Their Cars: One Man's Alfa, the Sequel

By Pete Vack

Rich Minor learned of Alfa's racing heritage through this Duke video, available from International Auto Parts.

When Rich Minor purchased his 1972 Alfa Spider, new horizons beckoned. He found new friends, many of whom he met through the local (Tidewater) Alfa Club. Borrowing a video tape, Rich discovered the fascinating history of Alfa Romeo and the fantastic racing accomplishments which span over 80 years. His house started to become a library, filled with sports car magazines with more information on Alfa Spiders. In short, Rich Minor was becoming an Italian car enthusiast.

To his surprise and delight, Rich also discovered that parts were readily available from a source within two hours of his home. With the car came a catalogue from International Auto Parts in Charlottesville, VA. Paying a visit to IAP, Rich picked up the first of many new parts and accessories for the Spider. "They have EVERYTHING," he remarked. "I expected to see a garage - not a big warehouse with multiple trailer docks and a retail parts counter area. It was very impressive." He came back with the satisfaction of knowing that whatever his new Alfa would need, could be obtained at reasonable prices and very quickly.

There was interior work to do. The speedo was recalibrated temporarily while Rich figured out what to do about the wildly inaccurate instrument.

A good Samaritan provided Rich with a racing video entitled "Alfa Romeo, the story of a legendary marque" by Duke Videos (also available at IAP). For the first time Rich saw the great racing Alfas, from the 1924 Jano-designed P2, to the 158-159 Alfettas of the early 1950s, right up to the Murray-designed Brabham Alfa F1 ground effects car. "I had no idea that Alfa Romeo was so successful." It makes owning an Alfa that much more special.

But out in the garage, there was work to do. Rich paid only $2000 for his find, so naturally there were a few items that needed attention. The speedometer was way off (not just your usual Italian faster-than-actual off but waaayy off), so he found a temporary solution by neatly fixing the correct speeds on the face of the instrument. The fuel injection needs a new cold start thermostatic actuator, so he rigged up a temporary choke which can be removed when a new actuator is installed.

The trunk floor and fenderwells were sanded, cleaned and de-rusted.

Rich removed the door panels and repaired the door locks and reinforced the droopy outside mirror. The glove box lock needed attention, as did the gas gauge sending unit. A bigger job was cleaning the trunk floor and rear wheel wells. "I sanded and refinished the inside of the trunk and undercoated the trunk floor and gas tank bottom, as well as the rear wheel wells," said Rich.

"I had to leave the Alfa out in the driveway one night and it stormed. While the top is in excellent condition the water must have come in around the windows where they meet the top, and soaked the rugs and seats." One of the reasons for the earlier floor rust was that the drains from the convertible top were clogged or rotted, and the water ran into the body. These were duly repaired, and soon Rich's car was looking very good indeed.

Outside mirrors needed to be removed and reinforced. Original units are in great shape.

Rich found help in some of the less likely places. "I met a guy named Larry at the local Speedee Lube in Williamsburg. He is a GM Class mechanic and very good. He checked out the Alfa and we found a gas leak and replaced the gas lines. This corrected some fuel pressure problems and it runs great - and gets about 25 mpg."

In addition to the IAP parts catalogue, several manuals and a CD also came with the Spider. "The Alfa has had a new electronic ignition added, and the prior owner gave me 2 computer discs with the repair manual on them, as well as a print out of the repair manual and the owners manual, as well as 2 Spica manuals, and a copy of the Alfa owners magazine. Work on the injection has not yet been considered, but by spring it will be time to deal with the Spica."

The fuel injection system needs the typical tune up and thermostatic actuator, a project for this spring.

A few months after purchasing the Spider and a lot of minor fixes, Rich decided to have a go at the brakes, which were not really up to snuff. "I did brakes all around, including new front and rear rotors, calipers and a master cylinder. The parts only cost about $750 from International Auto Parts. Then I rebalanced all four wheels and the car rides smoother - but I still feel a little roughness [wheel/suspension type] at exactly 25 mph." Compare this to the cost of two rebuilt Ferrari 308 calipers at over $600 and each rotor at $290. Alfa ownership sounds like real deal.

"I didn't realize how beautiful older Alfas were until I started to pay attention. Their lines are timeless."

Winter is here, work slows, but in the spring Rich will be outdoors again, riding around with the top down and maybe fixing the Spica fuel injection. We'll keep you updated.