Classic Alfa Forums

Thanks to years of persistant pestering of the owner, owner from virtually brand new I might add, I've finally today taken delivery of the integrale.
Now, it may look in a poor state and lets be honest, it is, but I've never been so excited about any car I've bought before.
It was RHD converted by John Whalley when new (the nearest thing to a factory RHD conversion) then the guy I've just bought it off got it from Walkers Lancia Delta specialist of Northallerton who were the only other registered keeper.
It has taken me the best part of 10 years to get this car, I kept calling in the the owner every few years which has now paid off as it's mine
As Shrew and myself agreed, we'd really missed the boat on affordable integrales so I'd almost given up hope on getting one.

Thanks to Shrew and his trailering expertise we collected it this afternoon.
Thankfully the rear towing hitch was strong enough to winch it on the trailer as I know there is little around the front that would have done!


Once home we have had a better look at things like interior which as we know from Suds, getting decent replacement ones is harder than doing the welding. Luckily enough the owner had fitted seat covers over the seats for years so they've stood up to the last 25 or so years remarkably well. No speaker holes in the doors, in fact it hasn't got a radio we noticed!

Welding looks to be the usual areas, sills and jacking points plus the front strut top/inner wings are pretty rusted with some daylight showing.
The front cross-member and chassis ends seem to have some bits missing and bolt fixings floating but nothing that can't be fixed.
Front screen surround corners and around the wipers has the usual rust.
Rear roof lip gone where all Deltas' seem to.
Thanksfully though the sunroof opening is in great shape, even inside the opening it hasn't got any rust so I'm confident that'll be ok.

Won't be doing anything too serious to the car for a good while, far too many other projects on at the moment.
Maybe next Spring I'll get chance to get stripping it down.

n/s/f chassi rail to cross-member needs a bit of fettling

sills are a bit crusty in places

strut top area and sill to inner arch, guess there'll be loads of other rot to fix once the job starts.

still smiling though

8v or 16v?

That will keep you busy Kev.
Love the way the rev counter goes
Good sign when the cat feels at home
Well done mate, power to your welder.

it's an odd one. still got to get to the bottom of what it is.
an 8V engine but with loads of 16V bits, badges bonnet & dials for one thing.
julian recconned it might be a swiss 8V Kat car but as it has no ABS I don't think it is

guy has owned it since it was about 7 months old so he hasn't changed anything from new so hard to say where it got the crossover parts but was sold new from walkers so i'll await the email reply for any details they may have.

welder will indeed get some practice kieth.
cat always comes out to inspect the cars too, maybe it's the fresh smells and undoubtably mousey smells from being stood since 2009 although there's no evidence of anything being chewwed, yet.....

Top man. Sadly my ship has sailed on ever getting a grale love the dashes on these , brings back memories of my old hf turbo. Put your foot down and all the gauges go crazy my mates still talk about that car and a trip to a party one Saturday night , where my mate who was a in the passenger seat . Thought he should have been holding a map
Good luck with the rebuild .

cheers JB.
i'm over the moon to get the car after all these years
even given the state of some of it i'm not at all bothered, bound to be huge amounts i've not seen yet but hey ho. it'll be worth it in the end

actually gave it a wash tonight, must be the first it's had in about 6 years
amazing how things look better when they're cleaner, wet look gives it a bit of shine even if it looks pink again now it's dried


both front doors look ok on the outside, rears need some work. i've already got a decent used drivers rear

Well done on getting one, it'll certainly keep you occupied! How is it mechanically?

Fluffyduff wrote:Well done on getting one, it'll certainly keep you occupied! How is it mechanically?

good apparently, has a fuel leak at the moment from somewhere near the tank so haven't had it running yet although the old boy i got it off had it running every few months to keep things moving.


it's also the first project car i've brought home that my lad rob has been really interested in.
he got his camera out and took a good few snaps for himself yetserday, he's never done that before.
when i washed it tonight he went and got a sponge and helped, never done that before either!

think he wants to have a go in it when it's done

Congratulations Kev.. A great project..especially when you have a real passion for this type of car..

Great news mate !!!

Very happy for you

Absolutely love the grale myself, but as you said, affordable ones are no longer available.

Does it run ?

is apparently a runner although it now has a fuel leak from near the tank so i've not tempted fate, and a fireball, yet to get it going. old boy i got it off started it every few months to keep things lubed up, been off the road since 2009

Thats not that long ago. Should be fine

Good luck with the Lancia, I wanted one and almost bought till my wizard of an auto electrician told me how much he hated them for all the wiring problems from the body flexing. So I got a 205 Gti instead .

I hope yours has not have been messed with and it will be straight forward. Do you have a rough plan / time scale for the restoration ?

can't see me starting much on it for another year, with a bit of luck maybe sooner but too much else on

it'll take a year or so once i get started so guess that 2017 may see it back on the road...

