Classic Alfa Forums

And more....

Good photos Tim, and the last one is great. Seven cars and no two are the same.

Just remembered my Sprint racer became tax and mot exempt this year. I’ll have to figure out how to register it with dvla, then see if I can get a super cheap insurance policy on so I can take it down my road.......very tentatively that is as the slightest uneven tarmac will be a back breaker.

Anyhow, a distraction in the current madness to focus on.

Competition time...What can you see ? (Kev isn’t allowed to play.....)

Ohhhhh. Snapped crank ? If you need one I’ve got a few

Thanks Lou, it happened at 7000rpm so it’s ‘everything else’ I’ll need that’s the biggest worry. Rod 1 has a slight twist, exhaust valves 3 and 4 bent from looking up the ports, front bearing housing collapsed. First web journal has scored the block casting slightly. No visible scoring on bores 1 and 3, 2 and 4 rods look ok to my poor eyesight as on full down stroke. However I was laid on the drive under axle stands So it might all be bent an oval when stripped.

I’ll have to think it over before doing any more. Just took the sump and manifolds off today.

I’ve got a few short motors so let me know what you need and I’ll help where possible are you 8V or 16v
Cranks snapping Across that web Was not uncommon . Was the crank std ? I balance and nitride all my race cranks now

Oh dear, as you feared Tim.
Hope the block is salvageable.
Are you going to do a strip down or swap for your spare engine?

Not sure yet on next steps .

Thanks Lou, it’s a 1500 8v. Original crank was balanced up, not sure about nitride, I doubt it. I’ve got another 1500 block, and I have a couple of 1700 8v old class f type spec engines. I’ve got 3 spare steel rods from a previous engine, not sure if I could mix/match to any that are salvageable ? Can’t remember if they are the same manufacturer or not. I also picked up a steel crank (after the Original engine build unfortunately) but it is slightly stroked, and not a straight 1500. The rules for most classic series don’t allow stroking. I think I have another std crank, I also have some very old big valve flat heads with twin lobe reprofiled cams, 10.9 lift I think......just remembered about those.

If the pistons and heads have survived it might be recoverable if I can use the spare rods, and spare block if needed. However I can’t remember what each block was re-bored to, I’d assume / hope both are +4.

I’ll put a cold towel on my head for a week or so and think it over.

I’ve got 2 spare unmolested Std 1.5 blocks.

All the best with the rebuild.

Rsfruitbat

Finally have an engine fitted, back at Cadwell this bank hol Monday which is where the crank broke just over a year ago.

Worked on the car last 2 Saturdays on the drive, 6 interruptions. ;

1. Chap walking his dogs and liked the look of it
2. Chap up the road with a very early mini
3. Chap down the road who with his wife goes to numerous race meetings
4. Random bloke in a van who went past slow , reversed back and in a real Italian accent asked about the car (and taught me how to say the full version of QV properly)
5. Random chap walking with his kids, stops to take a look, then tells me he lives 2 mins away and has a 33 p4 and a 155 q4 !!
6. Black Lancia Beta volumex pulls up, guy from down the road gets out, tells me about his Italian family, takes some pics and we talk Italian cars for a while. The Beta was lovely and been in his family years.

Didn’t get much done

Think I will move to your neighbourhood.
There is an MGC GT around the corner from me and I only found out last year that the owner is someone I have known for years!

Great to hear you have the engine sorted Tim.
Good luck with your first outing.

Thanks for the link Tim.
Good to see you and Simon back in action.
Roll on 2022 when I hope to get out more.

Well, after a not so good 2022 season, I’ll be back at Cadwell first bank holiday weekend in May with the hscc 70’s road sports.

Only did Cadwell and Donington last year, and Donington went pear shaped with a clown in a lotus hitting my rear quarter first corner off the grid, and then I got a stone thru the radiator.

On a positive I did my best ever lap times at both circuits , and at Donington went past 4 cars off the grid.

Anyhow, lost a lot of water before realising the rad was bust, but pulled in before the temp went too high. Decided to do a compression test when we got home to be on the super safe side with the new engine , but like a burk took the distributor cap off instead of pulling the coil lead off. Cranked the engine and the cap clips went inside the distributor and bent the internals and knocked all the timing out.

Long story short, packed up and put the car away until this week, went to see Dave Ashford at Brunswick who fixed the distributor and put it back on his rolling road.

When Dave built the new engine his rollers showed 168bhp, first run this week it was 171bhp and after a timing tweak and bigger main jets the final run was 177bhp. My old engine showed 155bhp on the same rollers, which was consistent with a local rolling road.

Dave has designed his own pistons for boxers and nords, and new cam profiles, and it’s also got loads of torque.

He has just built a 2 litre nord and it showed 220bhp on his rollers, and he’s just built a 1600 Nord for Andrew Jordan and his dad for their Giulia super which I think was over 180 bhp

He’s got his own crank spec, and also a new fly wheel design with chambers with steel balls in to offset the negative energy created each stroke on the crank, which allows a nord to rev to 9000rpm !

I was well impressed with my engine but the Nord power is another level.

Anyhow, looking forward to Cadwell now so fingers crossed.

Sounds promising Tim, my Class C Sud (steel body, glass, control tyres, etc) back in 1997 showed 175bhp (8v) and I was down to a 1.45.1 at Cadwell so you should go well - hope you have a good start to the season.

All sounding good Tim. Hopefully I will try and get to see some racing this year and catch up with you guys.

I'll be along at Cadwell Tim, sure Rob will too, be nice to catch up with you and your Dad.
Be nice if a few forum guys come along for support too

Good luck at Cadwell Tim. The CTCRC are not racing at Cadwell in 2023 but maybe we will see you at Croft Aug 12/13?
My next race is meant to be at Brands Indy a week on Saturday but the Golf is still in bits. The engine has been repaired and a dog box is going in. Quite a few upgrades to get more power to the wheels. The engine was tested at 191bhp (1848cc) and 150ftlb at 5500rpm. Your 177bhp from a 1500 is outstanding and your power to weight is very similar to our Golfs. We are 211 bhp/tonne, you are 209.5 bhp/tonne. What is your torque like?

Check this out for a grid, going out to qualify at Silverstone GP, 52 cars and some high powered and nimble stuff. Also some high powered point and squirt stuff that are super slow on corners.

Qualified 30th, finished 27th

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