Alfa Mods gone WRONG!

**John M** · #1 (**permalink**) 05-16-2003, 10:54 PM

A sad Spider on Ebay

Just saw this one on ebay. It hurt me to see this and left me wondering.............Must be some rancid weed in Texas!

Dismayed,

John M

67GTV · #2 (**permalink**) 05-16-2003, 11:59 PM

At first I didn't notice anything too bad about this Spider. I mean the blinding white seats and red wheel centers are too much. But then, I checked out that engine. Blyack! Now I know what you were referring to. Rancid weed indeed!

I bought a 2 liter that might be the sister of that Spider's engine.

**John M** · #3 (**permalink**) 05-17-2003, 08:33 AM

Could be related but yours must have been painted first. It looks like he (Bubba) ran out of paint on his. What caught my attention on this Spider was the fact that it was a otherwise very nice Spider (79 with 50k original miles and rebuilt only 10k ago). From the milk jug overflow bottle to the multicolor floor mats to the red racing strips on the mirrors, this guy was an artist. Anyway, owning a 78 myself, I wanted to grab the owner of this one at the shoulders and give him a good shake and say, "Snap out of it MAN!"

Still Dismayed,
John M

**Roadtrip** · #4 (**permalink**) 05-18-2003, 08:37 PM

UGH! It made me queeezy just to look at it.

Let's take a poll:

The owner of this Alfa . . .

1. Is Pee Wee Herman

1. Is color blind.

2. Is a pimp.

3. Has no taste whatsoever.

4. Should be charged with Alfa abuse, flogged, and made to strip every bit of paint off that engine.

**John M** · #5 (**permalink**) 05-19-2003, 01:57 AM

I vote for #4!

After he strips the paint off the motor and radiator, I think the 'ARTIST' should have to put the entire car back as it belongs. You know, it would be a great car if Picasso hadn't got his hands on it.

Taking Oxygen Now,
John M

67GTV · #6 (**permalink**) 05-19-2003, 11:33 AM

5. All of the above!

John, you should drive down to Houston and show 'em what an Alfa engine is supposed to look like!

**John M** · #7 (**permalink**) 05-19-2003, 01:03 PM

Hey Kai:

That guy is probably a member of the Texas Mafia. Fancy I-TAIL-YOUNG paint job and momo accesories spells disaster in my book. You know those guys in Texas all pack guns. He would probably shoot me....or worse yet....... spray me down with his trusty paint gun.

I change my vote to #5 as well.

Pack'N Paint Thinner,
John M

turbolarespider · #8 (**permalink**) 05-20-2003, 02:33 PM

Ah, come on, you guys are mean...

What if you saw a spider that actually had art on it, something like the BMW Art cars. That would be cool, right??

Eric

alfacupp · #9 (**permalink**) 05-20-2003, 03:22 PM

That guy is no Andy Warhol, for goodness sake there is green shag carpet in the trunk.

**John M** · #10 (**permalink**) 05-20-2003, 03:32 PM

Hey All:

I get it now. That green shag in the trunk clarified it for me. Its his portable putting green. The entire car does have a minature golf theme to it.

Surely someone over TX way will buy that car out of mercy and put it back as it belongs. All you guys in the Southern Cal Alfa Assoc should chip in and buy this one and save it from its current state.

On another subject to Turbo:

How does the rest of the power train stand up to the turbo output. I would love to go down this road with the 2.0, but was wondering if I would have to build a stronger trans all the way to the rear diff stronger? Whats been your experience?

Praying for a Miracle,
John M

turbolarespider · #11 (**permalink**) 05-21-2003, 09:00 AM

So far, so good.

I don't think the drivetrain is a problem, as Jim Steck puts about 100 more hp through the system than we do, and he's only broken 3rd gear. Other than that, its ok.

To be honest, I have no idea how much power we are putting down, but a week ago, the car did a 14.15 1/4 mile. And I think we should be able to go into the 13's with some adjustments.

Eric

**John M** · #12 (**permalink**) 05-27-2003, 01:54 PM

Hey Eric:

What would it cost to do a complete turbo build up if you had a spare motor on hand (stock configuration)? I am considering trying to find a sad shape 91 or newer for restoration and drop a turbo in the hatch and would like to access what it would cost. Steck is close by for me so I may run up his way and beg for his time.

Best Regards,
John M

turbolarespider · #13 (**permalink**) 05-28-2003, 07:28 AM

John
It depends. If you want to do a hack job, like we did, you can do it for very cheap: Turbo- $30, intercooler- $100, ECM- $450, intake- $30 (you already have that), injectors- $50, exhaust manifold- $100, rest of exhaust- $150. Remember, we had to keep the car's budget under $2k to be able to compete. So a lot of the parts we used, or re-used out of necessity.

But we also did a LOT of work to the engine- machined the pistons to 8:1, modified the head for the intake, drilled the #2 and #4 oil galleys... It goes on.

I would think that a really good turbo could be done for about $2k of real costs with some used hardware, $4k for all new stuff.

Contact Jim Steck- he's done a few conversions, and is reasonably close to you in Dayton, Ohio.

Eric

67GTV · #14 (**permalink**) 05-28-2003, 12:01 PM

She's back! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=5356

More "mods" I've noticed:
- aluminum-ish strips on bumpers (bathroom trim?)
- red dust shield under sump (??)
- 3rd brake light
- large diameter exhaust pipe
- red stripes on mirrors
- air horns (sounds truely Italian or just like a lunch truck?)

**John M** · #15 (**permalink**) 05-28-2003, 12:11 PM

Hey Kai:

You should buy that one and put it back. Too far for me. I would give them $500. Hell, I could take it to the county fair and sell tickets to the practice putting green in the trunk. It would be a huge money money maker!

John M