Rear bumper update

You may recall from an earlier post, the original bumper was mangled in the accident. I found a used bumper, in 'ok' condition, but it had several large dents and red paint overspray.

A few months ago, Barry took the bumper mid-section to a local panel beater. The fellow made a profile jig and worked his magic - and the section looks brand-new.

We spent several hours cleaning and polishing the remaining pieces. The 'C' clamps needed straightening. Finally, we riveted everything together.

More miles on the car

I drove the Alfa about 30 miles today.

The engine feels good. It starts easily, has good oil pressure and runs at a steady 180 degrees. No leaks! It does feel "tight," so I'm varying the driving speed and revs.

Some pics from today:

A Little Humour

1st Spring Drive

After dusting off the cob-webs, I gave the Alfa a short run. The car felt great, but there is a list of little issues I'd like to address. The clutch pedal does not feel right; and I'd love to find a short-shifter kit for the car.

I also fixed the clogged idle jet on cylinder number 3. A sewing needle helped me clear the old gas varnish out; and the engine ran much smoother afterwards.

Winter update

The Canadian winter has blocked the Alfa project. It's too cold to work in the garage, so my work has been limited to Internet research.

One of the problems I'm trying to solve is the messy canister oil filters. They are difficult to change, and every one I've tried (so far) has leaked oil. The best option seems to be switching to a standard spin-on filter.

The first solution, and probably the best, is to find a new casting that changes the mounting & mating surface. These have been designed and sold by individuals on the AlfaBB, but I could not track one down!

Alfaholics offers a remote oil filter kit that looks interesting. But there is no obvious place for mounting it and I'm not crazy about running the lines, etc.

The final option is to use an adapter from Flexolite (https://www.flexolite.co.uk/cat.asp?cID=4&page=OIL_FILTER_ADAPTORS). This is a machined piece that fits the oil canister flange and allows you to use a spin-on filter. 

The Flexolite Alfa Romeo kit is relatively cheap, so I ordered one...

The Story of the Dropped Alfa

Interesting / tragic story of a 1974 2000 GTV: ColumnM & Instagram

Carb issue research

Thinking about the idle issue (too lean) on cylinder 3... it looks like this may be a clogged idle jet.