1974 Alfa Romeo GTV

Coupe

4 - Cyl.

Manual

Gasoline

1974 ALFA ROMEO GT Veloce GTV 2000History of this car (to the best of my knowledge): This LeMans Blue/Pigskin Interior 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV has been a California car since new, complete with 6 digit blue California license plates intact. Judging by it's overall condition, it was well cared for by its first two owners in San Francisco through the mid nineties. Around this time the car was parked due to a leaking heater core. The car was then sold in this condition to a friend of the owner and stored in an insulated wearhouse in Gilroy, CA with his Porsches. This owner was mainly a Porsche enthusiast and thought he'd turn the GTV into a "rainy weather" track car so he wouldn't have to expose his Porsches to the elements. He pulled the dash and heater box, but was soon distracted for the next 8 years with his Porsches, house remodel, and vineyard, losing interest in the Alfa. The dash and heater box were in the trunk, with all hardware carefully bagged and labeled. I purchased the car in 2005 from a small ad that he placed in the back of the Alfa Club newsletter. The ad stated "27K original miles" and definitely got my attention. The odometer did indeed indicate 27K but did not function. Broken for 25 years? 127K? The guy I purchased the car from insisted it had 27K, but it's probably 127K. I installed a working odo in 2005 showing 67K and there is now 71K indicated. So the mileage is now likely 132K. Original odometer is included with car. I have been a steady owner of various Alfas for the last 15 years. I was immediately stricken with the unmolested condition of the car; no evidence of half-ass repairs, with everything in place and held together with the correct fasteners. It even has the original keys. The LeMans Blue color is absolutely striking and seems to change its tint in different light. The warm Pigskin colored interior is the best interior color Alfa ever offered in my opinion. EXTERIORThe car has what I'd call a typical "driver's quality" repaint done sometime in the 90s in the correct 348 Azzuro LeMans color. There are visible paint defects and some touchup here and there consistent with a car that has been driven regularly, but the car still shows well. The areas I touched-up were built up in layers, sanded with 2000 grit, and polished; therefore, they are hard to notice from a few feet away. There is some paint just starting to lift on the front edge of the hood, and some minor dings, scratches and stone chips from commuting the car. The paint is certainly not perfect, but in my opinion is perfect for a driver. It has a great patina, but still shiny and smooth enough to exemplify pride of ownership and draw a crowd. The body is in overall good condition. There is some isolated rust bubbling at the corners of both front rockers and passenger side rear rocker (see link to detailed pictures). There is also some bubbling and corrosion underneath the front apron. There are no holes in the car, and the rust is not structural. The rust has not gotten any worse under my ownership, as I keep the car indoors and do not drive it in the rain. All four jacking points are solid. I would call the panel fit near perfect, and there are no signs of any major accidents; a magnet will stick to every square inch of the body. Aside from the aforementioned defects, the rest of the body and chassis is very straight and sound. Floorpans, trunk, spare wheel tub, and areas around windows are all in good condition. Please see link to photo album with dozens of pictures of the car on a lift. INTERIORThe interior of the car is mostly original and in amazing condition for a 37 year old vehicle. The only item that does not have its original finish is the dash. The heater box was completely refurbished with new heater core and heater valve; also, the blower motor was cleaned and lubricated. A small hole was drilled into the bottom of motor housing so that it would not be fouled by coolant in the event of a leak (per Alfa Romeo Technical Service Bulletin). Since dash was already removed, any cracks were filled, sanded, and sanded again until the dash was super straight, then dash assembly was sprayed with semi-gloss black texture paint. All the chrome, wood, bezels, and gauges were cleaned and reinstalled. It has been 6 years since all of this work, and overall the dash still looks good; however, some hairline cracks are beginning to appear again in the top surface (see link to pictures of interior). Before reassembling everything, all of the old (asbestos) insulation was removed from the interior firewall and Dynamat was applied to the entire area. If you wanted to continue installing Dynamat across the floorboards, it would be a simple matter of removing the carpet; the hard work behind the dash and heater box is done. The rest of the Pigskin interior is totally original as it came installed from Italy. The gauge cluster is one of the best I’ve seen in any GTV. All the faces are clear, the outer casing is not warped, and both mounting tabs are intact. Interior panels are all original. Being original to the car, the door panels are a bit wavy toward the bottom but still look good. The door panels also have "period" Pioneer speakers installed (they don't sound half bad). The dash was already set up for a stereo, so I installed a detachable face Pioneer AM/FM cassette stereo that works well. There is a cassette IPod adapter with the input wire routed under the console so you can listen to music on your phone or IPod if you wish. I have a matching plug-and-play Pioneer CD changer that is not installed. Carpet is original and presentable with some minor cracking of the driver's heel pad (floormats would hide this). The top of the rear seats are getting dry from the sun and cracks are