What do you use when you do your alignments Steve? Don't tell me you have your own machine....
This and that plus notes on Quik silver, etc...
Quik Silver aka Alfa 164B w/AT maintenance issues bit me this week and some "international" Car show notes...
Daughter was put on driving restriction this week due to attitude adjustment check. So I decided to catch up on some deferred maintenance issues but didn't know about one more item until yesterday so after going forward 2 places I fell back 3 yesterday.
Earlier this week I replaced rear cross member to remove roll back tow truck cable induced damage from forced police tow due to a fire hydrant that parked itself next to car and replaced also bent rear suspension arms induced by her jumping curb with rear wheel while searching her MP3 player for a certain song.
Also replaced leaking engine thermostat that was not shutting off fully when engine cold so bad gas mileage was eating up her job earnings as engine would not heat up past about 150F. It was a new style neoprene seat model, too so I didn't get to much mileage out of it either.
I think it is time to investigate modifying old thermostat housings and machining them to accept regular thermostat cartridge like most domestic products use.
Thought I had it wired when I went to get 4-wheel thrust alignment yesterday morning. However COMMA I missed a loose right front axle nut and a failing wheel bearing. No joy on alignment to set rear wheel tow in and so back to the drawing board. I had just enough time to pull front hub and bearing assembly off axle spline before I had to go do some car club volunteer duties I signed up for at new car show.
After my 4-hour volunteer stunt at our annual "international car show" at convention center which had new red Maserati Q-porte, Gran Turisimo Coupe, Ferrari and two Lambos in lobby outside inner show, I was able to press on with repair action. I managed to get damaged brake rotor turned at my Navy auto hobby shop while I pressed out damaged front wheel bearing and install new one in front hub. with hydraulic press. Again my spare parts stash came through with the ebay wheel bearing I figured I would need someday.
I was not able to press in inner splined axle hub though as I have to polish up damaged outer surface so it will safely/easily press into new bearing. So tomorrow is another day.
Back to before I left car show, I met a neat widow lady named Gi Gi at car show who works as "usherette" at convention center. She and her late husband were into Italian cars. She asked me what could she do with all his and her racing trophies as he raced Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfas. She autocrossed a Fiat with Alfa engine and once rolled a Fiat 600 on the ice. Interesting Italian lady. I met a similar widow lady years ago in Estes Park, CO at a Mickey D's because I had a Lancia sweatshirt on and she had a similar story. She was a Brit (war bride) whose father had an Alfa P2/3 racing team and her first car as a teenager was a 1934 Lancia. She was so thrilled to be able to show my wife and I her father's racing team pictures and pictures of her Lancia, etc. We exchanged Christmas cards for many years after that.
You meet the nicest and most interesting Italian Car lovers in the most unusual places/situations. Skip and I then had a nice talk with Bob from Ferrari of Washington DC who brought the Italian hardware down.
I also talked with our local newspaper Drive Section writer Larry and his co-worker. He and she are off to Detroit Car Show next week so I told her to be on the look out for my bud aka Fiat Freak as he works car show circuit for Ford L-M division. Larry wants us to give him some Alfa news for his columns and asked where was our meeting schedule for CarCalendar Column. He said no more oil leaks punch lines, he promised. Local color story that riled us up a bit. You all know Alfas don't leak and if they do leak they don't leak much and if they do leak much Speedi Dri is cheap.
As I was leaving, our friends fellow Alfa, Fiat and Ferrari owner Larry and Porche owner Karen showed up so we had a nice visit.
These beautiful cars are the glue that keep Italian car friends together.
PAGE 2 now for more of the Quik Silver story. Turned out today when I was ready to slip/press splined axle hub back into front bearing I discover by driving car with loose axle nut half of the OD of it that needs to be pressed tight into inner inner bearing race of two race wheel bearing was now undersized and a sloppy fit. So I had dig out a good used right front axle, bearing, carriage assembly with bad outer rubber boot and reboot it.
I just ended up replacing whole assembly with cleaned and greased CV joints.
Now next week I need to try again to get that 4-wheel thrust alignment.
Daughter was put on driving restriction this week due to attitude adjustment check. So I decided to catch up on some deferred maintenance issues but didn't know about one more item until yesterday so after going forward 2 places I fell back 3 yesterday.
