Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 & 164 3.0 24V Cloverleaf

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75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 & 164 3.0 24V Cloverleaf

#1 Post by 75nut » Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:56 pm

Again this is a thread I put on another side before finding this one, and thought it may be of intrest as a big fan of the mag..



Here is my 91 Alfa 75 3.0 V6 Cloverleaf. Had her 2 years, bought her on impulse as was down the road. Had a repsray but had overspray all over and filthy interior. Also clutch had gone and had bent valve.

Gave her the mother of all clean ups then sent her to Alex Jupe where she spent a couple of months getting sorted.

Did not really use her after that but have recently moved to north devon and have new office 5 mins away, so am using her alot more. Pulls like a train and has not let me down yet, plus all electrics work!

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Another 75 nut offered me some free part used Toyo 888 Semi slicks this week, all I had to do was go to Bristol to pick them up.
Turns out he works at Alfaholics, so my "free" tyre pick up ended up in a £400 odd spend on peformance parts lol!!
Uprated front Anti Roll Bar, uprated rear springs, and poly bushes for all round the car and the watts linkage!
All this together should means some visits to some track days will definately be needed!

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Have to fit it all first, never changed bushes and hear they can be a pig, so here goes!!>>>.......

Well got on and sorted this at weekend.

I did try mounting foam tape but not stong enough to hold the curve, so ends popped up and did not sit level.

So try 2 involved Tiger bonding mastic and clamps. Mde a big mess and still would not hold ends in tight!

So choice was to buy another (more chance of a full set of hens teeth) or fixing mine proper! So as all bolts had already been broken off by previous owner , only option was to try and weld in new ones witohut melting the red plastic lol!!

Started off by grinding down the holes he old bolts came from till flush so clean enough to weld to.

Then cut the head off some bolts had about to leave a set of 6 threads the same length. Used the joggler to punch holes in some previously zinc covers sheet.

Poked the thread through the hole till flush and welded from the back.

I then trimmed these tabs to slide inot the old bolt holes at an agle that matched the fitting of the strip. Welded in place and then zinc primed whole thing to protect it.

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THen came the fit, did I have the angle right and would the bolts pop back out once I tried tightening the nuts on!
Anwser . no! Fits lovely and it totally flush and tight at the ends! Result, please with that!

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(excuse the dirt on car not washed her for a while, she has been sitting while found time to sort the strip)

It was also time over the weekend to get stuck into fitting my Alfaholics handling kits plus Poly bushes.

Kit consists of a thicker anti roll bar, uprated rear springs, whatts linkage bushes, front link bushes and the bushes for the arms that go into the engine bay
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First out was the old roll bar, and link arms
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These went off to be pressed by local engineering shop as I don't have a press and broke my vice trying! Did get the old ones out with a socket and a hammer
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Meanwhile a new toy arrived, a media blaster!
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WHile the bushes where of I tackled he rear springs (with spring compressors) check out the old vs new
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Went in easy
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Getting late now, but had a quick tug on the bolts that hold the arms inot the engine bay and they gave straight away (lucky I had doused everything with WD a few times before!) so thought, keep going as the goings good!
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Hvent got a pic of in the car as got to dark but they went in easy and look lovely!

Next day it was Watts time! And hour later, ots of heating and a grinded out bolt and
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As you can see one was bent!
So blasted the lot with the new toy
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Took it off the the engineering shop and got the bushes pressed and they kindly straightend the bar, result!
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Took the time to tart them up
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So as it stands now its already to go back on, fingers crossed should be easier than getting it off! But really non of it was hard and I am a complete novice at mechanics!!

Can wait to see how it improves the handling! New Blistens also about to be order!
Last edited by 75nut on Sat Jun 28, 2014 8:27 pm, edited 6 times in total.

User avatar
bent8rover
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:00 pm
Location: Chilly Chiltern Hills

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#2 Post by bent8rover » Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:29 am

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Vauxhall FB VX4/90, Daimler XJ40, Alfa 33 Mk1 Gold Cloverleaf, Rover 418 GSD

75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#3 Post by 75nut » Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:52 pm

The new Bilsten shocks turned up on Friday so with such good weather over the weekend, I did the family thing Sat and then Sunday was mine to tinker! Never changed shock out before, and it was relatively simply bar the old rusted nut (breaker bar sorted that) and some fiddly twin nuts that would just rotate unless you could get a second spanner on (tight in the engine bay!).

I got it all done by 6 so went for a spin on susprisingly empty roads that where bone dry! One major advantage of living in the middle of nowhere Devon, great roads!!

She rides alot better and changes direction like a fly!

Could have gone Koni for a lower ride height and stiffer set up, but Ill only get on track once in a blue moon and the roads round here are so rutted and potholed so wehn for a slightly softer set up.

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Really must drop the transaxle now and paint it all up, all the new parts are showing it up!!

