[SportSedanGuy]

For those of you with a little sense of humor, here's the exciting conclusion of my Hooniverse trilogy. The third in a three-part essay about how I did a significant repair (water pump replacement) on my '79 Sport Sedan mutt with no skills, no experience, barely any tools.

AlfaBB gets a few mentions in this piece. Don't want to spoil anything but this essay offers a THIRD option for removing the 36mm crankshaft pulley nut. We all know the bump-start method. Then there's the less popular "double-nut" method, which has you removing studs from the block. But...there's a third.

Fixing My Weird Vintage Car with a Haynes Manual, Car Twitter, and No Skills or Experience (Pt3)

PART 3 OUT TO SEA (AND BACK) Part 1 https://hooniverse.com/fixing-my-weird-vintage-car-with-a-haynes-manual-car-twitter-and-no-skills-or-experience-pt1/

hooniverse.com

 

[VabeneGTV]

Great story, happy ending and apparently you have been infected with the bug, from humble beginnings, greatness can be achieved. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Racer16]

As another Alfetta sedan owner, I enjoyed the read. Whatever else can be said about the sedans, you aren't likely to see another one on the road. At least I've never seen one here in Ohio, where I assume all but mine have long since rusted away.
Have fun(?) tackling the donut project and come back to the AlfaBB with any questions that come up.

 

[Alfasteve91]

Great story, David. We live and we learn. I never imagined that I'd be learning painting, bodywork, welding and more when I started my project. I also never realized what a great support group the AlfaBB is, as well as the other sources you used. Alfas enjoy incredible heritage, awesome characteristics, and most importantly, people that are passionate about them. You picked a great car and a great marque. Good luck!

 

[SportSedanGuy]

Thanks so much for reading! These comments means a lot...

 

[Swampdweller]

Very cool -- you've captured the agony and ecstasy of the high-risk-high-reward adventure you, and so many others, have undertaken. Thanks!

 

[SportSedanGuy]

Very cool -- you've captured the agony and ecstasy of the high-risk-high-reward adventure you, and so many others, have undertaken. Thanks!

Thank you!

 

[alfaloco]

Good to see the story finally got around to the knowledge base of the Alfa BB.

 

[SportSedanGuy]

Good to see the story finally got around to the knowledge base of the Alfa BB.

Good grief.

 

[chairmankaga]

Ah, I remember jumping into this Twitter epic! Great read.
Here's something you can relate to, Dave. There's a lot of gatekeeping in the automotive world, just like music. Seems a lot of folks don't want to assist you if you haven't gotten four years at Berkelee and work with $20k in gear. "Look, if you can't transpose a F Minor Sus4 to its relative phrygian major, then I can't help you. Also your amp is garbage, and who plays Ernie Ball strings anymore. Ugh. Plebe."
Blerg.
But we have an actual community, and what's so great about this community, for the most part, is the willingness to help. Look at my history here - years of clueless posts about crappy idle or smoking or random shut downs. It's a timeline of someone starting with next to no skills (I admit I was in a slightly more advanced state of mechanical knowledge than you, but not by much) progressing to rebuilding a head, an AC system, and an ignition system, and a testament to the enthusiasm of everyone helping me get the car running again.
It's also encouraging for other people who are in love with funky old cars to not feel they can't join and participate in the community, and be able to enjoy their car for whatever reason makes them happy. We don't all have to be wiping it down with $200 synthetic doe-skin detailing cloths on weekends to be an enthusiast. No one should feel ashamed or intimidated by the fear of publicly making a mistake to want to work on the car with no baseline skills or knowledge - just jump into the ocean... nor should we be ashamed to send the car to Benny when we're in over our heads, or even if the whole working on the car thing isn't part of our personal happiness equation. Just like music, our reasons for being a part of this community of weirdos are personal, andI think we're lucky enough that most of the folks in it respect and appreciate that fact. I think we get it.

 

[SportSedanGuy]

Ah, I remember jumping into this Twitter epic! Great read.
Here's something you can relate to, Dave. There's a lot of gatekeeping in the automotive world, just like music. Seems a lot of folks don't want to assist you if you haven't gotten four years at Berkelee and work with $20k in gear. "Look, if you can't transpose a F Minor Sus4 to its relative phrygian major, then I can't help you. Also your amp is garbage, and who plays Ernie Ball strings anymore. Ugh. Plebe."
Blerg.
But we have an actual community, and what's so great about this community, for the most part, is the willingness to help. Look at my history here - years of clueless posts about crappy idle or smoking or random shut downs. It's a timeline of someone starting with next to no skills (I admit I was in a slightly more advanced state of mechanical knowledge than you, but not by much) progressing to rebuilding a head, an AC system, and an ignition system, and a testament to the enthusiasm of everyone helping me get the car running again.
It's also encouraging for other people who are in love with funky old cars to not feel they can't join and participate in the community, and be able to enjoy their car for whatever reason makes them happy. We don't all have to be wiping it down with $200 synthetic doe-skin detailing cloths on weekends to be an enthusiast. No one should feel ashamed or intimidated by the fear of publicly making a mistake to want to work on the car with no baseline skills or knowledge - just jump into the ocean... nor should we be ashamed to send the car to Benny when we're in over our heads, or even if the whole working on the car thing isn't part of our personal happiness equation. Just like music, our reasons for being a part of this community of weirdos are personal, andI think we're lucky enough that most of the folks in it respect and appreciate that fact. I think we get it.

YES! Love this. I think whether it's music or cars or writing or anything else, dealing with humorless gatekeeping *****s who think they know everything or who view messageboards (or publications or labels or venues or anything else) as their domains is just sort of the price of admission. You get past that, you meet people who have awesome experience and knowledge and ideas or who, if nothing else, can just feel your pain!