Alfa 166 revival

dgt

Hello all

I have a 166 this past few years. It's a 2.5 V6 and a seriously comfortable car :cool: I haven't really done much with it

I got it cheap due to a bang in the rear quarter


It was also a tip inside :mad:




I started with an oblig service. Plugs weren't difficult, just the rear bank was fiddly to do



I took in the rear bench and cleaned it up


I also rebuilt the drivers switch (I am in my trousers paying a fortune for a 2nd hand unit let alone a new one!)


Cleaned up the calipers



And is cleaned quite regularly

dgt

In recent times the seats were revamped


And a set of Sportivo/horseshoe wheels bought


However that wasn't good enough, so I went out and bought a donor car. This one was a Super at one stage, now it's a ball of crap!

You can see scabs of rust already


Whilst the floors aren't visible the mould is apparent the second one steps in. Leather is absolutely spotless though



However, one of it's various rust patches


I needed that tailbox. Balls! :mad:


Care for a epically crap paintjob?


It sounds well mind you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz0h5ewid5c

Plan is to break that one and use what is savable from it on the other car :cool:

discombobulate

Fair play. Great to see a 166 being kept on the road. Getting rare now. That paint job is woeful!

Wasn't expecting the mask in the video!!

Coolbreeze2809

Hmmm that super looks familiar… :rolleyes:

mickdw

I remember a time I was quoted €2300 for a replacement ICS (radio) unit for my 166. I got to know the parts guy in tractamotors pretty well when I owned it as very little was available second hand for them at that time and it did tend to need a few bits regularily.

74merc

Have you seen this one? A lot of money has been spent on it by the looks of things.

http://www.usedcarsni.com/2005-Alfa-Romeo-166-V6-24V-Lusso-121172352

mickdw

74merc wrote: »

Have you seen this one? A lot of money has been spent on it by the looks of things.

http://www.usedcarsni.com/2005-Alfa-Romeo-166-V6-24V-Lusso-121172352

He will be lucky to see that kind of cash.
I dont buy the rebuild to have it perfect crap. Sounds like a high mile car that needed every bit of it. Then the ad only gives mileage since rebuild. Whats the full mileage?

dgt

mickdw wrote: »

I remember a time I was quoted €2300 for a replacement ICS (radio) unit for my 166. I got to know the parts guy in tractamotors pretty well when I owned it as very little was available second hand for them at that time and it did tend to need a few bits regularily.

I always wondered how much a replacement unit would have cost from the dealers, now I know :eek:

I used to go there a lot, I remember a 99 pearl 156 v6 in the showroom back in 1999 and sitting in it as a child. 10 years later, I saw the very same car in a scrapyard, it was a horrid sight (sad to see a piece of growing up like that ) I bought the seats from it

74merc wrote: »

Have you seen this one? A lot of money has been spent on it by the looks of things.

http://www.usedcarsni.com/2005-Alfa-Romeo-166-V6-24V-Lusso-121172352

No but that looks very clean, and a 3.2! There's another 166 in Down (black, 3.0, 2001) for a fraction of that asking price, not a hope that 3.2 will fetch that kind of money. Maybe half at a push....

I've began to dismantle the super. Removing the ICS was a right pig (all that twisting and poking for 2 clips!) and over the next few days I hope to dismantle more of it, with a few pics to boot

mickdw

dgt wrote: »

I always wondered how much a replacement unit would have cost from the dealers, now I know :eek:

I used to go there a lot, I remember a 99 pearl 156 v6 in the showroom back in 1999 and sitting in it as a child. 10 years later, I saw the very same car in a scrapyard, it was a horrid sight (sad to see a piece of growing up like that ) I bought the seats from it



No but that looks very clean, and a 3.2! There's another 166 in Down (black, 3.0, 2001) for a fraction of that asking price, not a hope that 3.2 will fetch that kind of money. Maybe half at a push....

I've began to dismantle the super. Removing the ICS was a right pig (all that twisting and poking for 2 clips!) and over the next few days I hope to dismantle more of it, with a few pics to boot

From memory, the gear surround comes pretty much straight up. I don't remember being too much hassle to get the unit out.
My unit sprung back into life when a new car battery was fitted so luckily didn't need to buy one.
I bought my 166 3 years old with genuine 40k miles for 9000 back in 2002. Drove it for 3 years and basically gave it away after that.

