1500ti restoration. Ex racer

[Johnboy]

There you go chap

[junior]

Excellent, thanks. Keep an eye on the grammmer as well will you.

[Johnboy]

I'm the last person you should be asking

[junior]

My front hubs appear to be too modified to use on the road and I do not want to alter them more as then if someone after me wants to take it racing then they cannot just swop it over.

I thought I saw one hub for sale posted on here, is it still out there anyone ? Thanks, James

[PETROLHEAD]

My front hubs appear to be too modified to use on the road and I do not want to alter them more as then if someone after me wants to take it racing then they cannot just swop it over.

I thought I saw one hub for sale posted on here, is it still out there anyone ? Thanks, James

In what way are they too modified?

Is it the bottom joint perhaps?

[melv]

I wonder who did all the mods on this sud, looks like they knew their s*#t.

[junior]

Why this picture has not quite worked out I do not know but if anyone would like to sort it I would much appreciate it.

This is how the front hubs look and suspension arms. Still undecided quite what to do, but then this is a thinking car. As in you do lots of it.

Keith Waite of KLN Auto's knew the car when he worked for the owner Pete Kitchen and feels quite certain John Sisme and Gordon Allen worked on the car as the original car has cams from the first and a crankshaft from the second.

[Johnboy]

[Veesix75]

I think your main consideration James is where the car will get used the most.

Those mods again look to be for camber, castor etc and a solid joint - aimed at track use?

If you are going to drive it mostly on the road then it might be too much?

Difficult to tell from the photo so just food for thought.

[KevJTD]

i have some standard hubs if you wanted to put it all back to OE

[junior]

Very generous offer Kev, but I missed it and just had a big buy from John at Justsuds so got some thank you..

Plus just had one day when all the advice I needed arrived and was not in the least conflicting.

Then this morning the pistons arrived from the states and they are loverly. I bought the NOA ones so they are off to join the engine Tuesday. Finally feel the engine is starting to move now.

The suspension arms in the last photo (ta John boy) are all rose joints or solid and the sides of one of the hubs is skimmed.

Going to try to keep the legs with the coil overs and the adjustable tops as the original holes are there to fit a standard hub.

So they will see if I can get them rebuilt by SP suspension. Getting mixed emotions about taking good bits off this car, but have to be sensible and walk a middle ground. A problem of any restoration I feel.

[junior]

Finally got some time so got one of the front leg apart. Very maddening as could not stop various nuts from rotating. Had to stop before I upset / broke something so did a chainsaw carb instead and fired a tiny essential spring across the workshop to the place where things are never seen again.

Walked up to the blacksmiths to get the lower suspension arms reinforced after seeing the photo's of the chap who had one snap. Glad to do it as one was quite rusty.

Then back to it and the leg came apart with out too much hassle.



Johnboy please sort the image as usual. One day I will find what I am doing wrong, but till then your doing a great job thanks.

[Johnboy]

Cheers chap
What your doing wrong is your putting in to many . you only need one each side of the link

[junior]

Blacksmith made a super job of reinforcing the suspension arms. Looks how Alfa should have done it in the first place.

[junior]

Good day today as Shaun who was going to rebuild my front dampers rang me up and while waiting for the problems he was going to list I found myself amazed to hear that the dampers were fine when tested.

That's the first thing on this car that has saved me money ! Amazing to think they have sat for 30yrs and are fine.

A few new bushes and then will have suspension back in and the bodyshop will be finally on the horizon.

[junior]

My luck is still holding as I tried to SORN the car when I first got it and and DVLA said it was not known. So in case this can help others......

So I enquired about getting it registered and and saw it was going to be a bit complex to prove what it was with so little paperwork. I only had a receipt.

Then a vintage motorbike chum suggested the obvious, ie just apply for a replacement V5, so I did (only £25) and it arrived the other day.

1976 car. Two previous owners, same family, and its not a 1500ti, but a 1186 cc. I was robbed. Ha!

I wondered why as a turbocharged car it was 1400cc.

Interestingly DVLA said as it has not been taxed since 31 jan 1998 it does not need a SORN, which is something I missed.

