Spica vs. Weber -- more memories

["Eric H." <ejham@domain.elided>]

Arguably, one of the biggest motivations toward the carbs
and away from the Spica system is cost of ownership. As a
college student in 1985, when I converted my '79 Spider to
Webers, carb parts and upkeep were a lot cheaper than the
Spica system. At the time a new injection pump would have
set me back $700...and I'd already replaced the $150 Bosch
3-nozzle electric pump hoping against hope that the system
was not receiving it's necessary 40 Lbs. or so. (A quick
glance at my latest Int'l Auto catalogue shows a price of
$330 for that electric pump...the comparable L-Jetronic
version can be had for $171 -- even this price is high as
almost any L-Jet system pump will do the job. New Volvo,
BMW, etc. pumps will do nicely at a $20 - $50 savings and
you can get pull them 5 for $100 at a junk yard -- odds are
that one of the 5 has to work, right?)

Logic pointed to replacing a system which had a total
component cost in excess of $1000 (not including hidden
'gotchas' like the in-tank feeder pump of 1979 model Spider)
with a 'tried and true' system which weighed in at under
$500 including adapters and injector hole plugs. Heck, it
worked just fine on 3lbs. of pressure and the fuel filters
cost slightly more than a pack of cigarettes!

Of course that whole line of reasoning is now absurd, right?
These cars aren't a method of daily transportation, but
money pits for amusement, right?

The Weber method is a dinosaur of the non-emission compliant
past; to be enshrined with the same honors as 'Holey 6 Pack'
is for our muscle-car-loving cousins. Spica is an
interesting oddity derived from the Mercedes diesel family.
It's use in our cars sports an almost English distrust in
things electronic (see British Leyland 'Lucas: Lord of
Darkness').

Alfa could very well have chosen the Bosch K continuous
injection system which had been reliably running VW's since
the late 60's. Volvo and several other European auto makers
did so at the time and received a reputation for reliability
and low upkeep costs. Such a move (with compound interest,
wisely invested) could have made all of us 70's Alfa owners
considerably wealthier here at the dawn of the next
millennium had we not had to pay for the higher cost of the
Spica system.

To it's credit the Spica system looked cool. The pump is a
solid piece of precision machine-shop product. The tubing
has a artful look about it. And it's reliance on only a
single electrical wire was comforting to the soul who
distrusted Italian wiring personnel.

Still, you need that powerful rear pump to get the pressure
up to par...where a Weber only needs a bowl of fuel to start
on a push-start in 4th gear. If your battery is completely
gone but your alternator is good, you might still get home
with carbs but not with any injection system. (My girlfriend
and I push-started my Spider after such a failure once when
stranded in a location where no phone or other car with
jumper cables where available.)

Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?

Waxing philosophical on a Monday night,

- - Eric H. (that's Hambleton for Mr. Z)
1983 GTV6 still awaiting its fate and me still driving a
Chevy rental car (ugh!)

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