You were a child in 99! I thought you were about 50 for some reason.

dgt

mickdw wrote: »

From memory, the gear surround comes pretty much straight up. I don't remember being too much hassle to get the unit out.
My unit sprung back into life when a new car battery was fitted so luckily didn't need to buy one.
I bought my 166 3 years old with genuine 40k miles for 9000 back in 2002. Drove it for 3 years and basically gave it away after that.

You were a child in 99! I thought you were about 50 for some reason.

Goodness no I'm less than half that age!

toyotaavensis

dgt wrote: »

Goodness no I'm less than half that age!

you just sound old

wotzgoingon

dgt wrote: »

It sounds well mind you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz0h5ewid5c

Is that you with the horse mask on? If so why are you wearing it?

challengemaster

What do you mean mask? that's his face :pac:

166man

Both those 166's look extremely familiar! Seats cleaned up well in the 2.5!

dgt

I have the time, let the full revival commence :cool:

In with the donor car. Very rare I work on a car in the garage, usually I do everything outside. Take a long hard look, that's the last time it'll drive!


Donor namely because....


Look at what some asshat did to the left driveshaft. Inch gun was tested taking this out. Driveshaft is fit for the bin :mad::mad::mad:


Interior stripped. Exterior somewhat stripped. Engines ready to drop once I remove the downpipe. So as it stands

dgt

Ever since I got this car the clutch felt terrible. Always had to put the foot under the pedal to bring it up to normal. It got worse and worse till one day last month it gave up and went to the floor. Seeing as the slave worked fine, I concluded the master had had it. Bums :mad:

Not too long ago I did a clutch master in a GTV. I had the engine out and all. It was still a pig to change. Whilst a GTV isn't easy to work on a 166 is a different league of awkward. Naturally I wasn't looking foreward to this!

So I searched round on where it was, how to do it etc. No useful guides :rolleyes:

So I went at it myself. Here's a guide on how to change a 166 clutch master:

Here is all too common a sight for a 166 owner. At least it wasn't the pedal box!!! :eek:


Remove the lower dash panel. I know there's mildew there, I'll be addressing that asap


Here is the offender. Note the nice cover round the bottom of it


Remove that cover and use a brake spanner to loosen the union. Then loosen the supply pipe. Have plenty of papers/cloths ready as there will be a lot of fluid! I forgot to take a pic so here's a pic from the other day when I was removing it from the Super....


2 nuts. Tight on room...


One clip at the back on a pin. Remove the clip, depress the clutch and lever out the pin. Then wiggle out the whole master.

Easy to see why this one didn't work! It was off before too, it has a jubilee clip instead of the standard Fiat clips


Install is the exact reverse. Only hard part was aligning the clutch pedal with the end of the master, it kept springing to rest position. So a hunt round the garden yeilded this piece of scrap, which when inserted between the master and pedal provides enough leverage to push it back and insert the pin


Bleed it, job done.

How long did that take? 25 minutes, faffing about. I rang a few "reputable" and a few "specialist" Alfa garages, I got one quote of €400 plus vat from one place.

Pure robbery that is, considering a new master is £31 plus vat and the job takes about 30 minutes.

So hows the super? Um....



And where's it's engine going eh....

More Alfa stuff on the way

toastedpickles

I think the super is missing something.......

fuse 18, yep that's it :pac:

Looking good!

dgt

More stuff

It was about time I relocated it to the yard. It wouldn't move under its own steam due to locked brakes, so out with the tractor and problem solved. Then drove it into the yard from there

It's temporary new location


Unaware of the butchery going on inside.... :eek:

Boooo stupid dent!


It is an arse to get at, we're going to have to improvise to make the clamp work....


New tail light


Think this needed replacing too....



And replaced a sticky caliper


Not much left to do, wheel bearing, rad, headlamps, dent, t-belt, service and some new tyres to see it ready for the road

166man

So cool seeing the 2.5 V6 in the yard!

Cleveland Hot Pocket

166man wrote: »

So cool seeing the 2.5 V6 in the yard!

Would be cooler to see a GM diesel in it.

dgt

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Would be cooler to see a GM diesel in it.

Sure they came with the Fiat 2.4, in previous years they used Perkins and VM diesel engines (as found in some eastern block cars)

Cleveland Hot Pocket

dgt wrote: »

Sure they came with the Fiat 2.4, in previous years they used Perkins and VM diesel engines (as found in some eastern block cars)

T'was more a nod to the GM v6 unit (the 3.2 - not yours..)
Just to irk the alfa guys :P

mickdw

I don't believe the 166 in right hand drive was ever offered with a diesel engine.
It might have sold a few more if it had.

dgt

mickdw wrote: »

I don't believe the 166 in right hand drive was ever offered with a diesel engine.
It might have sold a few more if it had.

