You should have at least one Alfa Romeo in your life
MICK’S WORKSHOP
Scott’s XA
One of our customers, Scott, has landed on his feet like the proverbial cat. He decided to get himself a project car and zeroed in on what you see here, an XA hardtop. He bought this from the other side of the continent – Western Australia – as a part-completed project car. Given WA’s borders have been locked up tight, he couldn’t fly over and eyeball the thing, and so was relying on photos and what the seller could tell him.
He hadn’t seen it until it rolled up to our workshop on a flatbed, so you can imagine he was more than a bit jumpy about whether he’d done the right thing.First impressions? He did very well. It may not be an oil painting in its current state, but underneath it seems like a good solid buy.
Why jump in? Scott reckons he’s had bikes as toys over time and has kept a couple, but with a young family coming along he wanted something he could more readily share. “I’ve always admired the hardtops,” he said. “My brother contacted me about this one and I was lucky enough to snag it.”
Our job from here is to get it up and running, so he’s got a rolling project he can take over from there.
I must confess to giving him just a little moment. We did the usual checks on the V8, including turning it over by hand, then with the starter with no ignition to ensure it had oil pressure. Then we fired it up.
I rang Scott and said he needed to come to the workshop because the car was making a loud noise. Of course he suspected the worst and was more than a little relieved when it fired up and ran like a charm. It was a loud noise, just a good one! He’s still calling me names…
Next we’ll get underneath it and get the brakes working. Seeing this car cheered me up as it proves there are still some good buys out there.
A theme I’ve touched on in recent times is that sourcing parts has become increasingly patchy over the recent months. A good example is a Corvette that’s in the shop awaiting a new intake manifold. Now there was a time not so long ago you’d ring up (for example) Rocket Industries, asking for an Edelbrock for a 350 small block and they’d ask you which type you wanted. Then it would be on its way that day.
Now? There’s not one to be had in the country and we’re having to look at alternatives.
What this tells me is that if you have a project underway, make sure you order components as early as possible, because there will be delays.
HERE’S MY TIP:
Feel around
With Summer in full swing, it pays to keep an eye on your coolant hoses. Run a hand round the ends to check for any emerging cracks or leaks and give them a squeeze. Any cracking noises? Get rid of them! Plus, run your hand underneath the brake master cylinder(s) – if it’s damp it’s a witness to upcoming failure.
LETTERS:
Keeping Cool
With summer coming up, I’m wandering what I should do about the health or otherwise of the cooling system on my XD Falcon. It’s a 302 auto and I know it struggle on hot days.
It’s my sole transport and I’m not really sure whether the radiator is an original or a replacement. However I certainly don’t want to risk melting the engine.
What should I be looking at?
Jim Cairns
YOU MAY recall we recently (issue 459) did a piece on a water pump for a Mustang that had chronic overheating issues. We swapped out the cheap blade type pump for an impeller style and the issue was fixed. That’s where you start. Check the hoses are still nice and pliable and not ‘crunchy’.
If they are, they’re full of rust. While you’re doing the water pump and have the radiator out, send it away and have it checked.
A quick note here on radiators: You tend to get what you pay for. A cheap unit will be around $200, while a proper manufacturer-style unit will be more like $500-600. I know that can hurt, however it’s still cheaper than replacing a head gasket and the real thing will work far better.
You need two things for cooling: Water flow and air flow. If it’s hot when stationary and cools when you get moving, it’s air flow (radiator) that’s the issue. If it heats up while you’re driving, water flow (water pump) is the problem.
Sharper Alfa
Every enthusiast should own an Alfa Romeo
My family years ago had the good luck or good sense to hand on an old Alfa Romeo, even when it seems fixing it cost more than the car was worth. It’s a 1970 1750 Berlina my Mum bought when it was near new, and it’s kind of become part of the family.
It still gets used pretty regularly and it’s reliable enough as any electrical gremlins seem to have been evicted over time. It doesn’t get used hard, which helps.
My question is the steering is starting to feel a little muddy – not as sharp as it used to be.
What should I be looking at?
Katherine Douglas
EVERYONE SHOULD own an Alfa Romeo once in their life. And if you’re an Alfa Romeo person you should own two! That way you have one to drive while the other one is in the workshop.
It sounds like you’ve been dedicated enough to sort it over the years, which is well worth doing.
