Hi all,
In April 2018, my brother, dad and I rescued a 1995 145 from one of my brother's colleagues over in Bristol. It had been standing since about 2010 and it wasn't a pretty sight:
We got it home and it scrubbed up well:
We got it running and after changing the CV joint and a burst brake pipe, it was thrown into an MOT where it did fail on quite a lot (mainly brakes and some odd things) but it gave us a to-do list to work from. We did a compression check after trying to diagnose a misfire and 3 of the cylinders were at 170-odd psi but one was down in the 120-130 range. We were planning on dropping the engine out anyway to do the cambelts and clutch so it was moved from my brother's house down to mine and we set about taking the engine out and the results were not pretty:
A piece of the piston and rings had broken off, had a rumble around and presumably got shot out of the exhaust. It's left its mark on the way out, making a bit of a mess of the head but the bore has come out completely unscathed thankfully. The most amazing thing was it had very little blowby, nothing concerning and it didn't burn any oil so really surprising. I did notice that once the exhaust manifold was taken off the two cylinders on this bank were running very lean so I wonder if that is how part of this piston has broken off and been blown out. I'm planning on a new lambda sensor and getting the injectors sent off to be checked in case it was detonation and lean running that caused the piston to fail in the first place.
That was September last year. In the meantime, the piston has been replaced, the valves removed, ground and new valve stem and cam seals on the affected bank. The other head was removed and checked over and all pistons in tact but that head got new seals while it was off as well. While the engine was out, its had a new set of timing belts, pulleys and water pump fitted along with a new set of core plugs. I did send the Bosch 2e ABS pump off to be checked over since access is less terrible with the engine out but unfortunately the company I sent it off to wasn't able to check it (I presume due to it's age). That was reinstalled along with new copper brake lines under the bonnet to replace the remaining original ones. One of the last jobs before the engine went back in was to de-yellow the brakes:
After that, the last few odds and sods before the MOT were done over a few weekends. Some pics before it went for it's MOT:
After getting it cleaned and taking the above pics, it decided to have a sulk and not start. Turns out I had knocked the inertia switch under the passenger seat while cleaning and cut off the supply to the fuel pump. Reset and all was well again.
It went in for it's MOT on the 15th June. It drove the 7-odd miles to my preferred station without any dramas, no warning lights, gauge at 80 degrees all the way. No clonks or other untoward noises and the only bit of smoke out of the back cleared up quickly. Considering this is the first journey its done in 10 or so years I'm very pleased.
It was a fail as expected but we were getting there. Basically tyres, emissions, handbrake/rear calipers and a bit of welding to be done. No ABS issues which I was dreading nor any problems with the headlight aim either. Once it was back a plan was arranged and after the front end was sorted we wanted to drop the rear subframe to refurb and polybush it and allow better access to the bit of welding that was needed.
The front wishbones and ARB droplinks were replaced (really should have polybushed the ARB while I was there but oh well) and the cat was replaced as well. The Alfa was then turned around and work started on dropping the rear subframe to refurb and give extra access to the bit of welding to be done at the back of the offside sill. The tank came out without a fight but the fuel that came out did not look too good despite being mostly fresh stuff by now so some fresh 98 will be going back in when its reinstalled. The subframe also came out without a hitch:
There was one snapped bolt on one of the trailing arm ARB bolts from a previous refurbish by the looks of it but 3 more snapped in the process of stripping the subframe. 3 of the 4 came out by welding a nut to the top of the remains of the bolt but the 4th needed to be drilled and retapped. A quick Gumtree scour procured a cheap BNIB needle gun which made light work of the flaky rust and a quick hammerite later had the subframe looking much more presentable:
Still needs a few more coats but it's better than it was. The bushes also didn't put up a fight as they were very past it and the rubber had parted from the metal sleeves:
The polyurethane replacements have arrived from Bulgaria so our hydraulic press will be put into action soon to install them. The only item of concern found was a bodged brake compensator spring which was held together with terminal block but thankfully still seems available from Alfa. No horrors found when the subframe was dropped and the underside of the car will be suitably undersealed before everything goes back in.
The polyurethane bushes from Bulgaria arrived and were pressed in. The subframe was given another coat of Hammerite and looks much more presentable now:
The trailing arms were also refurbished with new bearings and such. One has been replaced before but was done again anyway as they'd got one of the pieces in the wrong way round and just stuck the seal in the end. The other side appeared to be original and was well overdue replacement:
We also made a start on the sill repair. The repair section from Taros Trade is a great fit and underneath the previously repaired section looks bad, but is still very solid. The inner sill will be suitably rustproofed before the repair section goes back on. You can also see some of the other repair work that was done before we got the car:
The injectors were also been sent off to be tested and one was found to be too badly gone to repair. I stupidly didn't number them on removal so it may have been the injector on the cylinder that had the damaged piston but I guess I'll never know now. Oh well. I've also got some polyurethane ARB bushes that I should have fitted when I did the front end work to go on along with a NOS genuine Alfa AFM and some new HT leads and coil.
