Green Giulia SS Sunbathing.

Posted on March 20, 2018 by aisllc

For the past year, I have been making some progress on all of the five cars under assembly, but for some reason, the Green SS work is starting to pick up some steam as of late. I wonder if since most of the SS chrome work is back, and I do not want it sitting around, I have decided to get some of the required assembly going. Here is a link to the ongoing progress at Green Giulia Sprint Speciale

Here is a video of the SS before its new tailored suit.

The door hardware: This by far has been to most challenging, cleaning the window mechanism, replacing the bad cables, and adjusting everything were very time-consuming. Now that all of the door hardware is in place, with windows rolling up and down smoothly, and all door trim and weather stripping fitted it is time to move to the task.

Interior paneling: Here is another time-consuming task, while I am working on wiring harnesses and other work Enrique has been hard at it remaking all of the interior panels. I have decided that these are better done in situ before they are covered. I have seen too many personal liberties at upholstery shops and I do not want to take any chances.

Bright-work: Most of the vehicle’s bright-work was sent out for re-chrome in late November and now that it is back I have opted for installing it as we go along as I prefer to see it on the car rather than on a box or a table.

Miscellaneous pieces: Parts such as Fan Blower, Steering column, Wiper motors interior carpers are done. Some will be installed later, but as always, we run into little annoying details, and we end up bogged down in trying to resolve the details.

More updates are coming soon.

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The Alfa Romeo 105 Series Toolkit

Posted on March 20, 2018 by aisllc

Here is an example of a 105 Series Alfa Romeo Toolkit circa 1965 – 1969. This toolkit is based on toolkit samples I have acquired over the years and to explain which toolkit is correct will not be entirely accurate because I have seen a couple of variations of it. Most of the differences I have seen has been primarily on the screwdrivers or the bag itself. Early backs appeared to somewhat dark green with a strong black tint to them, some had two snaps but I believe these were the case to the very late series toolkits somewhere around 1969 or so. 1971 toolkits bags were black with a single snap and a very low-grade canvas if you would like to call it that.

The reproductions I am making are for the 1965 – 1969 periods and these should satisfy the discerning connoisseur. Meaningful comments and historical accuracy that would enlight others on the subject matter is always welcome and highly appreciated.

The toolkit is available under AIS Front Store

 

 

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The Giulietta Inspection Light

Posted on February 18, 2018 by aisllc

Over the years, conversations regarding the infamous Giulietta Series cars Fuse Board Inspection Service light remains the much talked about a mystery.  The reasons Why? is beyond my scope and comprehension and I do not want to engage in speculative theories. But the fact is that it does exist and I am fortunate enough to have one for just about each of my cars.

The photo below shows a newly made wiring harness with the correct style bayonet attachment for the Inspection light. There are two styles of these lights and this one is for the early interim period car through an early 101 series model. The Service Light Inspection Socket was altogether eliminated on the later 101 series models.

 

 

Hope this will enlight and clear some of the mystery surrounding this much talked about item. I will, at a future date post additional information for the 750 series Inspection Light.

Posted in Uncategorized, Wiring Looms | 3 Comments

Downsizing and starting to sell many of my parts.

Posted on July 5, 2017 by aisllc

As I continue my progression with the assembly of five cars from my existing collection that I have been assembling I am starting to see what I need to keep and what will go as I make headway. Amongst the parts that will be available will be included in this post and will be updated on a regular basis. Additional details and photos will be provided upon requests.

Giulia TI instruction Booklet re-print $20.00

Alfa Romeo Boattail Boot Cover never used. $300.00

Giulietta/Giulia 750 & 101 series cars front cross-members $335.00 Unlike many out there these are correct fit and are sold in two pieces. The one-piece units are almost impossible to install. Take it from the one who knows.

The complete reproduction of factory sill kit for 101 Spider. Price at $1,700.00. This kit provides lightweight and strength as originally intended when they rolled out of the factory. Other suppliers either use the wrong configuration or the wrong steel gauge for these.

Alfa Romeo 2nd Series Giulietta Sprint front and rear fenders both passenger side. Price at $400.00 each.

