1995 Alf Romeo 145 1.7 16v Boxer
Discussion
Hi all,
About a year ago, my brother, dad and I rescued a 1995 145 from one of my brother's colleagues over in Bristol. It had been standing since about 2010 and it wasn't a pretty sight:
We got it home and it scrubbed up well:
We got it running and after changing the CV joint and a burst brake pipe, it was thrown into an MOT where it did fail on quite a lot (mainly brakes and some odd things) but it gave us a to-do list to work from. We did a compression check after trying to diagnose a misfire and 3 of the cylinders were at 170-odd psi but one was down in the 120-130 range. We were planning on dropping the engine out anyway to do the cambelts and clutch so it was moved from my brother's house down to mine and we set about taking the engine out and the results were not pretty:
A piece of the piston and rings had broken off, had a rumble around and presumably got shot out of the exhaust. It's left its mark on the way out, making a bit of a mess of the head but the bore has come out completely unscathed thankfully. The most amazing thing was it had very little blowby, nothing concerning and it didn't burn any oil so really surprising. I did notice that once the exhaust manifold was taken off the two cylinders on this bank were running very lean so I wonder if that is how part of this piston has broken off and been blown out. I'm planning on a new lambda sensor and getting the injectors sent off to be checked in case it was detonation and lean running that caused the piston to fail in the first place.
That was September last year. In the meantime, the piston has been replaced, the valves removed, ground and new valve stem and cam seals on the affected bank. The other head was removed and checked over and all pistons in tact but that head got new seals while it was off as well. While the engine was out, its had a new set of timing belts, pulleys and water pump fitted along with a new set of core plugs. I did send the Bosch 2e ABS pump off to be checked over since access is less terrible with the engine out but unfortunately the company I sent it off to wasn't able to check it (I presume due to it's age). That was reinstalled along with new copper brake lines under the bonnet to replace the remaining original ones. One of the last jobs before the engine went back in was to de-yellow the brakes:
After that, the last few odds and sods before the MOT were done over a few weekends. Some pics before it went for it's MOT:
After getting it cleaned and taking the above pics, it decided to have a sulk and not start. Turns out I had knocked the inertia switch under the passenger seat while cleaning and cut off the supply to the fuel pump. Reset and all was well again.
It went in for it's MOT on the 15th June. It drove the 7-odd miles to my preferred station without any dramas, no warning lights, gauge at 80 degrees all the way. No clonks or other untoward noises and the only bit of smoke out of the back cleared up quickly. Considering this is the first journey its done in 10 or so years I'm very pleased.
It was a fail as expected but we were getting there. Basically tyres, emissions, handbrake/rear calipers and a bit of welding to be done. No ABS issues which I was dreading nor any problems with the headlight aim either. Once it was back a plan was arranged and after the front end was sorted we wanted to drop the rear subframe to refurb and polybush it and allow better access to the bit of welding that was needed.
The front wishbones and ARB droplinks were replaced (really should have polybushed the ARB while I was there but oh well) and the cat was replaced as well. The Alfa was then turned around and work started on dropping the rear subframe to refurb and give extra access to the bit of welding to be done at the back of the offside sill. The tank came out without a fight but the fuel that came out did not look too good despite being mostly fresh stuff by now so some fresh 98 will be going back in when its reinstalled. The subframe also came out without a hitch:
There was one snapped bolt on one of the trailing arm ARB bolts from a previous refurbish by the looks of it but 3 more snapped in the process of stripping the subframe. 3 of the 4 came out by welding a nut to the top of the remains of the bolt but the 4th needed to be drilled and retapped. A quick Gumtree scour procured a cheap BNIB needle gun which made light work of the flaky rust and a quick hammerite later had the subframe looking much more presentable:
Still needs a few more coats but it's better than it was. The bushes also didn't put up a fight as they were very past it and the rubber had parted from the metal sleeves:
The polyurethane replacements have arrived from Bulgaria so our hydraulic press will be put into action soon to install them. The only item of concern found was a bodged brake compensator spring which was held together with terminal block but thankfully still seems available from Alfa. No horrors found when the subframe was dropped and the underside of the car will be suitably undersealed before everything goes back in.
