Another budget rebuild

[wingwalker]

With no feedback on the question of whether the little grill fixture should stay or go, the jury is still out. It will attach with only four sheet-metal screws, so the decision can wait until the car is painted. And that is the next big project.

[spiderserie4]

personally I think it is time to affix a genuine alfa grille to the project to give it some authenticity (you do not, after all your work, want people to look at it and say "OH that is a kit car based on an alfa romeo!") ..........so, perhaps something like the alfasud grille might work? - it is authentic, yet modern looking??............just an idea, it is your project after all
New Genuine Sprint S1 1976-83 Chrome front grille heart - Alfasud Parts and Spares

[wingwalker]

So, with paint in mind, during the past couple weeks I have been stripping off all the parts that will get in the way of a respray.

Following that, I began the ugly business of grinding off old paint. Some areas are still original, but others have been repainted one or two (or more) times; it's thick.

I've also uncovered body filler here and there. It was worst on the nose. A really poor job of bumping out a dent was covered with a very thick layer of filler -- up to 3/8-inches in some spots. Ditto the left front fender, which also had been crunched sometime in the past. With some help and guidance from my neighbor (who accumulated some 14 years of experience in body shops), we will work the sheetmetal back closer to original contours prior to any more filler. The rule is no more than 1/16th inch of the stuff.

Grinding inside the barn/shop sends dust all over the place, so I've waited for warmer days to grind away outdoors. A good nick in the back of my left hand reminded me that wearing gloves for the chore is advisable. Safety glasses and a respirator also are required. Nasty work, but as of yesterday only the left rear and both doors still need attention.

My neighbor is of the school that shoots epoxy primer prior to filling and block sanding, then that layer is sealed. So, after some metal bumping and patching any rusted spots, the primer will go on.

In the process of stripping back the paint, I have been pleased to find the rockers in solid condition. I have so far only found serious rot in one area -- and it is easy to get at for a repair.

Both corners of the cowl sheet metal had been attacked by the rot bug. I purchased a 4X1-foot hunk of 18-gauge steel from the local farm co-op machine shop and cut some patches. This little project provided a nice opportunity to hone long-dormant sheet-metal mig-welding skills. In fact, I can't recall every using the wire-feed on a car body. When I was 16 I used a little stick welder to reshape a Model-A firewall to make room for a flathead V-8 -- my first hot rod. The welds were really ugly! Took all afternoon, and because I wasn't wearing a shirt, I got a nasty sunburn from the uv rays. For welding rod I used coat hangers. It somehow stuck together, but certainly wasn't pretty. (It was another budget project, and when finished it beat my buddy's new V-8 powered Pontiac -- which had cost many times my investment -- in every drag race we arranged. Taught me that spending doesn't always yield performance.)

Back to the cowl patch: Here's something I learned. I don't think I had ever heard this, but using a magnet to hold a patch in place has disadvantages. The magnet was on the opposite side, and as I welded over that area, the bead broke up and splattered all over the place. I at first thought I needed to readjust the wire feed rate, then the amperage setting, then the gas. But nothing helped. Then I popped off the magnet, and I was back in business.

The final patches are at least sturdy and flush, so very little body filler will be needed. I also tackled the several original holes for the exterior mirror mount. I put an 18-gauge backing plate under the holes, then welded along the edges of the holes. I'm not sure if the proper practice is to then fill the little gaps with weld, or just let filler take care of those indentations. (In the photo, the craters appear deep, but they are only down to the backing plate, which is down only by the thickness of the door panel)

Advice is appreciated.

Here are some photos.

[wingwalker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderserie4 personally I think it is time to affix a genuine alfa grille to the project to give it some authenticity (you do not, after all your work, want people to look at it and say "OH that is a kit car based on an alfa romeo!") ..........so, perhaps something like the alfasud grille might work? - it is authentic, yet modern looking??............just an idea, it is your project after all New Genuine Sprint S1 1976-83 Chrome front grille heart - Alfasud Parts and Spares

[archeologist]

I like the minimalist grill. It suits the theme of the car, and nobody will mistake it for a kit car.

I took a few pictures of the fiberglass bumper, I'll send them or post them to see if it helps you. I wish you had seen it sooner, would have been happy to sell it locally!

[wingwalker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by archeologist I like the minimalist grill. It suits the theme of the car, and nobody will mistake it for a kit car. I took a few pictures of the fiberglass bumper, I'll send them or post them to see if it helps you. I wish you had seen it sooner, would have been happy to sell it locally!

[wingwalker]

It was warm and sunny yesterday, so I rolled the car out of the milking-parlor/shop and went at it hard. By sunset almost all the paint (along with a shocking amount of body filler) was ground off. There are just a few nooks and crannies that need to be hand-sanded.

My neighbor and body-work adviser had dropped by in the morning, and he brought along his stud gun. He demonstrated it on the nose, which, under layers of up to 3/8ths inches old crumbly Bondo, shows the worst denting on the body. In the crease of a small dent, he welded on three studs (takes about a second each) and then finessed the dent out with a puller. Popped right back to the OEM contour. Sweet!

I showed him my first welding patch, the one on the cowl corner, and he was pleased with the fit. However, he said he'd like to see it sealed better with stitch welds from the upper surface (I had welded from the underside). The tiny crack could be sealed with a filler, but he explained that would leave a void that might attract moisture -- and rust. So, I'll do that today.