Passed the MOT in July 2019 with no advisories, though one of the rear calipers is a bit sticky so I'll look into getting a second hand pair and refurbishing them. Already done 40-odd miles in it today and apart from a flickering oil pressure light at idle once its properly hot, no issues at all. It's currently got 10w40 semi-synthetic in it so I'm planning on moving to the fully synth 10w60 Alfa recommends for "highly sporting use" along with a genuine oil filter (which is the same as a Delta Integrale apparently..). I'll put a post in the oil recommendation thread too if I can find it again.
I'll use it as much as I can over the weekend before making a start on the small stuff like the remote central locking, audio and whatnot. Then it'll be the bit I'm dreading, bodywork and paint.
So it's been about 400 miles since the 145 passed its MOT and it's been great. The move to 10w60 oil has helped with the oil pressure when hot and the light goes straight out on starting. Since my last post I've fitted a new Exide battery so its spins over really well now and has also helped with the ABS light. I've also fitted a new aerial and rebuilt the wiper motor and linkage to resolve the juddering when on intermittent and fitted some Aerotwin wiper blades to go with it. I've also fitted this in place of the cigarette lighter:
About £16 off Amazon. 2x QC compatible USB ports and a little voltmeter. The voltmeter probably isn't very accurate but it'll be fine for keeping an eye on if the alternator is keeping up with demand. With suitable cables, you can also close the ashtray door and route the cables down the side gap so it's nice and neat.
I've also fitted the ICE so now it's running:
Kenwood KDC-BT73DAB headunit
Infinity Kappa 65.9CS front speakers
JBL Power P552 rear speakers
Helix HXA400 amp for front and rear speakers
Vibe Blackair P8-V6 subwoofer in the spare wheel well
Vibe Powerbox 400.1 amp for the sub
I'm really pleased with the audio now, especially how good the grilles for the Infinitys look compared to the old Alpines:
The 145 was missing the front grilles when I got it and I hear they're hard to get hold of now so I chose this route rather than trying to find the original grills.
Going forward, there's still the paintwork to do but the current problem is trying to find replacement engine mounts. They've been long discontinued and I'm not having much luck getting replies from the manufacturers that used to make them on if they still had some on a shelf somewhere. I fear I might have to make something up if I can't source any replacements or find some used ones and modify them a bit.
I managed to find a new front engine mount suitable for the boxer 145 but I'm having no luck finding the pair of rear ones. The front one is the same as a 33 so it's a bit less rare but the back two are unique to the boxer 145/6 so are pretty much unobtainable. They're not the most complicated of designs so something like a bobbin style mount might work as a replacement which is what I'm thinking would be best at the moment. The front mount was ordered from Bertelsbeck Automotive in Germany and arrived pretty quickly and I managed to get it installed on Saturday. It required quite a lot of disassembly but I wanted to flush the coolant and replace it anyway so the radiator having to come out was no big deal. As you can see, the old mount was definitely past it best considering it's meant to be one piece:
Knocking on for 600 miles since it was made roadworthy now without any major issues and the engine is running better than ever. I've still got a clonk from underneath the car that you can feel through the floor to investigate. I made sure all the subframe and anti-roll bar mounting bolts were tight and the ARB mounts had about 1/2 a turn put on them so that and the new engine mount will hopefully sort it.
Future plans are to source a better set of headlights since most of the reflector has flaked off on both of mine and to source or make some suitable rear engine mounts.
Apologies if the above reads a bit wrong, it's been copied from multiple posts over on PH. Since my last update there, I replaced the wiper linkage with a NOS one from a Fiat Tipo, the standard airbox setup has been refitted and a strut brace fitted. The clonking underneath was also down to me fitting the wrong size ARB bushes so I've got some standard rubber ones to fit in the new year along with a new reverse light switch which'll need the manifold to be dropped for access. I've also managed to fit a new front ABS sensor to replace a broken rear one which are made of unobtanium.
