So.................................................................who got it?

[Karnevil]

Anyone on here get the GTV 3.0 that just ended on Ebay?

God I hope summat like that pops up when I've got my self more organised for my build!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-Rome...97.m4902.l9144

But would I have been looking at a good buy for my LB?

[Normb666]

I think you had a lucky escape there. You'd have had to travel all the way over to Rochdale and hope you didn't get forced to join some co-operative movement or other by the locals, and even then you'd have ended up with a boring 3-litre Busso like wot everyone else thinks they want.
Nah, what you really need is a nice revvy 2.5 out of an early 156. CF2 so single lambda, long ECU loom so you can fit the ECU in the footwell, solid flywheel, better exhaust headers, ...the list of advantages is endless!
And, I even know where there could be one up for grabs at some point next year - currently owned by a devilishly handsome guy (it says here) who has wimmin swooning at his feet (could be the smell), and he's not even that far from you, so no traipsing to some godforsaken far-flung isolated inbred community on a storm-lashed headland that's about to crumble into the sea....wow, sounds great - in fact I might even sell it to meself

[Karnevil]

I think you had a lucky escape there. You'd have had to travel all the way over to Rochdale and hope you didn't get forced to join some co-operative movement or other by the locals, and even then you'd have ended up with a boring 3-litre Busso like wot everyone else thinks they want.
Nah, what you really need is a nice revvy 2.5 out of an early 156. CF2 so single lambda, long ECU loom so you can fit the ECU in the footwell, solid flywheel, better exhaust headers, ...the list of advantages is endless!
And, I even know where there could be one up for grabs at some point next year - currently owned by a devilishly handsome guy (it says here) who has wimmin swooning at his feet (could be the smell), and he's not even that far from you, so no traipsing to some godforsaken far-flung isolated inbred community on a storm-lashed headland that's about to crumble into the sea....wow, sounds great - in fact I might even sell it to meself

All my best mates live in Rochdale!

I was told to go for a 3.0 for what I want to do with mine........more touring than raceing

[Normb666]

The good thing about building your own car is that you can spec it however you want - there's no right or wrong way. I did lots of umm-ing and ahh-ing over which Busso version to go for, and eventually went for the 2.5 cos you can get all the bits from the one car, for sensible dosh (as you've noticed, you don't often see 3.0 GTVs going for buttons any more!). And I found out that you can swap the motor out later if you come across a 3.0, and still use the same ECU etc. as is, as the programming has enough leeway so when it gets MAF and lambda readings indicating what it thinks is the motor breathing extra air, it adjusts the fuelling to suit. You just have to use the 2.5 injectors with the 3.0 motor or it'll be too rich.
Of course you can also swap over the 2.5 single-mass flywheel and the decent manifolds too, and the other Good Thing is that if you've got an age-related reg from using a donor 156, you're now simply doing an engine swap and your 3.0 can come from any old place so you don't have to worry about a V5.

Naturally, after doing all that mental to-ing and fro-ing and deciding on a course of action, I promptly chucked the whole Alfa idea out of the window when I realised I could do a Toyota version...hence me still driving around in what was gonna be my donor 156 and my unsubtle attempts to palm it off on you next year (although I must say, it's a really nice thing to drive - still looks great, and that motor is amazing - smooth as silk and the noise....whooo.)

As for Rochdale though, you've now damned yourself and gone beyond the point of no return by admitting you socialise with the denizens of said locale. Hopefully not many peeps will have noticed so you might be OK Haha!

[Lancialulu]

I have a friend who wants to let his 156 2.5 24v Sportwagon go to a Stratos builder. Midlands based. PM me if interested. c £1k

[colin artus]

I've got a 3.0l 24v 164 5 speed sitting here (down the road in Holywell) that you can have for what I paid (£300) ten years ago. It would need a precautionary rebuild so maybe not ideal if you just wanted a plug in solution!

[Karnevil]

Ahhhh right......let me have a chat with Craig.
Storage is my problem tho at the moment.
Can you level me with it and give me first refusal please?

[Stratie.fr]

I wish you to find a good V6 engine 3.0 ...or 2.5!!

I have same idea recently to buy one V6 engine for a future build...My choice is at the moment for one 2.5 Arese as I got already one 3.0 24v prepared with GTA cams and injectors on my actual car.

I find a few 156 cars not pricy in France.
Maybe I'll be tempted to buy one of these cars good enough to use it daily before dismantling in one or two years!! Project...why not?!? Will see!!

[Karnevil]

I've got a 3.0l 24v 164 5 speed sitting here (down the road in Holywell) that you can have for what I paid (£300) ten years ago. It would need a precautionary rebuild so maybe not ideal if you just wanted a plug in solution!

Ahhhh right......let me have a chat with Craig.
Storage is my problem tho at the moment.
Can you level me with it and give me first refusal please?

[Guy Mayers]

This is why I bought the 166 recently! Had hoped to use it this Winter to take the strain off the 159 but it's gone tits up....
The 159 needs a strut/spring replacing (MOT ends Wednesday) so I thought I'd be able to use the 166 to tide me over until Christmas when I could fix the 159... But the heater fan is dead and I can't trace the fault so it's consigned to 2 mile trips at which point the screen fogs up too much and the only way to clear it is windows open. No fun in this weather...
Unfortunately fixing the 159 involves a 4am start to get to Autolusso tomorrow. Hey ho. Hope they salt the roads tonight!
Guy