Alfa Romeo 1900 Series cars, Ferrari, other models… Front side indicators, NOS 

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1st Series models. NOS Rare parts POA No panel beater or shop can replicate this factory stamped parts at nearly the same price.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta 750 Veloce series cars. These are the correct tools for the cars that were equipped with the 40dco3 Webers. I only have a limited supply and once they are gone there will be no more sets to offer. Price at $550.00 plus shipping. NO LONGER AVAILABLE

GTA series Cold air box Priced at $750.00

Weber 40dcoe set as shown in the photo. POA

Excellent reproduction of a 1900 Series car Toolkit Roll Price is $165.00 free shipping within the USA ****SOLD OUT*****

Giulietta Toolkit Roll excellent original reproduction. Top toolkit roll is original lower roll is my reproduction. Priced at $165.00 free shipping within the US. ONLY 5  available

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The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Posted on May 22, 2017 by aisllc

Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher once said  “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” I first heard of his words in my early teens and these words did not have the same meaning for me then as they do today. As I embarked on the long process of disassembling all of the front suspension pieces I found the job daunting and exhausting. I avoided digging my hands into it, it just made me tired looking at it, and by doing so, I created this mental barrier that I could not escape. Thus, by doing the difficult things while they were easy I was able to break away from my self-imposed mental barrier. Followed by doing the great things while they were small I was able to embark on my thousand mile journey with a single step.

Once upon a time, my shop was littered with dirty, greasy, and rusty suspension pieces all over the floor.

I have to use the oxy-acetylene torch to loosen up rusty nuts and bolts.

As I continue to restore my cars I try not to delegate and for me the reasons are simple. I like to see first hand what is going on to ensure a satisfactory completion of a given task. I have seen more than my fair share of poorly done restorations and while the car looks good and presentable it will not take long to realize the challenging part of sorting out work that should have been done back when the car was in pieces. All my cars, now twenty of them will be done as nut and bolt restorations because I only have one time to do it right once and thus is how the reassembly process will continue.

The re-assembly.

Both all upper and lower A-arms were restored with new bushings and seals for all 750 series cars as these were beyond

All ball joints were taken apart for inspection and replacements as needed.

All of the original Lobo bolts and nuts were Black-Oxide like new.

Although I have now completed enough suspension work for ten cars I am only assembling five of them at this time and looks like I will have a few sets for sale to anyone wishing to bypass this process.  Although the assembly line like the process is costly and time-consuming I find the process expedient and more effective in the long term as I can focus more effectively and expediently. There is a learning curve on all these tasks and I prefer to get it out of the way before I forget how I did it. Besides, I need to clear all my shop of parts laying all over the place. This will do for now as I am getting ready for re-attaching the completed suspensions back to the cars. Additional photo documentation of the complete process can be viewed HERE

 

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Selling my 1969 Boattail Spider ***SOLD***

Posted on May 14, 2017 by aisllc

For Sale: 1969 Boattail Spider interested parties should contact me for additional details regarding this car. Price on Request.

Additional photos can be seen HERE

 

Thanks for all the interested parties. Car is SOLD as of September 6th, 2017

 

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2016 It really came and went at lightning speed

Posted on January 7, 2017 by aisllc

I don’t know where to start, but before I knew it, 2016 has come and gone with lightning speed. However, in summary, I have to say that it was an excellent year on all fronts. From wiring harnesses, toolkits and some of my metal work have been selling very well, and that makes me happy. Despite all the work, I was able to manage time to do some work on the current five cars simultaneous assembly. Completing work on five cars at the time comes with benefits and some challenges but nevertheless, the assembly line approach have its unique benefits that had allowed me to work on all of the cars simultaneously.  Case in point, thus far, we have restored all of the wiper motors, tie rod ends, made all the new wiring, worked on all of the suspension pieces, rebuilt all relays, painted all suspension components, and more.

The Wiper motors:

 Replacing the parking plate inside the motor A newly replaced component.

Once the units were completely restored, we put together and painted. I am still waiting to get them back to the cars.

Electrical Relays:

The relay’s for the 750 and 101 cars were available in either De Leon for the pre-1958 Sprints and the Lucas SB40 series. The SB40 contrary to the popular believe about Lucas electrical system is an easy, simple and very reliable unit. They do require some attention after many years of service. Of course, climate can really do a number rendering useless.

I like to use Metal Rescue for removing rust.

All units were completely taken apart, de-rusted, and all casing cadmium plated.

Cadmium plating and Black Oxide:

I have spent a considerable amount of time going over each vehicle hardware such as nuts, bolts, washers, brackets, springs, covers to get them back to their original state. Once all parts are properly sorted out I take them for Plating.

These are just examples of the parts I have taken for Plating.

Tie Rod Ends:

I have discovered that there more than one style of tie rod end, and without having to delve into any specific details, I wish that the style of tie rod end were you could easily take apart and replace any damage components would still be available today.

Note how these early tie rods can be completely taken apart for cleaning and inspecting. Very likely, there were available parts for replacements at some point so do I suspect. Also, note the notched ends of the tie rod housing that would allow steering travel. Well, these feature is not available on the newer style reproduction tie rod ends. No wonder I felt that the steering was not traveling far enough to either side and that explain everything to me now.

Well, now that I am getting the hang of posting photos and editing my side I will try to stay more current. (Computer literacy, the disadvantages of being a senior citizen I guess).

