Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia Forum

Technical => 160 Series (90, 75, 164 Sedans) => Topic started by: deano on November 15, 2008, 11:04:59 AM

Title: 75 3.0
Post by: deano on November 15, 2008, 11:04:59 AM
hey guys,

as of 2 pm yesterday, I am free from year 12 and school. now I can finally get stuck into this alfa project. To put it simply, im a complete noob when it comes to motorsport. My background is in sailing and yacht racing. Ive worked at a go kart track for 2 years and have met some people here and there but i have virtually no experience.

I bought a 75 3.0 potenziata a few months back and it has been living unroadworthy and regoed in my backyard under a cover. I intend to modify it and do aroca sprints and other track work in it.

Im after some advice, besides a roadworthy, where should i start  ???


Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Mat Francis on November 15, 2008, 06:12:53 PM
Congrats Deano, i too am in the same boat as far as finishing school and about to get really stuck into the project!
My honest advice would be to just leave the car absolutely bog stock standard for now, maybe get some reasonable tyres but thats about it.

Here's my reasoning.
-a 3L 75 will have more than enough go in standard form to scare the living s**t out of you.
-it will probably take you at least 2 years of solid track work before you begin to reach the limits of the car as it is (i'm not saying you  can't drive, it's just that these cars in standard form take real skill and balls to be used properly).
-the running costs of the thing might become too much if you spend a whole lot of money on the thing straight away.

Best thing you can do is download the entry form and enter Phillip Island in December  ;)
Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: deano on November 15, 2008, 07:34:49 PM
cheers mat. yeh how good is no more school, waking up in the morning and not having to do anything ;D

I was thinking of entering phillip island but dont i need to have some experience, at least some sort of training???

tyres, i got a set of worn yoky advans on twinspark 14s and shes on 156 16s for the road.


thought id post in the tech section cause i have a load of questions. firstly, 75 brakes, wtf.... would good fluid, lines and pads do the trick for now, cause the pedal almost hits the floor and i think she would stop faster if i opened the door and dragged my feet on the ground....

and about classes, shes on konis at the back so thats ok in the standard class, but what about r spec tyres, if i use them, wont it mean i have to go to the modified class?







Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: jimnielsen on November 15, 2008, 09:39:22 PM
Deano - it doesn't really matter what class you are in to start with anyway - just go along and have fun - see if you can get the brakes sorted just a little perhaps (at least bleed them and have some spare front pads handy...), as Phillip Island can be quite scary without brakes. I'd just change the oil and coolant - pump up the tyres and  - away you go!! You can learn by "doing" just start at the rear of one of the slower grids at first - you'll soon be loving it -

jimn~
Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Mat Francis on November 15, 2008, 09:48:24 PM
yeah mate, thats the one. R types put you straight into super modified this year, and i believe the modified class for next year. i run a set of r types which were given to me, and the difference is unreal. not cheap if you have to buy them, but it is incredible.

i presume you are a member of AROCA? if so, the only other thing you will need to enter at Phillip Island is a level 2S CAMS license, which is $95 for the year i think. you can download it from here http://www.cams.com.au/downloads/paperforms/2008_Level2_Application.pdf
no actual driving test or anything required, just about 15 minutes of paperwork

As for brakes, from the sound of it you will need to do something about them. when working properly they should be quite good. whether it requires a full rebuild or just a bleed, i don't know, but make sure you either know what you are doing or get someone to do them who does- of all things to go wrong its not good.

back to classes again though, i honestly wouldn't worry too much at this point. again, not trying to discredit your driving ability, but for at least the first year it would be really hard to be competitive- there are a lot of very experienced, very knowledgable people going very quickly around circuits out there. my advice (and what i do) is just get out there and have fun. i'm never anywhere near competitive in super modified, but the grin on the face is just as big as anyone elses  ;D




Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Paul Gulliver on November 15, 2008, 11:20:19 PM
Deano,

You ought to try and get a hold of Alan Goodall. He won the 1984 World A class catamaran championships (sailing). He also knows a thing or two about getting the best out of a 75. 

