Algar and Motor Mounts.

[Hal Taylor <taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dave,

While I didn't own an Alfa when I lived in Philly, I believe that I've
seen postings here on the digest by people who have had positive
experiences with Algar.  I know we've got a couple other Philly folks
out there;  guys - what's the consensus?  But if you felt like you got a
bad "vibe" from them (California-speak?  I haven't been out here THAT
long), maybe you should just trust your gut.  I think you're right about
Falcone's being well-regarded, anyway.

Motor mount failure is VERY common on spiders.  While "collapsed" is
certainly a serious-sounding word, it's not really too big a deal.  Mine
were pretty spent for a while;  I let them go until the crank pulley
started to occasionally hit the sway ber (I THINK that was the sway
bar...) and then had them replaced immeadiatly, 'cause the noise freaked
me out.  I seem to remember it costing about $200, but I could dig up
the invoice, if you're curious.  I'd probably be more interested in the
condition of the head gasket and the nature of it's leak: oil to
outside, coolant to outside, oil to coolant, etc.?

Can't help you with the snow tires;  I don't know that one can even FIND
them in L.A. ;-)  That's one of the reasons I'm here.

As for your top, in what way are you trying to "bring it back to life"?
Cosmetically, or funtionally?  Mine looks like hell, too.  It started to
leak in a couple of places, and I sprayed it with Camp Dry
waterproofing.  Still looks like hell, but it keeps me dry.  I wouldn't
be above using a little duct tape, as well, if it came to it.  But I'll
replace it soon, with an affordable top from Caribou (Hi Ed - you'll
hear from me soon).  But mine is COMPLETELY gone, from a cosmetic
standpoint.  So I wasn't even concerned about that.  If you're just
talking about the color fading, I remember a thread awhile back about
some sort of dye or paint or something that people had used on tops.
Anybody else remember more specifically?

One last note:  Dave, I think I'd mentioned this to you before, but if
you're going to drive that car thru Philadelphia winters, wash it
frequently, especially rocker panels, wheel wells, undercarriage, spare
tire well, rear valence and anywhere else likely to get hit by salt, and
keep doing it well in to spring, untill rain has washed all the salt off
the roads.

Good luck.

Hal Taylor
L.A. CA (land of plentiful Alfa mechanics and no snow)

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