1966 Giulia Super Project

[ItalCarGuy]

Well I realised that I didnt have a thread about my Giulia Super on this forum, so I figure I will give you all a short rundown on where the old girl is at.
I bought it about 5 years ago. It has had a hard live after spending 25+ years in Nimbin. First thing I did was check behind the rear seats for unusual stuffing.  Anyway I went and visited the PO down there last year and he told me he used it as a 'work ute' to carry building supplies up the side of the mountain he now lives on! He also swapped parts onto it from any giulia models he could get his hands on.

So I drove it for a couple of years everyday to get to work, heaps of fun and it performed admirably in traffic. Fixed various small bits and pieces as I went and was going to keep doing this without taking it off the road for any long period of time. When the clutch went I thought I'd pull the engine and well one thing led to another and you know how it goes, here comes the engine rebuild and bare metal respray!

These first few pics are on my first day of ownership.

[ItalCarGuy]

First thing I needed to do was replace the windscreen and rear window rubbers as they were shot and leaking. You could push the windscreen in and out! Made it easy to remove...

While I had the glass out I welded and reinforced the A pillars that were cracked, probably from the stress of the bumpy roads near Nimbin. Better than the bits of galv plate covered the cracks and were screwed each side of the crack

Another 'while I'm at it', I replaced the front windscreen with a new one (not the best fit though as it was a bit short on the lower corners), and took the roof,pillars and cowl back to bare metal to get rid of the sky blue roof that the PO said "made it look more European". It was like texture paint that he had done from a can.

[ItalCarGuy]

Well after a few good years of driving a banger Super to work and just doing the basics my clutch went. So as I figured I was pulling the engine I thought why not fix a few other bits...

Pulling the engine was actually pretty easy once I found all the nuts under 40 years of crap. Gotta be on of the filthiest engines Ive seen! One thing that nearly got me was that the chain I had on the hoist hook was a touch too long and I nearly didnt clear the front radiator support because I hit the limit of the hoist! It is definitely a good tip to have the rear of the car up high.

I never intended to 'restore' the car as it had many odd bits and weird things going on with it but it has headed in that direction. Notable non-original bits, some of which can probably be seen in the pics are - wrong grille,wheels, door cards, rear seat, 1750 head, 1300 rear end, etc.

[ItalCarGuy]

Since the paint was reaally shabby I decided it had to come off, and since the engine is out why not do the engine bay too
I had the doors, boot and bonnet soda blasted, and it was nice to see the rust was pretty minimal. All holes were cut out and new metal added.
By far the worst part of my bodywork is the front right corner, with some pretty solid bog sculpting going on.

[ItalCarGuy]

A mate spotted this grille on the wall of a metal plating shop in Melbourne. Couldnt believe my luck that the centre lower heart wasnt broken. It will be nice to put the correct grille back on my Super. Got the kids working on it and hey-presto!

[ItalCarGuy]

Bear in mind this project is going slowwwly due to funds, new babies, time etc. A month or two back a friend had a 'longer term' space for me to put my car in his body shop , Adrian at Impact Panel Works, Moorooka if anyone is interested. He is a very thorough guy who used to work on all the high end prestige stuff but started his own shop a year or so ago. Great facilities, I have to take a photo of the new spray booth, its a beauty. Anyway he is letting me do the grunt work(to save me money) of stripping the paint and his crew does the skilled stuff.

The front lower panel was completely stuffed so that is getting replaced and I was pleasantly surprised the lower radiator support has no rust. I attribute that to the 1 inch think grease encapsulating it!

[ItalCarGuy]

I thought they would have to replace the front corner but their metal guy is a maestro and was able to reform the metal beautifully. Still needs a bit of work but very close. I will get back into it in the first week of the new year and post some updates then.

[ItalCarGuy]

Oh, and here are a few of the NOS bits I have tracked down over the last couple of years from all corners of the globe.
Original door rubbers are just so much better than repros!

[ItalCarGuy]

The only non-standard bits I am considering are these marchals, undermounted on the front bumper like the Polizia and Carabinieri Giulias of the day, some triple Maserati airhorns maybe, and the wheels are widened steelies so that I can keep the original caps.

I will try and keep this thread updated. If I am slack you can always watch progress on my new personal site www.alfa-male.com

[Evan Bottcher]

Fantastic shots Derek! 

[AikenDrum105]

...some triple Maserati airhorns maybe...

Ooooh - let's do a bulk buy !

[ItalCarGuy]

...some triple Maserati airhorns maybe...

Ooooh - let's do a bulk buy !

Ahh, but they are already sitting in my drawers at work!

Here is how I want to mount the marchals

[AikenDrum105]

Here is how I want to mount the marchals

Admit it - what you're really after is that uniform ....

[ItalCarGuy]

Actually I must admit I do have a carabinieri uniform with the dress hat, the one with the big feather plumes! Cant wear it in a car though unless its a convertible! (My grandfather was a detective in the Carabinieri, pre Alfa though- his ride had one horsepower...)

Here is how I want to mount the marchals

Admit it - what you're really after is that uniform ....

[cjheath]

Where is that photo from? All the Carabinieri cars I've seen were dutch blue with white markings. The polizia had that stealth grey (which I reckon is seriously ugly).