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Alfa GTV6/ Alfetta GT restoration story from Pakistan

60K views 228 replies 38 participants last post by  AlfistiSA 
#1 ·
I have posted earlier about the story of the restoration of my Mk1 1750 GTV 105 series that took all of several years.That is posted on the 105 forum... just search for Pakistan.

Inbetween have have increased the stable with a couple of Minis and a 911sc targa but have always hankered after an Alfetta GT that I had found in Karachi about 750 miles away.

Several years ago I answered an Ad in one of our local newspapers about an Alfa GT that someone wanted to sell. This turned out to eb a callow youth who picked me up form my hotel in one of the emasculated post fuel crisis Mustangs the powewr of which would not skin a boiled potato... and whcih he though was the bees knees.

Anyhow he showed me Car Magazines best Alfas feature in which the Alfa GT was featured along with several others. he wanted the equivalent of 5000 Dollars at the time. The knowledge of Alfettas was evident by teh fact that the purported engine of the car was lying beside it with the gearbox mated to the engine...it was obviously not a transsaxle drivetrain....

I made an offer of 2500 Dollars equivalent which was about 2200 more than I thought it was worth but was told that the man had almost made a deal for 4500 dollars and would only sell to me if I raised the bid.

Anyhow I have to go to Karachi a couple of times a year for examining in our local equivalent of the Boards in Neurosurgery and every time I would make a pilgrimage to the hosue where teh car was parked and slowly rotting away. When I met the owner generally trying to tune another rotten car ( mainly Americana ) I would nake an offer and he would say he wasnt inerested in selling. One visit I found out that he had disposed of the car as a lot with several cars including a Camaro MK 1 convertible....dont know whether it was original or chopped.

So I forgot about it until someone told me he knew the new owner. By this time I was fed up and gave the asking price.... 5000 dollars.. a sucker is born every minute right....

Anyhow pics will be put up in a few minutes....the car now had a Nissan V6 and had the rear subframe removed etc....

Links to a previous thread with some of the story as it continues is here

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/alfetta-gtv6-1972-1986/381625-wanted-rhd-gtv6-cheap.html
 
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#3 ·
the story continued

Having finally got the car over to Lahore it was inspected...It had been stood under a tree for quite some time so the rain gutter area on the roof was corroded and holed.
2. the drivetrain had been replaced by a Nissan V6 with a non transaxle gearbox...as a result the rear subframe had been changed.,...outboard brakes fitted etc
3. The interior had been gutted and replaced by Corolla AE86 Hachiroku type seats......

So the next order of business was to trace a donor vehicle. The search started and a search through the forums as well as a post was helpful.

Got in touch with Vince Bhachu and did a deal with him.... or so I thought....whats with the guy... he just stopped answering my phone and emails. I hope he is well.

So finally contacted Richard at Cheshire Alfa in the UK and did a deal for an 81 GTV6 all complete plus a 3.0 litre from 75 and gearbox along with a rear subframe. So now I have the mechanicals for one car and a donor car with a 2.5 litre with a body in rather tatty shape.

I am now becoming greedy. I think a restoration of the 81 gtv6 is in order along with making an evil twin with the 3 litre and the close ratio box picked up from Cheshire...AH Motorsport .....pics of the 81 GTV6 are coming up
 

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#6 ·
I respect your sense of adventure here! Lots of work ahead for you but for my money I would concentrate on getting together your version of the black car with the 3.0 and just get that 1 car as the bees knees. That would be drool worthy. And a lot of fun.

And then you could see what you have left in the parts/money/time/desire departments to see if you want to build something for the track - and then get another 3.0 for it - it is what it should have had in the first place...
 
#7 ·
Following teh advice and getting just one car together. Some questions.....I have a 3.0 liter engine as well as 2.5....the 3.0 liter does not come with wiring ecu which is all from the 2.5 liter......
Do the 2.5 injectors and wiring work with the 3.0 liter????
 
#8 · (Edited)
Hi,

Agree that first priority must be getting the car s body into good shape! When that is done you can work on with more advanced projects! Personally I would not bother to install throttle bodies in a street car, however when things are in operating order, dropping the L-Jet(or Motronic) injection with its restrictions could be a welcome improvement. The Ron Simons handling(RSR) kit is also something to install if you want a sporty car. In order to improve exhaust efficiency CSC headers and better exhaust system will give extra Power. Frontbrake improvement would be a big Tarox brake kit which really improves braking! This would be a dreamcar for many, but some also prefer a quite standard original car!

About your question about injector impedances, you can just use the L-jet on the 3L with 2,5L injectors(same capacity)! That will work fine!

By the way the no.6 race car is mine! :)

G.
 

