1991 Alfa 164 5-speed in PA| $2000 Challenge Presented by Tire Rack forum |

Gearhead_42 Dork
10/7/12 10:14 a.m.

3/26/13 Sorry, it's now off the market. At least, I'm sure I'll be sorry ;-)

Exciting times around here... between the Chumpcar team, new projects inbound and a new addition to the race team (daughter due in December ) I find I must thin the field of fun cars...

So, my Alfa 164 is up for sale! Asking $1750 with all parts/wheels etc. 198K miles. Located in dead center of PA.

My Readers Ride page for it : http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/2845/

The Bad:

Severe lack of clearcoat on most panels, extremely minor surface rust on the nose.
A single bubble of rust behind the right rear wheel.

Valve cover gaskets weep. Just hardening up with time and lack of driving.

Due for a timing belt. (50k or so since the last one)

One split in the rear seat upholstery (seam)

The Good:

Everything works. Every switch, all the windows, the seats, sunroof motor, power antenna, even the AC (though the fuse is pulled since it was never converted to R134 and the charge has faded). All the lights in the dash work (except the backlight for the exterior temp, just a bulb)

Brand new tires and correct battery. New plugs/wires/cap/rotor/voltage regulator/Saab idler pulley. New silicone intake runner couplers. Pair of spare matching wheels with snows. "S" cams installed, aftermarket chip, tweaked air meter. Poly bushings in the engine mount dogbone.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, so ask away. Pictures below.

From Drop Box

Edit: Cross posted to AlfaBB

DrBoost UberDork
10/7/12 12:38 p.m.

Man, that's amazing. I'm not in the market, but if I were I'd be very interested. Is that a Michigan plate I see?

Gearhead_42 Dork
10/7/12 1:20 p.m.

In reply to DrBoost:

Thats's PA... it's inspected through 2/2013

Forgot to mention the new CISAM center silencer and (not new) Stebro back section... awesome sound is awesome!

Does not do it justice... at all. http://youtu.be/YK618dlgJ3E

Travis_K SuperDork
10/7/12 3:50 p.m.

50k is quite a bit overdue for a timing belt (supposed to be done at 30k). Its cheap and easy to do though, so its not that big a deal. If it was near me id probably come look at it lol

EvanB UberDork
10/7/12 7:58 p.m.

You can just leave this at my house on Saturday, I won't complain.

SlickDizzy UltraDork
10/7/12 8:25 p.m.

Travis_K wrote: 50k is quite a bit overdue for a timing belt (supposed to be done at 30k). Its cheap and easy to do though, so its not that big a deal. If it was near me id probably come look at it lol

Are the belts just made that poorly, or do the gears just eat them up? I've never had an Alfa V6 apart but as a Spider owner I do honestly wonder how the Japanese can make a timing belt do 100k and the Italians can only manage 30k.

Travis_K SuperDork
10/7/12 8:48 p.m.

Its an engine that was designed in the 70s, and the companies that make timing belts (continental, gates, etc) almost never make belts of better than OEM quality, so thats part of it. The belts only cost like $25 for those engines too. Other reasons would be the original tensioner design that was designed to loosen the belt a little when it was warm that is more effort to rebuild that most people will put into it, so it was replaced with a kinda cheaply made mechanical spring type, and the fact that there isnt much wrap around the cam pulleys doesnt help either. The main reason though is that most of those italian engines were designed when timing belts first started being used, and things have improved a lot in 40 years.

Gearhead_42 Dork
10/12/12 6:12 a.m.

My original plan was to buy a ratty 164, drive it til something broke, then strip out the running gear for a future project and a full engine and tranny rebuild. My mistake, I bought too nice a car

So much for those plans, the rest of the car keeps on working dammit! It's too solid a car to scrap out the shell, but come November that's what's going to happen I'm afraid. Just plain out of space

JThw8 UberDork
10/12/12 7:59 a.m.

See, that's my problem, I'd want the same thing, I want that drive train in a Yugo, and yes your car looks too nice for me to consider buying and scrapping the body :(

yamaha Dork
10/12/12 11:57 a.m.

Must look away, must look away, must look away, must look away........

I'm in the same boat, that thing is a bit too clean for what i'd be after.....theres a warm spot reserved in hell for someone that chops up one of those still in that good of shape.

Gearhead_42 Dork
10/12/12 3:29 p.m.

yamaha wrote: ...theres a warm spot reserved in hell for someone that chops up one of those still in that good of shape.

See, that's what I mean!!! I've doomed myself to an afterlife of hellfire and Miley Cyrus on infinite repeat...

JThw8 UberDork
10/12/12 3:59 p.m.

The obvious answer is to pull the alfa drive train for the Yugo and then convert the Alfa to RWD using an LS1 ;)

SilverFleet Dork
10/12/12 4:01 p.m.

Wow... very cool. I want one, but alas.... no time, no money, and no room. Someday, I will own one.

Side note: some lady daily drives a gold one at my work. It's hilarious to see it stick out like a sore thumb (even in it's gold hue) in the sea of boring Camrys and Accords.