Just waiting on the sill repair section and the brake disc dust shields from Taros Trade and some replacement brake hoses which seem to have gone AWOL but happy with the progress so far. In the meantime, I'm gonna get the injectors sent off to be refurbed and get some new HT leads.
A few specs for you:
~ 124,000 miles
Monroe shocks & Apex springs (lowering springs I presume)
Ragazzon exhaust with 4-2-1 manifold
Some cheap ebay pod air filter that will be replaced with something different
Momo quick-release steering wheel
Momo cheese grater handbrake (will be going also)
Momo pedals (may be fitted, not sure at the moment)
Momo gear knob
Goodrich brake hoses
17" Excite multifit wheels
As you can probably see in the pics, it does have some body rust, mainly on the rear arches and the corners of the bonnet and some lacquer peel here and there along with a weird discoloured paint patch on the driver's door. Not sure what the plans are for that yet, I want it MOT'd first. My other car is a stage 3 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero (295bhp/420nm) but I'm really looking forward to driving the Alfa. Howmanyleft.co.uk says there are 22 145 1.7s left with only one of them being licensed so I'm hoping to make that 2.
About a year ago, my brother, dad and I rescued a 1995 145 from one of my brother's colleagues over in Bristol. It had been standing since about 2010 and it wasn't a pretty sight:
We got it home and it scrubbed up well:
We got it running and after changing the CV joint and a burst brake pipe, it was thrown into an MOT where it did fail on quite a lot (mainly brakes and some odd things) but it gave us a to-do list to work from. We did a compression check after trying to diagnose a misfire and 3 of the cylinders were at 170-odd psi but one was down in the 120-130 range. We were planning on dropping the engine out anyway to do the cambelts and clutch so it was moved from my brother's house down to mine and we set about taking the engine out and the results were not pretty:
A piece of the piston and rings had broken off, had a rumble around and presumably got shot out of the exhaust. It's left its mark on the way out, making a bit of a mess of the head but the bore has come out completely unscathed thankfully. The most amazing thing was it had very little blowby, nothing concerning and it didn't burn any oil so really surprising. I did notice that once the exhaust manifold was taken off the two cylinders on this bank were running very lean so I wonder if that is how part of this piston has broken off and been blown out. I'm planning on a new lambda sensor and getting the injectors sent off to be checked in case it was detonation and lean running that caused the piston to fail in the first place.
That was September last year. In the meantime, the piston has been replaced, the valves removed, ground and new valve stem and cam seals on the affected bank. The other head was removed and checked over and all pistons in tact but that head got new seals while it was off as well. While the engine was out, its had a new set of timing belts, pulleys and water pump fitted along with a new set of core plugs. I did send the Bosch 2e ABS pump off to be checked over since access is less terrible with the engine out but unfortunately the company I sent it off to wasn't able to check it (I presume due to it's age). That was reinstalled along with new copper brake lines under the bonnet to replace the remaining original ones. One of the last jobs before the engine went back in was to de-yellow the brakes:
After that, the last few odds and sods before the MOT were done over a few weekends. Some pics before it went for it's MOT:
After getting it cleaned and taking the above pics, it decided to have a sulk and not start. Turns out I had knocked the inertia switch under the passenger seat while cleaning and cut off the supply to the fuel pump. Reset and all was well again.
It went in for it's MOT on the 15th June. It drove the 7-odd miles to my preferred station without any dramas, no warning lights, gauge at 80 degrees all the way. No clonks or other untoward noises and the only bit of smoke out of the back cleared up quickly. Considering this is the first journey its done in 10 or so years I'm very pleased.
It was a fail as expected but we were getting there. Basically tyres, emissions, handbrake/rear calipers and a bit of welding to be done. No ABS issues which I was dreading nor any problems with the headlight aim either. Once it was back a plan was arranged and after the front end was sorted we wanted to drop the rear subframe to refurb and polybush it and allow better access to the bit of welding that was needed.
