Lazarus Lives!, and a few observations

[Milanogold@domain.elided]

Greetings Alfisti!
       After a 5 week "work 10 hours then go work on the car for 6 more 
hours" sleep deprivation binge,Lazarus (1979 Alfetta Velocissima coupe) is 
running and back on the road.Truthfully, the clutch needs replacement, the 
brakes need further adjusting and bleeding,still got the saggy stock springs 
on it,and the shifter needs to be realigned to correct the throws;but the car 
is moving under it's own power!!!! Many thanks to all for their help and 
advice during this time,very special thanks to Bryan Carter for the use of 
his yard and knowledge during this time. 
        It is truly a joy to be able to drive this car again;I'd bought a 
used transaxle from APE in Hayward CA  (for $200 and with new synchros too)to 
replace the one that froze up on me.I intend to open the frozen transaxle to 
see what happened to it and perhaps rebuild it when time and finances permit.
       V6 powered Alfas are wonderful cars,my beloved Alfie (87 Milano gold ) 
has been a member of our family for 3 years and 130k miles now.But, there is 
something so unique about the 4 cylinder Alfas;one cannot place one's finger 
on it but they are intriguing cars.Lighter, simpler, more "raw boned" if you 
will.Gets my blood pumping to drive Lazarus again..........
         With this being my first time replacing something as major as this 
on a car, I was somewhat overwhelmed with the complexity of such a job.Once 
you start however, I found that the job wasn;t that terribly complex.Lots of 
nuts and bolts to keep track of, but otherwise a very straightforward job.The 
only real aggravations of replacing the transaxle in an Alfetta were:not 
having a transmission lift (Although my upper arms are much larger now,who 
needs a gym?:), aligning the idler arm on the transaxle so that the shift rod 
doesn't bang into the side of the body,and adjusting the brakes out.Other 
than that, it's just a matter of putting the right bolts into the right 
parts.Alfa Romeo's engineering is straightforward, smart,and beautifully done.
   For those "checkbook mechanics(which is not a slam) with a little bit of  
time and a desire to learn more about their Alfas;I highly recommend trying 
to do a job yourself rather than paying for someone to do it for you.It's 
cheaper,Alfas are very straightforward cars to work on,;and, it is incredibly 
satisfying!Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
       Eating collard greens and fried chicken livers with a TALL glass of 
buttermilk to celebrate,
Terry Akins
Alexandria,VA
1987 Milano Gold (Alfie,130k miles and still strong and smooth)
1979 Alfetta "Velocissima"Coupe (Lazarus,who awoke refreshed and ready!) 

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