A few specs for you:
~ 125,000 miles
Monroe shocks & Apex springs (lowering springs I presume)
Ragazzon exhaust with 4-2-1 manifold
Some cheap ebay pod air filter that will be replaced with something different
- done, standard airbox refitted
Momo quick-release steering wheel
Momo cheese grater handbrake (will be going also)
Momo pedals (may be fitted, not sure at the moment)
Momo gear knob
Goodrich brake hoses
17" Excite multifit wheels
In April 2018, my brother, dad and I rescued a 1995 145 from one of my brother's colleagues over in Bristol. It had been standing since about 2010 and it wasn't a pretty sight:
We got it home and it scrubbed up well:
We got it running and after changing the CV joint and a burst brake pipe, it was thrown into an MOT where it did fail on quite a lot (mainly brakes and some odd things) but it gave us a to-do list to work from. We did a compression check after trying to diagnose a misfire and 3 of the cylinders were at 170-odd psi but one was down in the 120-130 range. We were planning on dropping the engine out anyway to do the cambelts and clutch so it was moved from my brother's house down to mine and we set about taking the engine out and the results were not pretty:
A piece of the piston and rings had broken off, had a rumble around and presumably got shot out of the exhaust. It's left its mark on the way out, making a bit of a mess of the head but the bore has come out completely unscathed thankfully. The most amazing thing was it had very little blowby, nothing concerning and it didn't burn any oil so really surprising. I did notice that once the exhaust manifold was taken off the two cylinders on this bank were running very lean so I wonder if that is how part of this piston has broken off and been blown out. I'm planning on a new lambda sensor and getting the injectors sent off to be checked in case it was detonation and lean running that caused the piston to fail in the first place.
That was September last year. In the meantime, the piston has been replaced, the valves removed, ground and new valve stem and cam seals on the affected bank. The other head was removed and checked over and all pistons in tact but that head got new seals while it was off as well. While the engine was out, its had a new set of timing belts, pulleys and water pump fitted along with a new set of core plugs. I did send the Bosch 2e ABS pump off to be checked over since access is less terrible with the engine out but unfortunately the company I sent it off to wasn't able to check it (I presume due to it's age). That was reinstalled along with new copper brake lines under the bonnet to replace the remaining original ones. One of the last jobs before the engine went back in was to de-yellow the brakes:
After that, the last few odds and sods before the MOT were done over a few weekends. Some pics before it went for it's MOT:
After getting it cleaned and taking the above pics, it decided to have a sulk and not start. Turns out I had knocked the inertia switch under the passenger seat while cleaning and cut off the supply to the fuel pump. Reset and all was well again.
It went in for it's MOT on the 15th June. It drove the 7-odd miles to my preferred station without any dramas, no warning lights, gauge at 80 degrees all the way. No clonks or other untoward noises and the only bit of smoke out of the back cleared up quickly. Considering this is the first journey its done in 10 or so years I'm very pleased.
It was a fail as expected but we were getting there. Basically tyres, emissions, handbrake/rear calipers and a bit of welding to be done. No ABS issues which I was dreading nor any problems with the headlight aim either. Once it was back a plan was arranged and after the front end was sorted we wanted to drop the rear subframe to refurb and polybush it and allow better access to the bit of welding that was needed.
The front wishbones and ARB droplinks were replaced (really should have polybushed the ARB while I was there but oh well) and the cat was replaced as well. The Alfa was then turned around and work started on dropping the rear subframe to refurb and give extra access to the bit of welding to be done at the back of the offside sill. The tank came out without a fight but the fuel that came out did not look too good despite being mostly fresh stuff by now so some fresh 98 will be going back in when its reinstalled. The subframe also came out without a hitch:
There was one snapped bolt on one of the trailing arm ARB bolts from a previous refurbish by the looks of it but 3 more snapped in the process of stripping the subframe. 3 of the 4 came out by welding a nut to the top of the remains of the bolt but the 4th needed to be drilled and retapped. A quick Gumtree scour procured a cheap BNIB needle gun which made light work of the flaky rust and a quick hammerite later had the subframe looking much more presentable:
Still needs a few more coats but it's better than it was. The bushes also didn't put up a fight as they were very past it and the rubber had parted from the metal sleeves:
The polyurethane replacements have arrived from Bulgaria so our hydraulic press will be put into action soon to install them. The only item of concern found was a bodged brake compensator spring which was held together with terminal block but thankfully still seems available from Alfa. No horrors found when the subframe was dropped and the underside of the car will be suitably undersealed before everything goes back in.
The polyurethane bushes from Bulgaria arrived and were pressed in. The subframe was given another coat of Hammerite and looks much more presentable now:
The trailing arms were also refurbished with new bearings and such. One has been replaced before but was done again anyway as they'd got one of the pieces in the wrong way round and just stuck the seal in the end. The other side appeared to be original and was well overdue replacement:
We also made a start on the sill repair. The repair section from Taros Trade is a great fit and underneath the previously repaired section looks bad, but is still very solid. The inner sill will be suitably rustproofed before the repair section goes back on. You can also see some of the other repair work that was done before we got the car:
The injectors were also been sent off to be tested and one was found to be too badly gone to repair. I stupidly didn't number them on removal so it may have been the injector on the cylinder that had the damaged piston but I guess I'll never know now. Oh well. I've also got some polyurethane ARB bushes that I should have fitted when I did the front end work to go on along with a NOS genuine Alfa AFM and some new HT leads and coil.