The front wishbones and ARB droplinks were replaced (really should have polybushed the ARB while I was there but oh well) and the cat was replaced as well. The Alfa was then turned around and work started on dropping the rear subframe to refurb and give extra access to the bit of welding to be done at the back of the offside sill. The tank came out without a fight but the fuel that came out did not look too good despite being mostly fresh stuff by now so some fresh 98 will be going back in when its reinstalled. The subframe also came out without a hitch:
There was one snapped bolt on one of the trailing arm ARB bolts from a previous refurbish by the looks of it but 3 more snapped in the process of stripping the subframe. 3 of the 4 came out by welding a nut to the top of the remains of the bolt but the 4th needed to be drilled and retapped. A quick Gumtree scour procured a cheap BNIB needle gun which made light work of the flaky rust and a quick hammerite later had the subframe looking much more presentable:
Still needs a few more coats but it's better than it was. The bushes also didn't put up a fight as they were very past it and the rubber had parted from the metal sleeves:
The polyurethane replacements have arrived from Bulgaria so our hydraulic press will be put into action soon to install them. The only item of concern found was a bodged brake compensator spring which was held together with terminal block but thankfully still seems available from Alfa. No horrors found when the subframe was dropped and the underside of the car will be suitably undersealed before everything goes back in.
Just waiting on the sill repair section and the brake disc dust shields from Taros Trade and some replacement brake hoses which seem to have gone AWOL but happy with the progress so far. In the meantime, I'm gonna get the injectors sent off to be refurbed and get some new HT leads.
A few specs for you:
~ 124,000 miles
Monroe shocks & Apex springs (lowering springs I presume)
Ragazzon exhaust with 4-2-1 manifold
Some cheap ebay pod air filter that will be replaced with something different
Momo quick-release steering wheel
Momo cheese grater handbrake (will be going also)
Momo pedals (may be fitted, not sure at the moment)
Momo gear knob
Goodrich brake hoses
17" Excite multifit wheels
As you can probably see in the pics, it does have some body rust, mainly on the rear arches and the corners of the bonnet and some lacquer peel here and there along with a weird discoloured paint patch on the driver's door. Not sure what the plans are for that yet, I want it MOT'd first. My other car is a stage 3 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero (295bhp/420nm) but I'm really looking forward to driving the Alfa. Howmanyleft.co.uk says there are 22 145 1.7s left with only one of them being licensed so I'm hoping to make that 2.
Edited by lancer778544 on Monday 18th November 19:48
Really well done, having taken on similar but not sat for the same length of time projects I know the feeling all to well.
Currently sorting out a mouldy interior in a car that's sat around for a year with a rather large water leak inside. God knows why I even bought it when I looked at it, but for some reason the inclination to "save it" and undo "people's neglect and stupidity" is always present.
The nice thing so far is that you haven't found any dodgy electrical wiring. The amount of times I've pulled s
tty wiring on cars is horrific, sometimes I wonder if they're purposely making a fk up it's that bad.
Anyway, as said well done bud, it looks like it's coming together very nicely.
Currently sorting out a mouldy interior in a car that's sat around for a year with a rather large water leak inside. God knows why I even bought it when I looked at it, but for some reason the inclination to "save it" and undo "people's neglect and stupidity" is always present.
The nice thing so far is that you haven't found any dodgy electrical wiring. The amount of times I've pulled s
tty wiring on cars is horrific, sometimes I wonder if they're purposely making a fk up it's that bad.Anyway, as said well done bud, it looks like it's coming together very nicely.
Oh my. This took me right back to my first Alfa 145, also a 1.7: N371DMB. Sold in about 2003/4 and not MOTd since 2007.
I used to be a regular on the alfa145.co.uk forum.
Like yours, mine had been hit with the barry stick but I loved it! I remember racing a friend in a Cloverleaf coming off a roundabout in 2nd and he struggled to shake me. They may not be any faster with a cone filter but they sound amazing - especially because you have to rev the nuts off them to go anywhere fast!
