70 S, RHD, Signal Orange, UK->Australia->UK

[jtparr]

Yet more shocking prior work on these cars...the upside is it's now only going to get better...

[inaglasshouse]

Hi Jonathan, hi Mike,

Indeed.
A pattern is emerging on this car.
Everything that has been left unmolested, even if corroded, is really good.
Everything that has been restored is terrible.
I'm looking forward to getting the engine apart and finding out which category it fits into....

As you both say, Barry can handle it. And there's huge satisfaction in getting it done properly.
Hopefully the next owner (hopefully one of my children in due course) won't be cursing me as an inveterate bodger.

(My Alfa (which came from S Africa) is the same - I've been fettling small areas and so many times have thought: why didn't you just leave that alone!
I think I would weep if I could see it in original paint before they applied the world's worst paint job - would have been so much nicer to have bought it in that state, dents and rust and all).

[911hillclimber]

I love the way Barry just seems to sweep the grot away with one clean cut from the A post to the rear to give a clean edge to build to.
Great post, I think you are getting away lightly! (no new inner wings etc)

[inaglasshouse]

Great post, I think you are getting away lightly! (no new inner wings etc)

Hi Graham, thanks.
It's supposed to be a cliffhanger, though. At the moment the fate of the inner wings hangs in the balance! Yes, I know, you are all on the edge of your seats.
Or not, since this is well-worn territory and we all know that Barry is going to make it beautiful one way or another.

Going into inner wing evaluation, Barry and I talked about pros and cons. Main problem with inner wing replacement is that they extend so far back toward the dash / bulkhead, and they obviously have a very visible join with the scuttle.
So here's what I said to Barry:

My simplified thinking now is:
- there are disadvantages to replacement, as you say
- scuttle and its joins to inner wings are really good, and those original inners / welds are meaningful for originality
- front end twist is probably correctable, and we already knew we were replacing the entire front pan
…. so it all comes down to how bad the inner wing damage is, hence how strong and neat the repaired damage is going to be.

If the existing front inners are so significantly weakened by damage, or will be so visibly sub-standard when repaired that neither of us will be happy, it has to be new inners. Otherwise I’m back to my usual preference for keeping as much original metal as possible.

[210bhp]

So, both of us thinking along similar lines then Richard. End up with as much of the original car as possible without compromising appearance and safety.

Good thread. Glad you got sorted on the catches, sorry for the wild goose chase on mine.

Keep it coming.

Regards
Mike

[inaglasshouse]

Hi Mike,

So, both of us thinking along similar lines then Richard. End up with as much of the original car as possible without compromising appearance and safety.

Yes, that's a more concise and elegant version of what I was trying to say!

Don't worry, our paths will diverge soon enough. For you are Mr Originality and I am the Surrey Outlaw.
I might even put a couple of non-original stickers in the side window (having thoroughly tested them for remove-ability, of course).

Glad you got sorted on the catches, sorry for the wild goose chase on mine.

Not at all, many thanks for rummaging in the parts stash on my behalf.

Cheers, Richard.

[inaglasshouse]

Vimal's recent post about his new purchase (one of the two sister Signal Orange cars)...
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=58392
.... reminded me of something I decided a long time ago.

I like the car as standard. It's really very nice.

Being matching numbers ... blah blah ... values ... blah blah ... obviously means I should restore to absolutely standard spec.

But I can't resist the urge to tinker a bit. It is my car, after all.

For example, here's today's delivery from the US:



And here's a hockey puck, currently acquiring patina on my 69 car:



So it's not going to be standard.
Heckle away, I'm not listening.

[Tp81]

What have you bought?

[inaglasshouse]

What have you bought?

Hi Tom,

The Werkcrew package from Bob Tilton is just stripes & side lettering.
As a man of impeccable taste, you might find them a bit vulgar.
I, on the other hand, am a man of vulgar taste! As you will see, when I reveal my colour choices (as if having an Orange car wasn't bad enough).

I have got a few other interesting bits, though, and a few thoughts about the level of personalisation / sports purpose modding I'm going to allow myself. More to follow on that subject.

How's that Alfa? I've been enjoying tinkering with mine. It's "nearly" roadworthy (after a bit of wiring fun).

Cheers, Richard.

[IanM]

Where did you get the hockey puck from?

[inaglasshouse]

Where did you get the hockey puck from?

It's an original, bought from someone in the US via an ad on the early S registry.
I looked at the various repros first.... Karmann Konnection do one, also Sierramadre if I remember correctly.

[Tp81]

What have you bought?

Hi Tom,

The Werkcrew package from Bob Tilton is just stripes & side lettering.
As a man of impeccable taste, you might find them a bit vulgar.
I, on the other hand, am a man of vulgar taste! As you will see, when I reveal my colour choices (as if having an Orange car wasn't bad enough).

I have got a few other interesting bits, though, and a few thoughts about the level of personalisation / sports purpose modding I'm going to allow myself. More to follow on that subject.

How's that Alfa? I've been enjoying tinkering with mine. It's "nearly" roadworthy (after a bit of wiring fun).

Cheers, Richard.

Sounds good Richard....and you are giving too much credit...quite like a bit of vulgar. I have recently bought a 930 after a long, long, wait and despite it being a one owner car with 43,000 miles I am considering these bad boys



...either that or get the Fuchs powder coated black.

The Alfa has been going well, need to find a good warm place to store it over the winter, I have managed to convince my mother to throw out all of the clutter she has accumulated over the years...nordic track skier, old furniture, and other crap to make space for the car.

On yours I can imagine you will be keen to at least have a decent drive before you decide which way you are going with it. They are lovely cars but need a nice flowing road and peace and quiet to enjoy. My car is letting water into the foot well, more than likely from the bulkhead so it will be going back to the bodyshop soon to get this sorted and then really will come off the road until Spring. The roads are now covered in grit.

Cheers

Tom

[inaglasshouse]

Hi Tom,

Sounds good Richard....and you are giving too much credit...quite like a bit of vulgar. I have recently bought a 930 after a long, long, wait and despite it being a one owner car with 43,000 miles I am considering these bad boys



...either that or get the Fuchs powder coated black.

I think the bad boys. Just don't drive like MW when you've fitted them. Not on public roads anyway.
Surely you should be posting pics of that 930????

The Alfa has been going well, need to find a good warm place to store it over the winter, I have managed to convince my mother to throw out all of the clutter she has accumulated over the years...nordic track skier, old furniture, and other crap to make space for the car.

On yours I can imagine you will be keen to at least have a decent drive before you decide which way you are going with it. They are lovely cars but need a nice flowing road and peace and quiet to enjoy. My car is letting water into the foot well, more than likely from the bulkhead so it will be going back to the bodyshop soon to get this sorted and then really will come off the road until Spring. The roads are now covered in grit.

I hadn't considered getting friends and relatives to discard their possessions so that I can annexe their garage space. Your car concealment skills are on a different level!
Indeed, need to get the Alfa MoT'd and registered, then drive around in it for a while, before I do anything too radical.

Cheers, Richard.

[inaglasshouse]

Back on topic - off to a meeting with my likely engine builder now.
It's not one of the usual suspects.
More on that later.
R

[Tp81]

Richard,

Low key with the 930 for the time being.



Cheers

Tom