Passed the MOT in July 2019 with no advisories, though one of the rear calipers is a bit sticky so I'll look into getting a second hand pair and refurbishing them. Already done 40-odd miles in it today and apart from a flickering oil pressure light at idle once its properly hot, no issues at all. It's currently got 10w40 semi-synthetic in it so I'm planning on moving to the fully synth 10w60 Alfa recommends for "highly sporting use" along with a genuine oil filter (which is the same as a Delta Integrale apparently..). I'll put a post in the oil recommendation thread too if I can find it again.
I'll use it as much as I can over the weekend before making a start on the small stuff like the remote central locking, audio and whatnot. Then it'll be the bit I'm dreading, bodywork and paint.
So it's been about 400 miles since the 145 passed its MOT and it's been great. The move to 10w60 oil has helped with the oil pressure when hot and the light goes straight out on starting. Since my last post I've fitted a new Exide battery so its spins over really well now and has also helped with the ABS light. I've also fitted a new aerial and rebuilt the wiper motor and linkage to resolve the juddering when on intermittent and fitted some Aerotwin wiper blades to go with it. I've also fitted this in place of the cigarette lighter:
About £16 off Amazon. 2x QC compatible USB ports and a little voltmeter. The voltmeter probably isn't very accurate but it'll be fine for keeping an eye on if the alternator is keeping up with demand. With suitable cables, you can also close the ashtray door and route the cables down the side gap so it's nice and neat.
I've also fitted the ICE so now it's running:
Kenwood KDC-BT73DAB headunit
Infinity Kappa 65.9CS front speakers
JBL Power P552 rear speakers
Helix HXA400 amp for front and rear speakers
Vibe Blackair P8-V6 subwoofer in the spare wheel well
Vibe Powerbox 400.1 amp for the sub
I'm really pleased with the audio now, especially how good the grilles for the Infinitys look compared to the old Alpines:
The 145 was missing the front grilles when I got it and I hear they're hard to get hold of now so I chose this route rather than trying to find the original grills.
Going forward, there's still the paintwork to do but the current problem is trying to find replacement engine mounts. They've been long discontinued and I'm not having much luck getting replies from the manufacturers that used to make them on if they still had some on a shelf somewhere. I fear I might have to make something up if I can't source any replacements or find some used ones and modify them a bit.
I managed to find a new front engine mount suitable for the boxer 145 but I'm having no luck finding the pair of rear ones. The front one is the same as a 33 so it's a bit less rare but the back two are unique to the boxer 145/6 so are pretty much unobtainable. They're not the most complicated of designs so something like a bobbin style mount might work as a replacement which is what I'm thinking would be best at the moment. The front mount was ordered from Bertelsbeck Automotive in Germany and arrived pretty quickly and I managed to get it installed on Saturday. It required quite a lot of disassembly but I wanted to flush the coolant and replace it anyway so the radiator having to come out was no big deal. As you can see, the old mount was definitely past it best considering it's meant to be one piece:
Knocking on for 600 miles since it was made roadworthy now without any major issues and the engine is running better than ever. I've still got a clonk from underneath the car that you can feel through the floor to investigate. I made sure all the subframe and anti-roll bar mounting bolts were tight and the ARB mounts had about 1/2 a turn put on them so that and the new engine mount will hopefully sort it.
Future plans are to source a better set of headlights since most of the reflector has flaked off on both of mine and to source or make some suitable rear engine mounts.
Apologies if the above reads a bit wrong, it's been copied from multiple posts over on PH. Since my last update there, I replaced the wiper linkage with a NOS one from a Fiat Tipo, the standard airbox setup has been refitted and a strut brace fitted. The clonking underneath was also down to me fitting the wrong size ARB bushes so I've got some standard rubber ones to fit in the new year along with a new reverse light switch which'll need the manifold to be dropped for access. I've also managed to fit a new front ABS sensor to replace a broken rear one which are made of unobtanium.
A few specs for you:
~ 125,000 miles
Monroe shocks & Apex springs (lowering springs I presume)
Ragazzon exhaust with 4-2-1 manifold
Some cheap ebay pod air filter that will be replaced with something different
- done, standard airbox refitted
Momo quick-release steering wheel
Momo cheese grater handbrake (will be going also)
Momo pedals (may be fitted, not sure at the moment)
Momo gear knob
Goodrich brake hoses
17" Excite multifit wheels
