Third time is a charm

After two Alfas from Hell (story on #2 forthcoming), the third is a winner. Sometimes, the car universe gives you exactly what you’re looking for.

Alfas are like Bull Terriers in the sense that they are so adorable and have so much personality, you want all of them. Why wouldn’t you want another cucciolo around the house? However, if you’re trying to put together a collection with a purpose, a little restraint is in order.

Sexy as GTVs are, and funky as Giulia Supers are, the quest was to get the maximum amount of Alfaness in the fewest number of cars. And I love roadsters. So, I settled on Spiders, and for the sake of frugality, decided that a Series 2 car (my ’73) would have a lot of the sheer beauty of a round tail, especially from the front, without the price penalty. I know that to make this collection complete, I need a round tail and probably an S4 Spider (yellow or green), but for now, I’ve promised not to buy any more cars.

Think I’m kidding? I signed off on it. Put it on the fridge door.

The Series 3 car (my 1984) is definitely a more modern Alfa, with Bosch injection and a few other niceties. We can argue about the bumpers and the rear spoiler all day long, but it will always be a mixed bag. My neighbor down the street, a die-hard Chevy guy, loves the ’84. “Love that spoiler on this one, looks a lot better than those other two. Now just lower that baby a few inches and put some bigger tires to fill the wheel wells out.” And so it goes.

It’s been said that rationalizations are better than sex because when was the last time you went all day without a rationalization? Hmmm. Here’s a good one: rather than pay the $12k to have my 73 converted back to SPICA injection, why not just buy a SPICA car and have three? Thinking out loud, perhaps this is the best way to deal with green, rather than spending $20k to bring the red ’73 back to green, maybe just get a green Series 4 and be done. I’m full of big ideas. Don’t tell Pam.

Then this one popped up while I was working late, and I always kept that Facebook Marketplace window open. FOMO, you know. I’ve got the algorithm trained for all things Alfa and Fiat, so when something new comes along…. And that’s how it happened. I was minding my own business, casually chatting with someone in Seattle (and working, I must admit) about a silver ’84, when this ’79 popped up in silver – with a burgundy interior.

It turned out to be someone selling a car “for a friend.” That doesn’t always go well, and after a few messages, the nice lady selling her friend’s Alfa turned me over to him directly. As with all Alfas, it was a great story.

The fellow Jeff (I like him already) has had the car since 1999, which he bought from his next-door neighbor after it had languished in his garage for nearly seven years, collecting dust. Turns out said neighbor had gotten re-married and the new wife did not like riding around in the Alfa that the ex used to ride in. I not only sympathize, but have a little insight into this issue #askmehowiknow.

Jeff was in the process of moving out of state and planned to leave this Friday. The race was on to eliminate a few Legos from my life to purchase this 63,000-mile 79. The car had been well taken care of mechanically by both owners, and oddly enough has only had about five or six thousand miles put on it since 1999.

Great as this Spica car looked under the hood, it has become a patina car, with its seats, top, and exterior pretty faded. Nope, that’s not going to buff out. Oddly, but wonderfully enough, the dash is not cracked. But cosmetics are a pretty easy update. I jumped the gun, anticipating that Alfa From Hell #2 would be okay, and purchased a pair of clean, black seats on eBay, so they were in transit. Ultimately, the car will be all brought back to burgundy inside, and the ratty beige/khaki top will be swapped for a burgundy one as well if I can find it. Not that the top is going to be up much, but hey – matchy, matchy.

Fortunately, it starts right up and idles smoothly. A quick drive around the block, and I’m ready to take a chance on driving it home 130 miles. Pam has chosen to accompany me on this one, and I’m past my 5-day probationary period with AAA, so it only has to go about 30 miles to get a free tow home. Let’s roll the dice.

“Oh yeah, by the way, the gas gauge doesn’t work…”. Wah wah. But that’s okay because my ’73 has a gas gauge that only goes to half tank and never improves. What you see as problems I see as winter projects. Jeff was kind enough to send me on my way with a full tank, so we’re off.

It’s all biscotti driving home until it isn’t. Stopping for gas about 40 miles from home goes smoothly enough, but about another 15 miles later, the Alfa starts burping and coughing. Yikes. It’s a good thing I have AAA, right?

Yet, the condition doesn’t worsen, and with a light touch on the gas pedal, I manage to make it home without calling a tow truck – by now it’s getting into the low 90s, so it’s a relief to be home safe and sound. For the armchair diagnosticians, the car has had the fuel tank replaced – Jeff said he did this straight away after buying a car that had been sitting for seven years, and a quick look underneath not only reveals no rust on the car but a fuel tank that is clearly not as old as the car.

A little research on the internet turns up people wanting me to start swapping parts like mad. Hmmm. A quick call to my bud and BMW tech Austin, reveals it might just be the Alfa is crazy from the heat. “Fuel is probably heating up in the tank and not atomizing properly,” is his comeback. For those unfamiliar, the SPICA-injected Spiders have an in-tank pump, similar to the setup in a BMW E21. Digging up some further information from Wes Ingram confirms this diagnosis.

To be safe (at least in my military mind) I dump a can of LiquiMoly fuel system cleaner in the tank and gas the Spider up with non-ethanol premium at almost $6/gallon. That’s enough for one day.

It’s run fine ever since, so we’ll see.

Driving the SPICA car is really a different feel than either the Weber car or the Bosch K-Jet car. I’ll tell you more about that later. For now, having three Spiders is pretty freakin awesome. See you on the road.