I wonder if I still have any pics of mine anywhere...
I used to be a regular on the alfa145.co.uk forum.
Like yours, mine had been hit with the barry stick but I loved it! I remember racing a friend in a Cloverleaf coming off a roundabout in 2nd and he struggled to shake me. They may not be any faster with a cone filter but they sound amazing - especially because you have to rev the nuts off them to go anywhere fast!
I wonder if I still have any pics of mine anywhere...
Nice work - good to see this getting some love, always had a soft spot for a Boxer Alfa ever since my local dealer loaned me a decrepit 33 as a courtesy car back in the early '90's.
It was on its last legs but I remember it being an absolute hoot to thrash around, made my Alfetta feel very staid when I got it back!!
It was on its last legs but I remember it being an absolute hoot to thrash around, made my Alfetta feel very staid when I got it back!!
Saudade said:
Really well done, having taken on similar but not sat for the same length of time projects I know the feeling all to well.
Currently sorting out a mouldy interior in a car that's sat around for a year with a rather large water leak inside. God knows why I even bought it when I looked at it, but for some reason the inclination to "save it" and undo "people's neglect and stupidity" is always present.
The nice thing so far is that you haven't found any dodgy electrical wiring. The amount of times I've pulled stty wiring on cars is horrific, sometimes I wonder if they're purposely making a fk up it's that bad.
Anyway, as said well done bud, it looks like it's coming together very nicely.
Thank you. Thankfully, despite having a sunroof and sitting for 9+ years, it doesn't leak at all which I think has helped preserve the floorpan.Currently sorting out a mouldy interior in a car that's sat around for a year with a rather large water leak inside. God knows why I even bought it when I looked at it, but for some reason the inclination to "save it" and undo "people's neglect and stupidity" is always present.
The nice thing so far is that you haven't found any dodgy electrical wiring. The amount of times I've pulled s
tty wiring on cars is horrific, sometimes I wonder if they're purposely making a fk up it's that bad.Anyway, as said well done bud, it looks like it's coming together very nicely.
Only a couple of bits of dodgy wiring thankfully. A bit of bodged headunit wiring (no surprise there really) and some skotchloks attaching some resistors to the indicator wiring for LED bulbs. The bulbs have been swapped back to standard units and the resistors removed.
She's coming together, albeit it a bit slowly but we're getting there.
anomaly said:
A really interesting project. I had a 1998 145 cloverleaf back in the day and loved it: they're really underrated cars. Enjoy it!
Thanks, hoping it'll be on the road soon.helix402 said:
Lovely old boxer engine. I’m not a fan of the wheels or steering wheel.
Fair enough. The original steering wheel is long gone unfortunately and the airbag ECU went with it. I don't mind the wheels, they do fill the arches well but the multifit PCD and kerb rash doesn't help them. I'll probably be on the lookout for the later set of teledials once it's roadworthy though.boybiskit said:
Oh my. This took me right back to my first Alfa 145, also a 1.7: N371DMB. Sold in about 2003/4 and not MOTd since 2007.
I used to be a regular on the alfa145.co.uk forum.
Like yours, mine had been hit with the barry stick but I loved it! I remember racing a friend in a Cloverleaf coming off a roundabout in 2nd and he struggled to shake me. They may not be any faster with a cone filter but they sound amazing - especially because you have to rev the nuts off them to go anywhere fast!
I wonder if I still have any pics of mine anywhere...
I've learnt a lot from the alfa145 forum but the rarity of any of the boxer engined 145s means specific info or parts is hard to find. Luckilly the 33 was produced with the fuel injected 1.7 too so I have that as a backup.I used to be a regular on the alfa145.co.uk forum.
Like yours, mine had been hit with the barry stick but I loved it! I remember racing a friend in a Cloverleaf coming off a roundabout in 2nd and he struggled to shake me. They may not be any faster with a cone filter but they sound amazing - especially because you have to rev the nuts off them to go anywhere fast!
I wonder if I still have any pics of mine anywhere...
