Alfa Romeo Giulia Super Restoration part 1

Having always liked the funky way the Alfa Romeo Giulia Super looked it was always on my ever increasing want list but only after driving one was I sure I needed one. To the uninitiated, this boxy car may at first glance be thought of as poor performing family car sedan. But surprise – these are true sports cars. The shape of the body is actually very aerodynamic and was created in a wind tunnel. The engine is the famous Alfa 4 cylinder all alloy with over-head cams, hemispherical heads connected to a 5 speed gearbox and stops with 4 wheel disc breaks. Not bad for a car released in the late 1960s.

With plans to simply drive and eventually “fix-up”, I purchased a 1973 Super just outside of Amsterdam, Holland in August of 2006. It was not the prettiest or best condition Super but it was one I could afford and it drove and ran great. I gladly used it for transportation around the Netherlands for the 3 weeks I vacationed there. While in Holland, I attended the Dutch Alfa club’s fantastic Spettacolo Sportivo event held at the Zandvort race track. It was at this point I discovered the car once belonged to Theo Meinster ; editor of the Dutch Alfa club magazine and all around great Alfisti. When he noticed the car pulling into the paddock he was quite surprised. My Giulia was surely the worst condition of the collection that was parked in the paddock but you would have thought it was quite a special car with all the attention it got from the great Dutch Alfisti who congratulated me on my purchase.

A few days later the car was driven to Rotterdam and then shipped to New York . Stateside, I drove it quite happily even with its blemishes and it soon became one of my favorite Alfas and still managed to get quite a few complements even from non-Alfisti. This continued for about a year until the head gasket on the 1300 cc engine let loose with clouds of white smoke like some sort of James Bond automotive weapon. During my next summers trip to Holland I purchased a ceased 1600cc engine complete with a set of weber carbs for 25 euro! I picked it up from the seller at his home in the beautiful Dutch countryside. Between the two of us we managed to stuff it into the Fiat 500 I had rented. Finally this new Fiat 500 had a rear engine! I drove around Holland for several days with my dog and a vintage Alfa engine in the back of this fun little car. With a trip to Rotterdam and a visit to a shipper I sent the engine home to New York.

During the brutally cold winter of 2009 I finally began the process of removing the 1300cc engine and opening the 1600cc engine to see why it was ceased up. Upon dismantling the motor it was discovered the rings in two cylinders were fused to the sleeves. A complete collection rebuild parts were ordered from Classic Alfa in the UK and after a few weeks the 1600cc was assembled. The head was done by my Italian mechanic at Alfa Auto Clinic who also rebuild the transmission and changed the case to a more modern, non-leaking design.

Finally having some spare time again, starting in September of 2010 I began to work on the car itself. After some contemplation, I decided on doing a complete restoration of the Giulia. I know all too well that I could simply buy a restored or better condition Giulia for much less then I would be spending on this restoration but being sensible is not part of my restoration plan. My goal is to make this Giulia the best that I can and even rival new if possible. I hope to have this car done by this upcoming summer (2011) where I plan to drive the Giulia from New York to California and attend my first Concorso Italiano in Laguna Seca. I don’t have any aspirations of winning any awards as I’m not talented (or wealthy) enough to compete in that league nor am I going after originality with this restoration but seeking a great looking, excellent driving car.

Everyone is a fan of before and after photos. With the suspension removed I decided to have all the parts powdercoated in a low luster black and the exhaust manifold was jet-coated with a natural cast iron color. [Action Powder Coating, Farmingdale, NY – 1631 845-1949]