GT Veloce front suspension height

[JHertzman@xxxxxxx]

In AD7-149 John Justus writes: 
"The 1969 on GTV's came with the front end in the air from the factory.  There
was an extra spacer placed under the springs for headlight height.  There was
even a recall because some left the factory without them!!"

Alfa publication #1507, "Giulia and 1750 Models- Wheel and Suspension- Front
End Geometry" (my copy printed in Milan in May 1970) and #1838, "Giulia - 1750
- - 2000 and Montreal Models- Wheel and Suspension - Front End Geometry -
Amendment to Specifications" (Supplement to DIASS Public.1507) (my copy
printed in Milan in January 1972) cover the factory's spin on ride heights and
attitudes quite thoroughly. You can get copies of the whole thing, or parts,
from the AROC tech librarian (assuming you are a member) for the cost of
copying, or if you are in one of the more scholarly chapters you will find it
in the chapter library. For any particular car, I could give you the page
numbers which you would need, saving a few bucks on the seventy pages you
don't need. As far as the 1750 GT Veloce is concerned, the stock specs as of
1970 put the front of the L.H.D. cars at the same height as the Spider, but 10
mm lower than the RHD 1750 Veloces, 1750 Berlinas, Giulia Supers, Giulia
Sprint GT Veloces, and others of the immediately preceding period, as well as
the 2000 GT Veloces and Berlinas covered in the later "Supplement". The later
"Supplement" put the 1750 GT Veloces after 1375001 LHD and 1454001 RHD where
the RHD ones already were, up with everything from the original Sprint GT
through the 2000 GT Veloce. That serial number comes fairly late in the 1971
production numbers in Fusi.

As far as the recall is concerned, it was recall campaign 861007, March 1 1972
(typo misdated March 2, 1973 on dealer bulletins) covering 1971 1750 GT
Veloces (USA) from VIN 1532001. There is an anomaly here, perhaps a typo, in
that this VIN number is earlier than the first 1750 GT Veloces (USA) built in
1968, per Fusi. Briefly, if the height of the center of the headlamp to floor
was less than 24" the existing spring spacer was to be removed and a 15mm
spacer fitted. This was the only recall related to headlamp height or front
suspension height.

I am not trying to be argumentative, but the statement John Justus is making-
"The 1969 on GTV's came with the front end in the air from the factory.  There
was an extra spacer placed under the springs for headlight height.  There was
even a recall because some left the factory without them!!" seems to be
exactly contradictory to the data published at the time by the factory, which
says that they had their fronts appreciably lower than any earlier or later
Alfa coupe or sedan and, if that put the measured headlight height below a
certain height, the front should be jacked up to something in the range where
all the others had been and later would be. 

Why LHD Veloces and RHD Veloces had different specified attitudes in the
earlier of the two publications is not clear- your guess, but if I hear
anything I will pass it on. And of course none of this has anything to do with
what any of us will do anyway to put the cars where we believe they should be.

John also says "While rear springs can sag - " Indeed they can. Factory says
stock rear ride height of the coupes, with 140 kg in the front seats, gives 41
mm +/- 5 mm as the clearance between the bump stop and the axle. Compare the
dimension of a new bump stop with the old ones, and it should be easy to
calculate just how much yours have sagged. Much easier than the front-end
measurement.

Enjoy yours,

John H.  

------------------------------