Re: "upgunned" Spiders

[JHertzman@xxxxxxx]

I agree generally with Bill Bain's comments in AD7-114 on Spider (and other)
engine transplants, a recurring subject. 

A couple of points of clarification. "Using an Alfa 6 drivetrain and V6", is
not exactly what Hans Milo did on his '73 GT Veloce; he used an Alfa 6 engine
and transmission, but the rest of the drivetrain is 105 GT Veloce. The
driveline of the Alfa 6 has a DeDion rear axle similar to the familiar
Alfetta/GTV-6/Milano system but without a rear-mounted transmission. Using the
DeDion would have been better in some ways but would have violated Hans' self-
imposed limitation of no structural alterations whatsoever to the car.

"The hood would most likely need a scoop to clear the intake plumbing" is an
understatement; the roomier coupe engine bay needed a hump to clear the carbs
which were used in place of the injection for which there was no room. 

Another critical factor, perhaps not obvious, was the use of the Alfa 6 pan;
The US pan and the 105 front suspension crossmember are irreconcilable. Yet
another irreconcilable conflict is the 105 steering box and the V6 exhaust.
The job Hans did on his coupe without any chopping or butchering was a true
tour de force, involving meticulous measurement, considerable imagination and
a relatively broad knowledge of arcane resources and options, and I would not
recommend the project to any relative novice. It was a masterful academic
exercise in what is sometimes referred to as "putting a quart in a pint pot".
Not easy, but well-done.

The best advice I could give somebody who wanted much more (of whatever) than
a good stock Spider offers would be to buy the car that already has whatever
you are looking for. If that means a Corvette, or a Mustang, or a Camaro, so
be it.

Second best advice if one wants that but also must have something that looks
like an Alfa Spider would be to build a chassis onto which one could channel a
gutted Spider hull. Any run-of-the-mill hot-rodder should be able to assemble
a fairly decent tube-frame car with GTV-6 components (or Chevy components,
Jaguar components, Volvo components, Maserati twin-turbo components) in
proportions which would accept a Spider hull, Devin fiberglass body, Ferrari
knock-off, '34 Willys coupe, T-bucket or whatever suits your taste. Done it,
been there, it is a hell of a lot easier than neatly inserting a big engine in
a small engine room which already has dimensional limits, steering gear, brake
booster, and other "givens".

Congratulations to Hans, and best wishes to Gregory-

John H.

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