A Work in Progress # 1:0 Alfa 33 (a Tale of Love, Loss and Renewal)

-

Above is the Alfa Male's 33, as it was a few weeks back when he sent the image through.  It's been under restoration for a while now as he's sourced parts, disassembled, refitted and renewed various bits of suspension, engine componentry and other stuff, as required and when he can obtain it.  He's had the rust professionally cut out and replaced with new metal but, being the can-do sort of bloke that he is, he's having a crack at the duco himself. 




And, by having a crack, I mean getting a shed built, plumbing a compressor into it, doing all the sanding-back and other prep, erecting a temporary plastic spray booth and applying the primer and Rosso red finish himself.  There'll be a bit of fine rubbing and buffing to come, too.  Quite some project, eh?!   


The original paint code sticker.


As the photos below show, it's not some quick-fix bog 'n' flog; there's been a bit of attention to detail paid to the restoration.  If the quality of work below the waterline's replicated on the top half of the car, it's going to look pretty damned good.

Before
After

There are a set of iconic Teledial wheels (ex-Sprint) ready to go on the car, and the Alfa Male is looking to retrim it with original tartan style cloth on the seats and door cards.  However, the engine will be less standard and is going to run a set of 45 mm Weber side-drafts and a more open exhaust system, so it's going to sound magnificent!  The aircon's been jettisoned, in the interests of weight-saving, and quite probably because it was always crap!

So what's with the love, loss and renewal palaver in this post's title?  This isn't just an Alfa 33!  It's the Alfa Male's first-ever and the one that set his obsession with the marque off, a journey that's included a 156, an ill-fated (aka highly flammable - please see: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2018/04/for-sale-alfa-33qv-no-rust-any-offer-be.html) quad-valve 33, a white 1.7 litre fuel-injected 33 he still owns, as well as quite a few long-gone donor cars.

He sold the car many years ago and immediately regretted it.  He found it several years later, languishing in a paddock, and managed to buy it back.  

When asked why he didn't concentrate on the going-concern 1.7 rather than the near-death paddock-find, he replied "The white one's not my Alfa.  This is my Alfa!"  Enough said?
The latest additions: minty green stripes.


U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Photos supplied.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

-
Image
EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question:  Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van?  The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification.  Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ;  the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away.  However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other.    No super obvious hints here. Or here ...  . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front   H O L D E N   lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having th...
Read more

An Electric Fiat X1/9

-
Image
For several years, there have been whispers that an electric X had been constructed in Tasmania's south.  However, no one seemed to know much about the car and how it had been built. That's not to say that it was some kind of skunkworks project; it seems to have simply been an under-the-radar affair, quietly put together by a bloke in his shed.  It was actually so U-T-R that I'd seen it at least twice without me realising that it'd been electrified. The car's since been sold but this is what I could glean from its current owner:  - It's a 1980 model and, as such, was delivered to Australia as a "Series 1.5," meaning that it originally had the Series 1's 1300 cc / four-speed in a Series 2 body with impact-absorbing bumpers and the higher engine compartment lid, as well as the latter's interior; - The motor is a 120 volt DC unit from US company Advanced Motors and Drives, rated at 10 HP / 7.355 kW ( http://evalbum.com/advdc , accessed 03 JUN 24);...
Read more

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

-
Image
  Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart.  It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard.  Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags.  And a hubcap went missing.  And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it.  And a mudguard got dented.  And rust set in.   I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla.  Somebody please save it before it's too late.  Nanna needs you to do it. Hello, reader! I've noticed that this seems to be a particularly popular post.  Something to do with Google's algorithms, I guess ... .  But it's not my best piece!  Sure, it's ok, but there are so, so many more interesting classic, sports and performance cars on this site - as wel...
Read more