[AR4me]

In preparation for putting the "new" transaxle back in I cross-bolted the transmission mounts in order to stiffen them up and extend their life. I have seen a number of people do this, e.g. Barry, Greg G. Find a suitable bolt and nut at your local hardware store and drill a suitable diameter hole.

We'll see how it works out.

Jes

 

[AR4me]

Putting transaxle back in

Colin stopped by and we put the "new" transaxle back in.

Before mounting the "new" transaxle I wire brushed the Dedion to get the worst of the (20 year) road grime off. A 20 min job was well worth it.

After that we bolted the Transaxle to the left and right transmission mounts on the front cross-member (attached to the Dedion). A rear jack with a smaller board lifted the rear of the Dedion and the rear of the transmission at once, and a front jack lifted a board supporting the front Dedion cross member from side to side. The Driveshaft was supported on a jack stand from the disassembly. It was fairly straightforward to roll the whole thing under their, gently jack it up, and slide it the last inch forward to engage the driveshaft. Note that the pinch bolt was loosened in order to accommodate any change in alignment with the "new" transmission. The driveshaft was bolted to the transmission. After that the rear transmission mount was bolted to the chassis, the front cross member bolted to the chassis, and the shift linkage was reconnected. That's it for today. Hopefully, it will be completed during the remaining evenings of the week.

Pics:
1. Cleaned up Dedion.
2. Dedion with transxle ready to be rolled under the car on two jacks, and jacked up to engage the driveshaft.
3. Back where it belongs.
4. Close-up.

Jes

 

[smestas]

Jes you are a true man on a mission!!

Thanks for taking the time to take pictures for the rest of us. I know its not easy to stop and take pictures especially when greasy.

I'm loving the daily updates. Keep 'em coming.

 

[Philip Hehir]

Hi Jes.

I presume you still run the standard fuel tank? Which for the v6 is in the trunk. Do you lose points if you use a fuel cell? If so perhaps you might want to put in a twin spark version fuel tank in which is smaller and bolts on under the trunk in that space on the right (so lighter, lower and further back)

Perhaps an option if you run out of things to do and find yourself at a loose end.

Phil.

 

[AR4me]

Perhaps an option if you run out of things to do and find yourself at a loose end.

Hehe...
The 75 TS were never imported to the US, so that is probably not practical. I'm planning to add a fuel cell for safety - just couldn't find time for it before the next event in 1.5 weeks. However, I will still mount it in the trunk, perhaps I will try to get it somewhat lower (mostly due to its shape being more flat).
Jes

 

[AR4me]

RSR install - rear

Some more progress tonight:
- Hooked up clutch slave cylinder hydraulic line.
- Hooked up rear brake lines at transaxle.
- Reconnected all electricals at transaxle.
- Bolted Watts to chassis.
- Reconnected rear swaybar to Dedion
- Installed RS Racing rear coil and shock

Installing the RS Racing rear coils and shocks is straightforward. First task is to mount the height adjuster (Pic 1) to the Dedion. The existing hole at the center of the spring support on the Dedion is too small. A drill size of 15/32" is a perfect fit, IF the bolt could go straight in. However, when installing bolt from underneath, the Dedion tube interfers initially and the bolt needs to enter the hole at an angle. I ended up drilling with a 33/64" bit and angle it a bit in a similar angle as the bolt. That provided a suitable hole (Pic 2, 3). From here it is straightforward. I mounted the shock upside-down to reduce unsprung weight. With swaybar disconnected bolt top of shock loosely to mount inside car. Sit spring on adjuster, raise the corner of the Dedion with a jack aligning swarbay endlink as well as shock at Dedion with their respective mounting holes. Guide the two through the holes while making sure the spring goes on the perch at the top (I took out the metal ring). Then simply bolt bottom of shock and lock with the two 14 mm nuts - I used two poly bushings, bolt top of shock (no poly used), and bolt swaybar endlink to Dedion. All done, Pic 4

Jes

 

[AR4me]

What's left before WSR?

So, what's left before the WSR, Oct 21-22, event:
- bolt halfshafts back on
- re-mount exhaust
- re-mount rear bumper
- fill transaxle oil
- fill brake fluid and bleed brakes and clutch
- change engine oil
- mount front swaybar incl. reinforcement of mouting points
- tighten pinch bolt after running engine
- adjust rear ride height with adjusters
- mount and balance 205/50-15 tires on gtv6 wheels
- alignment
- tech

Jes

 

[junglejustice]

Jes! Where are my nifty support plates for the rear spring perches...!!!???Do you need the little bushings upfront for the lower control-arms (fitted with the front anti-roll bar reaction arms?)

I'll send you a set when I get to Seattle - just landed in Houston yesterday.

Also, what about the center poly bushes for the bar - did Joe send you some?

