Garage find Alfa Spider

I found a couple of pictures of when we carried it to the mechanic's shop.

Here is a shot of the interior. Looks like the seats need work as well as a lot of mold and mildew in there. I will get to work on that once it is running and drivable.

Actually not. It has been in a garage less than 1/2 mile from my house in Tampa for the last 7 years but was driven regularly until last year. There was a lot of junk piled on it when we pulled it out of the garage. Here is a picture of the trunk and engine compartment. I wish it was in better shape but I have just started on it.

Much worse than that!

Dear Tampa 328,

I found my Lt Acqua metallic '83 spider in the barn of my BMW mechanic about 2 years ago. It was in horrific shape, with gasoline leaking out of the tank dissolving the rear tire, mice and their products, and years of accumulated dust everywhere. I paind $500 for it. Your car is in pristine condition by comparison! Mine did not run due to cracked head, bad exhaust valve, and two bad fuel pumps. I stuck with it, though, and after obtaining a used head and having it rebuilt by Krause and England (highly recommended), fuel pump replacement, new brake master and clutch hydraulic line, many new tidbits from IAP, minor rust repair and painting, used seats (black instead of the original Navy), rebuilding the calipers, new motor mounts, fan shroud, fan, water pump, etc. etc.., I have a very nice driver that has been my most dependable car for the last 10K miles.

While my BMW E30 M3 track car gets most of my attention, I can not help hopping into the Spider and heading off anywhere!

I am 60 years old and have always been into old cars, but not always european sports cars. I have had a number of Packards, but the "original owners" I used to run into are almost all dead!

Long live old car rescue, no matter what kind! Stick with it; you will not be disappointed!

Bravozulu in Raleigh
[email protected]

Hi guys, I got the car back from the mechanic with new brakes, fuel system, alternator and a few more problems. It looks pretty good from 10feet away and I have put about 150 miles on it, I guess as the odometer speedometer don't work, The Tach, ammeter, temp, and oil pressure gauges work ok I think. The fuel gauge is intermittent. There are some melted wires in the main harness that may be causing a lot of this. Here are a few shots of the project so far. Notice the wheels aren't the right year to match the car? What do they come from? I may need to buy some new ones. Anyway we are making a little progress. Still have to do shocks, engine mounts and front end parts in the steering to make everything a lot more tight. Oh well maybe I can bring it along slowly.