Classic Alfa Forums

Veesix75 wrote:Bumper less, it will look even better when the wheels go on.

Ditto . She is looking good.

Looks very good as she is and leaves something to improve/change and so retain the interest in it.

This is how I like to remember Imps.

I've not been slacking these last few weeks, honest!

Know there's not much progress on anything with the integrale or Robs' Imp, not even the 155...

A couple of weeks back I bought a very cheap GT JTD to keep the 145 off the road over the winter.

I've been doing fairly well on cheap motors of late even if some haven't been exactly perfect, but this GT has straight away shown its' cards!

When I bought it I knew it needed the EGR or MAF sensors cleaning as was the usual dead response until boost came on, suspected MAF as was a bit higher up the range than when an EGR sticks..

a fairly major oil leak also became evident around the N/S front, not the oil cooler pipes then?

On taking out the MAF the oil all over it wasn't what I wanted to see, cleaned that then checked the intercooler and pipework, loads of oil in there Decided the turbo ought to be checked for play....MASSES of end float!!! not the usual side to side movement from a worn one but it actually went in and out by probably 5mm or more!

Everything cleaned out as was at work checking it on the ramp, when back together at least it drove much better, very responsive from low range and pulled well again....so well that the clutch began to slip in higher gears!!!!

So my "cheap" GT now needed the cam-belt change, new turbo, new clutch and the inlet manifold stripping out to clean the oil residue from it's internals along with the EGR etc.

May seem extreme but with my workshop space and being just me really I decided that the easiest way was to drop the engine and gearbox out of the car as one and do everything on the floor as access would be so much easier.
End result was the manifold was split and cleaned out, no swirl flaps so probably someone's been in there before, EGR stripped and cleaned with some restrictor plates I made up, cam-belt kit and water-pump, thermostat, new turbo, new rear crank seal Dual mass flywheel and clutch...
Got it all bolted back together now and back in the car, should have it back on the road next weekend. Did the anti roll bar bushes whilst the sub frame was easy to get off along with the N/S bottom arm which was shot...

The old air filter housing had taken a beating!!
Some one had made an attempt to tighten the slack inner D bushes with a woodscrew!
I know with the money I've spent I could have bought a different, potentially "better" GT but at least I'll know mine has a new clutch & DMF, new turbo, all inlet system cleaned and cam belt freshly done..

Fingers crossed for trouble free motoring to come...

Loving the wood screw, that's a spot on tip I'd never had thought of.

Bloody hell kev great work chap . Mine will need a new cambelt in the new Year. Was hoping for some pointers. But it's all done
As it's still apart . If you want to free some more Italian stallion's. The centre box is half cat half silencer. Drill it out with all the guts . Then it will be a straight through box . Have mask on if you do it tho. Did mine when I first got it
Need to do the RB bushes . But going to have to pay someone to do that

Wow Kev. That's dedication, modern diesels eh! with all their damn ERGs and turbo's etc and their ability to damage clutches and gear boxes too. (remembering my 159)
But like you I would sooner know that everything was all done from the get go so you should have as you say trouble free motoring from now on.
One thing though I need to do an oil change on one of my cars this week, do you think I should take the engine out so I can get at the filter better??? You don't mess around do you and nothing seems to phase you, amazing.

Bloody 'ell Kev, you just keep going don't you.
Mammoth amount of work done there. Don't go and sell it straight away.
Top bloke.

Yes, might seem a bit extreme to have dropped the whole lump out to do a few jobs but as doing the clutch on my own would have been awkward. Not having a ramp or a transmission stand so would have had to have supported the engine then lifted the 'box in and out which would have been tricky. If that'd been the only task though I'd have figure dit out.
But needing the cambelt doing (drivers side of the car, turbo changing (front of engine) but worst of all the inlet manifold coming off (back of engine) which is a real PITA to get off. All mounting bolts are down the back but worse than that it snakes behind the high pressure fuel pump which runs off the cambelt, even then you can't get the manifold quite off as it is fouled by the big aluminium casting that the pump mounts to so that has to come off, all would have been awkward to say the least with the engine in place!
The time spent dropping it all out was retrieved somewhat by the ease of doing the repairs.

