1985 Alfa Romeo GTV6 (my first Alfa)

You guys are awesome!

The decal shop is probably the way I should have gone. Now that I have the 4th cap (the black with silver emblem) I may exercise that option.

The aluminum PCB etching is interesting as well. It really wouldn't take much for me to find a 52mm punch somewhere and knock out 4 aluminum discs...

Before that though, there is one more avenue I'm going to try but centerline hasn't given me the answer I'm looking for. If the dimensions match, I may buy this guy here:

It sure does look the part... I think I'm going to start a thread on a Spider forum to get someone to measure their wheels for me

Good times.

In other news, for OCD reasons I decided to let my multi-meter have a go at my spark plug wires. The results seemed to point to two bad plug wires.

First measurement (in ohms):

• 1: 2.7k

• 2: 3.2k

• 3: 2.5k

• 4: 2.6k

• 5: 10M to 5k depending on how it was bent

• 6: 2.6k

• Coil: 1k

at first I really only suspected the #5 wire. It changed as I bent it a bit and that made me think I should make an effort to bend the others and see how they do. When I took the second measurement I tried a little harder to be more thorough and got the following:

• 1: 2.766k

• 2: 6.66k to OL (open) depending on how I bent it

• 3: 2.528k

• 4: 2.616k

• 5: wandered between 5.89k and 5.5k

• 6: 2.70k

• Coil: 1.030k

To me it looked like I have two bad wires.

These wires are low resistance, and the impedance I'm measuring I learned comes from a resistor in the boot. I also learned that a new set of wires for this beast is about $150 (had I known that a few months ago, I wouldn't have tossed those plug wires on the 164... #hindsight)

I did some poking around and found a slightly used set (owner says 1-season/3000 miles) of Magnacore wires on fleabay for $45. I'm hoping they work out. I'm not exactly thrilled about buying used consumables, but dang if that $150 bill for plug wires isn't hard to swallow!

Of course that $45 bill for plug wires turned into almost $200 when he asked me "is there anything else you need?" Because the runners on that 3-liter I bought are notoriously small (38mm?) and there exists a larger version (42mm in the LS and 45mm in the Q) that are strongly recommended if you're going to do any sort of modifying to the engine. He had a set, I offered $125 and he accepted. I did however, forget to ask which diameter they were but it should be an improvement either way

If for some reason they don't work, I should have no problem selling them for what I paid.

Good times.

Hungary Bill wrote: Of course that $45 bill for plug wires turned into almost $200 when he asked me "is there anything else you need?" Because the runners on that 3-liter I bought are notoriously small (38mm?) and there exists a larger version (42mm in the LS and 45mm in the Q) that are strongly recommended if you're going to do any sort of modifying to the engine. He had a set, I offered $125 and he accepted. I did however, forget to ask which diameter they were but it should be an improvement either way If for some reason they don't work, I should have no problem selling them for what I paid. Good times.

I thought the LS/Q runners won't fit the RWD or FWD 12V engines, only the FWD 24V engines?

I did the LS to Q runner upgrade to my 164LS after I discovered the old, cracked rubber couplers to the plenum were creating vacuum issues. Even with the slushbox the difference was immediately noticeable. The car hauls like a freight train at highway speeds! As it should- the LS runners starved the engine of 20hp!

RexSeven wrote: I thought the LS/Q runners won't fit the RWD or FWD 12V engines, only the FWD 24V engines?

That's what I've read too. Something about the intake-to-runner flanges being different, or the bends in the runners or maybe both? Not entirely sure...

BUT! I figure I've got lots of time before that 3-liter sees any action so I can work out the logistics later. Right now I'm thinking "band saw and tig". A few beers in the garage and we'll see what happens

Dave meister can make you up a set of decals that are a direct match to what you have. He's located in Renton. Not home at this time or I could give you his number and shop location.

Got to visit Hungary this weekend, and was greeted by this:

That picture made my day, thanks!

