JeepcoMJ Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 I've actually built one of these. Pretty neat cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 This is my second one. First was full resto. Never again!! Did this yesterday. Booster. Pretty easy. All done but the road test. It was below 40*F when I finished. No top....... I've been driving it with the vacuum to the booster plugged. Wasn't that bad. I can't wait to drive it today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 25, 2018 Author Share Posted March 25, 2018 Well, huge bump in the road. Yesterday morning I plugged the 2 plugs from the donor cars console into mine thinking I may use it. The harness smoked from the passenger side dash real fast and damaged wires all the way to just above the steering column. so, this is the donor car and how far I had to disassemble it to get what I need for the harness. Almost..... Still on the fence though. Thinking of rewiring it with a proper fuseblock and tidying everything up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 Well, the harness is out of the donor car. I think I'm done removing all the circuits/wiring that I won't need. Hopefully, today I can start verifying everything with the diagram and prep for the removal of the stinky, crispy wiring from Old Red. The pic with my foot in it is what I've REMOVED from the original harness. The jumble of wiring with tape and felt marker descriptions is the harness I'll be using. -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 Finished it off yesterday afternoon and went for a drive. All systems "GO". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 "New" harness getting installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted April 6, 2018 Author Share Posted April 6, 2018 Got most everything buttoned up after the wiring harness replacement. No visors so I had a tint strip installed on the windshield. Need to install the clamshell around the ignition switch and decide what I'm gonna do for mounting the blower and wiper switches. I've got some carpeting to finish off the area around the shifter/hump to cover where the factory console used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 So, yesterday morning, I decide to do a bit of work on the carbs. I had all the spark plugs out for a reading. I removed the carb top for the rear carb and did the needed jetting. As I picked up the carb top to reinstall it, the brass float pivot pin slid out and went into #2 spark plug hole. Finally got it out last night using bubble gum to stick to it. Slurpee straw as a special tool. Thankfully I had my Hobo Freight bore scope that I never used. Only ever loaned it to friends....Used a shop vac to suck it out. We weren't sure it was out because we could only see the gum and the gum could have had the pin in it. Imagine our celebrating when we found the pin in the vacuum!!!! Fished the gum out with a piece of wire and she's up and running. So now its 4:30 AM and I've still gotta wash it. Luckily I have a heated garage as it's 41* outside now. The photo is of the piece of bubble gum with the float pin laying across it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 I got a grille yesterday from Larry at Alfa Parts Exchange out of Lodi, California. It's not for this model Alfa, but if it didn't work, it would become wall art. I love it. Will be easy to mount. I cut off the lower grille bracket from the original and cut off the factory bumper mounts. Those bumpers weigh close to 70 pounds each!! Sold them to guys who just HAD to have them. I'm going bumperless. Plans are for a perforated metal grille background with LED parklights behind the mesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnj92131 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Cruiser, Tell us about that blue lift you are picking up the Alfa with! Make, model, and where to get one. Looks to me like it fits in a standard 8 foot high garage? How high off the ground can you lift an XJ/MJ in your heated garage? Thanks, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 google MSC-6K I have 10 foot ceilings. I would consider that a minimum unless you are 4 feet tall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted May 1, 2018 Author Share Posted May 1, 2018 Rollbar is just sitting in place. It will be lower once installed. Modified the area above the grille so there's no half moon opening for the original grille. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted May 3, 2018 Author Share Posted May 3, 2018 Roll bar bolted in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Had a catastrophic coolant loss a while back. Blew the head gasket. I consider it a blessing because I got to see what a crappy job the guy did on my head. Went with 1mm oversize intake valves and milled .030" off of it. runs great. So, I got it dialed in on Friday night and we had rain off and on Saturday. Been hotter than hell here and I couldn't go drive it, so I addressed stuff on my punch list. One of those things was using the spot where the radio used to go as a spot for my blower and wiper switches since I ditched the very ratty console long ago. I got the wiring harness installed for the wideband air/fuel ratio gauge which will be installed later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 been dialing in the pair of Weber carbs. This makes it quick and accurate for jetting. https://www.wide-band.com/product-p/apsx_d2n.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 Good progress on the front grille project yesterday. That is NOT ME in the photos. That's my good friend Steve working his metal magic on my car. You may notice there are no park/turn signal lamps. And, there won't be. They are built into the headlamp bulbs!! A strip of 2 different brightness amber LEDS along the bottom of the bulb. The headlamp bulbs are H4s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 On to grill design. It will be some kind of expanded or perforated metal. Here is a scrap I painted and stuck in for color selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 Was working on jetting the dual Weber carbs yesterday. The AFR gauge is an incredible tool. New gasoline is crappola. Boils at a low temp. Using an IR thermometer I found #1 carb barrel at 142* and the rest around 125*. I used an existing cold air intake tube and ran a hose up into it to the carb. I jury rigged up an intake to put way more into the engine bay than the 2" hole. Hot dogging road test and the #1 barrel was at 125*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 On 7/1/2018 at 9:39 AM, cruiser54 said: wait, what is that thing? your cold air intake? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 17 hours ago, Pete M said: wait, what is that thing? your cold air intake? Yes, but not the finished product. after the paint dried, i slid it back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 Dyno run yesterday. I'll have the charts in a few days. The pull begins at 37 seconds to 6000 RPM in 4th gear. 97 MPH. Video may or may not show. alfa dyno.mp4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 What was the peak rear wheel HP / RPM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 It sure sounds good, that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 21 hours ago, HOrnbrod said: What was the peak rear wheel HP / RPM? At 5000 feet elevation mind you. Peak was 100 horsepower at 5000 RPM. Torque was 104 pound feet from 2000 RPM to 4700 RPM. It's a screaming freight train. Pulls 4th and 5th gears like they were 3rd gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 Appears I got the ride height to equal that of the European models. Took 2 tries on the front springs. I added adjustable upper control arms so I can change camber adjustment. Poly bushings in the rear suspension and Koni shocks all the way around. Handles wonderfully. rides smooth and comfy. Now for an alignment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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