My Alfa GTV6’s clutch was caught. This is definitely a fairly frequent downside and usually not an enormous deal, though annoying. Some revving and engine braking on jack stands can normally break the disc free. In my case, nothing would work. Weeks of attempting each method within the e book wanting dwell animal sacrifice. The factor was fused collectively prefer it had been welded. No selection – it needed to be eliminated.
Once I obtained the automotive on stands I noticed my entrance driveshaft giubo had a whole part lacking and the rear was badly cracked, so kismet. I additionally found BOTH of my rear brake calipers had seized and two bleeders broke once I tried loosening them. Since they’re inboard and troublesome to take away in situ, I made the decision to only drop your complete rear suspension, which incorporates the transaxle, and take the chance to scrub it up, change all the bushings and mounts, and deal with the deDion with POR15.
I begin ordering elements from the standard sources. No giubos accessible within the nation. No rear brakes both (I used to be simply going to swap cores and get rebuilt calipers). No new CV boots accessible wherever, so common cut-to-fit needed to be the reply.
It wasn’t simply the elements provide that was an issue, however the age of a lot of the parts. The driveshaft was caught to the flywheel and required a slide hammer to loosen it, flattening the threads on one of many studs within the course of. The clutch line was seized to the slave cylinder after which the road sheared off whereas engaged on it. THEN whereas unsticking the clutch disc I misplaced alignment. The GTV6 clutch is manufacturing unit balanced. Normally with a clutch this previous you’re simply going to interchange it, and some years in the past I’d have, as they had been $500. Now, post-COVID and Clarkson, I couldn’t discover one for lower than $2,200 shipped. I needed to name 20 retailers to discover a place that might rebalance it, as clutch balancing isn’t a service supplied by any native transmission or rebuild retailers (I lastly discovered discovered a crusty previous diesel rebuilder means up north who had an vintage lathe balancer and did it by hand and a long time of follow – God save these individuals).
More elements are ordered and begin to arrive – the brake rebuild kits, new rubber and poly bushings and mounts, giubos – though nearly all had doubled or extra in price since COVID, with many coming from England or Italy as a result of Stateside stock was wiped, so I additionally needed to pay import responsibility. A job that might have price $300 a couple of years in the past was now $1,200, only for two rubber giubos, mounts and bushings, and many others.
To add insult to damage I by chance cleaned off the marks on the transmission enter shaft splines for the shift linkage. It’s actually not unimaginable to realign them, as of us swap transmissions on a regular basis, however pricey god is it tedious and irritating.
Then, worst of all, the 2 previous guys who had been the native Alfa gurus each died inside weeks of one another. Cancer + COVID for each of them. The native Alfisti had been devastated. These two guys had generations of information and expertise, and would assist out anybody with no matter downside they’d. Now, gone.
Anyway, this was a yr and a half in the past. Somewhere across the time I noticed I needed to reinstall all the things on my own, I made a decision I simply wished to promote the automotive. It now not introduced me any pleasure and was only a close to fixed supply of hysteria and frustration. But figuring out I used to be going to promote it triggered me to not need to work on it, as a result of a part of me completely does NOT need to promote it (though I’m undoubtedly getting a Vox AC30 and a brand new Jazzmaster with among the revenue). So it’s nonetheless sitting within the storage, whereas we’re going through the worst warmth we’ve ever had in Texas. It’ll be October on the earliest earlier than I’ve the heart to return out and end it. And that’s simply mechanical! It wants some inside work and paint correction earlier than I may even take into consideration itemizing it.
Anyway, 1982 Alfa Romeo GTV6 on the market. Ran when parked (technically).
Source: jalopnik.com