Whilst out the subframe drop was a doddle too.

It's not that bad a job really JB if you fancy doing your own. Only about 6 or 8 bolts hold it to the car, unbolt the 2 steering rack bolts from the 'frame and leave it attached to the car, lower the tunnel cover above the cat as Alfa designed it to be below the subframe so you need it out the way. Support the back of the engine and take the rear engine/gearbox mount off and the frame will drop out. Some folks have gone one better and just lowered it enough to take the roll bar out without having to fully take the 'frame off, leaving it dangling on the bottom arms...

Yeah all makes sense kev . I did try .got one side basically off but the other side didn't want to play. So I gave up.

Sounds about par for the course of GT ownership, mine needed all that and 2 new steering racks, oil cooler and an injector, lovely car, but the most unreliable one I've owned for many years, even a 55 year old S2 Landy gave me less grief!

Blimey, that's had the works mate eh!

You managed the cambelt without the locking kit i forgot to give you back last time we met?


Did you check the dpf whilst it wad accessible mate?

Ive just "addressed" the cat/dpf off the 159 2.4, it was a joke!

Yes, certainly had more done than I was hoping to do mate!

Cambelt change itself doesn't really need the tools, done enough of them now to know what goes where and there are marks on the new belt, timing kit is handy for checking after the event.

No DPF on mine, a CF3 engine so pre the 06 emissions rules, just means I'll be stung if I ever go near London...hardly likely!

all built back up now, finished it last night . Been up to the unit this morning to have a look under it, all seems well.....145 now washed and retired for the Winter

Well, with the GT back up and running well and Rob having a Saturday off we had a trip up to the unit to do some more Imp fettling. Well Rob did a bit whilst I travelled up having been at work this morning.
He'd done a few bits and pieces so was doing some engine dressing with shiny new bits.
A couple of spark plugs were still to be shifted though as we'd never managed to budge them. Loads of soaking in WD over the last few months so hoped it'd be OK. No.1 plug came out with a bit of to and fro movement so confidence that No.4 would be kind to us.....no such luck. One sheared spark plug

Did a few other jobs while ignoring the elephant in the room, guess the engine will need stripping to get the head off to repair the broken plug. Didn't want to do that as has wet liners, but it's done now so what will be will be.

Rob called it a day about 4PM so we packed the Imp away and I did a bit of tidying, still furious at myself.
Decided then to tackle the 155, after a cup of tea of course! Update on that car on it's own thread...

Bit of online research seems to point to many successful broken plug removals using easy outs, did think about it but considered that as it was that tight to snap then it wouldn't shift....but worth a try I feel.

Main issue can be broken porcelain falling inside and scratching bore unless you are lucky and it didn’t snap porcelain and electrode

Thankfully everything came out just leaving the threads in there, small mercy but still leaves a fighting chance to save it without taking the head off...

Would freezer spray on the plug insert work? Or heat applied to the head? Steel plug body in aluminium, not sure which has the higher CTE...?

This is probably a stupid suggestion but as a last choice would a plug socket on an impact driver free it - or not a good choice on an alloy head. On second thoughts forget that idea.

Only the threads left in the plug hole so nothing to get a socket on...

Went up there yesterday after going into Grimsby to buy some "easy out" removal tool, seems folks have had good results online, maybe they are just the people selling the tool!
Didn't hold a lot of hope of it shifting to be honest, if it is stuck enough to shear a spark plug then a gripping tool that effectively forces it into the opening I didn't expect to work straight away like they seem to suggest..
It didn't shift it.
So I took the radical step of drilling 3 holes down the sides of the thread and head, just down 3 or 4mm, which allowed me to punch it away from the head thread a little. I soaked it in WD and have left it to soak until tomorrow or most likely Wednesday when I'll have another go.

