Disclaimer: This is not strictly roadster related but does include a few
references.
As many of you know I have a '69 2000 that went through the rebuild process
almost 8 years ago. It is great fun to drive and well worth the two plus
years it took to put it together.
I have a new project and decided I would try to fast track this one. My
current project is an '86 Alfa GTV6 and I would like to relate some the
experiences I've had with it so far.
When I bought the Alfa it was in decent shape. My first experience was it
not passing Washington State's Emissions test. The catalytic converter was
shot. Anyway I was able to get the car to pass -- actually the PO did since
I made the sale contingent on the car passing the test. It was also my
first experience with the local dealer (actually a Ferrari dealer since
Alfa's are not longer imported) -- how they got the car to pass I do not
know -- they took it through the test for me -- seemed strange(perhaps a
bribe was involved? -- remember Alfa's are from Italy). The dealer's
service manager was emphatic the clutch needed to be replaced. Not happy
about this since it is quite expensive to replace a clutch in a transaxle
equipped Alfa.
I decided to first replace the exhaust system and relied on the Web to
identify suppliers. There are a lot of outlets for Alfa parts and one of the
best Web sites I have found for any automobile (WWW.gtv6.org). The system I
purchased bolted up well and has just the right sound -- you know the sound
that sets off car alarms in parking garages? ( I set more off Ford systems
than any other -- why is that?).
The next item was to replace the clutch, but since the gearbox and rear
differential seals were seeping I removed the complete transaxle. This is
much more work than removing the engine/trans combo on the roadster. I had
an independent Alfa shop go through the gearbox and replace the seals and
gaskets. When I was trying to install the clutch it physically would not go
into the bellhousing -- since the weather was nice it was a great excuse to
go mountain biking. I took the transaxle back to the shop and learned that
when they were moving the transaxle it had fallen off there handcart and it
had BENT the cast aluminum bellhousing. I thought aluminum would break
before bending -- learn something new every day. The shop offered many
apologies and I said "stuff happens". They replaced the bellhousing and I
was back in business. The rest of the reassembly went well other than being
complicated and time consuming.
I decided since the car was out of service that I would go ahead and replace
the water pump and timing belt since they need replacement @ 30,000 mile
intervals. I got the parts from the dealer and when I asked about anything
to watch for they just gave me a BS answer that they were not allowed to
talk about service procedures. The dealer also insisted that I replace the
timing belt tensioner with the new timing belt. The setup of the cam timing
on an overhead cam V6 is quite delicate and a mistake can translate into a
large bill. I got the car reassembled -- that's when the fun started.
I was feeling quite pleased with my mechanic skills since I completed some
of the nastiest jobs a person can do on a GTV6 other than remove/replace the
heads. This lasted about two days. The new, expensive, clutch I put in was
defective -- it had severe chatter -- especially downshifting -- the whole
car would shake. But the best was yet to come. I drove the car for a few
days -- as long as I double clutched everything work O.K. I got into the
Alfa for a Saturday coffee run and hit the starter -- it turned over, caught
for second and died. Hit the starter and heard a very sickening sound --
the sound of valves and pistons doing a little tap dancing -- tinkle,
tinkle, tinkle. Popped the hood and reached under the timing belt cover --
the timing belt was loose. Damn, Damn, Discouraging word. Muttered
something to my wife as she asked "I though you were taking the Alfa" when I
went out the front door to get into my truck to go get coffee. I think I
ordered a quintuple Venti Mocha -- rage in a cup for a person that only
drinks decaf.
I really had difficulty getting anything done over the weekend. On Monday I
called the shop that put together the transaxle -- told them my tale of
woe -- their estimate to replace bent valves on a gtv6 -- $2,000. Damn,
Damn, Discouraging word,Damn, Damn, Discouraging word. I had the car towed
over to the shop and they told me they needed the car a week. Feeling more
than a little anxious I held out until Friday before calling to see how
things were progressing (i.e., how much more?). The owner said he was
planning to call me but needed another hour before talking to me. Really
confused at this point -- assumed they needed the extra time to add up all
the other items I needed. Not feeling too good about Alfa's at this point.
When he called back he told that instead of taking the engine apart that
they reset the timing belt and tensioner and then did a compression check.
There were no bent valves and all cylinders had good compression. Feeling
a lot better -- much, much smaller bill.
Since I felt the shop could have really nailed me on an unnecessary r/r
cylinder heads work, I had them replace the clutch. The clutch was
warranteed and so other than the hassle of having to do it twice it was
tolerable.
The last item was to finish the Alfa was some body and paint work. The body
shop gave me a verbal estimate and when I went back three months later the
written estimate was higher. I wasn't sure about having that shop do the
work but I felt the owner was knowledgable and personable. I had them do
the work. Like everything else on the Alfa things didn't go quite as
planned. The shop was to have the car during the spring break when I was
out of town with my family. The shop had gotten quite busy and I really
didn't need the car right away so I really didn't mind accomodating the
shop's new schedule. When they got the body work done and ready to spot in
the paint, they discovered the car had been painted before and that they
could not match the paint. There solution was to paint the entire car for
no additional cost. When I got the car back it looked great and they kept
their word and charged me only the estimated cost. I was blown away and
offered to pay the cost for the extra materials. The owner told me "s*it
happens".
So what did I learn from this? I really don't think the garage and body
shop would have been as accomodating had I been a jerk. Things happen that
we don't plan on and being accomodating can work in our favor. Is "fast
track" better than long and slow -- can't tell maybe I need another project.
Now I don't need to post anything else for a year.
Jerry
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