These things weren’t super sharp in the steering (though they handled well), thanks to recirculating ball steering and reasonably plush suspension set-up. However you’ll know the car better than anyone and the first place I’d be looking is at the tyres. Pressures should be around 28-32psi cold all round. See how that feels.
Have a look at the wear. If there’s noticeable wear that’s not entirely even, then it’s time to get it up on a hoist and get your favorite mechanic to have a look at bushes and the like. I would stick with the original rubber bushes. Neoprene is an option and is easy to fit, but when that material starts to go, it falls off a cliff. Rubber is more prone to contamination, but the ride is better.
The car was designed with rubber mounts and I’d stick with that material – it’s what I do with my own cars.
Squealer
A squealing Pug, requires earplugs, or fixing..
Hi Mick. My old 1980 Peugeot 504 is giving me a little grief. We fitted new pads and discs recently, which work fine but squeal like a tortured animal every time you go near the pedal.
Apart from waking the neighbors, it’s pretty traumatic for anyone silly enough to get in the passenger seat.
I’ve looked up the problem and see all sorts of potions and theories on fixing this. So, rather than rely on social media, I thought I’d break with tradition and ask a real mechanic! Your thoughts? (Other than earplugs!) Thanks.
Mike Standford
FRENCH CARS! I love them, though the tax system in that country often meant they ended up being underpowered. The 504 was a good-looking car with a reputation for being robust. Good cars.
Bendix worked on this very problem for years or even decades and has a compound that’s specifically designed to cure the issue, which has plagued the industry forever. My advice is, if you can get late-model Bendix pads for that car, machine the discs so they’re fresh and fit new pads.
Lights and blades
Hey Mick, just reading the December edition and wanted to correct a couple of things.
The letter about globes:
1. The globes in the blister packs are the same globes sold in trade boxes to workshops. Yes there are some rubbish globes out there but packaging style is not how you tell one from the other.
2. The statement about “there are ADR approved LED globes” is just plain wrong. The ADR has far more than the globe itself involved. No aftermarket replacement LED headlight globes meet ADRs and never will.
3. High wattage headlight globes have been virtually dead since the mid 90s when polycarbonate lenses and plastic reflectors became common. They couldn’t handle the extra heat and would melt the housing. Since then globe manufacturers came up with ways to make upgrade globes with either longer light or whiter light but the wattage stays the same. After all, wattage is not a measure of light output, it’s just a measure of the amount of power required to produce the light Also, your comments about replacing wipers is a good tip but the terminology used is incorrect. What you refer to as the “blade” is not the blade at all. It’s the wiper element or insert and what you refer to as “the wiper arm” is actually the blade assembly. The wiper arm is the part that connects between the spindle and the blade assembly.
I’m definitely not trying to be a smart arse with this. But the wiper terminology is similar to confusing a camshaft with a crankshaft or the harmonic balancer with the water pump.
I always read and enjoy your column but just could not ignore these things.
Gareth
I DISAGREE on the ADR situation on globes. LED is of course a light-emitting diode and is not a globe as such. No globe has an approval as it’s not required. It is the reflectors and lenses that require the ADR. That said there are plenty of LEDs out there with ADR approval, from reputable firms such as Hella and Bosch. Some will have the European type approval, which we accept. There is a gazillion on internet that have no approval and are best avoided.
That said, like the original correspondent, I’m not a fan of LEDs on vehicles that are not designed for them. The wiring, voltages and resistance are generally wrong, so every time you put one into an old car you end up with trouble.
Point taken on the wiper terminology – refill or inserts would be more accurate. However in the interests of brevity, we went with ‘blade’, given that’s what most people call them. I daresay there are lots of examples out there of mismatched terminology. These days of course, there are no inserts on current cars – you do in fact replace the entire blade.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT
My bowtie
Chevrolet founder William C Durant introduced the company’s bowtie emblem in 1913. According to GM, it originated in Durant’s imagination when, as a world traveller in 1908, he saw the pattern marching off into infinity as a design on wallpaper in a French hotel. He tore off a piece of the wallpaper and kept it to show friends, with the thought that it would make a good nameplate for a car.
Got a problem?
Want some advice on a build or a potential car purchase. Heck we’ll even tackle long distance diagnosis. Drop MIck a line at uniquecars@primecreative.com.au
From Unique Cars #461, Feb 2022