Alfasud SI Ti 1976 Restoration

[alfachris]

They didn't like the colour at NAD !!

Some people have no taste................it's a 70's colour

[justsuds]

Is it Giallo Pompei ? - if so, then there is another ........
John.

[vecchioalfa]

Is it Giallo Pompei ? - if so, then there is another ........
John.

Yes John it is, who owns the other one? is it a Ti or a saloon?

[vecchioalfa]

Been doing some more work over the last couple of weeks.....

[vecchioalfa]

This job has been a nightmare but finally it is finished (well this side anyway!!)....

inner skin..... outer skin.....

[vecchioalfa]

Then the last bit, I had to make up a jig to make sure the wing mounting position ended up in the same place....

[vecchioalfa]

Now the moment of truth....
Does the door fit.....

Yes, looks good, should be even better once the hinge pins are re-done
I have now taken the door to be chemically dipped to get all paint and any rust off it and out of the seams, pick it up again on Friday

[alfachris]

How much does it cost for the dipping?

[vecchioalfa]

How much does it cost for the dipping?

Door about £50, shell about £800 (...........if you are brave enough!)

http://www.prostrip.co.uk/car-auto

[Kegsti66]

Wow !! , and I thought mine was a rotter.
Well done.

[vecchioalfa]

.... all because the screen let water in really, once water has come in the car it will also be in the lower firewall and both 'A' posts, and as these posts are double skinned the corrosion is often hidden and once it is visable from outside its well advanced inside, the firewall is rotten on this car as well made worse with the dreaded foam that they fitted up to c1977/78

[justsuds]

Fantastic job, - car will be great when it's finished, - the other Giallo Pompei car is the turbo race car that was sold at auction in Norfolk, then appeared on Ebay, now being built with a carb'd 1.7 engine, don't know if it's going to be a race or road car.
John.

[Veesix75]

I saw the turbo racer and it didn't look as yellow as the paint on this car on the picks above

Could have been faded and dull of course, and/or the camera flash on these pics make it look brighter?

[sudboy1490]

great work as usual lib, it coming along nicely

[vecchioalfa]

great work as usual lib, it coming along nicely

Thanks Colin, nice to see you on here mate.....

[vecchioalfa]

Fantastic job, - car will be great when it's finished, - the other Giallo Pompei car is the turbo race car that was sold at auction in Norfolk, then appeared on Ebay, now being built with a carb'd 1.7 engine, don't know if it's going to be a race or road car.
John.

Ah, seen a racer on google images in the same colour so must be the one, seem to remember another one that was on the classic car for sale website that had a thick black strip down the side and a private plate on it, unsure what happened to it though

[vecchioalfa]

I saw the turbo racer and it didn't look as yellow as the paint on this car on the picks above

Could have been faded and dull of course, and/or the camera flash on these pics make it look brighter?

Think its the flash as this is a more mustardy colour in real life

[Veesix75]

The yellow one with black stripe is definitely yellow, not mustard.

http://www.mrsud.co.uk/Sud%20006%20(2).JPG

[vecchioalfa]

The yellow one with black stripe is definitely yellow, not mustard.

http://www.mrsud.co.uk/Sud%20006%20(2).JPG

That's not the car I was thinking about

[vecchioalfa]

A bit off track but I have also been doing a few non bodywork related jobs recently, here are some photos of the dashboard showing the problems, the work and the finished article........
As my car had let water in over a long period of time the original dashboard was f**ked

Series 1 dashboards are metal / foam laminate which is impossible to separate, the metal is bare steel and unpainted
The outer skin is very good so if I leave it outside in the garden for a few years so all the remaining steel rots away I will be able to make up a new inner shell in fibreglass

Decided to find another dash, I had one from a 1977 car in better condition, this car had also let water in through the screen but was no where near as bad with the corrosion limited to the lower areas, I cut away all the inner foam so I could see where the problem areas were and deal with them and repair with fibreglass and new metal laminated in

[vecchioalfa]

Another big job.....

