A quick 'hi' and plans for the future

[mj2k]

Not sure if this is the right place to post introductions, but I found this forum through a post on Alfaowner, and having seen the sort of content on here it seems a great place for me to pick up more info.

I'm pretty short on money at the moment so it may take some time for me to do or post anything useful, but my plan eventually is to pick up a fairly grotty 116 Giulietta from Italy, restore it as best I can, convert it to RHD and stick a 12v Busso in it.

Sounds a pretty silly plan but I've loved the nuovo Giulietta since my ex father in law owned one in the 90s and I love their 80s 'wedge' styling, though they're a bit underpowered by modern standards. And I've owned a couple of 24v Bussos (in the 916 gtv and 156 GTA) which have a pretty fantastic sound (the 12v sounds even better IMO) but didn't think much of all the electronics or the FWD handling. So combining the two things I like most about Alfas seems like a no-brainer. But I don't want to ruin one of the handful of remaining RHD UK cars, so dragging in a rough import and hacking it around to suit my plans sounds like the best option.

Now for the practical stuff - after a lot of research I realized the 75 was pretty much a Giulietta in a new suit (even the doors appear to be the same) so persuading a Busso to fit under the bonnet shouldn't be too much trouble. I've already picked up a 12v v6 from a 164 which has been partially converted to RWD; it has the correct sump, distributor, loom, etc but I need to trace an oil pump. And I have a 2.5 transaxle (I believe from a gtv, ratios should suit a Giulietta well I reckon) which I need to recondition sometime, but that's about it so far.

Anyone attempted anything similar in the past, or know of anyone breaking a RHD v6 75 which I can plunder for parts? And anyone know if a 75's seats will fit in a Giulietta?

[alfasuddriver]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Your project sounds like fun! I had a Giulietta when I was in Sixth Form and the headmaster asked me if I was sure I was insured!! I have some bonnets, doors, bootlids and other parts for the 116 Giulietta should you need them. Good luck!

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Welcome to the Forum . I’ve pmd you about the tensioner kit. The 75 floor pan was indeed almost identical to the 116 Giuliettta .many years ago I had a 1.8 which I tuned mildly and ran on 45s
It went like stink and pulled like an ox right up to 7000. I don’t see any reason why seats from a 75 won’t fit a Giulietta .

Lou.

[KevJTD]

Sounds like a great plan, and a future build thread to follow with interest

[Kegsti66]

Welcome to the club mate.
Sounds a great project and it will be good to follow.
Nice to have another rare model being given a new lease of life and kept alive.
Good luck with your hunt for a donor car.

[mj2k]

Thanks all for the warm welcome, enthusiasm and offer of parts

Might be a time before I have anything to show for my ambitions (I need to save up for the car plus transport first, thoroughly check the engine, recondition the box, etc) but good to know there's parts out there when I need them.

@alfasuddriver - if you've saved the steering rack or dashboard by any chance that'd definitely be useful, no matter what condition the project car is in.

@LooLooSud33Spider - Thanks for the offer, I do need to pull the heads off the v6 to check out what condition the existing ones are in; it hasn't been run for quite a few years so corrosion could have wrought havoc but as far as I know it was a good, low mileage engine before it was pulled from the 164 donor, and it still seems to turn over ok with some very gentle pressure on the pulley bolt. I'll definitely be grabbing that tensioner kit off you as soon as I've racked up enough posts to PM you though...

[LooLooSud33Spider]

where are you based ?

[mj2k]

Out in the wilds of Hertfordshire

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Ta

[mj2k]

Think I might have a possible donor lined up for some of the RHD conversion stuff:



No engine / gearbox and it's not been MOT'd for 9 years so I suspect it'll be way too far gone to rescue (if it is rescue-able, the v6 will be going in an Alfetta instead!) but it should hopefully give up most of the bits and bobs for a RHD conversion, and maybe one or two spares I can sell on if anything else is savable.

I can't pick it up 'til the summer though, so there won't be many updates on this for a while...

[KevJTD]

That should make a great donor for the build, even things like bulkhead bits for the steering column passage could be used to make life easier.
At least it'll go on living in the transplant

[mj2k]

That should make a great donor for the build, even things like bulkhead bits for the steering column passage could be used to make life easier.
At least it'll go on living in the transplant

Indeed, should save me a fortune in time / money searching for random bits'n'bobs off Ebay

But part of me is secretly hoping it isn't totally rotten (beyond the inevitable scuttle, sills and that iffy looking boot); it'd be quite nice to own a rosso facelift Alfetta, though those 80's bolt-on rear lights and bumpers would have to be replaced with the much nicer-looking MK1 items.