[Veesix75]

Hi James, yours will be one of the older cars on here as a 1976.....tax free next year ?

The 1500ti wasn't launched until 1978 I think.

I'd stick a 1.2 badge on the rear!

[AlfaCorseChris]

That front suspension setup is quite interesting. I would love to see more pictures of it, top mounts etc

[junior]

Hi Veesix and ACC

Yes, a 1.2 badge would suit my me just fine I will have to look out for one. Quite amusing.

I guess it may have had one, but it would have gone when the fibreglass boot lid was fitted. Tax free by the time I have it on the road I hope!

I will sort out pictures of the top mount as it is very well made. Quite impressive and I am pleased that the front suspension I can keep and use on the road.

I will hopefully get to Gawsworth hall with my GTJ this summer so can put a few of my Sud bits in the boot for people to cast an eye over if they desire.

[junior]

[*][*]

Hi Chris. Pictures of the top mounts as requested. The two parts are so individual that when I took one apart to get muck out of the rose joint I could not get the allen screws to fit again till I realised I had to keep rotating them till all the holes perfectly matched up.

Such precise engineering contrasts with the approach of the body shop who when it was decided the car needed to come in with no front suspension

suggested I just attach a tractor to the front end and tow it down to the workshop. Such is country living. That plan I do not fancy.

Still he is highly rated and seemed pleased to get an alfa even when I said it was a Sud. Feels good to get it to this point.

[junior]

Finally got to the point where the body work is moving on. Had a morning just bashing dents out of the floor and boot from where it obviously had a few `off's ' while racing. Not too much welding so rather pleased.
The frame I built is looking under great strain from this angle and hopefully it will go on the trailer.



Found amongst the parts I had this odd fibreglass bit of bodywork. just too short to go across the back or front of a Sud neatly.

So any ideas of what it may be for ?

[Kegsti66]

Hi James, car is coming on well.
Is your puzzle piece the width of the boot lid, as in a light weight rear spoiler? Just a thought as it looks a bit like a S3 tailgate spoiler.

[junior]

It could be if the s3 has a wider boot than mine as it is an inch or two wider.

It does look like that could be what it is although it is very straight.

I might take it to Gawsworth Hall otherwise and see if I can solve it there by looking at the differences between cars.

[Veesix75]

Hi James

The series 3 hatch is wider than the series 1 and 2 boot lid, by about an inch or so.

Would you want to sell it if it is a rear spoiler?

Tim

[junior]

Hi Tim. Yes, perfectly happy too. If it helps someone else then that's ideal.

Do you want to measure one so we can check its correct. No idea of value though.

[junior]

Anyone got a seat similar to this going spare as would like to keep it 70's/80's and it would be good to occasionally carry a passenger.

Some of the classic mini ones are smaller but similar and would not look to bad. Otherwise suggestions welcome.

Finally the body is off to the shop in the morning after three false starts.

Should have just tied it to the back of a tractor and towed it down there as originally suggested.

[Alfa_Japan]

I have 2 Corbeau GT seats (eighties) ready for fitting in a Sud, they came from my donor vehicle. Those seats are not for 4-point seatbelts though. If interested let me know I will post a picture. Price I'm sure we can come to an agreement, however how to get the seats to your place is then a dilemma.

[Alfa_Japan]

Below the Corbeau GT seats I have. These are equipped with a frame for an alfasud, so it's plug and play. These are not new seats and could do with a thorough cleaning. The seats are for "standard" 3-point seatbelts and not as the one you have in your car for 4-point seat belts. Should you be interested in putting a rear bench in your car I have the matching Carbeau GT fabric for the rear seats as well.



In case you're interested let me know, cheers

[junior]

Hi. Sorry but I like the black and steel rings of my seat so would like just to get another to go with it but thanks a lot for your offer.

Finally managed to get it to the paint shop for welding and painting the wings and engine bay.

Just need to get the glass out of the spare frames for the side windows to replace with the polycarbonate ones as their frames are a bit rusted.

Does anyone know if you can polish up older polycarbonate as it is a bit dulled and while its out it would be a good time to do it.

[adsblacksud]

I have this seat available - it's close but not the same, the rings are black.

Thanks,

Adam