Next time I will focus on the suspension component restoration.

Wishing everyone a Happy and prosperous New Year.

All photos and materials present on this website are copyright by Auto Italia Sportiva LLC. Unless otherwise noted. Under U.S. Copyright law, Section 107, entitled ‘Fair Use,’ copyrighted material may be used for educational purposes; all materials on Thegiuliettashop.com and Auto Italia Sportiva LLC. are for educational purposes only. No one shall print or publish our photos or printed material without our written consent or approval. 

 

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1957 Giulietta Sprint Small Headlamps **SOLD**

Posted on January 7, 2017 by aisllc

It is official. The 1957 Giulietta Sprint has been SOLD. My thanks to all the serious inquirers about this car. The new owner is happy and excited about owning this beautiful Sprint.

Chrome work is nice and straight

All photos and materials present on this website are copyright by Auto Italia Sportiva LLC. Unless otherwise noted. Under U.S. Copyright law, Section 107, entitled ‘Fair Use,’ copyrighted material may be used for educational purposes; all materials on Thegiuliettashop.com and Auto Italia Sportiva LLC. are for educational purposes only. No one shall print or publish our photos or printed material without our written consent or approval. 

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Update on – Saved from the crusher

Posted on May 1, 2016 by aisllc

I no longer participate nor get involved with any Forum platforms. For me, the reasons not to get involved in these platforms are many, but for the most part, such a decision was born out of the necessity to remain focused on my personal projects (although, I do admit that from time to time I do scan these sites). At a recent stop at Bring a Trailer (BaT), I ran into this 1956  ongoing Giulietta Spider auction; the commentary is without a doubt all over the board some of the comments can offer a wealth of insight. The ultimate wisdom is found by sorting out all the noise and following a path which can be very different from individual to individual.

Let me offer my personal take when considering a restoration project:

“Before anyone wishing to embark in the hopes and dreams of rescuing a classic car, they should do their due diligence far in advance. Make no mistake; these projects are costly, time-consuming and in the wrong hands,   can lead to a complete disaster.”

“The challenge of the project does not lie within the car restoration in itself, but rather within the scope of the sources and resources. Failure to clearly articulate and understand the correct approach will ultimately lead to a disastrous outcome.”

I have read, and listened to personal experiences on car restorations and based on their take; I would have gone about it differently. Trust me; I have been a victim of unscrupulous as well as a fair share of the incompetent of so-called “professionals.”  There is a lot more that I could say about dealing with car restorations but for now, let talk about my restoration.

Now, let me proceed to my particular restoration update: The initial project cost was a whopping $100 bill for the remnants of what was once a car. Approximately 500 hours later it is mostly done with about another 100 hrs to complete all metal work. Based on this information, we can project “what if” scenarios and cost analysis of the possible cost of similar restorations.  Case in point, the 1956 Giulietta currently on BaT, which I think that the average price range for restoration work will be around $50/hr – $100/hr is fair game; where the shop with the greatest skill sets will command the highest labor cost/hr.

The other component to be considered will be to establish the “Source” defined as Who will perform the work? Will the owner’s decision will be made on Cost, Skill, or Knowledge?

How about “Resources”? As my latest trip to Italy confirmed, the quality of reproduction parts are not consistent, nor are the sources of these parts. In Padova, I ran into good reproduction parts as well as an ample supply of poorly made parts. As a result, I prefer to work with as many original parts and spend the money to either recondition or restore (Bite the bullet).DSC_0206

Although the car metal work is somewhat near completion, it is hard to believe that this was once a pile of scrap metal.DSC_0207

Projects like these can be fun, and spending money on such projects are no different than the money of expenditure on playing golf. At least for me, it is more about the therapy, and the desire for staying busy and creative that gives me happiness.

The Photo Album for this project

All photos and materials present on this website are copyright by Auto Italia Sportiva LLC. Unless otherwise noted. Under U.S. Copyright law, Section 107, entitled ‘Fair Use,’ copyrighted material may be used for educational purposes; all materials on Thegiuliettashop.com and Auto Italia Sportiva LLC. are for educational purposes only. No one shall print or publish our photos or printed material without our written consent or approval. 

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The 1900 Series Alfa Romeo Toolkit

Posted on April 24, 2016 by aisllc

For the longest time, I have been trying to put my hands on some of the unique  Alfa Romeo specialized tools that accompany the 1900 toolkit. I was fortunate enough to have run into them and as a result, I have completed my 1900 series car toolkit. These have been available for two years now but, this time, I can say that the tool is for all practical purposes complete with the addition of the 1900 engine valve adjusting tools. The toolkit is available exclusively by Auto Italia Sportiva for $1,500.00 plus shipping.

1900 Tools, from Repair #583, Italian (2)

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