[alfadave]

Maybe if you put a 4 cylinder Nord/Twin Spark engine in your Giulietta project, you could save yourself a lot of time/money/hassle etc?

[mj2k]

Maybe if you put a 4 cylinder Nord/Twin Spark engine in your Giulietta project, you could save yourself a lot of time/money/hassle etc?

Possibly, but it's the Busso noise I'm really after - that's the bit I miss most about driving an Alfa. And I'm not fond of the handling of the front wheel drive Bussos (though the 916 gtv 3.0 is a spectacular-looking though hopelessly impractical revelation), so a 116-chassis car is ideal.

I could get a 75 twinspark or v6 but I'm not over-fond of the ergonomics / looks (except a nice white twinspark I once saw with a 3rd party bodykit) or I could wait a couple of years and save up the pennies to buy a restored gtv6, but where's the fun in that?

Getting a Giulietta shell (white or blue) is my ideal, but the Alfetta is a nice looking car in dark blue or rosso with chrome bumpers. And as the 75 is to the Giulietta, so the 90 is to the Alfetta, so a v6 should fit without too many issues. Chances are this Alfetta will be way too far gone to save, but I'd feel better saving an Alfetta from the crusher than butchering a perfectly useable LHD Giulietta...

Besides, having a massive project like this should keep me busy spanner twirling for years so my poor, repeatedly-fiddled-with Subaru Legacy daily can be left in peace. Spot the frustrated mechanic

[KevJTD]

All makes sense to me

A good project can be a wonderful thing, if a little bit noose like at times, but not putting a deadline on things must be the way forward....must learn that one myself!

[mj2k]

Yes indeed, I'm quite looking forward to getting the welder out again for an Alfetta or Giulietta - Subarus don't have many rust issues and I had to farm out replacing the 156 GTA's sills and floorpan (both rusted through at 12 years old, so much for the improved rustproofing!) to a 3rd party because we moved in the middle of the project, so my welding skills are a bit rusty. Hopefully not as rusty as this Alfetta though

I'm in quite a lucky position really - unless we move again (which is unlikely in the next few years) I've got a nice double garage with nothing sitting in it except tools and a dismantled Busso, so plenty of room for the project. And knowing how little free time I get I've got no expectations I'll get anything together any time soon.

I know what you mean about tight deadlines - my last project was a bit of a rush. I fitted a new engine, clutch, lightened flywheel, interior, brakes, all hydraulics, suspension, new full exhaust and a new ecu to another Subaru in 3 weeks before the MOT expired (i.e. basically a full reshell except the transmission), theoretically working for only a couple of hours per night. I got it all done (luckily everything was v easy to reach on that model and all bolts / studs had been covered in Copperease by prev owners) and the end result was rather fun, but that was a real slog, and not something I plan to repeat any time soon...

[KevJTD]

That's a lot of work with a pressing deadline!

Having a nice workshop at home is a godsend, even if you only have an hour to spare then it keeps things ticking along, my rented unit is great but it's a little over an hour round trip so it makes it harder to justify going up of an evening.

Once had a mad idea of using a Subaru turbo engine in the back of a Sud, apparently there's a kit available to convert the gearbox to 2WD so in theory a mid mounted engine with the gearbox to drive the rear wheels seemed like a perfectly sensible idea to me

[mj2k]

Now that would be an interesting thing to try It's just got a viscous centre diff on the manual box for the rear wheel drive so no reason why you couldn't take that off and effectively make it 2 wheel drive.

Though there's not that much difference size-wise by the looks of it between a Subaru boxer and a Sud boxer, so I wonder if it'd be possible to do a front mounted conversion? Looks like the scuttle would need to be hacked about and you'd need to find somewhere for the intercooler and maybe relocate the turbo, but it should theoretically fit. But then if you go that far, you might as well modify the floorpan and firewall to accept the full Subaru 4x4...

And then you've ended up with a rather complex project!

On the other hand you can get a Subaru gearbox with something called DCCD which allows you to electronically alter the front/rear bias of the 4x4, so you could end up with a 300+ bhp Sud with totally adjustable 4x4. Wonder how that'd go down on the track vs an Integrale?