Re: Chassis Stiffening - 105 GTC

[James Murphy <jmurphy_86@xxxxxxxxx>]

Paul,

I had a GTC a few years ago, and as I remember, the GT and GTC cars
were the same from the doors forward, except the GTC windshield frame
was different to accept the hardware for the top.

The reinforcement for the 'C' was all around the passenger compartment
- front inner fenders, under the dash, in both inner sills, and across
the rear bulkhead.  After the first few hundred cars were built, Alfa
added a X-shaped cross member under the floor to square up the cars and
they added an extra piece to the door latch to keep the doors closed. 
The early cars tended to have their doors pop open during cornering as
the body flexed.

The 'C' has unique roll down rear windows, and the dimensions of the
rear compartment and trunk area are different from the GT.  This was
needed to accommodate the well for the top storage.

The top is a clumsy, multi-hinged affair, not at all like the easy
opening tops on the '66 and on spiders.  The GTC owners manual
supplement has a two page instruction showing how to open the top. 
Unzip the rear window, un-clip the header, fold it partway up, stop and
move the material out of the way of the hinges, fold some more, stop
and fold the material back - almost like making a box corner on a bed
sheet, then push the top into the well and zip the cover over it.

The car has a very nice profile with top up or down.  People, even if
they know Alfas, really like the GTC, since they are seldom seen.

I have seen cut coupes, and they do not have the right proportions. 
And of course, most don't have a proper top, if they have one at all.

Sorry I don't have any detailed pictures of the top frame, etc.  My car
went to a buyer in Northern California in late 2000.  It was under
restoration the last I heard. 

-Jim Murphy
Northboro, MA

--- Paul Bayly <thebaylys@domain.elided> wrote:
> All this talk about chassis stiffening has got the brain going again
> and I'm
> wondering if anyone can shed some light on what methods Alfa employed
> to
> stiffen the GTC compared to the 105 Coupes.
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