Hi all,
This will be nothing like Evan Bottcher's inspiring thesis on a 1750 GTV restoration but my little project is nearing the point where things will accelerate (hopefully😗) in its return to the roads of SE Qld.
About 6 years ago I began my period of stewardship of this vehicle which I obtained from a co-worker who needed his barn back on his coffee plantation in the hills behind Byron Bay.
The vehicle had been off the road for about 8 years and not even started for about 3-4 years.
It has been a slow moving restoration project that has the car now ready for reassembly starting with suspension components.
My philosophy for the restoration is to have a comfortable, safe and useful car that I will be happy to drive anywhere and everywhere but not necessarily every day. To that end I haven't gone to a Concourse level of finish but I am trying to keep most things at a reasonable level of originality with small modernisations here and there. I am sure that some will criticise this non-original path and some will approve, while others would go even further! That is what is great about car enthusiasts and this hobby.
I will post some pics showing a broad overview and hopefully I will have time in the future to chat specifically about detailed areas of the restoration.
As many of you would know, these restorations take time, with things like finances and, in my case, babies all slowing down the process along the way. Comments from other Alfisti will always be welcome, especially as now I feel like I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I can't wait to sit behind my lovely restored steering wheel and take my young son for a drive in what may end up being his car one day!
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your photo order is hurting my brain :D
very nice, love the color, so 1750 series 2? looks like the shell was in good condition before you painted it, much work required?
more photo's please!
Thanks Colin - we must think the same, it bugs me no end that those 2 photos are the wrong way around[emoji79] Still learning how this tapatalk app works!
Yep it is a 1971 Le Mans Blue on a 1969 Series 1 - like I said, the restoration is not a slave to originality.
Body was ok when back to bare metal - new floor pans front/rear have gone in. Rust repairs around the front beaver panel and radiator support beam + A pillar bases and some physical damage fixed above rear bumper. Some other minor rust pinholes etc around windows.
I've got heaps of photos on the computer at home and posting from the iPad is a little laborious! I have been meaning to get some piccies up in an album on my website so when I do I will post the link here.
Carl
I love French blue on these, more pics please :)
Two more pics - she isn't front and centre but sharing the limelight with my daily driver in one of them[emoji4]
Good Job. I love the colour, but then I am quite partial to Blue cars. I'm sure it will look amazing when it is finished. 8)
I have created an Album on my flickr page with a collection of photos.
Check it out here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackalsphotos/sets/72157652440281344
Enjoy!
Carl
Fan-bloody-tastic! ;D
Looks fabulous!
Where did you source the exhaust? That's on my list to get soon...
Thanks Evan.
That is the Alfaholics sports exhaust - delivered to my door for under $2k (including shipping), although that was about 6 months ago before the dollar dropped. 1 quote for locally made extractors alone was more than that!
It looks like a beautifully manufactured system and I can't wait to hear it.
Looks very nice indeed, I'm looking forward to see the finished product.
Interested to know where you got the floor panel sections from and how well did they fit.
They seem to be very well made.
Ben
Quote from: avi81n on June 19, 2015, 10:25:49 PM
I have created an Album on my flickr page with a collection of photos.
FWIW if you use flickr you can upload all your photos there, and then embed a couple of highlights here in a post using BBCode. Give me a shout if you want directions.
You'll be back on the road in no time!
Quote from: 105gta on June 20, 2015, 07:53:49 AM
Interested to know where you got the floor panel sections from and how well did they fit.
They seem to be very well made.
The panels were from Alfaholics (90% certain but I will check when I get home and let you know if they were from another supplier). They were exactly like the originals - so much so that I suspect they may have the original press. Perfect fit.
Thanks, I've been keeping an eye out for good quality panels as some I've seen really are quite poor and it would've been easier to start with a flat sheet of tin rather than the work involved to make them fit.
Can't wait to see yours finished
Ben
Most all the 105 reproduction replacement panels (with the exception of Wolf) are made by the same company in EU and distributed by Classic, AH, EB, Highwood, etc.
