Hi guys,
I've had a few requests by people to upload some pictures of my TS conversion so here it is. I purchased a damaged Alfa 75 and raided all the parts. I do mean all the parts, engine, uprights, brakes, calipers, steering rack & column. About 80% of the work was carried out by myself on my student budget with the tools I had available. Please let me know what you think?
(http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt142/Tristan1337/DSC_0012-2.jpg)
(http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt142/Tristan1337/DSC_0013-2.jpg)
(http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt142/Tristan1337/DSC_0015-2.jpg)
(http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt142/Tristan1337/DSC_0024.jpg)
(http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt142/Tristan1337/DSC_0025.jpg)
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Looks impressive, che bella !!! and I bet huge fun to drive, well done, especially on a student budget, and I recall being on one of those and restoring my Fiat 124 sport. Never easy but the results worthwhile.
Would be really interesting to see how it goes in comparison to a nord engined 116, as it looks like such a neat installation of the twinnie. Dave
Thanks Lombardi & and David. When I get some extended leave from work I'll be bring her down the track for sure :)
As for the installation, I wanted to keep it as factory looking as possible. Due to the intake plenum shape, the entire pedal box and booster was swapped over for clearance. I also heated and bent the 75 pedal to fit, so that I could use the original throttle cable. I also spent some time deciding how to best route the loom around the bay. Fitting an intake filter posed quite a challenge and this the the two distributor's were located under and the intake plenum. Due to work commitments it wasn't as ideal as I would have liked. However it made it from Melbourne to NSW on its first shakedown, so I can't complain.
This weekend, I'll type up a rundown of how I converted the car.
cheers,
Tristan
Hi Tristan. Thanks heaps for putting up the images the car looks really good. The front spoiler looks very aggressive but in keeping with the feel of the car and the exposed fasteners look great. The sides of the car look really clean and pure without the skirts and protective panels - nice!
What are you doing about front indicators? Also any chance of seeing a shot of the rear? I am really keen to see how you have sorted that out.
Thanks again for putting the shots up.
very nice indeed!
you have done an excellent job, the conversion looks really neat.
i cant wait to read the conversion post(s)
scott
Great work Tristan, I admire your willingness to get in there and have a go yourself.
I also like that the tacho can read 3000rpm while the car is sitting still ;D ;)
Hey Phil, that shows just how fast this Red GTV is when parked, one can only imagine how fast it is when going ;D !!
Hi Phil,
I've got to get around to fixing that one. I think its the signal wire from the coil to the tacho. Its works from 3 - 6k and I don't have the time or tools here at work.
Tristan
that looks stunning Tristan - well done.
Looks very clean without the plastic side mouldings being an early version..
And congrats on the conversion - doing it yourself and all!
Looks great Tristan! What's the front spoiler off?
Look forward to seeing it at the track
Scott
Hi Scott,
I got the front spoiler from a company in France. http://www.mcracingsa.com/alfaromeo.htm
Hows the 75 going?
Tristan
Hey Tristan just me again. Been thinking about your mods and what an impressive job you have done. You have managed to turn a nice touring/sports coupe into something far more exotic and exciting both visually and I am sure dynamically.
Did you happen to weigh your front and rear bumpers when you removed them? I would be very interested in knowing the amount of weight that you have shed. By the way its been great having your engine sitting by as a spare I have already managed to use some bits and pieces on my car. Hope to meet you in person one day.
Cheers
Ren
Tristan,
Very nice.
I especially like the black crackle finish on the cam cover. Must do that to mine when I have to take it off.
A very similar job to what I have recently done, though I didn't swap over the steering rack or column.
I did fit the standard air box, but it took a lot of messing around with cutting the back away to get it to sit OK, and then find somewhere reasonable for the coils.
The only other thing that I did was to fit the 5 stud hubs rather than drill the disks.
They just fitted straight on to the hub spindles, and I just swapped the whole rear de dion.
I too like the tacho 3000 rpm just sitting still.
Look on the bright side, it works at the important end of the rev range:-)
Alan.
Hi Ren,
Sorry I didn't weigh the bumpers when I removed them. They do have quite a solid steel insert, so I guess they would be about 10 kg each.
No worries about the engine, I just didn't want to have it sitting around going to waste when it could be helping someone else with their own project.
cheers,
Tristan
I notice that very pretty front air dam is mechanically fastened....what was your address again? :)
Lovely car, Tristan....just lovely.
Hey Tristan, Your car is looking mighty fine. Is the the same GTV you had about 4 or so years back, if so you have really done very well with it. Congrats!