He will probably be at Philip Island in December.
Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: deano on November 16, 2008, 12:20:11 PM
the grin is already here. im so excited and nervous but she'll be rite :D

thanks jim. the oil and coolant are fresh. i changed them in septemeber and its still nice and golden. ive only been starting her every few weeks and driving her up and down the driveway to keep her going since then. I think i'll have to replace the cam seals cause its pretty sticky all around the front and the timing belt looks sticky as well so i'll have to change that which will be fun. i'll post some pics later to show you what i mean. i know someone who knows what they are doing who can give me a hand. hes got a 3.0 12 v alfetta sedan and used to do sprints.

yep im a member of AROCA vic, i'll fill out those forms and send em off tomorrow. mat, my driving skills... LOL! you'll probably read in the papers the next day about the water police recovering a 75 from bass straight ;D it'll be fun though.

cheers paul. the name does ring a bell. is alan on these forums somewhere? im a laser sailor at the moment so i dont think i've met him.

more questions...

what sort of gear will i need, cams approved helmet, gloves etc???

the power steering feels a bit stiff. when you first start her up, its hard to turn left and once you get going it loosens up after a while. there are bubbles in the reservoir and you can see its been a problem child all its life, there's a trail of grim and oil down the side of the engine bay. should i be worried?

what sort of brake pads should i use to get started?

cheers
dean





Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: jimnielsen on November 16, 2008, 09:51:45 PM
All you actually 'need' is a helmet. I'd try the TRW lucas pads - they are cheap and they work - try Mr Brakes - in Ballarat - Both the Canny's that own the business there are regular Alfa club sprint entrants.

cheers, jim.

Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: alfagtv58 on November 17, 2008, 10:22:22 AM
deano, the guys above are offering excellent advice.  Dont get too hung up on classes or mod's at this stage, just get out there and start learning about the car and your abilities.  Maybe come to a club night and/or the phillip island sprint and ask plenty of questions....just floating around the paddock at a sprint checking out how it all works can be a good learning experience.

The other thing I would suggest is starting out at a track like Winton, nowhere near as daunting as PI or Sandown as your first track experience.  In March the club is running a weekend where there will be driver training on the Saturday and a sprint on the Sunday....this would probably be an ideal date to aim for.

In regards to the gear you need, you can find all the specific info here http://www.camsmanual.com.au/ look at the speed events section and the general requirments for cars and drivers section, but there is a lot of other info in there and most of it doesn't apply to speed events (it is predominatly racing stuff).  If you go and have a look at Neil's recent post about the PI sprint you will find the 'supp regs' (which is short for supplementary regulations), this should have all the actual requirements for both you and your car.

Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: deano on December 13, 2008, 01:43:51 PM
hey guys,

my plan of aiming for phillip island was a bit too ambitious. I've had a few problems with the car which has stopped me from getting it ready. the main one being I only have 5th gear and reverse.  :( A light 3000 rpm clutch dump put me in my place. I'm getting it up on the hoist next week and seeing whats wrong. May just be a linkage pin but i suspect, considering the sound the box made when it happened, its full of marbles. i just have to wait and see. Clutch is fine though and it spins up fine in fifth and reverse. ive sorted out most of the annoying inside things that it'll need for roadworthy, but its never ending. Engine mounts and bushings next. yay.

I'm probably going to head down to phillip island tomorrow to have a look. I'll be armed with lots of questions.

cheers

dean
Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Southern75 on December 15, 2008, 04:46:43 PM
Deano,

Congrat's on finishing school!!

Secondly ... nice choice of car.

With the 75 ... brakes definately ... i have never been able to get mine where i'd like them but throw a set of slightly harder pads at it as with standard alfa pads ... you may get 5 laps at most before you start having issues. (Btw mine is a 2.5l so won't having the same amount of straight line go that yours will.

I would seriously look at getting a harness too ... they make a great deal of difference as a standard seatbelt won't hold you well at all and you will be fighting to stay in the one position rather than focusing on driving the car.

And yes ... do they cam belt and ensure the tensioner is right as bent valves are expensive.

And my words of advice to my year 12's (and 11's and in case you're wondering I'm a teacher) have fun .. take it relatively easy and don't try to prove a point as I have a Sud as well and i find my 75 a  difficult car to catch when it gets out of shape.

