Thanks Brad. Building it I can do, but driving it correctly is another story.

Oh and I was talking to the Natsoft lady late yesterday afternoon and she informed me that they would not be able to post the Sandown results until AFTER next weekend. Something to do with conflicting use of their equipment and computer time.

Me too and thanks a lot to Neil, Bruno and the rest of the crew, and in particular Vin Sharp. It was great fun for a first outing. What recovery Ev? or do you mean at the pub.

Just a little biff on Vanessa's 33, when a 75 went off on T1 and did the unforgivable by rolling back on to the track into the path of passing traffic. Just not what we want to happen when we are having fun. The dollars we like spending is on racing not fixing.

Just some advice for Ash, I think your should go with it as there are plenty of reputable Alfa repairers in the Melbourne area and these cars are absolute classics that aren't getting any cheaper.
I wonder what qualifies you to think 'south of 10K' is going to do your job? The hours and hours involved in panel repairs/rust repairs plus the cost of painting in modern two pack paints can (sometimes) run to twice what you are thinking. And that is usually at an hourly rate much less than you and I are probably earning. Everybody says 'but I am not looking for a concourse job'....but how do you think a repairer is supposed to react to that?  Do half a job? leave it a bit rough? leave half the rust? use excessive bog? You see the real people that should be entrusted to do your job is the guy that IS trying to do a concourse job. In the end that is the only standard that you will be happy with and the finish that you will be proud to show your friends. Like others have written above it is important to have a trusted repairer, one who you can visit regularly and one who you can confidently discuss your desires wishes and budget. Also I would recommend progress payment to soften the final blow and to keep the repairer motivated. Good luck with your decision.

What a rotten thing Marco, my heart goes out to you. I am not looking forward to the day I make a mistake and I know it would be even worse if it is somebody else's mistake. Poor Vanessa Sharp must be feeling the same thing too I bet.
I can only say though that yesterday was the best day I have had with my clothes on, and I look forward to the day I can keep up with you all. (is Evan's car supercharged?)

Thanks Neil, can Dorian units be picked up prior to race day, so as to adequately affix them?

Don't forget Stuart Thompson has had some carbon fibre (156 GTA) under trays made up. I think he has extras. Not sure if they fit 147's though.

Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone Phil. I have been driving it around the block with a trade plate on just to give it a bit of a shake down.
Still a couple of jobs to do but I am very happy with how it looks (and goes) at this stage. I should be out in it at Sandown.
It's the red one.

The soft perspex rear windows are easily replaced by any good motor trimmer. My local trimmer replaces the glass for about $250 provided you do the dismantle work first. Having said that, the old plastics can be improved a bit by aggressive polishing.
Car polish and even cutting compound (or tooth paste) can often make a difference. If you are using a buffing machine you have to be very careful to run it at low speed for fear of burning the plastic. Try it by hand first, you don't have much to loose.

Yes you are right Ash. The mod just slows up the movement only. Seems pretty good though. There is no alteration to the float system and I don't think a spring of any kind would work.
I still can't find the write up, but I have also experimented reasonably well with connecting a low wattage globe across the back of the fuel gauge. Takes a bit of experimentation to get it right and there is a dull glimmer from the globe that may not suit everyone, so the resistor (and the diode) is the solution I believe.

There is an easy fix to the wavering needle. You may have noticed that 2000 GTV's don't do it.
It is just a matter of fitting a resistor (choke) across the fuel gauge in the dash. This produces a permanent current when the key is on that centres the gauge needle, which then uses the float in the tank to vary the gauge position, but taking a few seconds to do so. a few. Thus the stable needle.
It takes a bit of experimentation to get the right resistor. If I can find the article that was published in our club magazine a few years ago, I will post the link on this site.

The 105 sprint doors are very very tricky to get right. I've spent many hours carrying out micro adjustments, sometimes with only marginal improvement.
1) First of all door hinges must be perfect! That is perfectly tight. Open door out wide and lift from the bottom to check for any free play. Any free play is no good.
2) Doors seals (weather strips) can sometimes be too plump, particularly if they have been replaced. Some careful reducing of their bulk in certain areas might be necessary. Use chalk powder to find the tight spots.
3) The door trim too can be the cause for doors catching (or sticking) particularly against the door seals. This can be a product of the door hinges if they're not perfect, but sometimes might simply be the trim card not fitted squarely on the door as a result of some earlier work on the door or window mechanism.
4) Next make sure the glass is not fouling against the top of the door seal, or at the rear (top) edge of the glass when it is closed. Easy to check if this is a cause of your problem by simply dropping the window a bit or fully to see if it fixes your issue.
5) only then, when all of the above is safely taken care of, should you (or someone capable) start tampering with the door striker, or manipulation of the door alignment at the hinges. A panel beater is usually the most skilled at this point.

Arrrh no. All Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV or anything earlier were woodgrain I'm afraid. You see the aluminium look wasn't particularly fashionable in European cars back then, where as woodgrain was considered classy.
A nice looking dash on your car though, and not uncommon for something to be done in this area and down the console because of the deterioration of the crappy original material.

Just received my copy of Alleggerita (Alfa Club news letter) and noticed HOT105 for sale.
What a great car this is and one that will test the seriousness of all those eagerly seeking a excellent example of this classic 1750 model.
Much admired by all at our recent Spectacallo, and recently featured in the Australian Classic Car 2008 yearbook, I can't believe such a masterpiece is for sale. Well under restoration costs at $40K I imagine there will be a que at Santo's door.
You can reach him on 0413-347377