Alfa Romeo GTV-6 1986

(Bought January 20, 2013 from Mountain View, CA)

My Impressions


Pluses: This car has been extensively and tastefully modified. It has 3 liter engine (26,000 miles after rebuilt), S Cams, Pandora Box, rebuilt transmission, and performance suspension. It has Stebro center and rear, leather re-upholstery (very very nice high quality tan leather), refinished wine glass Speedline wheels, and aluminum coolant return bottle. The body has no rust; nothing in the hatch, shock mounting, inner fenders. The paint is very good, not perfect but no flaking, no bubbling, (a couple of small parking lot dings). It also has power steering (wasn't sure if I would like it but boy, it works great) from a Milano. It has a higher CFM radiator fan from the Milano. It also has upgraded AC condenser and takes R134 freon.

Minuses: It needs a new fuse box (provided by the seller). The fuel filler neck hose leaks pretty badly (already fixed using a couple of Gates hoses). The brake pedal feels a bit strange (I think I need a new master cylinder). The power window mechanisms need cleaning and lubrication. The dashboard has large cracks but they are cover with carpet dash cover. This is not my first Alfa so I view these problems as minor annoyances that must be sorted out.

Neutral: The rear seat is gone. In its place, there is a very nice parcel shelf. It has a custom shifter, extra long with nice Momo polish metal shift knob. It takes a while to get use to but not bad at all; shifting is really fast when the shifter is so close to the steering wheel.

Driving Experience: My experience with it is still pretty limited but so far it gave me a big smile; great sounding engine and exhaust. The engine is free-reving. Transmission is smooth and not grinding on second (with slow upshift and double clutching downshift). So far, no rattling or squeaking noises from the suspension or chassis (I'm hopeful that it will stay this way since it is pretty cold here). There is also no vibration at all (my 10 years old said how come this car is so much smoother than our 65 TI).

Here are some photos. I took them right after Passport Transport dropped it off so it was dirty with a bit of snow flakes on it.

Pre-Purchased and First Day Images

For about 6 months, I've spent a couple of hours a night here and there to perform the following tasks to this car:
  1. replacing fuel filler neck,
  2. replacing the vacuum host for the brake booster,
  3. replacing the fuel box,
  4. installing the rear seats,
  5. relubing passenger's window regulator,
  6. replacing injectors with reconditioned ones,
  7. replacing all the fuel hoses and fuel filter,
  8. cleaning the inside of the rocker panels,
  9. replacing the brake booster and proportioning valve,
  10. reparing the wiring of AC compressor,
  11. recharging the freon,
  12. upgrading the ECU and AFM to Euro Spec,
  13. installing Stebro downpipe,
  14. replacing brake pads,
  15. installing dash cap,
  16. replacing the original wheels with Schmidt TH Line,
  17. replacing leaky fuel injector rails.

The pictures of the current state of the car can be founded below.