I've always wanted one after driving my old bosses 2.0 16v evo. He was mad about alfas, fiats and lancias

About the Alfa 155 q4 will have to do

i'm 99% sure now on the origins and story behind how my integrale has all the hallmarks of a 16V but has an 8V engine...

having contacted walkers, integrale specialists and rally guys, i got some history background but with it being over 25 years ago the documentation isn't around anymore.
they did suggest an interesting theory that may well be the case with my car...

back in 1989 walkers were doing the mintex national rally championship and the rac rally in an 8V group N integrale
they actually finished the rac that year in 30th place overall and 5th in N4, no mean feat given the 200+ entry list in those days and it being a proper arduous 4 or 5 day event.

coming to the end of year they wanted to upgrade to the new 16V motor but not the expense of building a whole new rally car from the ground up.
so they went to germany and bought a new 16V integrale then took the engine out of it and built that up for the rally car
the german car they converetd to RHD and fitted the 8V rally engine to before selling it off......

now, i can't actually 100% confirm this yet as the paperwork trail has yet to be confirmed but it kind of makes sense.
i've spoken to the guy i bought it from and it all seems to fit with what he says about the car.
despite it being a 25 year old car now he confirms it ran exceptionally well, made good power, great oil pressure, used no fluids etc. all the stuff you'd expect from a blueprinted motor, which if it is this car then it should have the ex RAc rally engine under the bonnet..



gonna do some more digging this weekend to try and see if it stacks up, and do some digging on the bodywork

The only thing that worries me mate, is that from what I know, RHD Grales didnt have fast steering. Thats something you would lose with the conversion.

8v or 16v arent a million miles away, but you could always fit a 16v out of a Lancia Thema ?

That will be great if it does have a tuned engine in it , and great history too. Chris right about the steering on rhd grales. So if you want to sell it. I'll happerly take it off you

Right I'm off to the land of pizza now ,Sitting in gatwick departures as I write.I'll bring you some bits back
Ciao

Bring me a capuccino and some pastrami to go with it

i've heard all sorts fo stories about which racks were fitted to the RHD cars, anything from a fiat truck through to a regatta one. also been told that the internalls were changed to copy the rate of the LHD ones.
either way it's the only integrale i'd live with, having the steering wheel on the right side

changing it back to a 16V car wouldn't be too hard but i'll get it back to a bare shell first, make it solid, get some paint on it then enjoy it for a while as is.
then think about some upgrades
loads of options out there for the integrale


and JB, this is one I definetly, DEFINETLY, won't be selling................well, maybe if another comes along
but do feel free to bring me some lancia goodies

no. this is THE one.

right colour, right spec, or the bits that aen't maybe quite right can be changed. steering on the right side. one owner car, known history etc etc

i like the wider body and stance of the evo but for the extra cash needed that just won't happen

When it's done , don't sell it. Cracking car and a legend of rallying

Johnboy wrote:When it's done , don't sell it. Cracking car and a legend of rallying

taken me 25 years and a few suds to build up to this point mate, it's a keeper

the fact that it may have a wlakers blueprinted group N motor from the very car that i saw rallying back in 1989 is just too good to give up.

just hope i can confirm that it is the car


still, even if it's not the actual one it's still an integrale



you gone to misano for the gp???

No that would be cool, just out side sorrento . Stunning views of the island of ford Capri
Jo spotted an alfa before me . Well trained she is

Just got back last night from a week in Sorrento including a visit to Capri - great place to visit, though disappointingly few Alfa's in evidence, given they are built nearby. Saw a few original Fiat 500s, as you can see, they make Smart Cars look huge and they can only carry 2, whereas the 500 was good for a family! Mind you, we did see a family of 4 on 1 scooter!

Kev, I think I now understand why you have parted with the 'Sud, and this one looks like it will be one of your epic projects. looking at the pics and from my experience of Lancias in the past, you will have plenty to do as the rust they hide makes 'Suds look like solid cars! But having driven an 8V Rally Replica Integrale in full Martini colours, there are few cars out there that come close to the fun that one of those brings!

Looking forward to watching this one unfold

cheers

Ian

Hi Ian

Yeah seen a few little 500s about . They are tiny aren't they !! Off to sorrento Monday . Looking forward to it

fantastic pic JB, that would do me nicely thank you very much

bang on the money Ian, the integrale prospect is what i've always said i'd sell anything to get hold of, so this one will be as near a keeper as i will ever get.

tomorrow will shed some light on what's in store.....

I've always wanted a integrale but it's the prices of them.
That's why the Alfa 155 q4 is going to be a keeper. I'm just going to get it done within the next few years.
Thinking of selling the Attol 155 to fund the rebuild but want to do one of the Sud ti's first

Keep the pics coming