Alfa 105 coupes
Discussion
Hello chums,
I'll shortly be in the market for a 105 coupe and am starting to do my research.
I've bought plenty of classics over the years so know in general terms how to avoid a dog. However, are there any specific do's and dont's, buying guides etc for the 105?
Secondly, what is the thinking on the different models?
My only prerequisite is a 74 or earlier car (NO movement on that
).
The 1750 seems to be all things to all men and i've driven a well tuned one and loved it. How does the 2000 and 1600 stack up against it for pace?
The 1300 will be out due to just not being grunty enough.
Car wise i'm really not after one that needs welding or bodywork. I'm not a stickler for concours paint but after restoring the DS i'm more in the mood for a mechanical restoration/refresh rather than welding, panel work, paint etc.
Budget is wide. Quite prepared to pay up to £15k but would rather less so I can do some bits myself. Preference would be a 1967 or before (to meet a specific rally class) but, as said above, up to 74 is ok for the right car.
Any suggestions very welcome.
Cheers,
Ben
I'll shortly be in the market for a 105 coupe and am starting to do my research.
I've bought plenty of classics over the years so know in general terms how to avoid a dog. However, are there any specific do's and dont's, buying guides etc for the 105?
Secondly, what is the thinking on the different models?
My only prerequisite is a 74 or earlier car (NO movement on that
).The 1750 seems to be all things to all men and i've driven a well tuned one and loved it. How does the 2000 and 1600 stack up against it for pace?
The 1300 will be out due to just not being grunty enough.
Car wise i'm really not after one that needs welding or bodywork. I'm not a stickler for concours paint but after restoring the DS i'm more in the mood for a mechanical restoration/refresh rather than welding, panel work, paint etc.
Budget is wide. Quite prepared to pay up to £15k but would rather less so I can do some bits myself. Preference would be a 1967 or before (to meet a specific rally class) but, as said above, up to 74 is ok for the right car.
Any suggestions very welcome.
Cheers,
Ben
The more knowledgeable alfisti will be along soon to give you good advice, but...
Don't dismiss the 1300 - I really love the revvy nature of the engine and is a hoot to drive as you have to keep the revs up to keep going quick. My (sold) 1300 step front was my favourite 105 to date.
Mechanics are relatively straight forward to fix, but look out for bodged rust repairs. Anything below knee height rusts in no time if not looked after.
The ultimate 105 combination for me is a step front with a 1750 transplant. Work in progress...
Happy hunting.
Don't dismiss the 1300 - I really love the revvy nature of the engine and is a hoot to drive as you have to keep the revs up to keep going quick. My (sold) 1300 step front was my favourite 105 to date.
Mechanics are relatively straight forward to fix, but look out for bodged rust repairs. Anything below knee height rusts in no time if not looked after.
The ultimate 105 combination for me is a step front with a 1750 transplant. Work in progress...
Happy hunting.
Ben, just to reiterate what I said on the other thread, a 1600 pre 68 car whilst down on grunt, will fall better into your class situation for a number of reasons, but will be more difficult to source and more expensive for that reason.
1750's and 2000's fall into the same class and as the 2 litre is faster and comes with an LSD as standard (needs uprating though) it#s a better bet for you. The body design and interior design isn't as nice, but values tend to be less accordingly. But there's nothing stopping you dropping a 2000 lump into a 1750 shell.
I appreciate you don't want to do bodywork yourself, but with the budget you have you can afford a professionally restoration on one which needs it and you will then be in a position to know exactly what condition it is in afterwards. If you buy one which has been restored you can only go on what you can physically see or what you can see on photos of the actual restoration.
You also would need to strip a lot off to prepare it, all the interior needs to come out to get a cage in and all the suspension will want to come off if you want to get a specific set of springs and dampers, the rear axle will need to come out to fit (or uprate) an LSD and you will want the better doughnuts and centre bearings on the prop. I'd protect or move the fuel tank too, it's very vulnerable (ask me how I know!), which means you will also need to fire proof the rear bulkhead. To do the job right you need a bank canvas, so start with a shell.
If you want to come over sometime you can have a good poke about with my fully dismantled 1750 and I can show what and where they will rot and what needs doing to rectify it.
1750's and 2000's fall into the same class and as the 2 litre is faster and comes with an LSD as standard (needs uprating though) it#s a better bet for you. The body design and interior design isn't as nice, but values tend to be less accordingly. But there's nothing stopping you dropping a 2000 lump into a 1750 shell.
I appreciate you don't want to do bodywork yourself, but with the budget you have you can afford a professionally restoration on one which needs it and you will then be in a position to know exactly what condition it is in afterwards. If you buy one which has been restored you can only go on what you can physically see or what you can see on photos of the actual restoration.
You also would need to strip a lot off to prepare it, all the interior needs to come out to get a cage in and all the suspension will want to come off if you want to get a specific set of springs and dampers, the rear axle will need to come out to fit (or uprate) an LSD and you will want the better doughnuts and centre bearings on the prop. I'd protect or move the fuel tank too, it's very vulnerable (ask me how I know!), which means you will also need to fire proof the rear bulkhead. To do the job right you need a bank canvas, so start with a shell.
