Alfa Pages

ChrisC · Alfa Sprint Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Frome

My sprint has vented front discs. The only other sprint from the same time period etc I have seen also had vented discs. Anyone got a definitive answer?
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Alfa Sprint QV - Gone to a better home and in happier health for it
Silver Lancia Beta HPE Volumex - under restoration

Ken McCarthy · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:38 pm Post subject: Is this standard or modified?

Chris
I am not sure of all this but if your car is a 1.7 twin carb (about 1987) then it will have been based on the 33 with the same engine which had ventilated discs. The next 33, the 1.7IE had fuel injection, less performance and went back to solid discs. Then the Series 3 16V used ventilated discs again. My Sprint, based on the 1.5 twin carb of 1985, had solid discs originally.

Regards
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Ken McCarthy - 16V Sprint

ChrisC · Alfa Sprint Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Frome

I think it must be pretty blurred - my friends series 3 H reg 16v 33 had vented discs, but when alfa looked up the chassis the computers said solid discs, and heres my car 2 years earlier and with the vented ones.
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Alfa Sprint QV - Gone to a better home and in happier health for it
Silver Lancia Beta HPE Volumex - under restoration

ChrisC · Alfa Sprint Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Frome

Doh. its just failed its mot again -
failure one - one last bit of rust
failure two - idiot mechanic unable to find horn, so marked down as horn not working.

And sods law one of the mechanics at the garage is ill so they are unable to do the cambelt or mot until tuesday!

And of course I had cancelled my insurance on my other car, which I will now have to add onto my new insurance. GRRRRRRR.

Sad

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Alfa Sprint QV - Gone to a better home and in happier health for it
Silver Lancia Beta HPE Volumex - under restoration

Sprintervention · Alfasud Joined: 30 Jul 2004 Posts: 60 Location: York

As far as I am aware all 1.7 sprints had vented discs and all 1.5 Sprints had solid discs. Both my Sprints had solid discs and were 1.5 litre. I have converted to vented though using 33 16V calipers that bolt straight on.

Making sure that you get the right pads always takes some serious effort though! Everyone always seems to offer me the wrong ones, take one with me now...

Good luck!
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1987 Alfa Sprint Veloce

Bellamachinna · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:16 pm Post subject:

Hi
The 1.7 QV, has ventend discs...The others...??????
About the 33 i know a bit more...
SERIES 2
-The 1.7 Qv was the first to have them-With rear drums
-The 1.7 IE went back to solid discs
SERIES
The 16v was the only to have them. If equiped with ABS, it also had rear discs...But without ABS it returned to rear drums...
All 16v had front vented discs
Hope this helps

ChrisC · Alfa Sprint Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Frome

Thanks for clearing that one up for me. Glad i dont have to declare another modification to the insurers! As it is i have to fill out a horrendous form. Put it this way - if I had non standard tyre sizes on there I would have to fill out what tyre and size was on each corner and the spare, who fitted them, when they fitted them and what their qualifications were...

They really make it hard work just to have your car legally insured here..
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Alfa Sprint QV - Gone to a better home and in happier health for it
Silver Lancia Beta HPE Volumex - under restoration

Bellamachinna · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:01 pm Post subject:

Hi
At least you can run an modified car... In Portugal, to get an modified car through an IPO (Our MOT), its impossible...The standard wheels must be fitted.
Portuguese owners of 16v, have always one prob on IPO´s...All 16v were homologated with 185/60-14 tyres on the front axle and 175/65-14 on the rear axle... Question

.This was probably, an error during the homologation process, but if our papers say 175 they must be 175...(or you get an penalty point)If you try to legalize your car, you must get new papers...
To do this, you go to the DGV (An govermental department for transports-drivers licences-Etc) an require them the change.
Thats when the burocracy takes over...They tell you to get an letter from the maker of the car, that assures, that the car is road worthy with diferent tyre size, and not endangers other road users...
Then its time to go to the Alfa representative (FIAT Auto Portuguesa), but they weren´t the importers of the car, in 1992. They only took Alfa after the previous importer disaperance...They tell you that FIAT never imported any 33 so they can´t confirm that is safe to change the homologation...UUUUUFFFFF Evil or Very Mad

So i prefer to get an penalty point at the IPO, that go through all that stuff Wink

paddy granger · Alfa Sprint Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 248

I am surprised that Portugal don't fix that homologation error, as it must have been reported by pretty much every 33 owner?!

In Holland, they don't seem to mind too much. I am not sure what the MOT would say if one fitted 17 inch rims (who would though??!!), but with 195 / 50 R15, there are no problems at all. Even if there was ever to be a problem with the 15" wheels, I would just argue that this size was an original option from Alfa Holland, as it was (with Alessio Turbo alloy wheels).

Edward · Alfa 33 Joined: 21 Sep 2003 Posts: 307 Location: Bristol

I suppose then that this is one of those few occasions when it is (rarely)beneficial to be in England - I wondered in recently for the MOT with my 33 track car and it had 8x15" rims with 225 section tyres on it and the guy didn't even batter an eyelid. The car often has 7x16" rims on with 205x45x16's and they never cause a problem either. He picked up a few other things but as the wheels and tyres were in excellent condition he took a glance and moved straight passed. Oddly the question I always forget to ask at MOT time is that all testers accept that you can not have a hole in the bodywork within 12" of a main structural item, such as the B pillar - so why is it then o.k. for cars to have a sunroof. I have never heard even of someone cutting in an aftermarket sunroof failing an MOT so why do they differentiate between what the tim worm produces as opposed to what some clod does with a jig saw???
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The faster the better.

ChrisC · Alfa Sprint Joined: 13 Mar 2003 Posts: 152 Location: Frome

MOT law starts coming apart once you start poking at it with a stick. Much like my cars. For example, the whole sharp edges thing, you can cover them up with duct tape and they will pass - the tester cant inspect what they cant see.

VW campers are a classic example of things that escape through this - many have large belly pans underneath that were supposed to stop crud getting up and rotting the chassis and floors. Over time the chassis + floor rots anyway, but the belly pans hide it and so they continue to pass mots no problem. Even when the belly pans rot through the tester can just say fix the hole in the belly pan without looking beyond that to see the little that remains of anything else.

Also stuff like its not ok to have a door that doesnt work, but its ok to have no doors. If you have a windscreen you must have wipers, but if you remove the windscreen itll pass.

Then you have vehicles where the sills play virtually no part in the structure of the vehicle, but if they are rusty they still have to be repaired under mot.

The last bit of rust my sprint has failed on is some rust on the rear valance. It plays precisely no structural role, but some of it is within 30cm of the tie rod ends, so i have to weld up those sections. Nevermind the fact that the bits that arent within 30cm will still be rotten and so the negligable amount of strength lost will not be regained...
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Alfa Sprint QV - Gone to a better home and in happier health for it
Silver Lancia Beta HPE Volumex - under restoration