Hi,
just wondering if your conversion write-up is in the pipeline? ;D Hanging out for any pointers on what to watch out for..
A couple of q's pls:
Whats the advantage of swapping the rack & steering column? Do you still have powersteering?
What have you done about fuel delivery/return?
thx!
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the kind comments OzMidnight. If your after that particular type of spoiler I posted a link on the 1st page.
As for Trent's question. Yes it is the original GTV I owned 4 years ago :) How is your GTV going and more importantly how have you been?
Finally I've had a number of people ask, including your question 116gtv, about the write-up for the conversion. Currently I'm away from home with work but I should be on leave in about 6 weeks time. When i get back home I'lll have all the tools I need to get some good photos.
In answer to your two questions: I swapped the rack as the original rack had seen better days. I also wanted the quicker steering ratio. I know its only slighter better, but I don't have to go hand over hand to turn a 90 corner. I could have keep the power steering but decided not to.
As for fuel delivery, I installed a gtv6 tank in the rear as its already a fuel injection tank with baffling and it has a compatible fuel sender. I then just bolted the Alfa 75 fuel pump bracket under the rear, right hand seat. I then connected the gtv6 tank to the pumps and shielded the lines from the exhaust with heat shielding. I also used the 75's fuel lines. Although the 75 has a longer cockpit the fuel lines just run straight under the seats. So in the 116 I just routed them along the right hand passenger sil, using those press in cable ties and then connected them to the fuel rail in the engine bay.
Hey Tristan,
How did you go fitting the front spoiler. Mine arrived some time ago and I'm just getting a chance to have a crack at it now.
It looks quite snug in the pictures but mine seems to sit quite wide on the sides.
Did you have to cut wholes for the brake duct in the front panels under the front bumper attachments?
Did you have to remove the original bumper side mounts?
Any help appreciated.
Dan
Well done Tristan. I am in awe of your talent and skills! A beautiful piece of work.
Send me a PM I would like to do an article for the Cross & Serpent on your car.
Cheers
Phil
Editor and Secretary
Hi Dan,
I did remove remove the side bumper mounts. From memory I ground off the face of each mount then drilled the spot welds.
In regards to mounting I used an angle grinder to cut two slots into the bodywork to accommodate the brake ducts. I marked the approximate area then made a small incision . The steel there is quite thin and it was simple to cut. I then enlarged the slot as required to suit. I also had to remove the lower part of each guard. Again I held the front bar in place and cut as required.
I terms of affixing the spoiler I used "rivnuts" a rivet with a threaded insert. I borrowed the tool off a friend. I then matched drilled the body kit and I used some M6 SHCS to secure the bar to the chassis. This pull's in the kit quite a bit and makes fit.
Let me know if you have any further questions or better yet give me your e-mail and I'll send you some photos.
Hi Tristan,
Thanks for the info. I have drilled out the spot welds and removed the mounts and I have cut one 'slot' for the brakes ducts ... actually thats not true I have cut the same slot slightly bigger three times ... a bit sheepish I think.
I will have to look into 'rivnuts' I wanted to use zsus fasteners but there doesn't seem to be enough real estate.
Really appreciate the heads up you've given me the confidence to get stuck into it.
Any photos would be much appreciated. I will pm email.
Cheers
Dan
Hi Tristan,
Very nice work. What year model is the Alfetta?
And, how much bonnet clearance do you have? I looked at a few TS conversions years ago and almost all had some type of bonnet hump or scoop for clearance.
Once again, congrats on the great job.
Nice Work!
Hi Paul,
Yes the bonnet clearance is an issue. I played with the engine mounts so as to get the engine to sit as low as possible. I also had to cut a slot into the center rib of the bonnet.
I'll try to post up some photos this weekend.
Regards,
Tristan
Hi Tristan
I agree, nice work. I am just finishing off my second GTV TS install and am curious where you got your upper radiator hose from? Mine is a bit of a frankenstein creation and would love to have a neater one mounted.
I have managed to fit the engine in (twice) without any mods or bumps in the bonnet. I even still have the original insulation on it. That said, parts of the engine leave an imprint in the insulation so it's tight, but I've never had it connect with the bonnet.
Cheers
Julian
Hi Julian,
I got the upper hose from REPCO. I walked in there with some MIG welding wire that I bent to the required shape. They returned with a hose off a small FWD (I cant remember the make or model, sorry) that had a section that was perfect. I then cut of the rest of the section that I didn't need and then fitted the hose.
Tristan