ALFAGTV6.COM

Greetings all, thought I'd say hello after coming to my senses from a crazy few months that almost had me selling my GTV6 of 17 years now! I don't know - my brother said, "don't sell it", my mechanic said "Don't sell it" even a magazine article somehwere said, "If you have a GTV6 in good conditon - don't sell it" So I decided not to sell it. I've had this car for probably too long - and yes, when you have a bad day - it will put a smile on your face!

It's an 83 with 195,000 miles on it (175,000 are miles I put on it). I've kept it as original as can be. I've always maintained it, but it has just gone through a 5 year running restoration with new paint from a complete strip down, motor, fresh 83 gearbox, new P6000 tires, Nardi wood and leather steering wheel, ansa rear muffler, replaced all the rubber and weatherstripping I could find at the time, new front grill, etc.

The last items on the "to-do" list are seat repholster, interior carpets, and get the wheels powder coated. The only wheels I really like are the "Shmidt" but dropping $2000 + on a set won't be happening for me anytime soon. Anyway, after reading this forum for a few years - Hello!

GV

Hi Gregory,glad to see you came to your sense's,although I know many people who would disagree with me.You have one good looking GTV6.

I miss mine as it's currently with Barry getting some TLC...

good to see another gtv6 from SF. Who's your mechanic?

What are your plans on reupholstering? I'm looking at that myself. You'll probably need new foam to truely restore the seats.

Good looking car. Mine will never look like that again. Not without a whole bunch of money at least.

Slap on the back for hanging in there. If you do the seats and carpets, sell the cat and invest in a new turret lining as well to complete the job. They get a bit tired after 23 years of service.

Thanks for the replies and compliments guys!

Twinspark6 - Lyn Barber in Walnut Creek has taken care of me all these years - used to be an Alfa/Lotus dealer way back when.

Fernando/MD - Sometimes you have to ask yourself am ! NUTS - or do these cars just take over your soul! Yeah that headliner is looking pretty dirty these days - didn't think of that.

Scott - the cushions are not real bad but, at the time they said they would add some foam to them to build up the edges on them. About four years back my brother pointed me to an upholstry shop in downtown Oakland where he's had a number of old Mustangs done. At the time I went the price was about $1200 for the two front seats, the top panels of the back seat and new carpet!! Another shop closer to me was double that! Anyone in the area interested let me know and I'll dig their card up.

Mericet - you know the funny thing is that the cars paint shined for maybe three years after I bought it before it just went to hell - you know looking more like primer than silver paint! When i bought the car the original owner claimed it was repainted under warranty but it was clear coated with some crummy stuff - I couldn't find any bondo but still never was sure. When the car was stripped I was happy to see that there was no bondo anywhere, the shop that did it said they never used so much stripper on anything because the paint was so thick! I have a photo of it all stripped I'll have to find it to post.

Oh, and let me tell you - had I not had over half in barter of work for the paint shop I would never have had the money to do it! It is so much $!

GV

Hi All,
I've been looking for these photos forever and just found them deep in a box of our kids photos - thought I'd share 'em. I've been doing the running restoration on this car since 2000 and am almost done ...

This one is of me and my gtv6 back around 1988 - even though the car was just five years old the paint was already turning to flat gray.

GV

Here it is again after I pulled everything off and got it in to the paint shop in 2000. They reshot the car, the black trim and the airdam and side skirt trim.

GV

And another view. The gray primer almost look like the silver paint before the car was stripped. Up to this point I don't think I'd waxed it for 10 years because there was just no point.

GV

Okay - bear with me here - this is a bit of a saga. After the repaint I had the car on the road for maybe a month after having sat for a good year while the repaint happened and when I had time to get it all back together (life happens), when I suddenly got a rod knock on the rebuilt 2.5 with maybe just 10K on it

It spun the most rear bearing, not sure why - I've heard that this bearing gets the oil last on startup - not sure. Or wonder if having sat a year without cranking did it?

Anyway - if it wasn't for the new paint I'd have dug a whole and buried the car ...

GV

Another shot of the engine, before dropping in.

Anyway, I have some wheel repaint photos around I'll try to put up. This summer the plan is for the suspension rebuild and seat upholstry and I will at last be done! Then it's just back to taking care of her.

GV

beautiful ride gregoryV, looked just like mine when i first got her, amazing you've had her for so long. I must say, i was going to sell mine afew years back, i actually had it on the market for a week for i needed cash bad at the time, but things got better real quick, so ripped her off the market very quick.

After that i still had people coming up to me asking if i wanted to sell her.

Interesting how a magazine said to hang on to a gtv6 in good condition.

Okay - bear with me here - this is a bit of a saga. After the repaint I had the car on the road for maybe a month after having sat for a good year while the repaint happened and when I had time to get it all back together (life happens), when I suddenly got a rod knock on the rebuilt 2.5 with maybe just 10K on it

My god only 10K on the engine, hope you were looked after in that department!! Did Sperry Valve Works build that one too?

Please leave the skirts off. It looks great without them.

Alfettish wrote:Please leave the skirts off. It looks great without them.

You mean the side skirts right? I'd agree on that - I really like the look of the cars that were raced in the 80's with just the front airdam and no side skirts. Had I come to this conclusion back before it was painted I may have had the attachment holes filled.

GV