If you want to come over sometime you can have a good poke about with my fully dismantled 1750 and I can show what and where they will rot and what needs doing to rectify it.
Thanks chaps.
Ian, do you really think a decent restoration would be doable in budget? I dropped over £20k alone on bodywork and paint on the DS, not including buying it, engine mods, interior etc. If so you're absolutedly right but I'd imagined in my head that it would be a LOT more.
Would love the chance to come over and have a look at yours. I'll drop you a line over the next couple of weeks.
For my own sanity () I'm not actually shopping just yet as I don't have the cash and I don't want to get over excited. Hope to have a deal done on my car over next 7 days though so all well and good after that.
(Trying not to mention the Junior Zagato now too!)
Ian, do you really think a decent restoration would be doable in budget? I dropped over £20k alone on bodywork and paint on the DS, not including buying it, engine mods, interior etc. If so you're absolutedly right but I'd imagined in my head that it would be a LOT more.
Would love the chance to come over and have a look at yours. I'll drop you a line over the next couple of weeks.
For my own sanity (
) I'm not actually shopping just yet as I don't have the cash and I don't want to get over excited. Hope to have a deal done on my car over next 7 days though so all well and good after that.(Trying not to mention the Junior Zagato now too!)
coetzeeh said:
Just a word of warning - this ad looks a tiny bit worrying - the 2 locations (Eupen & Oostende) mentioned in the ad are a long way apart, and that isn't any kind of Belgian phone number!sunbeam alpine said:
coetzeeh said:
Just a word of warning - this ad looks a tiny bit worrying - the 2 locations (Eupen & Oostende) mentioned in the ad are a long way apart, and that isn't any kind of Belgian phone number!I bought this one a few weeks ago.
It was cheap, but it's not as good as it looks and will need new sills etc when I get round to it. I decided I'd rather buy a project and spend money doing it myself and then I know what I've got. It's a 2000 GTV and has plenty of grunt, but I've no plans to race it. I've an Elan +2 and I don't think the Alfa would be much slower in a straight line, but it's handling is not nearly as good as the Lotus (but very entertaining !).
S..
It was cheap, but it's not as good as it looks and will need new sills etc when I get round to it. I decided I'd rather buy a project and spend money doing it myself and then I know what I've got. It's a 2000 GTV and has plenty of grunt, but I've no plans to race it. I've an Elan +2 and I don't think the Alfa would be much slower in a straight line, but it's handling is not nearly as good as the Lotus (but very entertaining !).
S..
benjj said:
Thanks chaps.
Ian, do you really think a decent restoration would be doable in budget? I dropped over £20k alone on bodywork and paint on the DS, not including buying it, engine mods, interior etc. If so you're absolutedly right but I'd imagined in my head that it would be a LOT more.
I dunno Ben to be fair, but Classic Alfa were selling these unpainted shells for about 6 to 7k if I recall rightly.Ian, do you really think a decent restoration would be doable in budget? I dropped over £20k alone on bodywork and paint on the DS, not including buying it, engine mods, interior etc. If so you're absolutedly right but I'd imagined in my head that it would be a LOT more.
http://www.classicalfa.com/products/CLASSIC-ALFA-G...
It leaves plenty left for paint and rally bits, they need a doner car though. I guess it's going to depend on the standard of finish you are looking for.
My cars have always been pretty scruffy I've never had the budget for anything better, but having said that I'd not want to be throwing a well finished Car around a Farmyard, I've bounced them off enough hard objects to know I'd not be keen to try hard enough, if I was worried about scratching or denting it.
Some cars really are too nice to rally.
sparkey said:
I bought this one a few weeks ago.
It was cheap, but it's not as good as it looks and will need new sills etc when I get round to it. I decided I'd rather buy a project and spend money doing it myself and then I know what I've got. It's a 2000 GTV and has plenty of grunt, but I've no plans to race it. I've an Elan +2 and I don't think the Alfa would be much slower in a straight line, but it's handling is not nearly as good as the Lotus (but very entertaining !).
S..
Looks pretty straight that It was cheap, but it's not as good as it looks and will need new sills etc when I get round to it. I decided I'd rather buy a project and spend money doing it myself and then I know what I've got. It's a 2000 GTV and has plenty of grunt, but I've no plans to race it. I've an Elan +2 and I don't think the Alfa would be much slower in a straight line, but it's handling is not nearly as good as the Lotus (but very entertaining !).
S..
I'd have thought the 2000 would give an Elan +2 a good run for it's money, an Elan sprint would be quicker on acceleration from rest though. I find the Alfa is pretty quick on in gear acceleration and clambering up hills, would you agree?
sparkey said:
I bought this one a few weeks ago.
It was cheap, but it's not as good as it looks and will need new sills etc when I get round to it. I decided I'd rather buy a project and spend money doing it myself and then I know what I've got. It's a 2000 GTV and has plenty of grunt, but I've no plans to race it. I've an Elan +2 and I don't think the Alfa would be much slower in a straight line, but it's handling is not nearly as good as the Lotus (but very entertaining !).
S..