(Ordered by preference and experience)
Has anyone used soda blasting to clean up their engine? My engine is still completely assembled (minus carbs and extractors) and looks fairly scabby on the outside. Any experiences good, bad or indifferent welcome.
Digging up an old thread here because the resto is certainly gaining some momentum these last few weeks!(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170817/01a7d85008209b321805a626386c910e.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170817/21cba076795837da815f76eb5ea9b622.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170817/ebe4eeea9ae06b485001457c7c95d346.jpg)
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Well done, this is a lovely job!
I love the little 205GTI daily driver. I have fond memories of one in 1988.
Phil
Quote from: massiveluvbuddy67 on August 18, 2017, 09:44:48 AM
Well done, this is a lovely job!
I love the little 205GTI daily driver. I have fond memories of one in 1988.
Phil
Thanks Phil.
The 205 is certainly a special car - I sold it last year after driving it for 16 years [emoji15]knowing full well that the day will come when I regret doing so. All is not lost though - my current daily is a 2005 Renault Clio Sport which is a worthy successor to the mighty Pug!
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Was the previous owner one David Bakker?
I have lost touch with him and am aware that he was storing an Alfa on his farm with a view to restoration.
Regards
Rob
Quote from: Sailor209 on August 18, 2017, 03:11:48 PM
Was the previous owner one David Bakker?
No - I purchased it from a work colleague - who also had it on a farm awaiting restoration!
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Quote from: avi81n on August 19, 2017, 03:31:33 PM
Quote from: Sailor209 on August 18, 2017, 03:11:48 PM
Was the previous owner one David Bakker?
No - I purchased it from a work colleague - who also had it on a farm awaiting restoration!
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Ah good..
That means a nice 105 is probably still sitting in a shed waiting for the owner to realise he needs to sell it to me.:)
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Quote from: avi81n on August 18, 2017, 02:59:34 PMmy current daily is a 2005 Renault Clio Sport which is a worthy successor to the mighty Pug!
Dark blue one?
French blue with white Clio Cup stripes.
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looking good! Look forward to seeing pics of the finished product. Looks like you've spent some time at Avanti Spares:)
It would seem to be as good a time as any for an update!
All mechanical components of engine and drivetrain are installed. Carbs are just waiting for fuel - electric pump going in at the moment.
The next fortnight should see the electrical installation finalised (with a few custom touches) and then we will be in a position to fire up the engine for the first time in over 7 years!
Today saw her cranked over for the first time.
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Hi avi81n
A very impressive ground up restoration of your 105 series Alfa Romeo. The engine bay is very tidy, in particular how you have secured and enclosed the wiring and refurbished/renewed all components and wrinkle black tappet covers. The weber trumpets and extractors, suggests you have opted to increase on the performance of the Nord engine. Have you commenced the interior work and if so, what colour combination have you selected for the seats and whether you have opted for leather or vinyl? The reason why I ask, is that this process including refurbishment of the dash for my 1983 Alfetta GTV4 took me approximately 12 months.
Cheers
bonno
Frank
Hi bonno,
Thanks for your kind words - not being terribly mechanically minded I have left most of that stuff to the experts but the electrics are my baby - I re-engineered and built the loom myself and also painted the tappet cover! Fingers crossed all my electrics work reliably and the mods I have made turn out to be sensible!
The engine is stock [emoji33] - for various reasons I have left it completely untouched (not even opened up) from before however absolutely everything else mechanical (and suspension) on the car has been rebuilt/overhauled/replaced including carbs. To sum it up - everything between the intake and exhaust ports is untouched and therefore performance should be basically original although it should sound very nice!
The seats have already been re-upholstered in one of the kits available from the UK and they look great (no photos at the moment). After much deliberation I have just ordered a carpet kit from Classic Alfa in the original style but in black (as are the seats). I was going to go down the road of a local trimmer making a one piece carpet but it just didn't stack up. As for the dash, it was in pretty good condition with just 2 cracks so I had it repaired (vinyl repair) rather than completely re-covered and it is ready to go in.
I will post some photos shortly when I get back to my computer.
Carl
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Some random photos - note the wiring loom!
Lots of photos in quick succession makes it feel like things have been progressing rapidly ::)