Better Alfetta

[graham.hilder@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Graham Hilder)]

Gidday Digesters,

Just come back from a weekend trip up-country, and this post is
just a bit of a ramble about our Alfetta and how good the thing
feels now. It's a 77 GTV 2 litre, 90.000 miles. Owned it for 10 years
and done very few miles in it ourselves, because until recently we
had always been brassed off with its hopeless stodgy handling,
and reluctance to rev above 5,000 or so.  Anyway a little while ago
we tidied up the suspension a bit (slightly heavier bars and
springs, a few new bushes, slightly lowered, and amended wheel
alignment), and revitalised the engine by replacing its dreadful old
emission-spec camshafts with a mild aftermarket fast-road regrind. 

Well we've now been able to do a couple of  good long trips in the
car since the workover, and my word what a difference. It's like a
whole new car. Talk about handling, and talk about willingness to
rev...!!!  So this is what Alfa Nord people have been raving about
all these years, when we oursleves had only experienced these
joys with the Alfa Sud, and never with the Alfetta.  Sure, it's still
as noisy and thumpy as hell, the brakes are weak and the
gearchange slow, but boy does it go round corners and race up
past the red line and eat up the long highway miles (it eats up
much younger 4.1 litre Falcons too, up long fast hills even when
it's 4-up and crammed full of luggage).    

Must record my thanks to the Digest and its knowledgeable
writers for pointing me in the right directions re handling
improvements, and re those emission-spec camshafts. Never
would have twigged to those myself, and otherwise would have
been moaning and bitching about useless Alfettas for another 10
years probably. Thanks Digesti !

Best regards,
Graham H,
N.Z.
77 Alfetta GTV (now a real buzz).

P.S.  A while ago I posted a query asking for any tips on best way
to lube the Alfetta (or GTV6 or Milano/75) clutch pivot ball stud.
To move the lever off the ball so I can grease it, can I just press
the clutch slave rod further back into the slave cyl (do I have to
open the bleed screw a little for this?), or should I take  slave cyl
off its mounting and move the whole thing bodily?
Any hints please, anyone who's done this?  (Didn't see any
replies to the previous posting).

Thanks again,
GH

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