Never was, LHD only, same as the 2.0 Turbo. Pity, I haven't a clue why they didn't, plenty of room and the 156 was available with the 2.4 as RHD....

Small update, I've moved onto the dent at the back. Just took the relatively bad look off it, so we can decide where to go from here


There is still a lot to do to get this looking right, it's a right pain to get at properly

mickdw

Do you do bodywork and painting yourself or will it be off to bodyshop?

Re the diesel, I thought there must have been a serious issue with fitting the diesel to the 166 when they didn't do it.

dgt

mickdw wrote: »

Do you do bodywork and painting yourself or will it be off to bodyshop?

No bodyshop is getting their hands on this, all inhouse

mickdw wrote: »

Re the diesel, I thought there must have been a serious issue with fitting the diesel to the 166 when they didn't do it.

Some reckon that the chassis was designed in such a way that the rack wouldn't fit properly to clear the engine. When one looks at the chassis without the engine, there is a swell on the right hand side that makes servicing the V6's a total nightmare. Plus all the foot controls are brought to the left through the cabin, such as a rod for the brake and pipework for the clutch

Then again some people said the TB was LHD as the turbo couldn't be cleared by the rack.... The TB had the turbo beside the radiator.... Oh dear

Whatever the reason, if there was a diesel 166 in RHD it may have been a cracking company car seller in the UK. Fiat slipped up there

cabb8ge

dgt wrote: »

No bodyshop is getting their hands on this, all inhouse
==

Any bodyshop worth going to would do nothing less than new quarter panel on that.

dgt

cabb8ge wrote: »

Any bodyshop worth going to would do nothing less than new quarter panel on that.

That's a spoiler alert right there. Straightening the side was to push the shut line closer to the door, straighten out the lines a bit to gie an idea what it should look like. There was no way that was going to be repaired due to lack of space and an absolute headache of a job due to the crinkles and emerging rust, it's much weaker now

If it wasn't crinkled we could have got away with pushing it out, addressing the imperfections and a bit of paint.

So it's like you read my mind, I have a quarter to go into it, that's for a future update

dgt

The more I work on this car, the more I see how much attention to detail has been demonstrated on this car..... Which is naff all :rolleyes:

Lets take the lower arms as an example. I have the hub off as it needed replacing (wheel bearing gone) and as the balljoint was flopping about, I decided to change it. I was wondering why one of the nuts was difficult to remove.....



Not only hammered out at some stage, but mildly cross threaded :rolleyes:

So lets remove it. In true Alfa fashion....


The gearbox is in the way :rolleyes: so I need to raise the engine. That's simple enough, loosen the 17mm nut on top. To avoid damage to the earth strap, it needs to be removed. So, what happened next?



Typical :rolleyes:

I got the bolt out anyway. You can see the taper is missing off it


I used the bottom fella after I cleaned it thoroughly. The whole lot is now bolted back up. So that's a 3.0 mount (naff all difference) with a 3.0 lower arm (it's bigger in places and I'll be swapping the drivers side someday soon). Now to put on a hub and happy days

dgt

So I was up to more shennanigans

Here's where we start. Note the rusty lower arm, which had a fantastic balljoint (I regreased it anyway) and bushes. Much better than what came off!


I was having a bit of bother with the other hub I had lined up for the car. So I robbed this one from another convenient 166 I have lying about.

I'd like to find the ape who did this. Seriously, an impact 12 is all it takes. What the hell went on with this :rolleyes:


No choice but to leave it. But there was no choice in leaving this accordion on :eek:


The trackrod was an utter arse to get off. I had to heat it up significantly to move, then the airgun to remove the locknut. Finally, off with the tired gaiter


A bit of consideration in the form of copper grease for the poor buffoon who has to track this beast (probably me )


Seeing as the upper balljoint was trashed, I pulled another one out of thin air


The job takes so long due to crap like this. This was the strut bolt. I had fun removing this :rolleyes:


But alas, that's the left side done, bar a dose of the inch gun and the splash guards. Next will be the right, I can't wait :rolleyes:

Best news is the ladybird on the bumper of the car is still there a week later and still alive, feeding on something on the bumper. Makes me smile everytime

Edit: Said Ladybird

dgt

It's been too long.... But I'm at this car whenever I can. For example, the back is almost finished

It hasn't moved anyway. So I decided to shove on the timing belt. This won't be a full guide, more so to compliment my other guide, as such

The kit. Belt, tensioner, 2 rollers


You need cam blocks, confusing tool and a cam pulley as extra special tools (yaaaaay speshul!)

