Good luck to all the Alfa crews in this years event...starting about now.
Chanel 7's morning news show has a weather reporter in one of the cars for this years event, so keep an eye out for live crosses to event locations each morning next week......supposedly.
Starting in Adelaide this year, saw an eclectic mix of cars at various road houses,yesterday (Friday )
Facebook tells me that the Brad and Anita (Team Alfa Silly Car) Shitbox hasn't been too healthy with overheating problems yesterday and today. It's on the recovery trailer to Uluru, needing some work tonight I expect. Shame to have trouble this early, but hopefully sorted fingers crossed.
Quote from: Evan Bottcher on May 05, 2013, 05:29:33 PM
Facebook tells me that the Brad and Anita (Team Alfa Silly Car) Shitbox hasn't been too healthy with overheating problems yesterday and today. It's on the recovery trailer to Uluru, needing some work tonight I expect. Shame to have trouble this early, but hopefully sorted fingers crossed.
By the sound of it there was an unknown coolant leak (temp gauge normal) which made itself apparent with a large discharge of steam and whatever was left boiling out. Since then it displays all the symptoms of a blown head gasket.......not an easy thing to manage in limp mode if at all.......Chemiweld, lots of water, fingers crossed and hope for the best!
From my end..... The temp gauge was reading accurately, and there was no leak, it was boiling and pissing water out of the cap. I suggested trying my cap, and apparently it ran fine for a decent amount of time with that on. An attempt was made to try and fix Brad's cap with silicon, but with that affixed, the next day it then blew out a heater hose (that really annoying one on the back of the block). That was fixed, and then it blew again 5km later. More to come on that front no doubt, apparently it's not being looked at till tomorrow morning.
Very sad to have to put an Alfa on a trailer, fingers crossed it can get going tomorrow. Or today I suppose.
And this GTV got rammed from behind by one of the support 4WDs. Sounds like it was a 'racing incident', not helped by the 4WD towing a Mercedes at the time.
The guys did a massive job to get it going again today, they're going to join our group tomorrow. They were up till about 2am trying to fix things. There will be more news on this car.
Our 90 is going well. No problems, other than trivial ones.
Uluru is very, very beautiful. If you haven't been here yet, just do it.
Dirt roads start for us tomorrow, so it's gonna get pretty demanding for the next 4 days. Won't have any internet for a few days either, so I'll talk to you on the other side......
good luck all,
hoping to see the finishers over here late Friday.
I just saw Alfa Silly Car on the day 3 video, sans bonnet. I assume that they haven't fixed the overheating!!
Cheers
Stu
I have just heard from one of the other guys on the rally.
Alfa Silly Car has succumbed to its injuries and has been pronounced dead. :'( :'( :'(
Keep your fingers crossed for Fat Boy Racing and Team Trofeo.
Stu
Ha, was just coming on here to announce the same thing!
You can see Alfa Silly Car sans bonnet at 00:44 here: https://vimeo.com/65599932
Brad (via Facebook) says they only made 200kms today on 4 cylinders, before going on the trailer. Surely they'll put a bullet in the poor horse after that.
I have just received news that the Trofeo boys have also gone by way of blown head gasket.
Bad news indeed.
Cheers
Stu
There goes Alfa Romeo's " Qantas like record" on the shitbox rally. I hope no one from The Australian has been watching
Fat Boy Racing are still going though. This is taken somewhere between Tjukayirla Roadhouse and Laverton.
Cheers
Stu
Quote from: Stuart Thomson on May 09, 2013, 02:56:56 PM
Fat Boy Racing are still going though. This is taken somewhere between Tjukayirla Roadhouse and Laverton.
Cheers
Stu
Have they got any extra passengers?
Bit hard to tell from here...
I don't think so as Simon has a swag, so that takes up most of the back seat, I don't know why it's not on the roof though.
Cheers
Stu
Hey Stuart,
Hope they make it, apparently Brad needs a lift back to Melbourne!
Roads were really rough this last day or so, so I'm told, with lots of broken cars.
Brad & Anita's 90 is apparently going to find it's way back here with RACV TotalCare!
Hope your own excursion is all going well .
Cheers,
Vin
Hi All,
Well the Fat Boy Racing Alfa 90 made it to Fremantle!!
This makes it two Shitbox Rallies with only minor electrical problems, 7000kms over some really tough ground, and the return trip from Cairns last year. If it makes it back to Melbourne I'll have to enter it next year to try and break it!
And Vin, when you say that Brad and Anita's car is making it back "here" I assume you mean your place to do a head gasket??
Cheers
Stu
Yep, we made it in the Fat Boy Racing 90, with only a few little issues. Annoying electrical issues of course (we're down to one working window switch), changed over some wheel-bearings a few days ago, changed over a leaking fuel-pump, and our rear door is a bit rooted now (this may have been because it was open while we were going over corrugations at low speed. It wasn't me). Also have multiple vibrations from either end due to knackered bushes in both front upper A-arms and the front dedion mounting. We also started to get a vibration in the last 60km or so today; I suspect the rear donut is on the way out due to the knackered dedion bush. We need to find the cause of the vibration because Brad bought the 90 and will be driving it back, all going well.
It's been a really great car. The engine is as strong as an ox and the car cruises beautifully at illegal speeds. I always thought I hated the 90 GCL, but I'm nearly in love with this particular one. My co-driver Simon has never driven Alfas before, so he has a severe case of Alfa-ankle right now, and he also wants to buy a 90!! I told him he should get a TS 75, but he really loves the V6, and he is determined to get a 90 Super. Nice to convert someone.
We had a great group this year, but it was exceptionally sad to lose Branita's 90 and the Trofeo Alfetta, both of them were great cars. Outback Aussie is not a great place to do a head-gasket on an Alfa though, both were very unlucky. One of the guys in our group is a very experienced mechanic, and he said that he was very surprised how far the 90 got on 4.5 cylinders. He quizzed me for quite a while on the details of the Alfa V6.
The GTV made it too. Awesome effort from these guys after being rear-ended on day 1. The owner is a Vic club member, but I don't believe he belongs to this forum, I'll try to change that. He has some more Alfas tucked away...
Other than Uluru (which was unbelievable BTW), I gotta admit that the scenery and roads were mostly pretty boring this year. Luckily on day 5 at Laverton it absolutely pissed down. We hated it at the time because we got extremely wet walking back from the pub, and a few people's tents and swags leaked somewhat, but the next day was just superb. Muddy roads and RWD is always a fun combination. Only one car was killed though, a Diesel Mazda 626.
Awesome update - and well done to the teams. Just getting to the start line is a victory, having raised a good wad of cash for cancer research and services.
Go the mighty 90! Even the dead one!