1972 Alfa Romeo Spider – I'll call it a fantastic driver with a solid restoration but not a concours car. I was trying to trade locally outright for the right early Porsche 914 or BMW 2002 but nothing has worked out so outright sale seems best however if someone had a super clean, rust free car and comparable to mine with respect to the quality mechanics and structural integrity and fairly local, let's talk otherwise outright sale it is!! I simply can’t drive this car longer than an hour or so as I’m 6’3” and 65 years old. I need the room that most German cars provide. Seriously, that's why. I love the performance, drivability and quality of this car and it was intended to be our touring car.
Purchased this California roller, engine and transmission and pretty much everything was out of the car. 80% of the car was bare metal with a coat of POR19 on that bare metal. I was impressed with the car as it was clearly a survivor and really straight. The engine is from a 1972 (engine Code: AP01500 00466) and that’s all you get from Alfa (a date, and a range of serial numbers for that year. Mine is in that range) and I was told by the second owner that it and the trans were original. There were areas of the body that were cut out and replaced most notably some of the rockers and 1/4 panels where the door met the front quarter due to some rust. Some pin holes in the floors and rear quarters. I have spent two years restoring this car. It’s not a concours car however structural and mechanical are in excellent shape. I’m not a purest either in some ways so I changed/added several things that I felt were a better fit to my abilities to run and maintain the car. Pulled the old Spica and purchased a rebuilt set of Dellortos. (Spica is gone....) Added relays to the headlights along with a high output alternator and Hella lamps. They work well!!! Added a fuel filter/regulator up front and adjustable front suspension parts that the original didn’t have. Also Added an auto shut off that’s connected to the fuel pump (turns it off) and controlled by the coil that stops the flow of fuel if you were in a major accident. Added the headlight covers too, just because I liked the look. In addition, a NOS older 70’s cassette deck with a power amp under the passenger seat. I’m still working on that and right now it's not working as I need to get power to a relay and just have not done it. I apologize as this may ramble but I have receipts for days and I will try and give some sort of order to it. Figured it best to post a link to all the pics and receipts which is below. Most of what I have done are not even in the description here but see that link. Pics tell you a lot. The horn needs to be hooked up and the ignition key does not work on the doors or the trunk. Personally, never worried about it as they are all accessible in seconds for even the most challenged of thieves.
Complete 2.0-liter engine rebuild, balanced and done right with many thousands spent at machine shop and even more in parts. Check out the receipts for a complete list of all that was done to the engine. Some examples are a new head, new pistons, liners, obviously all that goes with that. Transmission has new seals and shifts better than any Alfa I have driven. Rear end, new seals and fluid. I was told that the Trans was rebuilt just prior to the car going into storage years ago. New clutch, pressure plate was resurfaced, drive train rebuilt and balanced, new brake master, clutch master, lines, new battery, etc. etc.. The 1750 oil pump was rebuilt by Gordan Raymond…. you Alfa guys will know that name. $566.85 just for that morsel. Centerline sold me a cam upgrade, it’s on the receipt and it sure is a nice cam. Some solid pulling down low all the way up to red-line. The engine runs strong and never has overheated. New Radiator, water pump, distributor, again, check out the receipts as the entire engine, less the carbs are pretty much brand new. Brakes completely rebuilt with new lines and rotors (up front). Drive line was rebuilt and balanced. New Koni’s up front and the rear Koni’s were fine. Original 185/70VR14 Pirelli Cinturato’s…. 871.00 (tires only). All new body seals.... the list goes on.
The paint is a high quality paint with a code 501 Alfa. Materials were well over a grand and labor was insane. The car was originally yellow. I purchased a bunch of stuff from Larry at APE (great resource!!) like a brand-new cloth top…. the expensive one. Also got the Dellortos from him. Countless interior parts and other tid bits. Carpet kit was purchased…. Complete interior and all new seals. Not real excited about the quality of that carpet kit but it’s what’s available. Also purchased a beautiful set of COCO mats. Dash is original but has a cover on it that fits well.
You really need to understand what all went into this build. I have a binder full of receipts and I'm covering about 40% of those items here. So much invested in time and money. She was built for me and my wife to travel.
The driver seat rails have been modified to allow maximum distance for the seat. I would be happy to get another set from Larry to have if you would like to return it to stock. The top is still real tight. I need to pull the car out into the sun with the top up and have it relax a couple days. The top has been up maybe twice and in the garage. It's almost never up for obvious reasons living in California. For those who noticed, the intake on early pics was a very early unit and was replaced with a newer version suited for this engine/carbs. Some wear on the steering wheel and like I said, it’s not perfect and not in concours condition however it is a solid car. Again, the huge positive to this car is it's ready to be driven and enjoyed. I hope that someone local can drive up here and take the car out and just feel how it drives. It's strong and handles great. Driven once in the rain and the defroster/heater and overall fit of top kept me dry and toasty.
So here's the stuff you might want to do:
1. The gas tank with the cap were modified for the carbs. (car was originally fuel injected) When you fill up the car and hit the twisties, you can get a light gas oder from the vent hole in the cap that was required for the carbs. It's not overwhelming but it's there. Obviously goes away as the level goes down some. Again, mostly in the hard cornering scenario.
2. As mentioned, I never got the horns working. Didn't make it a priority. I did test them on the bench and they work.
3. As mentioned, the drivers seat rail was modified to go back an additional 2 inches. Unfortunately, it does not lock up if you move the seat up. I can and will get another set if you want (used)
4. The rubber vent hoses on each side of the car were removed and so damn hard from age that they were impossible to reinstall. Honestly, I didn't care. If we agree on things, I will gladly purchase a new set. I hear they go in WAY easier when there new and plyable. I can't see a scenario of EVER needing to use those vents but hey.
5. The gauges... The gas and engine temp seem to be working fine. The oil pressure shows pressure when the car is not running so that one is whacked and showing a high pressure when running. I can tell you the oil pressure is strong and in-line. If you subtract what it is not running (I think it's like 30PSI the 80PSI makes sense. The MPH seem to be a reporting a little high above 50 and the RPM is fine.
In summary, I have put 941 miles on this car. It's sorted and absolutely handles great and goes!! The engine is basically brand new and does not leak a drop of oil. Have driven it in 100 degree weather and it's runs perfectly. I would expect this engine to go many many miles. The car is used and being sold as is with no written or implied warranty. QUESTIONS?? Shoot me a message and I will get back within minutes to a couple of days. I am also ok with other forms of payment however the car will not be going anywhere until cash is in hand OR funds have cleared my bank. (Bank wire/transfer)