Greetings, I have a few questions concerning checking out a Junior. It is a 1968. The owner doesn't seem to be able to answer very much. Are all the Alfa parts easily interchangeable from the 1750 and 2000 to make a higher performance version? Items SUch as brakes, engines, rear ends, etc. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to looking at an Alfa. Will of course look for corrosion above all else. The car was said to be running well when it was last run in 2007. If there was one area to concentrate on while looking for rust, what would that be? In this preliminary check I will have no access to a lift, just crawling around on the ground with a light, screwdriver and magnet. . Thanks in Advance.
Checking out a 1968 Junior
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Nicad,
A '68 Junior came with a 1300 engine. Yes, most parts from a 1750 or 2000 GTV will interchange. An Alfa that has been parked for the last 4 years will need to be checked out, it may not be "running well" any longer! Not sure where you are located, but typical rusty areas would be rocker areas, floors, wheel arches, etc.
Do yourself a huge favour....bring along someone who knows Alfas, if you can. This will save you much disappointment and money in the future.
A '68 Junior came with a 1300 engine. Yes, most parts from a 1750 or 2000 GTV will interchange. An Alfa that has been parked for the last 4 years will need to be checked out, it may not be "running well" any longer! Not sure where you are located, but typical rusty areas would be rocker areas, floors, wheel arches, etc.
Do yourself a huge favour....bring along someone who knows Alfas, if you can. This will save you much disappointment and money in the future.
Nicad,
It is true that most parts from later 1750 and 2000 Alfas will interchange with the 1968 Junior, however there are several things that you should be aware of. The bolt spacing for the front calipers on the later Alfas is 3.5 inches vs. 3 inches on the '68 so if you want to use later calipers you would also have to get the steering nuckles from a later car. (They bolt right on.)
The other major difference is the clutches. I assume the 1968 Junior has floor mounted brake and clutch pedals and a mechanical clutch. The later cars had suspended pedals and hydraulic clutches. Centerline Alfa sells an adapter to allow using the mechanical clutch linkage to operate the clutches on the later cars. However the bell housings for the mechanical clutch systems are not as strong as the later ones and if you plan to modify a 1750 or 2000 engine, you could break the bell housing. By the way, the 1969 US market Alfas had floor mounted pedals and hydraulic clutches. I have a 1968 Junior with floor pedals and mechanical clutch but there may have been some with floor pedals and hydraulic clutches built that year. You should check.
Also, the later engines are taller than the 1300 engines so the front part of the exhaust system is different but several companies make systems that will work.
This isn't intended to discourage you, in fact I am just finishing a project using a 2000 engine in a 1968 Junior. It is just good to know what some of the potential problems are before you jump in to a project.
It is true that most parts from later 1750 and 2000 Alfas will interchange with the 1968 Junior, however there are several things that you should be aware of. The bolt spacing for the front calipers on the later Alfas is 3.5 inches vs. 3 inches on the '68 so if you want to use later calipers you would also have to get the steering nuckles from a later car. (They bolt right on.)
The other major difference is the clutches. I assume the 1968 Junior has floor mounted brake and clutch pedals and a mechanical clutch. The later cars had suspended pedals and hydraulic clutches. Centerline Alfa sells an adapter to allow using the mechanical clutch linkage to operate the clutches on the later cars. However the bell housings for the mechanical clutch systems are not as strong as the later ones and if you plan to modify a 1750 or 2000 engine, you could break the bell housing. By the way, the 1969 US market Alfas had floor mounted pedals and hydraulic clutches. I have a 1968 Junior with floor pedals and mechanical clutch but there may have been some with floor pedals and hydraulic clutches built that year. You should check.
Also, the later engines are taller than the 1300 engines so the front part of the exhaust system is different but several companies make systems that will work.
This isn't intended to discourage you, in fact I am just finishing a project using a 2000 engine in a 1968 Junior. It is just good to know what some of the potential problems are before you jump in to a project.
Thanks for the tips guys. You didn't have to be an Alfa expert to know this was a pass. BTW, GTA, I am also in Toronto, so if you know of a rust free local coupe (I mean never rusted if that exists) please drop me a PM . This car had a nice enough body (paint), it was what was underneath the body that was unnappealing. Rusted out in the trunk by the wheels. Didn't bother looking too closely at the rest, but it needed a lot of mechanical from the looks of it. Chrome was good, trim was all there. Loved the interior. The dash was painted rather than wood (Paint over wood?) but it looked nice.
Bob.
Bob.
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