from Centerline seems like a good idea at this point, though they require that I send in the old ones.

[emerald]

They really don't look too bad, yet. Your pictures of the inside are of the pistons you ask about, and yes, you need to remove them. Their condition will have more to bear on rebuilding them yourself or exchanging them. In a perfect world, the pistons will slide right out. Hook up a grease gun to the caliper and pump them out if needed. If one side pops/moves and the other is frozen, use a C clamp to hold the moving side from popping out and thereby break the frozen piston loose. If the pistons are not pitted, you can probably rebuild the caliper yourself for a good savings if a kit is available. If you need to also replace the pistons, it might be worth just doing an exchange. Check prices. Calipers are not too hard to rebuild. Do one and the next three will be easy

[pathung]

Thanks for the instructions, David, I'd like to attempt rebuilding before sending them in for exchange. Silly question, but where do I attach the grease gun's nozzle to... I'm guessing where the brake line is attached? Also, the bleeder nozzle just threads out? It seems badly rusted, and I'd like to replace these with speed bleeders for future convenience. I'd also like to media-blast the exterior during the rebuild, and presume that blasting should be done prior to my taking anything apart in order to keep the media out of sensitive areas?

Comments welcomed! Thanks.