BigBlog

Hi, My name is Brett and I live in Sydney Australia.

But this blog isn't about me its about my car, the Alfarod.

She (all cars are she) is a 1928 Model A Ford roadster powered by an Alfa Romeo 2 liter 4 cylinder with all Alfa running gear.

I built the car from the ground up between 1996 and 2001 doing all work myself except the interior trim.

I started with a one piece fiberglass replica body and a rusty 1978 Alfetta GTV.

A 3x2 box tube chassis was constructed to accept the Alfa running gear, and what unusual running gear it is!

For a start the engine is an all alloy wet sleeve twin cam that first went into production back in the mid 50s. The gearbox is actually a 5 speed rear mounted transaxle that sits under the rear boot.

As mentioned earlier the body was a one piece floppy so I had to cut out the door and boot openings and then steeled out the body using 1 inch box tube. The floor is 1 inch thick urethane foam covered both sides with fiberglass. The body is reasonable light but very strong.

The front section is made from 1mm plywood covered with fiberglass and has a cut down fiberglass copy of a 32 Ford grille. The whole lot flips forward for easy access to the engine compartment. Believe me you need it with an Alfa.

The chassis and body is painted in 2 pack Ford Yellow Glow an colour used on early 70s Ford Falcons.

For the front suspension I used  earlier 105 series Alfa lower control arms and uprights along with Spax coil over shocks. The upper control arms I fabricated from steel tube. The geometry is of my own design and the steering rack is from the GTV.

The rear suspension consists of an Alfetta Dedion tube located by a centrally pivoted A arm  (like an early Ford front beam axle) with watts link for lateral control. Spax coil overs replace the original springs and shocks. 

With power discs all round and good weight distribution she stops really well.

Since it has been on the road I have been making a few changes/improvements. 

The wheels are now handmade alloy 3 piece rims with 34 Ford caps mounted on special carriers that I turned up myself.

The dellorto carbs have been ditched in favour of Suzuki GSXR motorbike throttle bodies controlled by a Megasquirt II ECU.

The original points and coil have been replaced by an EDIS (wasted spark) system from an early 90s Ford Escort.

These changes have resulted in better ride quality, quicker handling and improved engine performance across the rev range.

At only 850kg and being well balanced she is a delight to drive on the twisty stuff.

I participate in hillclimb events where she performs reasonably well in her class.

Anyway, check out the pics, please feel free to comment and email me if you have any further questions.

Also, check out my links where you'll find a link to a youtube vid of my car at the Huntley Hillclimb.