If it still doesn't get it out I'll put the engine in the boot and take it to work on Thursday where I can apply a bit of heat with the acetylene torch, VERY careful though as Alloy heads don't like being heated like that. Hopefully it will break the rust off between the head and plug threads....

Failing that the head may have to come off but I really don't want to risk disturbing the wet liners. If it was a "normal" block I'd take it off much more readily.

Kev try getting hold of some In-Force releasing fluid ( it foams ) that I mentioned in my "Annoying Door" post - it really is awesome stuff.

A very mixed bag today!
Should have been doing more to finish off the 155 but after a cold morning at work I came home, got warmed up, watched some darts with the dog........was a struggle to leave a warm house I can say!
Gone 3 when I got to the unit, Rob was busy doing a few bits to his Imp.
Went over the yard to have a natter to Terry, came back to the unit about 4....too late to start anything meaningful I said to myself
The 145 has been parked up for a good few weeks now whilst the salt is on the roads, the clutch slave sprang a leak a few days before I laid it up so thought I may as well fit that to show some progress for the afternoon. Of course I had no brake fluid with me or my bleeder so not exactly finished!
We packed up at about 5 as the temperature had dropped with the sun going down.
The elephant in the room is still the broken spark plug for the Imp engine, Rob is itching to refit it to the car.
So with the engine laid down in my shed back home I drilled the broken thread out, VERY careful to go in very small steps so I ended up with a thin section of old plug which I could at last pry out.
Thread re-tapped and happy to report it seems to have gone well.
Some swarf has inevitably gone into the bore but a sweep around with magnetic tools and a bit of windscreen tubing attached to my little hoover has seen it all come out.
I've added a little bit of metal putty to the 3 holes I drilled so that will get sorted soon to smooth out the blemishes.
Rob and me are relieved that the head won't have to come off now, next weekend I'm sure he'll be keen on fitting it in the back of the Imp at last....

Well done, amazing what you can achieve with a little ingenuity, I thought the head would have to come off for sure.

I did wonder about using one of those natty induction heaters to remove the remains, but not sure how the alloy head would react to such treatment!

Looking forward to seeing the engine go back into this machine. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Imp and its little engine, the ultimate derivative of the Coventry Climax from what I can remember...

...and the motive power for several of my favourite kit/concept cars, like the Adams Probe 15, TVR Tina, Voodoo, early versions of the Ginetta G12, Davrian, Clan Crusader etc.

We are really happy that the head hasn't needed to come off Lauren, disturbing not only the head gasket but the wet liners was something I wanted to avoid!
The little engines are found in quite a few applications, even in some racing sidecars I saw at cadwell recently!

Good out come Kev.
Pleased to hear you got a good result.

More Imps......I 'need' one.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/top ... &t=1710258

another mixed bag of jobs today, am I running out of excuses or what!
up to the unit so I could take the Imps' engine ready for Rob to start to fit it back to the gearbox on Saturday morning,
then my brother came round with his Peugeot for some rear pads so helped him a bit with that,
the donor Lancia sedan that sits outside under a cover, wasn't....the wind had ripped the cover to pieces so a fresh sheet went over the frame
then terry came round for his chat, which with my bro still there lasted a long time!
finally i got a couple of hours on the 155

the drivers side rear arch had a lot of corrosion where the seat belt anchorage went
out with the grinders to rid the rot
all strong again..

All good stuff Kev.
Had the lurgy all over Christmas and New year so did nothing on my project which has put things back
Wish I had some of your get up and go !!!

My get up and go is still hanging on mate, also got the 145 finished yesterday fitting the clutch slave so it's ready when the weather improves..

May be fitting the engine to the Imp this Saturday...............

This afternoon we made some Imp progress, engine and gearbox reunited once the clutch etc had been refitted.
Rob got a few badges stuck back on whilst I wasn't looking
Think like the front, it'll be bumperless.
Aiming to have it on the road by April..