[bulletpruf]

Have enjoyed reading this saga horsewidower and pulling for you to get this fine machine performing like it should soon. Thanks for posting all the updates and photos.

My sentiments as well. Took me a few days of reading a bit here and there, but I just finished all 27 pages. I don't have a GTV6 but it's still a good read.

 

[bulletpruf]

I ended up with VHT chassis and roll bar paint. I wanted satin, but the McParts store only had gloss. Not my first choice, but availability was a first concern.

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Mission essential supplies for me - always have to have some satin black on hand, along with flat/satin clear.

 

[bulletpruf]

My anti-grime, anti-rust OCD is killing my schedule.

Several parts sat overnight in a large basin of Supreme Clean. I rinsed them off and they are now sitting in Evaporust.

Man, I hear what you're saying on the rust and grime OCD! Cleaning and de-rusting is therapeutic, isn't it?

And what is this Supreme Clean that you speak of? My regimen is usually Simple Green followed by a blast or two of chlorinated brake cleaner, but always on the lookout for something new/exciting/different.

 

[horsewidower]

Thanks for all the attention. I'll take a picture of the Supreme Clean bottle and post it.

We hit our first high 90*-low 100* this weekend. I attached the hose to my hillybilly AC system at the workshop...landscaping misters over the doorway. LOL

I spent hours and hours on equipment repair, but unfortunately nothing from the Alfa brand. So, starting the month with a 3 hour deficit of effort.

 

[horsewidower]

"Best laid plans of mice and men..."

What I planned to be working on this weekend:

What I'm working on this weekend:

I could put the flail mower on the big tractor, but then I'd be replacing fence lines and gates. It's great that the Lovely Donna let's her young clients do farm work, but there is a cost...

I hope to swing a few wrenches on the GTV6 as I wait for a few things to dry on the lawn tractors.

Oh, and Super Clean:

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[Del]

"blast or two of chlorinated brake cleaner"

Be very careful using that stuff, as it can be very dangerous, esp when heated. Vapors may decompose to harmful or fatal corrosive gases such as hydrogen chloride and possible phosgene. One should use only the nonchlorinated versions.

 

[alfaloco]

Yep... Super Clean does work well. I keep some around the garage.

So you got waylaid with mowers too? I had to put a traction drive belt on my walk behind 1995 model Lawn Boy, and the actuator cable. Darn original belt lasted 22 years. That Lawn Boy still runs fine, and it's a year older than son Mike! Got a bit of rust showing up on the deck, though.

I agree let's get back onto our Alfas!

 

[horsewidower]

Speaking of rust on a deck:

The rust converter is doing its magic. While that's happening my son helped me press the bushings in and out. When the paint drys I'll reinstall the passenger side suspension.

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[horsewidower]

Workshop was needed for other purposes. So we threw everything on and pushed it out.

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[Del]

Love the work you are doing on the car to restore it, but, lol, having trouble getting past that front end. However, not your problem. I'm sure it will be a fine running Alfa.

 

[horsewidower]

Love the work you are doing on the car to restore it, but, lol, having trouble getting past that front end. However, not your problem. I'm sure it will be a fine running Alfa.

We are a long way from dealing with the final aesthetic. The front is missing the grille headlights, air dam and bumper. Give it some time. We're still at the envision stage, execution...well we'll see.


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[horsewidower]

But...I'm not a huge fan of the tug boat spec bumper.


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[Del]

The thing which comes to mind (remembering a little of my aero classes) is that you want to reduce the front air access to the engine bay to the minimum required for cooling. The air going into the bay ends up under the car body, and if there is too much, it piles up in the bay and under the car, and creates drag, a lot of drag. I see some big holes there.

That's why race cars, and regular cars as well to a minor extent, have minimum holes in the front, and air dams under the chin of the front. Race cars also have real side skirts and bottom closure panels (and a few top end exotics as well) to be even more efficient at this. These designs are to reduce the total vehicle drag.

Nascar cars have air dams and skirts clear down to the pavement for maximum effect at the 200 mph speeds they can run at.

Basically, I'm saying that if you don't need the large open areas for cooling requirements, get rid of the excess. My impression, having owned 2 GTV6s, is that the original design was adequate.

 

[horsewidower]

Del, this is an unaltered stock front end, just stripped down to its base sheet metal. I've made no alterations. Usually it's covered by the stock air dam and bumper.

When I built my racecar I followed the NACA specs for ducting air to the inter cooler and radiator. It was astonishing how small an opening could be used to cool the car. I couldn't agree with you more.


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[alfaloco]

Workshop was needed for other purposes. So we threw everything on and pushed it out.

Well Bob, I suppose the Ponderosa has needs, too. :grin2: How much acreage you have there?

 

[Del]

I sure don't remember seeing such big holes in my GTV6s, but then again I never took the front bumper off. All right, never mind what I said if Alfa decided that's what they needed for that car, evidently for stop and go or low speed airflow cooling. I just wonder if they guessed at what they thought they needed.

Normal highway speed driving usually doesn't need that much air flow for cooling, the engine running only at partial throttle and getting sufficient ram airflow.

Ford once had a car where the grill slats were designed just so, so that at low speed they let enough air in for cooling flow through the radiator, but at higher speeds, the unmoving slat design caused the airflow to bunch up between the slats and blocked some of the air coming through to reduce the engine bay and underneath drag while providing just enough air for needed "at speed" cooling, which is less than slow stop and go driving. I thought it was very ingenious.

 

[fourmotioneer]

I sure don't remember seeing such big holes in my GTV6s, but then again I never took the front bumper off. All right, never mind what I said if Alfa decided that's what they needed for that car.

That's definitely what they look like with the bumper (and possibly front air dam?) removed...

 

[alfaloco]

As son Mike is showing you here, that's the only way to get that larger radiator to fit, along with an A/C condensor!

 

[horsewidower]

Son is home from Texas, so the workshop was cleared for a meeting with his friends:

The property is small but intensively horse farmed. 7-12 horses, some owned, some boarded (the Lovely Donna and I have an agreement, I don't question her horse activities, she doesn't question my car activities) a goat, 3 cats, down to 2 dogs (had 5, 3 hit their expiration this year ☹) 19 chickens, and who knows what else is hanging.

The Lovely Donna can break an anvil with a feather pillow, so I'm kept busy.

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[alfaloco]

Bob!!! Out there past your tractor, in the tree line!! I swear I see a JACKALOPE! You reckon they're native species?