Earlier this week I replaced rear cross member to remove roll back tow truck cable induced damage from forced police tow due to a fire hydrant that parked itself next to car and replaced also bent rear suspension arms induced by her jumping curb with rear wheel while searching her MP3 player for a certain song.
Also replaced leaking engine thermostat that was not shutting off fully when engine cold so bad gas mileage was eating up her job earnings as engine would not heat up past about 150F. It was a new style neoprene seat model, too so I didn't get to much mileage out of it either.
I think it is time to investigate modifying old thermostat housings and machining them to accept regular thermostat cartridge like most domestic products use.
Thought I had it wired when I went to get 4-wheel thrust alignment yesterday morning. However COMMA I missed a loose right front axle nut and a failing wheel bearing. No joy on alignment to set rear wheel tow in and so back to the drawing board. I had just enough time to pull front hub and bearing assembly off axle spline before I had to go do some car club volunteer duties I signed up for at new car show.
After my 4-hour volunteer stunt at our annual "international car show" at convention center which had new red Maserati Q-porte, Gran Turisimo Coupe, Ferrari and two Lambos in lobby outside inner show, I was able to press on with repair action. I managed to get damaged brake rotor turned at my Navy auto hobby shop while I pressed out damaged front wheel bearing and install new one in front hub. with hydraulic press. Again my spare parts stash came through with the ebay wheel bearing I figured I would need someday.
I was not able to press in inner splined axle hub though as I have to polish up damaged outer surface so it will safely/easily press into new bearing. So tomorrow is another day.
Back to before I left car show, I met a neat widow lady named Gi Gi at car show who works as "usherette" at convention center. She and her late husband were into Italian cars. She asked me what could she do with all his and her racing trophies as he raced Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfas. She autocrossed a Fiat with Alfa engine and once rolled a Fiat 600 on the ice. Interesting Italian lady. I met a similar widow lady years ago in Estes Park, CO at a Mickey D's because I had a Lancia sweatshirt on and she had a similar story. She was a Brit (war bride) whose father had an Alfa P2/3 racing team and her first car as a teenager was a 1934 Lancia. She was so thrilled to be able to show my wife and I her father's racing team pictures and pictures of her Lancia, etc. We exchanged Christmas cards for many years after that.
You meet the nicest and most interesting Italian Car lovers in the most unusual places/situations. Skip and I then had a nice talk with Bob from Ferrari of Washington DC who brought the Italian hardware down.
I also talked with our local newspaper Drive Section writer Larry and his co-worker. He and she are off to Detroit Car Show next week so I told her to be on the look out for my bud aka Fiat Freak as he works car show circuit for Ford L-M division. Larry wants us to give him some Alfa news for his columns and asked where was our meeting schedule for CarCalendar Column. He said no more oil leaks punch lines, he promised. Local color story that riled us up a bit. You all know Alfas don't leak and if they do leak they don't leak much and if they do leak much Speedi Dri is cheap.
As I was leaving, our friends fellow Alfa, Fiat and Ferrari owner Larry and Porche owner Karen showed up so we had a nice visit.
These beautiful cars are the glue that keep Italian car friends together.
PAGE 2 now for more of the Quik Silver story. Turned out today when I was ready to slip/press splined axle hub back into front bearing I discover by driving car with loose axle nut half of the OD of it that needs to be pressed tight into inner inner bearing race of two race wheel bearing was now undersized and a sloppy fit. So I had dig out a good used right front axle, bearing, carriage assembly with bad outer rubber boot and reboot it.
I just ended up replacing whole assembly with cleaned and greased CV joints.
Now next week I need to try again to get that 4-wheel thrust alignment.
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
I use Mizelle's Front End and Frame alignment shop in Norfolk, VA. I have used them for about 20 years. We used them to pull and straighten Myron's 95LS front end after his accident. My son has used them to straighten bent rear axle housings on Range Rover and a Fiat Spider, etc. They have a chassis jig and computer system to straighten car frames and unibodys.What do you use when you do your alignments Steve? Don't tell me you have your own machine....
Their alignment machines will give the 164 a nice 4-wheel thrust alignment and computer print out of before and after settings.
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
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