I haven't given it a proper poke yet but it does sound really good. The cone filter will be binned once I can come up with a better solution. I only have some of the original airbox setup and trying to find the rest hasn't been fruitful unsurprisingly.
99t said:
Nice work - good to see this getting some love, always had a soft spot for a Boxer Alfa ever since my local dealer loaned me a decrepit 33 as a courtesy car back in the early '90's.
It was on its last legs but I remember it being an absolute hoot to thrash around, made my Alfetta feel very staid when I got it back!!
Thanks. As above, I haven't given it a proper poke yet but you can tell it just wants to be driven like a typical Italian.It was on its last legs but I remember it being an absolute hoot to thrash around, made my Alfetta feel very staid when I got it back!!
shalmaneser said:
That's so cool - didn't realise these were available with a boxer engine - makes sense given Alfa's history with the configuration! Some classic early 00's mods there - will scrub up nicely and will make a great project I'm sure!
I kind of like the wheels - slightly touring car-esq.
Yes there were a few boxer variants, the 1.7 being the largest and only one with 16 valves. The twin sparks were sold in much bigger numbers and the 2.0 cloverleafs were probably the ones worth preserving. I kind of like the wheels - slightly touring car-esq.
I do like the wheels too but they're not in the best of condition and the multift PCD puts me off a bit. I'll go on the hunt for some teledials once it's on the road.
SVX said:
That's an epic comeback, I was expecting tons of rot underneath. I had a 33 1.7 i.e with the boxer - it really is a glorious power unit.
Thanks. It's had a lot of floorpan and sill work by one of its many previous owners. Some of the work is really solid and has been undersealed but some of the sill work leaves a lot to be desired and I think that's why it's needs a bit of welding now. Could be much worse though. Thankfully no hidden rot after we dropped the rear subframe either, just a bit on the flange right at the back which is only light and we have plenty of room to attack it with the subframe out.Also, can I edit the title to add the missing 'a' or does a mod/admin have to do it?
Edited by lancer778544 on Thursday 27th June 15:58
1 solution to your airbox would be to keep with the early 2000s mods theme and fit a BMC CDA - we all wanted those back in the day!
The boxer engine is strangled by the cat so it would be worth considering a decat. I think without a cat that engine was 137 brake but down to 129 with a cat.
Then you could think about a Squadra Tuning chip. Their website is still up so maybe they're still going!?: https://www.squadra-tuning.nl/chiptuning/alfa-rome... This was something I planned to do back in the day but I had to sell my beloved for a Renault 19 diesel to trek back and forth between London and Manchester every week *sigh* . Would love to see it done.
The boxer engine is strangled by the cat so it would be worth considering a decat. I think without a cat that engine was 137 brake but down to 129 with a cat.
Then you could think about a Squadra Tuning chip. Their website is still up so maybe they're still going!?: https://www.squadra-tuning.nl/chiptuning/alfa-rome... This was something I planned to do back in the day but I had to sell my beloved for a Renault 19 diesel to trek back and forth between London and Manchester every week *sigh* . Would love to see it done.
boybiskit said:
1 solution to your airbox would be to keep with the early 2000s mods theme and fit a BMC CDA - we all wanted those back in the day!
The boxer engine is strangled by the cat so it would be worth considering a decat. I think without a cat that engine was 137 brake but down to 129 with a cat.
Then you could think about a Squadra Tuning chip. Their website is still up so maybe they're still going!?: https://www.squadra-tuning.nl/chiptuning/alfa-rome... This was something I planned to do back in the day but I had to sell my beloved for a Renault 19 diesel to trek back and forth between London and Manchester every week *sigh* . Would love to see it done.
An interesting point regarding the cat actually. I just threw a new cat on, t'was less £50 so not expecting the best out of it, but compared to the (I presume) original cat, it was much more "see through" - you couldn't see any light through the original cat so they must be pretty restrictive. Either that, or mine was "worn beyond specification".The boxer engine is strangled by the cat so it would be worth considering a decat. I think without a cat that engine was 137 brake but down to 129 with a cat.