Nice, I was looking at the ad for that yesterday.It was cheap, but it's not as good as it looks and will need new sills etc when I get round to it. I decided I'd rather buy a project and spend money doing it myself and then I know what I've got. It's a 2000 GTV and has plenty of grunt, but I've no plans to race it. I've an Elan +2 and I don't think the Alfa would be much slower in a straight line, but it's handling is not nearly as good as the Lotus (but very entertaining !).
S..
Ian, interesting, will have a look into buying components rather than the finished product. As you say, nice to know the shell is sorted. Thinking about seam welding too.
Just for the record, I luv my lil 71 1300............ Wouldn't change that engine or the world.
It's a regular on the anglia piston head runs, and keeps with some much faster stuff in the bendies, and surprises many.
Don't discount it.
Had mine set up properly with some lit tweaking........rolling roads 106bhp.
It's a regular on the anglia piston head runs, and keeps with some much faster stuff in the bendies, and surprises many.
Don't discount it.
Had mine set up properly with some lit tweaking........rolling roads 106bhp.
jamieandthemagic said:
Just for the record, I luv my lil 71 1300............ Wouldn't change that engine or the world.
It's a regular on the anglia piston head runs, and keeps with some much faster stuff in the bendies, and surprises many.
Don't discount it.
Had mine set up properly with some lit tweaking........rolling roads 106bhp.
A lot of people have said that to me. Point taken.It's a regular on the anglia piston head runs, and keeps with some much faster stuff in the bendies, and surprises many.
Don't discount it.
Had mine set up properly with some lit tweaking........rolling roads 106bhp.
I'm still of the opinion that it would have to be a 67 or earlier for the 1300 though to be competitive in class.
Wonder how they would get along with 200kg of men in the front seats and about 40kg of kit though.
Jamie I'm afraid a 1300 GTj would be anialated on the tests by a fast Mini and it would fall into their class.
Generally speaking the classes are set at up to 1500 and over 1500, so a pre 67 1600 car would be up against Cortinas, Anglia's, MGB's etc, various TR's etc (plus a few 911's!) so the Alfa is much more competitive in that company.
Generally speaking the classes are set at up to 1500 and over 1500, so a pre 67 1600 car would be up against Cortinas, Anglia's, MGB's etc, various TR's etc (plus a few 911's!) so the Alfa is much more competitive in that company.
I just bought this one, a '69 stepfront GT1300 Junior, last on the road in 1985. I've got a twin spark 2 litre to go in, so should be fun when it's done. All the welding was done years ago so it's a great base for a project. You're welcome to come and have a look if you want to see what one looks like in pieces!
itiejim said:
I just bought this one, a '69 stepfront GT1300 Junior, last on the road in 1985. I've got a twin spark 2 litre to go in, so should be fun when it's done. All the welding was done years ago so it's a great base for a project. You're welcome to come and have a look if you want to see what one looks like in pieces!
That's mighty similar to my ongoing project.As it was when i purchased it.
Back in July when it returned from the bodyshop.
It's moved on a little since then, but not in the last few weeks unfortunately (too much work and weather too cold!)
Did pick up all the SS trim bits today from the polishers, they're looking ever so shiny and nice.
Hoping Santa might be bringing me some more bits next week........
Best of Luck with yours - enjoy!
100 IAN said:
That's mighty similar to my ongoing project.
As it was when i purchased it.
Back in July when it returned from the bodyshop.
It's moved on a little since then, but not in the last few weeks unfortunately (too much work and weather too cold!)
Did pick up all the SS trim bits today from the polishers, they're looking ever so shiny and nice.
Hoping Santa might be bringing me some more bits next week........
Best of Luck with yours - enjoy!
Me too. Looking forward to getting this 2000GTV back on the road. It's been with our family for 30 years, but off the road and neglected for the past 15. Bodywork is now done but I've still got to put it back together. No doubt I will be tempted by Alfaholics' handling kit and possibly their 15" GTA style wheels, although I have fond memories of the steering from way back and don't want to "overtyre" it. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of any 105 owners who have been down that route. As it was when i purchased it.
Back in July when it returned from the bodyshop.
It's moved on a little since then, but not in the last few weeks unfortunately (too much work and weather too cold!)
Did pick up all the SS trim bits today from the polishers, they're looking ever so shiny and nice.
Hoping Santa might be bringing me some more bits next week........
Best of Luck with yours - enjoy!
The car was a great drive - back end was a bit skittish, but I don't think it was ever set up properly. Although bought from an Alfa main dealer, it was just a cheap old car back then. I think the baby Elan is quicker (mine's got a Sprint engine with similar output to the Alfa). The GTV is a great all rounder - I remember if I ended up on a motorway for any part of a journey it was the kind of classic which felt at home in the outside lane, mixing it with the moderns.
The brakes were good as I recall, but those are words I will probably end up eating. The twin cam was very happy to spin round the rev counter and the gearbox a real treat.
Thanks for the post OP - inspired me to get back in the garage. I miss my classic fix this time of the year, so the GTV is going to be rebuilt with all year round use in mind (except salt days) and especially the school runs. Good luck with your quest.
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