Need to chage the gearbox mounting bush anyhow, and the rear anti roll bar bushes....... and the torsion bar bushes...........................and the gearlever bush and so on and so on ..................................

stuartieboy
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:45 pm
Location: Fife

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#4 Post by stuartieboy » Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:47 pm

Nice car!
I love these things, used to have a 33 Cloverleaf Veloce in the late 90's, fantastic cars. You've made me miss it all over again. Might be time to hit Autotrader.......... ;)

75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#5 Post by 75nut » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:07 am

Poor to average ones are a steal a the moment, but the gap between them and mint is about 3k, but then again you would need to spend 3 times that getting a average to mint.

75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#6 Post by 75nut » Mon Jul 04, 2011 4:03 pm

Fitted the new poly exhaust rubbers this weekend.

Just universal ones from Demon Tweaks. You cut them to size.

Tightened the exhaust up to the body a bit, still low though.

Still miles better than the year old halfords ones, look how much they cracked in 12 months!

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75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#7 Post by 75nut » Mon Jul 04, 2011 8:39 pm

Gave her a wax after all the tinkering of late she was covered in crap!

A certain little girl wanted to "drive the alfa" and insisted on being chauffered down the field!

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75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#8 Post by 75nut » Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:15 am

Well I've done it!

My first complete Transaxle and Gearbox removal!

I was under the car again today trying to work out again how to get these bushes out (rear engine and gearbox mounting). As I cracked my elbow on the exhaust and got my hand wedged between the clapipers and the body for the hundreth time while trying to squeeze out the anti roll bar, I decided , sod it time to do it the proper way and set about undoing and removing everthing!

So being my first time had a look about to see what fixtures I might miss etc. First being the clutch slave cylinder, Id missed it,. My first wrong move was to try and disconnect it where the pipe joins the flexy which ended in the seized nut allowing he pipe to twist and break! Great so now need a new clutch fluid pipe!

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Seized nut
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Broken pipe (with a plug in the end)
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Busted clutch pipe :? anyone know where I can get a new one?

After having done this I did what I should have and went in and check the correct way to do it! Which was to remove the circlip adn pull the cylinder through!

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Then removed the driveshafts (am I glad I did not use locktight when I replace the calipers and discs! Took me 2 days to heat them loose before!)

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Undid the Watts Linkage (again easy having just recently done bushes)

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Removed handbrake cable and disconnected brake pipe (oh joy I have to bleed that again now and re adjust the handbrake!)

Had check around again for anything still connected to gearbox or Watts.

Found what I pressume is the gearbox oil level sensor ?!?! So removed it

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So one more final look around , noticed this what is it, it was already off

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Using my array of jacks holding the gearbox and watts I lowered it gradually and job done!!

Now I need to move the jacks and raise the car enough to pull it all out (it was late by the time I had it dropped).

And I am going to take the time to tidy up the underside and paint the watts.

I still have the issue of removing the bushes but at least for the rear gearbox one I have more room now!

Pleased though as I have been avoiding dropping the watts completely but now I have the confidence to do the same on the black one so I can replace the fuel pipe and calipers.

But god would I like a car lift, all this on axles stands is hard work!

75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#9 Post by 75nut » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:32 pm

If you remember when I first got the black 75 I had an issue iwth the locking wheel nuts. They had a a stupid 4 pin set up that rounded immediately I tried to loosen them.

I was banned from any major projects with the sun out today, it was "family time" but I snuck in 10 mins to have another go with a new set of rounded nut removers -

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Along with my fav new toy, a Cordless Impact Wrench my wife got me

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And result!!

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Now I can ge tthe rear bumper off and cut out the arches ready to weld in the new and remove the trasaxle to change out the calipers and replace the broke fuel pipe ( but I will be putting the red one back together first lol!)

75nut
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 7:31 pm

Re: Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6 1991 Ongoing Project

#10 Post by 75nut » Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:10 am

I took yesterday off (and ended up faffing on work at home till 5!?!?!) to crack on and get everything drawn out from under the car now its disconnected.

First job unfortunately was to cut the CSC system. It would not undo at any of the joints and it loops under and over the transaxle. So I chose the straightest section where I will either weld or claim a new joining section. Used anothe rnew tool to get as clean a cut as possible instead of hacking at it with a grinder.

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Once hat was done I jacked things up a bit and slid my creeper in under the gearbox, and then removed the wheels as I could not get it high enough to wheel it all out.

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I then drafted in some muscle to help drag it out

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She is 3 but time to learn, as I dont fancy geting back under there to refit it :lol:

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Took it round on a wheelbarrow to the back of my how and seperated the gearbox and tiubing compeletly ready for the mother of all clean ups and paint.

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I may also replace the bush that goes in the front of the tubing as its a bit cracked. Where can I get new bushes for the gear linkage, as may as well do this at the same time. Are there any upgrades to do re the linkage to improve change?

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