Then you could think about a Squadra Tuning chip. Their website is still up so maybe they're still going!?: https://www.squadra-tuning.nl/chiptuning/alfa-rome... This was something I planned to do back in the day but I had to sell my beloved for a Renault 19 diesel to trek back and forth between London and Manchester every week *sigh* . Would love to see it done.
I have heard about the squadra chip, I hear it makes up for the lack of low down torque but who needs low down grunt when you can just drop a cog or two?
IIRC the biggest difference with the squadra chip is at around 5k revs. My thought back then was it would make it the car the Cloverleaf 'should have been' - development of the characterful and low centre of gravity Boxer...
... that ignored the fact the Cloverleaf had better suspension, quicker steering rack etc etc!
... that ignored the fact the Cloverleaf had better suspension, quicker steering rack etc etc!
Edited by boybiskit on Thursday 27th June 21:17
boybiskit said:
IIRC the biggest difference with the squadra chip is at around 5k revs. My thought back then was it would make it the car the Cloverleaf 'should have been' - development of the characterful and low centre of gravity Boxer...
... that ignored the fact the Cloverleaf had better suspension, quicker steering rack etc etc!
Fair enough. I'm not looking for outright performance, I've got my Saab for that but i'll definately consider the Squadra chip once it's on the road.... that ignored the fact the Cloverleaf had better suspension, quicker steering rack etc etc!
Evoluzione said:
It's a shame you didn't post earlier, I've got a whole rear subframe for sale with many new parts on it, mounting bushes and all.
Are you going to do the swinging arm bearings? They're cheap enough and usually worn out unless they've been done.
Oh well, no worries - it's not like mine is terminal. Yes I've got a pair on order. One has been done by the looks of it but the seals at the end weren't installed correctly so I'm gonna replace that one anyway and the other looks like it might be original.Are you going to do the swinging arm bearings? They're cheap enough and usually worn out unless they've been done.
shouldbworking said:
Nice! I'm in Bristol with an early 145 8v boxer project, bodily very good but with some electrical / trim work to do. Intended to do it all myself but too short on time so will be looking for somewhere to sort it for me.
Got as far as swapping out the interior and headlining on mine
Ah it's nice to see another boxer getting some love. The interior on mine isn't in bad nick. The seats are pretty good bar a minor tear on the back of the passenger one but the headlining is sagging annoyingly. I've seen the later black phase 2 seats advertised and I've been tempted to swap them out but the door cards and stuff wouldn't match so i've been hesitant. Got as far as swapping out the interior and headlining on mine
boybiskit said:
IIRC the biggest difference with the squadra chip is at around 5k revs. My thought back then was it would make it the car the Cloverleaf 'should have been' - development of the characterful and low centre of gravity Boxer...
... that ignored the fact the Cloverleaf had better suspension, quicker steering rack etc etc!
Presumably the cloverleaf bits can be dropped in?... that ignored the fact the Cloverleaf had better suspension, quicker steering rack etc etc!
Edited by boybiskit on Thursday 27th June 21:17
I nearly bought a 2.0 cloverleaf a few years after passing my test as a first fast car... Ended up with a 205 GTI which was a brilliant car (obviously) but I wonder if my car trajectory would have been different if I'd have gone with the Alfa...
shalmaneser said:
Presumably the cloverleaf bits can be dropped in?
I nearly bought a 2.0 cloverleaf a few years after passing my test as a first fast car... Ended up with a 205 GTI which was a brilliant car (obviously) but I wonder if my car trajectory would have been different if I'd have gone with the Alfa...
Not that I know of. The front subframe is completely different as the boxer is longitudinal and the twin spark is transverse (both still FWD) and the steering rack on the boxer lives just under the battery tray at the back-top of the engine bay and acts on the struts rather than the upright so the racks are not interchangeable.I nearly bought a 2.0 cloverleaf a few years after passing my test as a first fast car... Ended up with a 205 GTI which was a brilliant car (obviously) but I wonder if my car trajectory would have been different if I'd have gone with the Alfa...
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