Is my wife good or bad?

Mark_Toro

Mark_Toro

True Classic
I'm an Alfa guy. Been addicted to them since college. I think there are five in the barn right now. I Like them all, but have been drawn to the transaxle cars - because they are so different.

I've been lurking on the X-web for about a year, enjoying the posts, information and stories. I realize that this is a good indicator that I may end up with one of them. At least I know my self well enough to admit it. :)

A month or so ago, there was a junkyard auction with a '74 X in it. My wife is always sending me pictures of pound puppies at the humane society - " look, isn't he cute - he needs a home". Most times I can fend this off. So I thought - turnabout is fair play. I sent her the auction listing and said "look how sad - it needs a good home". Well, she bid on it and ended up winning. $200 winning bid, so perfect for my kind of "investment".

Oldest boy and I drove 13 hours down to Albuquerque and picked it up. Then another 6 hours to Tucson to visit the youngest. Then the full 19 back to Nebraska. Why should life be simple?

Pictures from the pick up:

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The forklift loading was awesome - completed in 10 mnutes!

So, now I have this home and in the barn. It has been named - "Dominick" - so it is a keeper.

The good:
  • It is nearly complete
  • It is externally non-rusty - including outer rockers and pinch seam, windshield surround and tops of the front fenders.
  • The color combination is cool - red carpets / white seats (ok - moldy carpets and sun baked seats, but I can visualize the end results)
  • It is a 74, with all the unique aspects that entails.
The bad:
  • I know next to nothing about X 1/9s - will be a learning curve. Several questions like: What is that thing in the LH of the engine compartment? How do I open the front trunk?
  • The floors are gone - haven't dug deep enought to see how the inner rockers are.
  • Battery area needs a bunch of patch panels - but those are simple to shape. Front trunk floor is solid.
  • Lots of yard rash
  • It was hit hard in the front passenger corner and repaired poorly
  • It has a lawnmower ignition switch grafted in (and what other PO mods?)
The unknown:
  • Can I get a bonded title for it? (I've done this before, but no guarentee that it is easy)
  • Does the engine even turn?
  • Are 13" tires even available?
  • Do I fit in these things? I fit when I graduated college, but that was a long time ago.
I vacuumed a full shop vac of leaves and dirt out of the interior and engine compartment. Then washed the inside and outside. It really doesn't look that bad now. I'll get some additional pictures of it cleaned up soon.

Parts needed for certain:
  • Windshield
  • Fuel tank (it's missing - why?)
  • Interior door handles
  • Tires, hoses, - basically anything rubber
  • Rear trunk hinges (or I'll need to repair them, they are folding rather than hinging) and a rear trunk cable.

The end goal will be to get it to run and drive. I'll need to patch up the floors, go through the brakes and electrical, as well as fully servicing the engine and trans (assuming it is not rusted solid). I'm sure there will be plenty of challenges along the way. This will all be done on the cheap. Hopefully under $2000 - assuming no major components are runied. The last Alfetta I got running required all new brake hard and soft lines as well as a full rebuild of all calipers, drive shaft and transaxle.

I have the second Alfetta shell (Rocky II) to complete and need to install a fuel tank in the Spider (Cannoli) before I even contemplate digging into Dominick.

So - let me know your thoughts. Did my wife do something good? (Yes!) Or did she lead me down a dark hole? (I don't think so)

Mark
 
Open the glove box and feel around at the left top of the opening and you’ll find the frunk release. Oh, and congrats from another Alfa (and Fiat) guy!
 
I have never had a 74, but I have a 78. The frunk release is a pull handle above the glove box. Drop the box and feel or look up in the LH corner near the console.

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RE the LH engine bay thing: Towards the passenger compartment is the carb cooling fan, towards the trunk is the coolant reservoir.

RE the wife: If this is the only clue I get to judge her by, I will have to side with "good".
 
Thanks for the guidance to the front trunk release. Knowing that this car came from New Mexico and seeing some of the critters that live there, makes you nervous to stick your hands where you can't see.

"carb cooling fan" - interresting. This one appears to have been filled with dirt and water, so will be interesting to see if I can get it to work. I supect that the weird ductwork I found with the air cleaner housing ties into this somehow.

Yep - my wife is an enabler. When we moved out to the place four years ago, she said that I could fill the barn with junky cars. I'm holding her to her words, but I didn't expect her to help! 😂
 
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When you opened with “I’m an Alfa guy” I knew there could some problems. 🤣 I love Italian cars. My dad was a big Alfa guy and Italian. I was doomed from the start.
 
Sounds like a very achievable project.

Enjoy the journey if you can and in the end I am SURE you will enjoy the drive.

Welcome of the family of X19 owners :)
 
I vote good as well.

  • Windshield
  • Fuel tank (it's missing - why?)
  • Interior door handles
  • Tires, hoses, - basically anything rubber
  • Rear trunk hinges (or I'll need to repair them, they are folding rather than hinging) and a rear trunk cable.
Click to expand...
I have 2 OEM fuel tanks, though for FI cars so they have the return port so you'd probably need to cap it. One just came out of the car and had no issues. Shoot me a message and I can get it packaged up and sent to you for the cost of shipping. I have too many parts and just need to get the shop de-cluttered. Also if you think of any other parts you need, let me know.


Usually we only hear "oh the wife said no" on car forums. This was our entire car discussion a few years ago. A few weeks later it was in my driveway. She is the best.
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Thanks for the fuel tank offer. I'll take you up on it. I need to do a similar tank conversion on the Alfa Spider (Cannoli) so no fear of modifications here. :)

Nice late series Esprit. I remember seeing those on the road in Philly back in the day. So smooth and graceful when compared to the early cars.
 
I was sure I'd find a new puppy when I returned from the pick-up trip, but no. I think she just get's me! :)
 
Looks like most parts you listed are pretty accessible with the exception of the Windshield. They seem pretty hard to come by these days.

Welcome aboard, you will find all the support you need here. It been a life saver for me.
 
Here are some pictures of Dominick after a bit of cleaning. Except for the area under the battery and the floors it appears to be amazingly solid. I'm pretty jazzed about it. I need to harvest the quarterpanel from the Alfetta you see in the background and install a good fuel tank in the Spider before really diving into this. Probably spring time, although I might borescope the cylinders just to see what lies waiting there. :) Oh, and the carpets are red!

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Transaxle Alfas get along great with X1/9s. See below my name for why I say this :) And, the photo below shows my Alfetta with some of the modern Fiats on our DCFiats New Year's Day drive just three days ago (there were several X1/9s and vintage Spiders on the drive too, not shown in this view).
Alfetta with modern Fiats_DCFiats New Years Day drive 2024.jpg
 
Dave - very nice looking 'Fetta. Is that a Mille Miglia, or just has the Ronals? My first Alfetta that is gettin cut up is a MM but missing the badges and rear spoiler. The rest of the MM parts (except the sunroof) are transferring over the one I'm building from a shell.
 
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