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#9 ·
Wow, I feel like I'm doing something unusual owning one of these in the US, but Pakistan, wow... puts my whining about being able to get B-pillar lights or an uncracked dash in perspective! Good luck with the projects.
 
#11 ·
Progress

:smile2::smile2: Here in the developing third world we have to think up innovative ways....the GTV6 could not be got into the country whole as the army has clamped down on smuggling routes form Afghanistan and Iran which have been used for arms smuggling as well....these were the routes used to smuggle in cars. Import of cars over three years old is banned....

So the GTV6 was cut up and imported as scrap. Finally it is here.

Now I have a whole car cut into bits and an Alfetta to transplant the parts into.....there is slight delay as the workshop is having my 1975 Toyota Celica TA22 done up But meanwhile the 3.0 litre engine was opened up just so that we could check it up. Wet liner engines may have water passage problems esepcially if they have been lying around....parts obtained from Chris Sweetapple form Highwood Alfa... very pleasant man. The engine is generally good with a good head and we are just changing the tensioner into a mechanical one and the water pump and seals etc.

More pics later
 

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#12 ·
And so it starts...........

Well the pics are not the greatest quality off a Nokia cell phone. will get some better ones soon. The Alfetta bulkhead and pillars are rotten so it will be basically built floor pan up. The engines have been taken out of both and the bulkhead form the GTV6 will be transferred along with the transmission tunnel, new A pillars will be built up using the GTV6 ones as templates... or these will be welded up. The roof will be transplanted and a roll cage will be put in... ven in a street car for strength. Will have the shell fully seam welded for god measure.


Gentlemen watch this space..LOLZ .as i have said before desperate times call for desperate measures. This seems more and more like a resurrection than a restoratoration or a resto mod
 

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#14 ·
progress ..........

well .. two cars becoming one....fusion of two organisms into one.

The 3 litre engine has been put together and will have the mechanical tensioner. The 2.5 litre just needs rings so will have that done as a back up as well. Slightly more expense but worth it in the end just in case
 

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#15 ·
the engine and other pics

the car will have a roll cage and be seam welded throughout. and there are another two distractions the pics of which I will put up as well. Some may think that is anti Alfa but I think they compliment the Alfa GTV6 in many ways. One a standard coupe and the other one an iconic vehcle form the previous decade.. a 1966 912 Porsche
 

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#18 ·
Wow! Great job so far! You asked about the wiring harness. Yes 3.0 engine connects directly to 2.5 harness. I do not recall having to make any modifications to the engine connections or at the ecu connection ( for model years gtv6 1984-86).

The biggest difference is that you need the orange label 3.0l bosch ecu 0280001134, hopefully it has not been modified internally by anyone. Stock unit works great. Also, Air mass sensor: 0280202108. Injectors are the same for all 2.5-3.0 engines 0280150105.
 
#21 ·
some more pics of the progress

I hope I don't bore people with the story and pics. As you can see the roof is being replaced with the B pillar welded in ..there is view form the inside with the reinforced B Pillar.....the roof of the silver Alfetta GT was completely rusted away and replaced with the roof from the GTV6. The area below the A pillars was also rusted and holed.... something that would consign a car to the crusher in most places but when its the only Alfetta series car in the country .... being replaced with fresh metal on both sides.

The Cubans and how they keep the cars going is a worldwide press story... I think people need to come to Pakiland. :smile2:
 

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#22 ·
more pics of the metalwork

doing the documentation... one cannot appreciate the final product unless the beginning and the journey has been documented.

and a gratuitous picture of the ta22 celica...and one another horror story project waiting in the wings a 124 sport coupe...rusted through and through..............just when you thought this ALFA was bad
 

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#23 ·
engine issue 3.0 litre mechanical belt tensioner

Hving a slight problem. The mech who has put together the 3.0 litre and changed the hydraulic tensioner to a mechanical tensioner says that the spring appears too weak and the timing does not hold if the engine is turned backwards. I cant for the life of me think why the engine would rotate backwards but... can anyone help????
 
#24 · (Edited)
According to Alfa philosophy and procedures the engine should never be turned backwards!! When you do that the tensioner slackens and there is danger of contact valve/pistons, not necessarily but best to avoid! If you have a new mechanical tensioner I think you can rely its safe to use, but never turn this engine backwards, whatever tensioner!

If you wonder if the tensioner is tight enough when turning the engine the right way, there is a thumb rule that you can turn the longest passage of the belt max 90 degrees. then its OK. Not more!

G.
 
#25 ·
the engine has been done

the engine has been done. New rings, main big ends, seals belts the lot. The mechanical tensioner was removed and the previous tensioner with the oil blocked off and constant tension was put on again. New water pump. eventually will have Evans waterless coolant.

and a pic of my old 1750 visiting the workshop for some gearbox work
 

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