Alfa Reds (Matt, Pink, etc.)

[rustybin]

My better halfs GTV is a lady of a certain age and being red and parked outside is now going the way of all red alfas by attempting to emulate all of the different shades of red that Alfa's have raced in over the years most of them however in a matt shade with some lovely crackly lacquer effects. She (the wife) is very attached to the old girl (car) so I reckon a same colour respray may be in order. Anyone have any idea how much I should expect to pay for such a thing and how long its benefits are likley to last.

Incidentally, as Alfa have probably produced more red cars than any other manufacturer, any idea why they haven't mastered that colour yet?

Finally, can anyone recomend a bodyshop around High Wycombe area.

[jamieboy]

rustybin said:

Incidentally, as Alfa have probably produced more red cars than any other manufacturer, any idea why they haven't mastered that colour yet?

Apparently the new red on the 159 and Brera is meant to be resistant to fading. That's why it now costs the same as a metallic.

[Wombat Rick]

Alfa Red is a funny one. I've had two cars in it (a 145 and a 156) and neither were lacquered so they could be cut and polished and left me as red as the day they came. You can check by using a cutting compound and seeing if your cloth comes away red. However most do seem to be lacquered and there's not a lot you can do with them other than the respray. Make sure whoever you use knows the whole bonnet is fibreglass on the GTV! As for costs, not sure but it must be £1,000+.

[twinspark]

It's not just Alfas - all red cars of that era faded due to the kind of paint used. If you ever see a red MkI Mondeo, you'll see what I mean.....

It's just so noticeable since Alfa, as you say, sold more red cars than everyone else.

Yellow and white cars do the same, FWIW.

[rustybin]

I love Alfas but I do find I have a letter in constant composition in my head; principal points being:

Red looks great. Please can it remain that way.

Wing mirror bases made of metal that actually expands on contact with water. Why?

Twin Spark (the original) was a brilliant idea and saved having four valves per cylinder so why have twin spark four valve engines?

I like engines, thats why I bought an Alfa. I really don't mind some timing chain noise. It's much better than the awful quiet of a starter motor that is just spinning the bottom half of the engine.

Light bulbs in dashboards are great. They let you fix a defective unit for less than a billion Lira each. I know this doesn't affect you when you make them but it bloody well affects me.

Can we have rear wheel drive back please? Bet you could even get a lever to transaxle linkage to work well now. Then we would not have to choose between four cylinder pointy things and six cylinder fast but boaty things.

If you decide that a model needs more gizmos half way through production please try to avoid the temptation to just add another ECU to it. My QV 164 had more computing power than CIA scattered around various little cubby holes.

Great diesel engines but seriously, diesel, in an Alfa, diesel. Are you absolutely sure this is a good thing. I know BMW have them but they are for... ...well, BMW drivers.

Lastly, I am not sure how to say this but, you are putting on a little bit of weight.

[rustybin]

twinspark said:

...white cars do the same, FWIW.

That's why you have admire the Japanese. If you have to choose a national racing colour that fades, start with white then watch it fade whilst caring not a jot. Cunning swines.

[bint]

I had a full change of colour respray on my last Celica - cost £1100 - but was a standard Toyota colour. Expect to pay a similar price for any car - that's the minimum I'd say, the better the bodyshop the more you pay, but yeah, £1K minimum.

I notice you're in Bucks, not a million miles away - I can recommend a bodyshop just outside of Swindon who won't rip you off and will do a top notch job - especially with red as MOH's Celica is red and had to have some panels and parts resprayed as they were going pinkish and some numpty dented the aluminium bonnet.

Edited by bint on Tuesday 10th July 16:31

[JohnEM]

I think its just the lacquer coat thats gone, had similar problems on my 145. Cleaned off remainder of lacquer and hand sprayed with an aerosol can. Looks OK but its only a small area, not sure how a proffesional would do it.

[Andy_sx]

as far as i am aware the majority of older cars that were red, non metalic didnt have lacquer, hence the paint fades quite as much as it does.

i shall be giving my newly accuired 155 a good t cut and polish before i take her off the road for a while to tidy her up mechanically

will do before and after pics to compare

[Dj_Sim]

Do not use T Cut.

You need to use a machine polisher. Not from halfrauds.

or pay a detailer to come and look at it. It may just be the clear coat (laqure) that can be fixed.

[twinspark]

If the car does have lacquer and has still faded, it's going to need a respray to fix it.

I'm not sure if red 155s were lacquered or not, though.

In the case of the GTV, a full spray is the only way to fix it - not only because it has cracked and peeling lacquer, but also because there are 3(?) different plastics used as well as the metal bits - and everything fades at different rates, which means you're highly unlikely to get anything to match unless you paint the whole car.

Edited by twinspark on Wednesday 18th July 19:43