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Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:26 pm
by kevin
Two years ago I decided to search for a project car to keep my dad busy after some medical issues . I found a one owner 1600 Junior at AK classics that would be ideal as its a rot free body with minor rear accident damage . Good thing about the dry SA climate is that these cars are generally in excellent shape considering the age when comparing to the European cars that are subject to salted roads and high humidity . SA cars still do have rust issues but they are different and normally isolated due rust occurring in cills that have been clogged up from the high content of dust in our environment . This dust is a result from all the mine dumps littered around the johannesburg and surrounding towns . This dust gets blown in behind splashguards and over time with rain it will start to corrode .
When checking on the rear end for seriousness of damage I was advised to inspect the shape of the box sections under the rear arches and these were still 100% square so damage was not to serious but I still new their was a lot to be done .
This car was assembled when Datsun (Nissan ) assembled Alfa Romeo in the early 70s in South Africa before Alfa built its own plant . Build quality was very good however sadly the car inherited one of Datsuns colours at the time which was a pasti , sandy yellow which was common on their cars .
So it became a huge family debate whether we put it back to its original colour which is something I always prefer to do but in this case this original colour was not something marvel at on a beautiful Alfa body .
It came down to three colours on the Alfa chart from the ivory found on the spiders , the off white and the Alfa red . And the reds vary from 501' 505 , 530 ( three shades) and 130 .
I worked out this would be my dads thirty fifth Alfa and ironically he never had a red 105 series so red was going to be the colour .
Must say a huge thank you goes to Kevin at AK classics for firstly keeping the Alfa classics alive in SA and being the only supplier of parts South of the Limpopo !
Thank goodness for his huge knowledge on these cars as I nearly assembled the front suspension back to front which is not difficult if you not paying attention .
The workshop manuals don't even show the differences on the lower arms .

I put this in OTHER as its not a transaxle but it started its process alongside my other GTV 6 which ironically also lost its status as transaxle in this thread .
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4365

Some pics of process will follow very slowly and welcome any comments and advice as this is new to me .

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:11 pm
by kevin
Here are some pics before my dad and I started stripping the car . Dash is definitely a victim of the SA sun however the seats are still in original condition .

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:21 pm
by kevin
The stripping process started alongside the GTV under the shade cloth to prevent severe sunburn :D . I bought ten plastic crates and labelled the tops of these so hopefully when we start to assemble its going to be really easy . Some more pics here you can see the sandy yellow in the mudguard .
I also had miniature portable workshop table made by a friend of mine who makes all my laser cut race parts . It has a removable top with a heavy duty grid underneath which can hold an engine if you want to move it or wash it . Their is a tapered sump underneath to catch all cleaning fluid with a drain plug . Ofcourse it has to have a laser cut Alfa badge . Table comes in pieces and I it designed specifically for my dad who is a year away from his 80th and he still picks up gearboxes to clean them . Of course the table is powder coated in Red :D

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:31 pm
by kevin
Familiar site with cars - put on side . You see the rust in the cills as mentioned earlier . This all gets cut out in later pics . General condition is excellent with no seams swelling from rust anywhere . Drain hole under carpets being cut out .
Rear box section are all perfect but rear valence needs to come off .

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 1:36 pm
by kevin
Gearbox out and ready to be cleaned on new table before sending to AK classics for a rebuild .

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 10:16 pm
by Joemart
hey... when did u take these pics?.... how is it progressing?

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:47 am
by kevin
Its coming on slowly but I put about 30hrs into it over my last visit in late January this year on rebuilding suspension bits etc and my dad has also put some serious hours on ll the cleaning of wiring harnesses, engine block , diff etc . I will post dome pics this week .

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 5:34 pm
by la_strega_nera
Hey Kev - I've designed and built a few brackets to allow fitment of a 19mm porsche tandem dual circuit master to get rid of the shitty remote boosters - let me know if you're interested for this thing - cleans up the engine bay no end, and doesn't hang everything 8" off the side of the rail like the alfaholics kit...

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 2:05 am
by MD
Once upon a time when all the fairies lived in the bottom of the JK's garden, I ventured into the great unknown of the 105 world and was smitten by the drop nose...

Like the fairies, I moved on. There's a chicken coop there now so JK informs me :mrgreen:

Hope your dad gets to see the final restoration. Gotta be good for him to have a hobby.

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 3:40 pm
by la_strega_nera
They're fantastic fun.
Image

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:41 pm
by kevin
Nice crash hat in the silhouette :D thanks for offer on master cyl conversion but were going to put this baby back as original as possible with its thin little tyres and high ground clearance .
I had a 1750 Mk1 for my uni days . I do regret selling it as it was a one registered owner car in our family - with multiple users ie sisters , mother etc :D
Its easy to spend huge money on these cars because everything is available unlike the 116 series but I have noticed Highwood Alfa in UK increasing their range of parts yearly for the 116 series GTV .
While I'm in UK I buy all my parts from Richard at Classic Alfa . Great fun visiting their warehouse here in London . You end up going for a few small budget items and then you just get carried away in the catalogue and you need a trolley to load the car .

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:30 pm
by la_strega_nera
I'm very glad I can't visit Classic Alfa or Alfaholics in the flesh - my bank account would be very very sad...
Yeah - forgot to take my hat off before the first run of the day - was pretty sunny.

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 11:29 pm
by kevin
Work started on the rear end first which was taken down to bare metal to uncover previous repair . The shell was also place on the chassis jig to make sure all was perfect . All the bodywork is happening at Lake Avenue under Fernando's beady eye . On double pannels like in the cills Upol weld primer is used on reverse side . This keeps metal primed and does not burn off and leave it exposed under the heat from welding on the reverse side which leads to corrosion which would be rapid in climates like UK .
The boot lid has been fitted again to make sure gaps are perfect .
Once back is done it will be primed and then work will start on front . Note the climate here in Johannesburg ( Benoni where the shop is ) is very dry and hot . Over 5500ft above see level . Actually a restorers paradise if they weren't so many scheduled power cuts ( electricity load shedding ) by the government . You gotta check the time table when your area is scheduled to be with out power incase you have a car in the booth and have started spraying . Most business in South Africa have back up generators or inverters but its very expensive . Anyway enough moaning about third world governments lack of planning to build power stations when advised but it is having a direct impact on the cars in this panel shop .

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:03 pm
by maxiboy
reading about the power supply it wont be long before the uk is the same. lol

once painted it would be worth using bilt hamber anti rust products inside all box sections ... will keep the dreaded rust at bay for a long while

Re: Our 1600 Junior restoration

Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:56 am
by kevin
Yes Neil it will go through the same process I did on my GTV 3.0 and inject under pressure into the cavities ,( all sections which are confined ) with Dinitrol and then let drip for the weekend but that's still long way down the line :D
You pay a fortune to bring Dinitrol into SA but its worth every sent . Just some pics of Dinitrol for SA guys who are not used to seen this product . Its definitely a must do even in the SA climate as you can make cars last another 20 years pretty effortlessly .
The handheld spray Dinitrol is same as the ML but I use this to apply on all my clips and beadings which a good friend going by the name of Alex has taught me 8)
Probably use about 4-5 bottles which might be over the top but its easy to wipe off the paint work when it drips out the drain holes .
I'm still searching for the best product that you can apply around the windscreen rubbers that helps facilitate getting the windscreen in and then acting as a sealant to prevent water seeping in ! Any ideas ?