twin-spark Spider

[<JHertzman@xxxxxxx>]

In ad7-013 Brian Shorey, responding to the question "Is the TS a drop in for
the early 70s Spider or GTV?" replied "i'd assume not, since the crank
probably isn't drilled to mate up with the transmission.  with some effort you
can mate the ts head to the spider block.  peter webb, who we haven't heard
from in a while, knows how to do this."

The two-liter TS engine used in the 75 has the same bore and stroke as the
115-116 fours, and as far as one can tell from photos and drawings the pan and
lower end of the block appear to be the same as the Alfetta engines. I would
assume (as always, perhaps incorrectly) that the physical mate-up of a 75 TS
to an Alfetta or Sport Sedan would present no problem, apart from fabricating
an exhaust system, and that the physical mate-up of a 75 TS to a Spider or
other 105/115 car would present no more of a problem than installing an
Alfetta engine in a 105/115 car. The pans swap, with a fiddle to allow for a
dipstick, and the Alfetta crank can be machined to accept the pilot bushing,
and I would assume that a 105/115 crank could be used in an Alfetta block and
could equally be used in a 75 TS block. If this is so, it would avoid any
problems mating the TS head to an earlier block, a subject which was
thoroughly covered by Gary Valant in the Alfa Owner some time ago.

If all of my assumptions are wrong, as they may well be, a worst-case scenario
is that one would have to fit one's choice of Milano transaxles and deDion
axle in the Spider, ending with (horrors!) something like a 50-50 weight
distribution and possibly reduced unsprung weight, albeit probably slightly
greater total weight. It wouldn't be "drop in", but it might not be an
unacceptable Spider for the non-purist contingent.

John

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