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What did you do Alfa Spider related today?

520K views 6K replies 427 participants last post by  Bern1 
#1 · (Edited)
I noticed that the 164 & 168 guys have a very active thread about what they've been up to, and I think us Spider guys and gals need to get with the program- so I'm gonna start and see what happens!

Today was a very good day! It was a beautiful warm, clear day in South Florida, and I'm sorry to tell so many of you in the more "Arctic" or "Nordic" places, but it was PERFECT top-down weather!

My Sofia (my Spider's name- still looking for a permanent occupant for that other seat!) was in prime condition, freshly painted, washed and tuned, and I even put the boot on today (it really does add that last dash of class...) so we took a ride along A1A, right along the Atlantic coast, starting in Fort Lauderdale (it's Spring Break Time- although I'm way too old for that :crying2:) where some of the beach crowd took notice of us with waves and smartphone shots, and then headed north, eventually getting into an impromptu group of 3 red convertible sports cars in a semi-caravan. Sadly, my companion's cars were from a certain manufacturer in bratwurstland, but what can you do? For a while I had a modern Maserati convertible in black as my wingman, but I think he was too cool to notice- probably because he was NOT too old for the Spring Break crowd!

Anyway, got stuck in traffic at the beach, and didn't care. Sofia ran like a champ and never threatened to overheat, and my sunblock did it's job keeping me from turning Alfa Rosso myself. :blushing:

Weather is supposed to be great here all this week (that means evening lows in the 70s, daytime highs just below 80°- that's 21-27C for you metric folks) so you may be hearing more from me soon!

Let's hear from you guys and gals!

I remember many years ago driving in a snowstorm in Syracuse NY with the top down so I could get 3 kegs of beer in my old Fiat Spider for a frat party! Any crazy persons (like me) up there in the tundra enjoying a topless winter blast?

Viva i ragni! :clap:
 
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#1,193 ·
Yes, got the hub at Centerline, about $75 and came with the horn button. Centerline Part #SW203.

Got the wheel from Crowder Customizing (ordered through eBay, took about a month to get it which is what they said). Glad I went with the 390mm - It does not block the gauges or warning lights from my view and does not impact how I fit in the car. Als happy with my choice of the black spokes. Shift Knob is from Centerline too (Part # SW321).

It was not too hard, but I had to figure a few things out. I am going to put together an Instructable on how to do it to help out others.
 
#1,212 ·
California living.

Took a '91 Spider out for nice loop along the freeways near San Jose for 40 mins so it would ace it's biennial smog test as it has always done over it's 28 year existence.

But, sadly, it failed at low RPM. Sigh. Guess I haven't been taking it for long enough drives over the past six months. At least I hope that's it, and not the catalytic cvtr.

Attempt #2 in a couple of weeks....
 
#1,214 ·
Replacing brake master cylinder

While I'm at that - stainless steel webbed brake hoses are going on as a 30yo car with rubber hydraulic hoses deserves shiny bits.
 
#1,215 ·
Yesterday I pulled the battery off of the battery tender in the basement, installed it, made my useful prayer to the Alfa Gods and fired up my '73 Spider to awaken her from her winter slumber. After a few cranks (the Performatek gear reduction starter was one of the best purchases I ever made) she came to life. After 45 years of ownership she still makes me smile (I drove her off of the Alfa dealer's lot brand new on 31 January 1974). After putting on about 20 miles to blow the cobwebs out and stopping at a couple of stores (the photo is in the local Kroger parking lot) I parked her back in the garage. Later that night, when I walked out into the garage to take the trash to the curb, I was hit by that old car hot oil and unburned hydrocarbon smell that immediately takes one back to many years of living with old sports cars. I had to stop and breathe it in. Of course, the State of California would probably say it’s a carcinogen but what the hell.

Bob J.
 

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#1,217 ·
Cleaning the '91 S4 for tomorrow's cars & coffee, then loading the '76 Autocross car on the trailer for an event on Sunday. Hoosier tires on cold coated asphalt make for lots of sliding around. Maybe the sun will shine and warm the pavement.
 
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#1,218 ·
Fuse frenzy

What did I do alfa spider related today?

Well, I replaced all the fuses in an S4.....

OK, it's not going to garner me many points for technical merit, but I never paid much attention to the fuse-box since I bought the car last year. The other day I noticed they were mostly 30 amp with a few 20s tossed in. So I decided to replace them with the proper rated ones, which are mostly 7.5 and 10. I had to order from Amazon, as the two nearest parts places didn't have any low amp ATC fuses.

Took the car out for a drive to check if any of the lower rated fuses would blow (I wondered if the higher rated fuses were orig used to bypass some amperage issues). I turned everything electrical up to '11' -- except the power windows which appear to max out at about a '3' :).

Everything worked as designed, so I guess the 30s were orig used due availability issues.
 
#1,219 ·
drove my Spider to mechanic to check out clutch....he thinks springs are bad in my pressure plate...might take it in after I get back from Colombia (leaving late next week....) hopefully he can fix it before I head to France ! darn , too little time...
you CAN shift , if done slowly....if too fast shifting it scrapes...
 
#1,220 ·
my wife is resewing a torn seam on the driver seat leather and i have the center console torn out to replace and rebuilt it to be like new. new shift boot, change of color, general cleanup and wire care.

will get the car ready as its going in for a new paint job next week when the weather turns back to dry here in the seattle area
 
#1,222 ·
Had a nasty misfire last week after getting her out for the first time this year.

Fitted new coil, plugs and leads this morning and all is running smoothly again.

Never underestimate the impact this simple job has on an old engine.

I think this year I will add electronic ignition and change fuel pump to improve those areas as well.

Andy S
 
#1,224 ·
I finished rebuilding my center console and my wife fixed the stitching in the rear panel of the drivers seat that was torn when we bought the car two weeks ago.
 

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#1,227 ·
2019 Driving Season!

With a couple of days of sunshine and 60's temperatures, it was finally time to get the spider ready for the season. Saturday was spent washing, waxing, polishing and vacuuming--it had been a long winter.

The reward today started with Cars & Coffee at the Annapolis City Dock, followed by a drive out to the Eastern Shore and the Chesapeake Classic Car Club's "Cruise-in" to the Easton Airport. Nice turn out of cars ranging from Model T's to a Jensen Interceptor. Turns out mine was the only Alfa, but it is early in the season. I was situated adjacent to a beautiful 1967 Ferrari--good company!
 

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#1,231 ·
Hi Alfa fans - I let my daughter borrow my daily drive while her car is down for repair. I drove my 84 spider to work. When I walk out of work today it was raining. :-( I just washed and wax the spider over the weekend! The good news is the water beaded right off. :) It looks like I will be commuting in my Spider all week. Happy trails.


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