Texas, so shipping is $1200 for a driving car, more for non-running/parts car.Originally Posted by Paul
I am not trying to diverge from the normal. Trying to get some information with regard to a couple of motors that are fairly uncommon here in the US.
When do you expect to have the car? Glad to hear you guys worked a deal out. I see alfa 164 for sale pretty regularly on ebay and craigslist. I happened across mine through craigslist. I did end up going all the way to jersey to get it though because I wanted the last of the v6 style available here in the U.S…..little bit harder to find.
The stratos goes onto the enclosed transporter this morning. I should have it later this week.
I have found a place with a 24v motor, but they switched the price on me when I tried to actually buy it, and it comes completely bare (no harness etc.) which means I would be forced to source all of the parts myself, which would be quite a chore and double the cost at least.
I am looking. There is an S(dohc) for sale 450 miles away and a Q(top of the line bigger runners, 24v etc) 1700 miles away.
Since I have plenty to work on for now, I will just keep shopping for something that is really good, really close or really cheap. I hope to find at least 2 of those in the same deal.
I am still talking to a guy about his Ferrari v8. It seems the coolest, but not the best option...
Thanks so much for all the help!
So I have the car. It needs some work on fit and finish, but the mechanicals are better than I had feared. We worked on the brakes and got some pedal back. Did a test drive and the shifter was atrocious (almost as bad as my worn out 914 tail shifter, almost!) We tightened and adjusted as best we could based on appearance and things were much better.
Took it out with brakes and shifting and I think I can live with the 4 cylinder for now. I will not be winning any races, but it is still fun to drive since the weight is so low.
Main concerns now are sorting out a bit an odd electrical web so we don't have multiple fuse panels dangling down on the driver's footwell.
Tach, clock and oil pressure gauges are DOA. Water temp and fuel seem to have a wonky ground (cut in and out).
Occasionally the starter relay refuses to engage, but the car starts robustly when it does. All seem to point to an electrical system that needs TLC.
Everyone is blown away by the new toy and I am having great fun getting to know its ins and outs. Still learning how to get in an out as well. It is possible as bad as my Elise was. I hope to develop a similarly useful strategy for ingress.
Sounds great, nothing like a few teething problems to help you get to know the car. The starter solenoid is a known weak point on the Beta units. I pulled mine apart cleaned the contacts up and flipped the plate over so it had a clean smooth contct surface, then fitted a relay. I was having the same starting trouble, never again for four years after fixing the solenoid.
Paul.
Sat in a real one, may never wash again!
A relay dedicated to the solenoid circuit is a good idea. Starter solenoids tend to take quite a slug of current, and taking that load off the ignition switch & (long) wiring is a smart move. Had similar issues with the Beta engine I first built mine with - pretty embarrassing when you jump in, turn the key and it just goes 'click'. An easy retro-fit is to use the switched 12V for the solenoid to drive the relay coil, feed the relay power via an inline fuse direct from the main starter terminal and job done - you can do it all neatly, close to the starter, without having to hack the loom. The combination of a 30 odd year old Beta igniton switch and an equally old X 1/9 loom needed quite a few extra relays fitting I found.
I had/have fond memories of the Lampredi TC from owning a number of Fiat 124 SPorts as well as Betas, but back when I had a Monte Carlo (Scorpion) I had already decided it was short on grunt. You can certainly feel the difference in weight & balance between TC & V6, but unless you fancy something a bit off the wall like maybe a VAG turbo unit, a decent V6 is the way to go. I still think it would be interesting to try a modern turbo 4 pot in there, but it'll remain a thought experiment as far as I am concerned, my car building days are done unless I win that lottery
Given the problem you have in sourcing an Alfa engine over there, how about the Toyota option? Don't know how they are for size, but you have some decent domestic V6 motors too.
I think that I have a faulty wire or bad relay inline with the starter solenoid. I don't get a click, I get nothing. Then I try again and it fires right off. As I said, there are a couple of gauges that also work intermittently. I suspect a loose earth(ground) somewhere in the mix. That is never a problem to ignore.A relay dedicated to the solenoid circuit is a good idea. Starter solenoids tend to take quite a slug of current, and taking that load off the ignition switch & (long) wiring is a smart move. Had similar issues with the Beta engine I first built mine with - pretty embarrassing when you jump in, turn the key and it just goes 'click'. An easy retro-fit is to use the switched 12V for the solenoid to drive the relay coil, feed the relay power via an inline fuse direct from the main starter terminal and job done - you can do it all neatly, close to the starter, without having to hack the loom. The combination of a 30 odd year old Beta igniton switch and an equally old X 1/9 loom needed quite a few extra relays fitting I found.
I had/have fond memories of the Lampredi TC from owning a number of Fiat 124 SPorts as well as Betas, but back when I had a Monte Carlo (Scorpion) I had already decided it was short on grunt. You can certainly feel the difference in weight & balance between TC & V6, but unless you fancy something a bit off the wall like maybe a VAG turbo unit, a decent V6 is the way to go. I still think it would be interesting to try a modern turbo 4 pot in there, but it'll remain a thought experiment as far as I am concerned, my car building days are done unless I win that lottery
Given the problem you have in sourcing an Alfa engine over there, how about the Toyota option? Don't know how they are for size, but you have some decent domestic V6 motors too.
There are actually a couple of engine options that would be quite a bit less money and work better than an Alfa motor. One choice would be to pick up a Toyota 2zz engine with 6 spd box. They are cheap here and if need be can have forced induction added. This was more than enough to make my Elise (us market, not first round) quite a manic drive on the street. It was putting 250 hp to the rear wheels.
I have contacted the local rally organization. I think I will do a few events with them on the twink. If I love the dirt I will make my car into a dirt loving rally machine with the lightweight and robust 6 spd Toyota. If I am not in love, I will likely make it into a street toy with the Alfa motor. I am now discovering a couple of places where I might source a proper Busso (either 12 or 24 valve). I just may need to wait a bit if I don't want to spend a fortune on it. Best news is that I am happy to wait on removing the current 4. It is string enough to make me want to go through the brakes and suspension pretty carefully before I add more power.
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