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pinchvalve
pinchvalve MegaDork
11/8/16 12:11 p.m.

You're fixing the car in an Alfa-lovers garage? Then I revise my route.

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
11/8/16 12:34 p.m.
racerdave600 wrote: Thanks Tim! I kicked my Alfa habit long ago but this is making me hunt the classifieds all over again. Great updates! I remember buying my first one in '85 I think. It was an '83 Spider, so it was almost new at the time. I then promptly went and sold off my Triumphs and hunted more Alfas. I ended up with 8 of them. Be warned, this can be a problem. Anyway, beautiful car. Hopefully the rest of the trip is as fun as the start. Everyone needs an Alfa at some point in the their life Margie, embrace you inner Italian-ess!

Must have been a while since you were Always Looking For Another...

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
11/8/16 12:36 p.m.

In reply to pinchvalve:

There are a LOT of helpful Alfisti in the country. Almost 20 years ago, when I just had my engine rebuilt- a nice guy in Oklahoma City let me use his ramps and driveway to change my oil prior to a convention. George is a great guy, no doubt, but there are plenty.

racerdave600
racerdave600 SuperDork
11/8/16 1:16 p.m.
alfadriver wrote:
racerdave600 wrote: Thanks Tim! I kicked my Alfa habit long ago but this is making me hunt the classifieds all over again. Great updates! I remember buying my first one in '85 I think. It was an '83 Spider, so it was almost new at the time. I then promptly went and sold off my Triumphs and hunted more Alfas. I ended up with 8 of them. Be warned, this can be a problem. Anyway, beautiful car. Hopefully the rest of the trip is as fun as the start. Everyone needs an Alfa at some point in the their life Margie, embrace you inner Italian-ess!
Must have been a while since you were Always Looking For Another...

I sold my last one in 2000 I think. I can remember buying my '73 GTV in pretty nice condition for $3,500, and passed on a TZ1 in boxes for less than $10k. Those were the days....

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
11/8/16 1:43 p.m.

Quote from Tim in Vegas: "It's unlocked, but I've got it insured through Hagerty for more than I paid if it gets stolen. Wouldn't THAT be a story..."

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
11/8/16 1:44 p.m.

Oh, great, there goes my Hagerty policy...

NOHOME
NOHOME PowerDork
11/8/16 2:32 p.m.
mazdeuce wrote: This trip is awesome. Now I want to buy something old again.

You have Fergus.

Get back to work.

spitfirebill
spitfirebill UltimaDork
11/8/16 6:15 p.m.

In reply to racerdave600:

I remember several GTVs in the $3000 range. No TZs though.

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
11/8/16 6:28 p.m.
spitfirebill wrote: In reply to racerdave600: I remember several GTVs in the $3000 range. No TZs though.

I got mine in Feb of 1996 for $5000. Remember it very clearly- it was just after we got married, and we stopped that nice Feb day to visit my sick aunt. Then had a nice drive back to Michigan.

I thought the GTV was unique in it's ability to be a GT car. Good to hear that the Spider is the same way.

Route 66 someday.

Tim Suddard
Tim Suddard Publisher
11/8/16 7:18 p.m.

We have left Dallas and stopped in Tyler, after a couple hours of driving. We spent the morning with Lokki, an AlfaBB member, looking over his parts stash and buying some parts we need. From there, he introduced us to Robert at Shadetree, who diagnosed our starting problem and fixed it. He also pointed out that we had a damaged fan shroud, the one way valve in the cooling system had been removed and as I suspected, with our wildly fluctuating, cooling system temps, that the thermostat had been removed by the previous owner. GRRRR! Great folks and if ever in the Dallas area, an evening spent with Lokki is a lot of fun and very informative. One of the reasons we take trips like this is to meet cool people. As for the car, it is rock solid at 195 degrees and we don't have to push start it anymore.

petegossett
petegossett UltimaDork
11/8/16 8:28 p.m.

In reply to Tim Suddard:

When will you guys be passing through the Gulfport/Biloxi area?

mazdeuce
mazdeuce UltimaDork
11/9/16 4:04 p.m.
NOHOME wrote:
mazdeuce wrote: This trip is awesome. Now I want to buy something old again.
You have Fergus. Get back to work.

Fergus has kept me from buying so many cars. In a good way.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
11/9/16 5:50 p.m.

In reply to petegossett:

Pete, they just stopped for the night in New Orleans, so tomorrow morning sometime--they're hoping to get up and out and make it home tomorrow night.

Margie

petegossett
petegossett UltimaDork
11/9/16 6:54 p.m.

In reply to Marjorie Suddard:

I'll be around all day if they need anything along the way: 765-714-2935 is my cell. I'm only 5-minutes off I-10.

Tim Suddard
Tim Suddard Publisher
11/10/16 7:32 a.m.

We should be coming through in an hour or two. I was thinking of stopping there for lunch, but it would be too early. Had a good time in New Orleans with an old car buddy of mine named Ben. As a local, he showed us all the sites on Bourbon Street. Young Tom learned a few things last night about the ways of the world in New Orleans.

cmcgregor
cmcgregor HalfDork
11/10/16 10:48 a.m.

Love this thread. There's nothing quite like a long road trip in an untested vehicle.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
11/10/16 10:58 a.m.

Judging by this photo, you maybe taught Tom a few TOO many things about the ways of the world in New Orleans.

That's an o'dark-thirty shot of someone resurrecting at Café du Monde if I've ever seen one.

Margie

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
11/10/16 11:47 a.m.

In reply to Marjorie Suddard:

So, then... when are you planning your road trip with Katie?

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
11/10/16 11:54 a.m.

In reply to alfadriver:

Oh, my... they'd have to clear a swath. Maybe foam a couple of runways.

Margie

mazdeuce
mazdeuce UltimaDork
11/10/16 8:06 p.m.

Are they home yet? I feel like the deep south isn't the place to break down for two dudes in an Alfa.

petegossett
petegossett UltimaDork
11/10/16 8:25 p.m.

In reply to mazdeuce:

They didn't call me for help on their way past Biloxi, but that doesn't mean they actually made it out of New Orleans either...

Tim Suddard
Tim Suddard Publisher
11/11/16 6:52 a.m.

We did make it out of New Orleans. Pete, thanks for the offer. We made it home at 7 o'clock last night without further incident. At a steady 80 mph yesterday we drove 600 miles and got 25 mpg. Unlike most old cars, this one doesn't leave you beat up after a 3000 mile trip. This one with a few repairs and upgrades is a definitely a keeper, and my choice for rallies and tours. We will be taking in on the Orange Blossom Tour. You should all join us!

pinchvalve
pinchvalve MegaDork
11/11/16 6:59 a.m.

Reminds me of a great little piece on the joys of driving a classic Alfa. This one is worked over a bit, but man what I wouldn't give to own one of these beauties.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-dEd6uQjSvY

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
11/11/16 7:05 a.m.

In reply to Tim Suddard:

I'd love to some day... but the $3250 registration fee...

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
11/11/16 7:27 a.m.

In reply to pinchvalve:

Let's not forget that one of us here has a '74 GTV for sale. It may be a race car, but the goal was also to run the Carrera someday.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/open-classifieds/74-alfa-romeo-gtv-race-car/84499/page1/

They are great cars.

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