Brad: Thanks man, I sent them a message today. I'll let you know what I find out.

In other news, it's probably going to be an "off week" as far as Alfa work is concerned. The neighbor's car took a dump and I offered to help get it back in "sellable condition". Hopefully I didn't bite off more than I can chew.

Good times.

Which neighbor? Is it the GTP?

No, GTP's don't break. The neighbor that was at the party, strawberry blond named Emily? It's a Volvo (a Ford to you and I)

In reply to Hungary Bill:

Folvo? a C30 or an S40?

V70 XC. The front driveshaft CV was dry. I gave it some grease and it's back in their hands for "testing". I'll get it back Friday, but tomorrow is ALFA DAY :)

I was going to work on getting my driveshaft back in and the transmission bolted up so I can take the car off of jacks and wheel that baby into a position to where I can start the body work buuuut exactly half the lighting in the garage decided to quit working last week.

(#notfunbutnecessary,Iguess...)

Good times

Costco had some cheap-ish LED shop lites, but like the old school fluorescent ones. IIRC ~$30 each.

Otherwise if your in the Seattle area any time soon LMK, I have a few extra old shop lights in my garage your welcome to.

Sounds like an electrical issue, but also sounds like you need more light!

EDIT: Ive got some big ass metal halide ones too if you want real light for seeing body imperfections :)

java230 wrote: Costco had some cheap-ish LED shop lites, but like the old school fluorescent ones. IIRC ~$30 each. Otherwise if your in the Seattle area any time soon LMK, I have a few extra old shop lights in my garage your welcome to. Sounds like an electrical issue, but also sounds like you need more light! EDIT: Ive got some big ass metal halide ones too if you want real light for seeing body imperfections :)

They've got the complete shop lights for ~$30, or just the bulbs for about the same price. I vote for the former, given the bulbs turn themselves off after about three hours in my old fixtures.

Regarding that CV, you know it will be back in your shop soon, right? Grease will only soothe a noisy CV for a few minutes - it's dead, Jim. Tell them to order a new one.

In reply to Mezzanine:

Dont hold me to it, but yeah right about there. That's where I got all my garage lights from ( a few years ago, t8's), they are even a nice silver color.

Java: I snagged some fluorescent looking LED lights from McLendons hardware last weekend for about $35 or $40 a piece. My shop lighting only consisted of 2-fluorescent light fixtures so "half" was just one bay.

Anyhoo, got them up in 5-minutes but am still kind of at a loss for what to do with the other end of the garage.

My original plan consisted of a 4-square arrangement where the LEDs would be hung at the front (they are), and the old fluorescents would be hung in the same fashion at the back. Unfortunately the garage doors would shroud/hit the fixtures when opened. Now my plan is to hang the one working fluorescent fixture longitudinally between the doors and call it macaroni (part of me wants to head up to seattle and make a light tunnel out of my garage using your fixtures )

I also have a couple floor lights of this variety:

The plan right now is to use my set of dollies to park the car diagonally in the garage, and put the two floor lights in the corners facing the car doors. I figure the more light I can get, the easier it will be to do the body work.

Mezzanine: yeah, I know... I'm not looking forward to it, but I didn't feel comfortable just spending their money without being 100% absolutely positive that it was in fact the front CV making the noise (this is why I'll never make it as a mechanic...). When it starts acting up again I'll have em spring for an $85 replacement. Also on the list is the cam timing (VVT solenoid, or possibly a CAS) to get rid of their check engine light. I'd complain about it taking away my alfa time, but the rash of "help me with my neighbors" threads lately has me counting my blessings. Plus I can use the good neighbor carma for the inevitable "open header time"

Good times

Well If you need more lights LMK, Ill see how many I have, 3 or 4 IIRC. Your in Tacoma right?

I just recently updated the shop lighting to 4 LED fixtures.... LOTS more light in my shop space now

Don't feel afraid to mount lights at the top of the wall and angle it.