Jack up, front wheel off, splash guard off. Never mind my hub removed, that's another job


Aux/serpentine belt off. 15mm spanner and it's spring loaded. Slip it off


Engine steady off. I have newish parts to put on, as the old ones were a bit past it....


Remove the engine covers and drain the power steering fluid. If you don't want fluid everywhere, cut up a paraflu bottle, place a funnel underneath and catch the old fluid (pasty crap in this case)


Timing cover off. Now remove this bracket


Same as the other guide. Plug cover off, rocker cover off, plugs out. We begin to see shoddy work


The plug cover serves as a handy tray for each series of bolts


Same for the rear bank. Unplug the throttle and unclip the plenum clips


All these hoses and fittings must be unclipped. The oil catch is held with 2 bolts, hard to get at if you have stumpy fingers (no, I don't, I have magic fingers that do magic things :pac:)


There we go


Hmmmm....

dgt

Next, break out an inch gun and 41mm socket for the crank pulley. Forget breaker bars, useless


Use a suitable pullers


Remove this guide roller beside the alternator


Oh boy....


Using the old crappy belt remove the 3 10mm bolts for the water pump pulley


Rotate to TDC. Forget dial floats, 21 o clock on the crank and a wiper blade in cyl 1 will tell you where TDC is. Off with the bearing caps and lock the cams. Didn't get a pic, but the same as the other guide. However, pics later on in this update...

Now remove the belt. 2 bolts on the tensioner. Bit past it....


Still intact


Then I discover this. You heartless apes :mad:


Guide roller bolt rounded. HOW???!!!!!

I had to buy tools to remove it



I can't repeat my conversation but much swearing, cursing and shouting was involved, directed at the ape who did this!

The next day, timing covers off


Bracket off


More chimpanzee work


There were gouges in my new bracket. So I smoothed it down as much as I was arsed to

dgt

Water pump off next. Means drain the coolant. Which is an arse to get to so I removed the airbox for better access. Cue the surprise quality work...


16 bolts later, it's off. See anything wrong in this cosy wosy picture?


These pumps FAIL. This wasn't going to last much longer!!!

Gasket needs cleaned off. You can turn the thermo pipe housing for easier access


Yaaaaay!


Best to remove the crank sprocket and clean it up while you have the chance


Clean up all round it. White mess, all round a slippery shaft.....


Time to clean up the crusty covers


Clean up the rocker cover gasket faces too


Now the belt. It's very tight on room. I found that fitting the tensioner first followed by the rearmost sprocket with the belt on was the best way to start


Next, place on the second sprocket, beside the one put on. Route the belt down to the crank, up again, round the lower guide roller. Refit the remaining sprockets and route the belt on them. Finally, guide roller in the middle, refit it and all will have sat on perfect!


Tensioner tool time! Oh look, another picture from me on how to use the busso v6 tensioning tool, how generous....


Tensioned correctly


This concerned me, but was only visual and not detrimental. So on you go for now


Last of my pictures involves me refitting a shneering 4 eyed pulley, freshly greased


All rebuilt since

I'll have more updates soon enough

quadrifoglio verde

That busso was lucky to last with that water pump. And after seeing the most detailed guide on the inter webs on one of these belt changed I now know why the labour is so high for the belt change.

Bolomaster

Beautiful work man, I'm sure this skill will come in handy in future, if other boardsies need it done...

dgt

More shtuff!

First, swapping the boots and packing grease into the new old lower arms


The reason I'm swapping the arms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XXMvlFZApM

Sounds like someone wiping their arse after a good watery shcutter :pac:

Driveshaft renovation next. I have the other side to do still. Reason being


It's been off before too.... :rolleyes:


The hub cv comes off with a circlip, just tap it out. Then, drift off the old boot with a suitable punch


Pack it all with cv grease (I use MRM-2)

Forget cable ties, this is the only clip to use


Looking good!


