Alfa 33

[Keith Walker <100662.3423@domain.elided>]

>>I set up a meet by this upcoming saturday, to see the
car;  I've no experience about this model, and I'd like
to know what I should look for, check, detect to make
a good deal.<<

The 33 is not a bad car. Good fun to drive, if a little
crude as pure transport.

Check the front tyres. They wear out the inside edges
even when the tracking is good. The ball joint is a part
of the suspension arms. Biggest bugbear at the front
is the strut pan bearings. These are 10cm diameter
nylon raced ball bearings which wear out (same part
was used on the 164 as well), leaving you with heavy
steering and a tendency to pull whichever way you last
used full lock.

Engines are very solid. Cam belts need doing every
36000 miles (Alfa said 48000 on later cars, believe
them at your peril). Engine oil should be changed
every 6000 miles. Gearbox oil every 24000 miles
(but 72000 on the series 3, after 1990)

Gearbox is OK, but often the gear stick vibrates as
some cheap bushes in the linkage wear. The clutch
on average lasts 80000 miles, and 2nd gear synchro
has a short life (well, it is an Alfa)

Electrics are not bad, but the earlier cars use the
old style fuses which are a pain. Speedos can
die, but normally this is just the connection
to the sensor on the gearbox. The electric
windows can be slow, especially in the cold.

The choke never works. Normal trick is to
only connect it on the passenger side carb
(lhd car). Connect both and the chances are
the choke will stick on. You dont need it anyway.

Rust can be a problem. Check under the battery,
around the fuel filler cap, under the plastic trim
under the windscreen.

The driving position can be easily improved by
swapping the seat spacers front to back. This
buckets the seat and gives you far more support
under your knees.

As standard they dont have a fuel filter. Add one
and it will save hours of problems if you buy some
dodgy fuel.

I have a lhd 1.3 series 3 (from Belgium) and that
is fairly quick. It will indicate 193kmh on level
ground, and on a long run will manage 39mpg
with ease (cruising at about 80mph). Round town
it is not very good on fuel.

All the best

Keith

www.alfa-pages.co.uk

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