Good job there buddy - save some energy for "Phoenix" - myself, I am all over "Phoenix" AND "v2.0" as soon as I land back in Seattle...

Going to see Andrew Garcia tomorrow while I am here...

Jet-lagged....

 

[AR4me]

The little plates are there. They are just barely the size of the adjuster so they don't show much (unless you are talking about something else). I spoke with Joe and Chris, they will put two spacers in the mail. I was only missing one for each stud on the lower A arm on my good old 30 mm front swaybar. Already have 30 mm poly for the front swaybar from Performatek - had them waiting to be put into service

Jet-lag? Hehe, nah, you've got hang-over. Wake up, the party is over

Jes

 

[junglejustice]

-Funny guy It's jet-lag! REALLY officer...

no-no... I was talking about the 100mm ones that I had Big-John turn up for us as seen here... http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=22873&highlight=perch

I'll send you a set today with the 70kg springs and the steering extender; I'll also verify with Joe & Chris that the spacers for the LC arms did go out...

 

[AR4me]

Thanks! Yes, you are correct. I do not have the "bigger" plates to distribute the load from the adjuster.

It's jet-lag! REALLY officer...

Probably the same excuse George Michael has used lately in London
Jes

 

[La Voce]

Fantastic stuff! Rock on! More pictures, more work, more mods!
Uhh, exactly how is this a "budget" track car? Do you mean budget as in approaching the US budget deficit

 

[AR4me]

I know, I know, but I'm still trying to do things in a cost effective way.

Do you mean budget as in approaching the US budget deficit

Funny, that's exactly how my wife feels
Jes

 

[Belfast Child]

Outstanding stuff. I have been sitting here for I don't know how long reading all this stuff.

Why, O why can't someone produce a how to manual for all this in hard copy. I would love to hear about the 3.7 24v engine swap.

As we say back in the old country "Keep er lit".

 

[AR4me]

Finished a few more things tonight - after not doing anything yesterday

- Mounted the light weight rear bumper, looks stock
- Mounted the halfshafts - pic1
- Mounted the exhaust - pic2
- Changed oil and filter

It is getting there.

Jes

 

[junglejustice]

...yeah, "budget" really is a relative thing, is it not...

I think that what Jes has done here is show each of us that this really can be done by someone with basic tools and technical skills (even skills as basic as Jes' )

Seriously, in contrast to how we built/are building the two 3.7s with big engine budgets, FIA roll-cages, shiny go-fast crap everywhere, major modification to almost every aspect of the car and working out of a shop with lifts etc, Roxanne was really done in the driveway with as little money as is possible and with a defined race-class in mind to make her the competitive and fun track ***** that she is!

The key to keep in mind is that while she may be no barn-burner in the straights or under torque, she will give NOTHING up to the 3.7 in the corner... The 3.7 is going to be a bit lighter and that should account for something however, the suspensions are key - they're identical. Tire and wheel selection is EQUALLY important.

I have been in the car with Ron Simons on the Nurburgring now many times when he gets passed by a big wallet on the straights, only to nudge the same driver through the corners - we're talking the likes of 200,000 Euro 911 GT3RS cars here - once you break the momentum of one of those things and you match their entry speed to that of the Alfa with this suspension, even the little Twin Spark 2.0 gives nothing up! I have watched him do it!

As for the how-to manual, well, here it is - on the BB - free of charge - better go and make my donation to Simon Smestas now lest I lose my library access...

 

[AR4me]

So, finished up little things tonight to get it on the ground and drive it. After driving it and tightening the pinch bolt we took it out again. Ride height is pretty good and the transaxle feels good - nice to be able to shift without grinding

However, oddly it has quite strong vibration above 3300 RPM - we are scratching our heads The driveshaft has not been out nor unbolted, except from the clutch. The transaxle was pulled and replaced with a transaxle I have driven before (perfectly smooth). So, that leaves us with the modification to the transaxle side mounts (the bolt through).

Could that cause significant vibration to be transferred to the chassis?

That's the theory at this point, since driveline was smooth before, and the "new" transaxle was smooth as well.

A couple of pics of the car on the ground.

Jes

 

[Gilles]

Jes,

I like the rear better with the side running lights, but you can remove the light bulb to save weight.. ha!

It was nice seeing you yesterday among with all the great cars
Gilles

 

[junglejustice]

Jes, absolutely - the bolt through made the difference! Go see Barry'srecent post about his experiences... What do you want? A/C

 

[Matthew K]

Did you have your driveshaft balanced at high RPM? With the box at the back the driveshaft spins much faster than for cars with the box at the front (of course you know this, but it means most balancing setups don't spin the shaft fast enough to simulate what happens in the Milano).

And hey! get that Alfa badge back on the trunk lid! After all, it's the rear of your car that the other drivers will be looking at, right?