Now sitting awaiting bolting up


Lastly is my love for copper grease


Because the phone went dead.... However, I replaced and made a hybrid air box, connected up all the pipework, filled with coolant, power steering fluid, aux belt back on, hub nut on, check tightness of everything. Wheel on....

I've been test driving it. Better than before, no more wheel bearing whine, less clonking at the front :cool:

Still not done yet though!

dgt

Looking better now


Now relocated


Which meat the super (rusty ball of crap) left the garage, at bloody last. Had to shove on wheels, ever see 166 wearing dumpy looking 156 teledials? :pac:

quadrifoglio verde

How's you get them to fit? Must say they look ridiculous.

dgt

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

How's you get them to fit? Must say they look ridiculous.

A bit of fiddlin but they fit like they were made for the car....

dgt

Bout time I popped in here again

First, tyres needed replacing. So off with the old


On with the new


And onto the car....


Dig that camber yo! :pac:

Moving swiftly on.... Engine needed a bit of cleaning. Plenum off


Remove a few bits on the plenum


Off with everything else


With some simple yet epic work, we have a sparking looking engine

dgt

Next batch of jobs: rad, pump, lights, boots. Rad pissing, pump groaning and there's more light from my piss than these headlights. Boots.... As before, shoddy work

Front needs a good chunk removed to do this lot. The grilles slide to one side after the screws are removed


Slam panel, air box, drain coolant, disconnect air con pipes, fan, ducts at the side etc. Once that's all disassembled, rad out. It's an awkward fecker and blue with the cold....


Draining the power steering fluid by cracking the unions and collecting it without spilling a drop


Out with the old. Here's one I made earlier


Sitting pretty


A rad I pulled out of my rear end


Changing the aircon canister



Onto the lights. No need to remove the bumper, unbolt and just shove it to one side. 3 nuts, 1 bolt and a few plugs. Be grand


A nice wiper swap to flat blades


And another pair of CV boots. All I'll say is cable tie, universal boot, not in the recess. Quality job or what...


Last pic for now!


What will it look like in the next update....

wotzgoingon

dgt have you every tool going. Equipment to make custom exhausts and now I see you can change tyres.

Chris_Heilong

Only reading this thread now.

dgt

wotzgoingon wrote: »

dgt have you every tool going. Equipment to make custom exhausts and now I see you can change tyres.

I've always been able to change tyres

Small update now! I'd like to say I have more pics but I've just been pressed for time, with the time this car takes up!

Painted now


And in the process of getting it's new door


I'd love to see more pictures of it myself, but that's all I have for now!

One could say, it needs final touches here and there, but it's there or thereabouts mechanically

Ded_Zebra

Oil changed and coolant changed. No pictures of either due to doing them in the pissing rain for the most part :rolleyes:

Hopefully I'll be able to put it inside tomorrow and change out the power steering pump.

Ded_Zebra

Well what's become apparent is that I'm sh1t at remembering to take photos compared to the previous owner of this thread

Today I changed the power steering pump in the car so it actually works It's a big heavy car with wide tyres for a weakling like me to steer without power steering working!

The new pump is a little noisy (not as loud as the last one) but works perfectly. After a bit of reading on the internet it seems that excessive end float on the shaft makes them noisy. Apparently it can be shimmed out of them to make them tight again. I'll do a bit of experimenting on the one I took out today and see what I can do

mickdw

What's going on with the change from dgt to dead zebra?

Ded_Zebra

mickdw wrote: »

What's going on with the change from dgt to dead zebra?

One person sold a car and the other bought one

mickdw

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

One person sold a car and the other bought one

Unusual situation to take over mid refurb and continue the thread. Was confused by that.
Had a 166 years ago myself so good luck with it.

Ded_Zebra

mickdw wrote: »

Unusual situation to take over mid refurb and continue the thread. Was confused by that.
Had a 166 years ago myself so good luck with it.

It's a bit odd alright but it takes all sorts

We've both be planing this for ages and ages, Since he started working on the car actually

Ded_Zebra

Finally took pictures of something I did to the car

I rented a carpet cleaner. €40 well spent . The drivers footwell was the worst and didn't come up 100% but I think you'll agree it's a massive improvement.

Before



After a hoover



After cleaning



It still looks crap in the after picture but it's a massive improvement in real life. The rest of the carpets came up perfect.

Just ordered a set of these for it so that will make the carpet perfect looking.

http://www.carmats.co.uk/alfa-romeo-car-mats/166/alfa-romeo-166-saloon-2-5-3-ltr-model-mats.html