Hope you have fun!

Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: deano on December 17, 2008, 02:49:42 PM
cheers matt.

yeh the plans are to do the brakes, get the thing roadworthy, shes almost there but im going to need another unreg permit thing. then get a harness and a seat if i can.

the back end is coming off the car tomorrow so then i'll know what is really wrong with the box.

am i allowed to remove some stuff from the interior so i can mount a seat a bit lower and further left? or does this move me up a class?
Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: deano on December 29, 2008, 04:50:43 PM
hey guys,

turns out its the 1st/2nd gear selector ring. it was in 6 pieces. destroyed one sinchro in the process but apart from that, the gear set looks ok. no chips etc. i'll get stuck into it after new years.

re the above post, i should have read the competition rules a bit more carefully.  :-[

does anybody have any tips for doing engine mounts? they are at the point where i can rock the engine back and forth about 5 cm..... Im looking for the rear mount at the moment. I've got the front 2.

cheers

Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Southern75 on January 04, 2009, 09:40:17 AM
Just noticed you're vehicles ... love the comment about the bike ... that's why i haven't got one!
Title: how bad is it?
Post by: deano on January 08, 2009, 10:23:59 PM
hey guys,

yet another problem i now have. theres a crack running from the top of the frame right the way through until it meets the weld joining the engine bay and the top of the frame. from the looks of things, its been there for a while. its directly inline with the left engine mount.

how do i go about fixing it bearing in mind i want to do some sprints in this car. i'll try and post some pics.

cheers
Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Colin Byrne on January 09, 2009, 09:28:04 AM
Sounds like it requires attention, is the crack running from any mounting points (bolt holes)?
bit hard to advise without some pics, but sounds like its time for some welding
Title: pics of problem
Post by: deano on January 09, 2009, 12:52:11 PM
wont allow me to post pics on this forum, posted them on alfabb

heres the link

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/australian-forum/145787-alfa-75-v6-engine-mounts.html

Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Colin Byrne on January 09, 2009, 02:03:03 PM
Wow, that is a serious crack! If you just weld it up there is a good chance that the crack will reappear as the metal in that area will be very fatigued, if you weld it up and then weld some flat patches over the box section you may have a better chance of it lasting.
Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: Southern75 on January 16, 2009, 08:52:29 AM
Yes I agree but weld the crack up before putting the plates on.

Probably also check with someone like Vin Sharpe about some other reinforcements that could potentially be done while the welder is in operation
Title: I've had a really bad run...
Post by: deano on March 01, 2009, 03:58:03 PM
hey guys,

since november ive spent hours working on the 75. in the process of getting all the little things ready for the roadworthy, i destroyed the 1st/2nd gear selector ring, half of which was my fault and the other half being my sloppy linkages, so out came the gearbox, a rebuild and back in it went a month later. then, after taking the guard off, i found that crack, so that got fixed. then after not starting the car for a month, the starter motor wouldnt fire so it had to be rewired. then, bleeding the whole system for hours, the brake pedal still went to the floor which is in the process of getting fixed this week. last wednesday with the car almost ready for winton and a day away from being regoed, on my way out to vins to get some shocks, the clutch started slipping in 2nd, 3rd 4th and 5th so the next morning I got under and quickly pulled the clutch out and then as im about to pop in an almost new plate, i lost all motivation and let winton go. its a real bummer considering i spent hours and hours under the car getting everything prepared properly for this year of sprints. i'll be ready for sandown if it kills me...

anyway another problem ive come across is the seat. Im too tall to fit in the car comfortably with a helmet on. its fairly uncomfortable even without a helmet. I've taken the spacers out from under the seat and thats lowered it a few cm but its still not going to work. I can angle grind a section out of my back and legs to sit down lower but thats too much effort so it looks like im going to have to get a seat and mount it on the floor. anyone got a seat lying around that they wanna get rid of???

cheers

dean

Title: Re: 75 3.0
Post by: hammer on March 01, 2009, 06:58:36 PM
Don't angle grind a section of your back and legs Deano, that'll hurt like hell!!