Ross: I thought about that for the back wall, and that half of the side walls, but the rails of the garage doors are a bit close to the sides to go that route there... I'm betting I can come up with something that would work with minimal effort. Let me think on that one.

Option 2 would be to block the garage doors closed and temp hang the lights for the body work, remove and return to normal afterward.

Oldskewl: just these two fixtures are easily double the light I had before. And to think I hesitated when it came time to put them in my cart!

Java: I am, and i may be close to your area next month (I'll be running up to Renton sporadically). Thanks!

Hungary Bill wrote: I also have a couple floor lights of this variety:

I see you too like to play tic tac toe with your burn scars...

6-days and no posts. Nothing like a shift change to disrupt momentum on a project.

Instead of waking up at 3:30AM for Alfa work and then leaving for work around 5:15(back home around 3pm) I am now up at 7am, at work around 2pm and working till about 11pm (The Alfa gets attention till about 11:30pm). I hate rotating shifts.

BUT, the project didn't stall. I've just been too busy/tired to post anything comprehensive. Working on the car at 11pm when you're used to getting up at 3:30am is a lot like trying to perform brain surgery before dinner when you let a buddy visiting from out of town talk you into downing a 6-pack at lunch and you thought "sure I'm pushing it, but maybe I've got plenty of time to sober up..."

Nothing goes together quite right, and when it does you have to take it back apart 5 times because you keep forgetting important steps, you lose tools you're holding in your hand. Pretty soon you're back to where you began, only an hour has passed since you started...

Here goes:

So the magnacore wires arrived! (yay) but the runners aren't the ones I thought they were (boo).

Of course I went at the wires with my multimeter and immediately noticed a difference. Where the stock wires were no-resistance cores but had a load resistor right at the boot, these wires are resistor core wires and the resistance value varies slightly with length. BUT I do get a consistent value of resistance regardless of how I bend the wires, so a win there.

The 24-valve runners I bought are NOT 42mm like I thought. They are the same 39mm dia. runners that appeared on the 3-liters 12v counterpart WITH the added caveat that they won't bolt up to the 12v heads. damn.

I poured over my reading materials and realized my mistake. The book mentions these can be BORED OVER to 42mm, not that they are 42mm. The 12v ones can also be bored to the same dia so these may be porting practice in the future (oh, that reminds me. they're also dirtier/rustier than my current runners so no benefit there either.)

ah well. That'll learn me read more buy less.

Also in the second picture: Before I decided not to install a bunch of stuff that I risked overspraying when I eventually painted, I cleaned a few things that live in the engine bay. Instead of putting them back in boxes in the basement I decided I'd just go ahead and set them in where they go.

Installed now is the ignition box, coil, wiper motor, plug wires... and I have a few other bobs and bits I can put in when I'm wanting to procrastinate body work.

(Holy blurry pics batman!)

Good times

Speaking of re-doing crap 5 times...

The middle portion of the driveshaft wasn't put together 100%. I THOUGHT all I needed to do was tighten the bolts, but when I did it looked like this:

See that gap in the middle? I figured that couldn't be right, so I took it apart and put it back together about 4 times. Nothing ever really changed so I started suspecting the bearing at the tip must have slipped (see below)

I went at it a bit more and started thinking of how I was going to word my AlfaBB "help" post and for no reason apparent to my foggy brain, it just decided to slip together!

Tighten the bolts, and BAM the driveshaft is ready for install ('cept, I'm kind of tired of crawling under cars at the moment. Blame the neighbor's Volvo V70 XC)

of course I forgot to take a photo of the completed assembly. #overtired is how the kids refer to it these days

Once the shaft is bolted back in, and the transmission is bolted back up the idea is to put the wheels back on the car, drop it on to rollers and maneuver it into a position where I can have access at both sides of the vehicle

Good times

don't you just love tight tolerance slip fit?

Or as I like to call them, never slip together right till you cuss plenty and go to sleep and come back to it fits?