TridentTested
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Check out how small we ran our wheels back then, how things have moved on...what are they, 14's????
I remember when 185/60 was regarded as boy-racer super low profile.
Check out how small we ran our wheels back then, how things have moved on...what are they, 14's????
Pictures of my 33P4 taken mid 90's.
Ah ok, thanks, was just curious to see how much the a/c was as an option, I know it was quite pricey. I'm guessing your P4 had a switch like this under the bonnet?:
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I had a 16v Sportwagon which I bought for the a/c, at the time it was one of only 5 known UK cars with a/c. I was going to transfer it onto my other 33 but I was disappointed to see it was a strange system (didn't realise at the time there were 2 types). I then spent stupid money (well into 4 figures!) sourcing the factory system from Europe and had to make new wiring looms and had to buy new condensers (£350 each!) and a new compressor. The 33 system was only designed for R12 so I have also had to convert it all to run on R134a. Kept the SW for quite a while in the end, it was quite scruffy but great fun, I Superchipped it and used to enjoy surprising the boy racers! Here's a pic of my Alfa fleet all together:
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Thanks for your sympathy, its unlikely that a cure will be found as there is no money for research and the condition is so rare that there wouldn't be many people to sell it to. Its very bad luck but I just have to get on with things the best I can and anyway I'm not here fishing for sympathy, just sharing a passion for Italian cars with some like minded people...
Hi Tim
Thanks for your kind comments, very nice to hear from a fellow 33 owner. Which version do you have?
I know of a couple of other guys in Oz with some interesting 33s, you may want to have a look at these threads:
A nice restoration with everything refurbished and a few nice modifications:
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/boxer-engined-alfa-romeos/43667-alfa-33-16v-rebuild.html
This is a particularly nice car, too much colour coding for my taste but beautifully presented and some nice mods:
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/boxer-engined-alfa-romeos/86143-new-bits-pics.html
I'm pretty sure this guy has some experience with C&B cams.
Unfortunately I don't know what mine will be like as my engine hasn't been run yet and won't be fitted to the the car for some time. From what I have heard the fast road spec cams are pretty good for road use but they do push the power curve up the rev range a little. The race cams are fairly extreme and you may find that they are too much for road use, the engines don't tend to idle too well with them and the power is all top end, fine for racing but not so good for road use. The other thing to bear in mind is that often the cams are fitted as part of a wide range of modifications such as the fitment of vernier cam pulleys, gas flowing, induction/exhaust modifications, standalone ECUs etc, so the affect on performance of the C&B cams alone would be difficult to measure. I'm not sure if you have investigated the costs of the cams, unfortunately the 16v 33 unit is very expensive to tune as you need 4 camshafts
This thread may also be of interest and it may give you an idea of what the fast road cams are like:
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-33-sud-and-sprint/152680-a-new-star-is-born-alfa-33-a.html
I'm pretty sure the owner of this car and the one above would be happy to discuss these things in more detail with you if you need to, they have been quite inspirational for my project. There is also a guy called Martin Silfredi in Oz who does quite a lot with 33s, he may be able to help.
The sticker set came from a company in the USA:
http://carclassic.biz/
Select "Decal sets" then Alfa Romeo and scroll down to the 33, although it says it covers models up to 1987, the set I got was perfect for my 1994 and you can even ask them for the correct colour code sticker. The quality is excellent and almost indistinguishable from the originals and the price isn't too bad at $60USD.
Hope that helps
Interesting to hear about your 33 Tim, I always liked the S1 Cloverleaf, a very rare beast in the UK now as most have rotted away, great fun to drive with no power steering and the nice little 1.5 twin carb engine. Sounds like you've done some nice modifications but be careful with making the car too stiff as it can lead to the bodyshell cracking, particularly around the front chassis legs. I can't remember if the S1 has the strengthening bars in the engine bay? If not you should be able to find some from a S3 and fit them, they will help to strengthen things. A strut brace is also a good idea for strengthening the bodyshell and really helps with turn-in.
OK sounds like you've got it all covered.
The fitting of strut braces on 33s is a common subject for debate, many argue that there is no need as the car has an additional bulkhead/firewall and this point is usually raised by someone who doesn't actually have one fitted. For anyone who has this view, get them to jack up their car on one side at the front then try opening and closing the door closest to that point! All claims of shell stiffness will soon evaporate as they struggle to open the door and get it to close properly again. In addition, a strut brace is not fitted purely for strengthening the bodyshell, the other purpose is to assist in maintaining suspension geometry during hard cornering which can otherwise be compromised as suspension turrets flex and suspension components move. Just look at how many high performance cars and race cars that have full roll cages but also have strut braces.
I can personally confirm that the strut brace makes quite a difference to the 33, turn in is sharper and the shell suffers a lot less from flex, give one a try they're not expensive, should be available readily is Oz but otherwise try here: www.strutbracer.co.uk..
The shell needs all the help it can get as far as strengthening goes so a rear strut brace would be a good idea but unfortunately no one makes one so it would have to be a custom made one, shouldn't be too difficult though.
If you're feeling flush have a look here at all the 33 tuning goodies http://www.ahmotorsports.co.uk/index2.htm
Hopefully I'll have some more detailed updates in the next couple of weeks