Tag: Alfetta

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Been Up So Long, Looks Like Down


I took the Alfa off the jack stands today, after several months. It’s been up there so long, that the car looks very low to me now. The top of the roof is about chest high.

Back in July, I put it up on jack stands to replace the three flex discs (Giubos) in the driveshaft and the clutch – probably a seven hour job at the shop. I ended up getting the gears in the transmission lightened too.

I also replaced the three engine mounts, replaced the front and rear stabilizer bushings with polyurethane bushings, changed the oil, replaced the oil filter, replaced the Spica oil filter, bled the clutch, replaced the rear brake discs, replaced the rear brake pads, replaced the brake booster, bled the brakes, replaced the top radiator hose, replaced the short radiator hose, replaced the bottom radiator hose, replaced the water pump hose, had the radiator flushed, replaced the driveshaft center support and bearing, replaced the second gear synchro, changed the transmission and final drive oil, replaced the clutch shaft bearings and replaced a heater hose. Don’t ask me why it took so long…I didn’t have anywhere to go anyway.

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Alfetta Transmission, Part 3

Russ Neely, Brian Shorey and Stevan Thomas, people that I’ve known for years only through the Alfa Digest, all recommended that I get the gears lightened on my Alfetta’s transmission.

Alfa Romeo Alfetta Transmission Input Shaft
Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sprint Veloce transmission input shaft

I’ve had the transmission apart for a while (to replace the clutch) and finally got around to having the work done.

Two people were recommended, Tom Sahines and Merrit Carden. Tom Sahines was too busy and he gave me Merrit’s number. I sent my gears and input shaft to Merrit at the end of July and went to pick them up 10 days later.

Merrit’s house is in sort of a cul-de-sac. There was a front-ended Kia in the driveway – his son’s car, waiting for an insurance adjuster.

Alfa Romeo Alfetta Transmission Lightened Gear
Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sprint Veloce transmission lightened gear

His garage was his machine shop. It was packed with junk in addition to a (if I remember correctly, and old Bridgeport) mill, drill press, hydraulic press, etc. It was one of those shops where the owner knows where everything is, but if you moved one thing two feet, it would take him a month to find it.

I picked the gears up at the beginning of August. Merrit carefully unwrapped each gear to show me his work. In some cases, the gears were not only drilled for lightness but the walls were also machined – all this on hardened steel. The quality of the work was clearly apparent. Look at the photographs – they speak for Merrit’s beautiful work. More pitures here.

To contact Merrit Carden:

7475 Shady Hollow Dr
Newark, Ca 94560
(510) 797-2446

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Alfetta Transmission, Part 2

I finally started taking apart the transmission. The main shaft has over 50 parts rotating around it – 1st – 5th gears, synchro hubs, synchro sleeves, bearings, etc.

Alfa Romeo Transmission Main Shaft
Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sprint Veloce transmission diagram

This is where doubt started whether this would actually work again.

Common Alfa transmission wisdom indicates gear lightening for better shifting response and as a cure for a crunching 1-2 shift. It makes, sense, having less rotating mass and the accompanying reduced inertia would wear the syncros less. Better acceleration too, but me losing 20 lbs. would increase the car’s performance more.

This is a close-up of 1st gear and the worn synchronizer ring.

Alfa Romeo Transmission Main Shaft
Alfa Romeo Synchro Ring

That wear is the cause of the crunching gears in 1-2 upshifts in the Alfa. You can see the wear in the triangle shaped shiny areas on the synchro ring. A new synchro ring has a rough surface. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what a synchro ring looked liked before I took this apart.
More pitures.

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Alfetta Transmission

In the process of replacing my Alfetta clutch, I also removed the transmission and final drive – it’s all one unit.

Alfa Romeo Alfetta Transmission
Alfa Romeo Alfetta Transmission

My idea was to just to reseal the case with Hylomar between the final drive, spacer and transmission. But I guess I have to clean up my bench and take a good look at the synchros and dogs.

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Victory By Design

A new episode in the Victory By Design documentary series on historic racing marques, Grand Prix Greats, hit a chord with me when I saw Alain De Cadenet give an overview of 1950’s Grand Prix cars.

Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sprint Veloce Final Drive, Transmission and inboard brake disc caliper
Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sprint Veloce Final Drive, Transmission (note the inboard brake disc caliper at the top rear)

De Cadenet described the slow development of Grand Prix cars in the 50’s. Parked in a line, the 1952, 1953 World Championship winning Ferrari 500, 1956 World Championship winning Ferrari Lancia D50, 1957 World Championship winning Maserati 250F and the 1958 World Championship winning Vanwall. The common element to all these race cars? A De Dion rear axle and transaxle gear box.

What’s on my 1979 Alfetta Sprint Veloce? A De Dion rear axle and transaxle gear box – twenty-five year old trickle down Grand Prix technology sitting in my backyard.