just beginning to form but they still look fine. The original headliner has typical stains and one very small hole (see link to pictures) but no serious defects. The rear parcel shelf is uncut and excellent. The seats are still supple, comfortable, and look great. Every single lamp functions correctly in the interior, including glovebox and courtesy lamps. Fuel gauge, fuel pressure lamp, low fuel lamp all function properly.The trunk area is nice with no rust. It still has the original carpet over the fuel tank/tire well. The spare tire well is in great condition. The spare wheel and jack are still in place with correct hold down hardware and tool bag. MECHANICALSThe motor starts immediately and is smooth from idle all the way to 5500RPM redline. Only Valvoline VR1 20W50 racing oil with full ZDDP used since my ownership. Engine does not leak any significant amount of oil. The following work has been performed within the last 5000 miles: Valve clearance checked Points and condenser replacedSpark plug wires and plugs (NGK) replaced Spica belt and water pump/alternator belt replaced Ignition timing set to spec Radiator boiled and painted Coolant replaced (50/50 GL5 with purified water)ALL heater and coolant hoses replaced and correct smooth radiused edge stainless clamps used wherever possible. Engine runs at a steady 175F regardless of ambient temp. Spica adjustments checked, correct thermostatic actuator and pump gap confirmed. Throttle bell crank still has factory paint on adjustment stops. Fuel tank verified clean Front and rear fuel filter replacedALL fuel lines and clamps replaced Spica air filters replacedNew brake pads, rotors, and brake lines (rubber), including rear axle to chassis brake line. The brakes work awesome. New wiper blade inserts on correct stainless blade holders New tach and speedo cables Entire new Italian exhaust front to back, including exhaust mounts Driveshaft guibo (flex disc) and center bearing have been replaced ALL fluids have been renewed, including brake fluid and correct Shell Spirax 90W gear oil in rear axle and transmission. Spica oil filter replaced upon last oil change. Virtually every rubber bushing underneath the car has been replaced; lower control arm bushings, ball joints, adjustable upper control arms installed, urethane front swaybar bushings, front swaybar dogbones, rear trailing arm bushings, trunion bar-to-axle bushing, fuel pump mounts, engine mounts New Delrin trunion bar spacers fitted The car already had Koni red shocks, and I installed what I believe to be Shankle springs that I had on the shelf. The car is not too low with this setup and the stance is perfect in my opinion. A comprehensive four wheel alignment was JUST performed in September, including steering box adjustment. The steering box mount was also reinforced; nothing was wrong with it but this is a known weak spot on these cars, and many are driving around with cracked and/or flexy mounts. Car is shod with 14x7 Panasports and 205/60-14 Falken Ziex tires with about 3000 miles on them. Rims have some clearcoat issues but look good (and are REALLY light). Original Alfa steel wheels are included with servicable Bridgestone 185/70-14 rubber.As you can see, I've done a ton of work to this car. All parts were sourced from Alfa Parts in Berkeley, International Auto, and Centerline; I have many of the receipts. The front lower control arm bushings were outsourced to Rosselli Foreign in San Jose, CA, a marque specialist. Four wheel alignment and steering adjustments performed by Reinegger Frame and Wheel in San Jose, CA, the only shop I trust with chassis issues. Phil's Foreign in Santa Cruz, CA helped out with pressing-in the rear trailing arm bushings. These vendors and shops are all the best in their class.Honestly, the car drove fine without all of this work but being an Engineer, I tend to have a hard time leaving things alone.... STUFF I DIDN'T GET AROUND TO FIXINGThe wipers just stopped functioning recently. I suspect the switch on the console; they are known for failing after several decades. Also, I never put a high priority on fixing the windshield washer. There are light scratches on the windshield from the wiper blades; perhaps they can be polished out.Center muffler has a mild vibration at certain engine speeds. It is lightly touching a (asbestos) heat shield and I was never in a hurry to mess with it.....it's pretty minor. Rubber trim on bumper overriders is looking a bit ragged. New ones are readily available. Small ding in front bumper next to driver's side overrider.Engine compartment lamp and trunk lamp need the grounds cleaned and they will work. Speedometer functions properly but squeaks occasionally.The original weather stripping around the doors is showing its age.I can't find the original lug nuts for the steel wheels....however, there are four in the trunk in case you need to use the spare. The aforementioned rust areas can be fixed, or not, depending on your intentions with the car.Transmission and rear axle leave small drips of 90W, pretty normal with these cars. I just checked the fluid level in both for the first time in 3 months, and they weren't low on oil, so I'd call them minor leaks. ETC....The car is currently registered in California with a clear title under my name.I feel I have described this car to the best of my ability. All interested buyers are more than welcome to come see and drive the car in person in Soquel, CA. If you'd like to talk in person, send me a message with your phone number and a good time to call.Here is a link to a Picasa album with 161 pictures of the car, including detailed pics with the car on a lift. Virtually every aspect of the car is covered, but let me know if you need additional pictures. The album is titled "Alfa_GTV_LeMans_Blue."

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