In the process of stripping, I was pleased to find the body -- including the rocker panels -- is largely rust-free. I say largely, because I did find the start of some rot at one seam. When the weather improves enough to work in that part of the milking parlor, I'll cut out the rot and form a patch panel. Shouldn't require anything exotic, as it is such a small area (at least that's how I feel now; could, of course, get ugly once the area is opened up). I also found a little spot of rot -- very tiny, less than the diameter of a dime -- on the passenger-side front fender. I'll cut it out, too.

I took another photo of the nose that better shows the damage. And a couple photos that show Carlotta naked. The flash accentuates the grind marks. The surface is actually pretty smooth. I found evidence of a past incident on the driver-side door (under a fairly thick layer of filler). And just aft of that is a dent in the body that is actually a tear in the sheet metal. More welding there, too.

Because it is so cold out, I'll stay away from those projects and instead head to the auto-paint store to pick up more supplies my neighbor said I'll need. As you may recall, I've already spent some $210 on paint and epoxy primer. I'm guessing I'll drop an equal amount fulfilling this latest list. Nevertheless, with his help I should save greatly on the DIY approach. He's a perfectionist who was the lead person in a good auto body shop over a 14-year period, so the outcome should be high quality.

One thing this project was not: easy. Grinding off that paint is one of the nastiest jobs so far -- right up there with scrubbing two-decades worth of grime from the engine and gear box after they were pulled. Both very yucky jobs. The satisfaction comes because you do see a huge difference between "before" and "after."

Here are a few photos.

[Superflow]

Regarding your grille, personally, I would extend it all the way down to the air dam. Below is a quick mock-up of my Spider with a Seventies Alfetta GT grille. I eventually will probably use a S2 Spider grille.

Here's a BB link regarding weight loss. If you go to the last page, you can find a list of various Spider component weights that I have started, along with the weights of various years of Spiders:

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/spid...ng-weight.html

My '83 Spider weighs in at 2,460 with a 1/2 tank of fuel.

Last week, I mocked up some light-weight door panels using some mat board that I had on hand. After thinking about a couple of old trucks and cars that I have owned, which had cardboard interior trim, including the door panels, headliner 1949 Chevy truck/Jeep J10 pickup), rear fire wall and load space (Corvair) I probably will keep the mat board door panels. I will eventually make a better one with new board, and trim the exposed cut-out edge with some sort of welt trim. I will also cut off the arm rest metal support.

The last photo is my unfinished bumper end, using the stock side extensions. The entire rear bumper assembly with shocks weighs 25 pounds. Eventually I will cut out the center aluminum crash bar, keeping the ends to mount the outer plastic cover.

[Superflow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderserie4 personally I think it is time to affix a genuine alfa grille to the project to give it some authenticity (you do not, after all your work, want people to look at it and say "OH that is a kit car based on an alfa romeo!") ..........so, perhaps something like the alfasud grille might work? - it is authentic, yet modern looking??............just an idea, it is your project after all New Genuine Sprint S1 1976-83 Chrome front grille heart - Alfasud Parts and Spares

[60sRacer]

You should spray the bare metal with etching primer ASAP!

Examples:

SEM SELF ETCHING PRIMER #39693 GREEN SPRAY CAN on eBay!

SELF ETCHING PRIMER-POR-15 Inc.

Best price:

Etching Primer - Harbor Freight Tools

Robert

[spiderserie4]

have asked a sud owner to measure his grill - will get back

[Superflow]

@spiderserie4: Thanks!

[wingwalker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 60sRacer You should spray the bare metal with etching primer ASAP! Examples: SEM SELF ETCHING PRIMER #39693 GREEN SPRAY CAN on eBay! SELF ETCHING PRIMER-POR-15 Inc. Best price: Etching Primer - Harbor Freight Tools Robert

[wingwalker]

Superflow,
I've found your tally of weights useful, and I look forward to weighing my car. It started out -- according to the factory specs -- at close to 2,600 pounds. I've pulled a lot of weight out of it. And a PO managed to lose most of the interior, so that weight won't be coming back. It would be nice to restore it to 1974 weight (or, preferably, well under).

Your idea about cutting out the cross-brace on the door and opening it up is something I may do if I expand my roll bar into a 6-point cage. It would allow side bars to flare out and leave the driver and passenger with some room to wiggle around. But that's in the future.

As for the grill, I think I'll wait until I have paint on the car and have been able to view it form various angle. Then I'll decide on that little item.

[60sRacer]

The etching primer is essentially acid plus zinc, with a binder to hold it in place. There was a discussion (I started it!) on etching primer vs epoxy primer that concluded that bare metal needs the etching primer as soon as possible. That's why I use the rattle cans - never have to stop to mix, strain, clean gun, etc.

After that, a good epoxy primer on the still painted areas if any, but not needed over the etching primer. A good poly two part high build primer (not quite the same as an epoxy, which is banned in SoCal by the Air Quality Police, but just as good and made in a water base now) is the overall primer, sand, primer, repeat forever....

I'm partial to hours of hammer and dolly rather than layers of filler. I keep finding the filler ends up as a slight lump in what would have been a straight body. A long body file (actually sandpaper holder, but body guys have strange names for things) that is slightly flexible for the curves does a great job. Get a cheap dark primer for a really dry, dusting only guide coat over the poly primer and you can find even the smallest dips in the flat panels.....

It's amazing how many hours go into the prime, sand, prime, etc. Then one day you think you're done and you shoot two coats of color and three coats of clear in a few hours and SUDDENLY the car is gorgeous and done!

Robert

You should find that Alfa (Pininfarina actually) used filler on brand new bodies.....