Shrew came over when I was around this stage for a cuppa and was amazed how bad these early dashes rust

Next photo show new lower brackets made up and laminated in place and fibre glassing repairs about done and some etching primer on....

I was originally hoping to not have to paint the outer side but realised that this was not going to be possible due to the amount of work needed to the lower edges etc.

[vecchioalfa]

One problem I did have is the my car being a 1976 has no hazards fitted so only the single heated rear window switch is fitted, the 1977 dash had 2 switches, HRW & hazards so I had to modify it with fibre glass and a metal plate laminated in place.... just another job.....
I repaired any damage on the edges with sealant layers built up over about 1 week and forming it too shape each time with standard thinners on cotton buds along with a few other improvised tools then many layers of plastic primer over many days and flatted back and blended in

[vecchioalfa]

........and the finished article.....

I had problems trying to reproduce the crackle finish on the centre pieces which were rusty from behind and needed stripping back to bare metal, I ended up with an inconsistent finish, a common problem from what I understand with the crackle paint, in the end I used stone chip paint from a long distance and over several days and then matched up the colour which looks a bit off with the flash photos but is pretty good in real life and not as shiny either.

[alfachris]

Top work again mate

[vecchioalfa]

The black was well prepped and painted in 1 pack acrylic black satin then lightly scotched, looks good, please with it in the end

All the brackets, vents etc. were pop riveted back in place.

Last photo shows the switch area I talked about, turned out good in the end and hard to see it was originally different
I will get this wrapped up in some bubble wrap to keep it all good till I need it

[Veesix75]

The dash looks excellent...top work.

[Kegsti66]

The dash came out really well mate. I think our cars are sisters !!
Your "before" photos look exactly the same as my dash, it also went in the bin. I decided to use the switch hole and fitted an after market hazard kit and used a later series switch to complete the look on my replacement.
I spoke to the guy who bought the turbo race car that was mentioned. At the time he wasn't sure what way it was going engine wise.
Look forward to seeing your motors one day.
Keith.

[vecchioalfa]

The dash came out really well mate. I think our cars are sisters !!
Your "before" photos look exactly the same as my dash, it also went in the bin. I decided to use the switch hole and fitted an after market hazard kit and used a later series switch to complete the look on my replacement.
I spoke to the guy who bought the turbo race car that was mentioned. At the time he wasn't sure what way it was going engine wise.
Look forward to seeing your motors one day.
Keith.

Good idea mate, all these problems are down to the front screen having let water in really aren't they, my brother had a 147 when it was only about 4 years old and he always had a wet carpet after heavy rain so not much progress has been made...
Just out of curiosity did you retain a bonded front screen or go for a rubber seal on your rebuild?
Even though my car won't be done by next summer (but hopefully painted) I am still planning to get along to some meetings next year so were bound to meet up at some point

[Kegsti66]

I had the replacement screen bonded in as mine has the full stainless steel surround. It has a nice top tint to it as the screen isn't full tinted.
I toyed with the idea of using later s3 green glass as I have some spare, but decided to keep as much as I could original. I had already lost quite a bit, seats, rear parcel shelf and door cards.
Looking forward to meeting up at some meets next year.
I had better get fettling over the winter. Looks like I will need to head up North more.

[vecchioalfa]

I had the replacement screen bonded in as mine has the full stainless steel surround. It has a nice top tint to it as the screen isn't full tinted.
I toyed with the idea of using later s3 green glass as I have some spare, but decided to keep as much as I could original. I had already lost quite a bit, seats, rear parcel shelf and door cards.
Looking forward to meeting up at some meets next year.
I had better get fettling over the winter. Looks like I will need to head up North more.

Yes mine has the stainless surround trim and would prefer to keep it all original, I'm a bit concerned about water getting in though when its washed etc.
Did you recover your seats? I need to do mine next year, as far as I am aware the SI Ti inner seat fabric is unavailable, did you manage to find something close to the original fabric?