QV steering wheel: check

At last, the QV-wheel is fitted and cleaned and functional. Looks good, doesn't it?

The scratches are maritial evidence of the driver.

In an overview, I guess the seats and panels will have to move for QV seats, some time. 

For now, I'm quite content.

Steering Wheel

Well, the day before yesterday I had my SW-steering wheel cut off from the steering axis. The wheel wat totally disrupted, I couldn't operate the steering wheel puller. Yesterday I fiddeled about and made some space around the axis and finally I was able to install the puller in place. Just a good half turn with the puller was sufficient to extract the wheel form hte axis.

Uncle Ernie was fiddling about, fiddeling.

So was I, what a mess!

Finally I could insert the pullers rods. 

Here's the pull!

I changed the switchunit, some switches didn't work flawless and direct. It even was a bit greasy 

(from the fiddling I reckon...?)

I even changed the starters lock, with the doorlocks, in one set. Now I only have to use two keys (starter cq doorlock and the petroltank lock)

Steering wheel, another QV adaption

While waiting for my paint and Brunox, I wanted to install another steering wheel, in my cellar I had the leather version of my old QV. The mounted wheel in the Blue Lord is a standard plastic one, and when disassembling it I noticed a disrupted attachement. While turning the wheel I noticed a flaw in the circular movement.

Standard wheel of type 2 Alfa 33.

The disrupted inner attachement life of the standard wheel mounted in my car. 

I hope it isn't caused by a crash...? With a hammer  I tried to disassemble the wheel from the steering axis. You can see some damage already from my hammering on the round whole in the lower left part of the picture.

While disrupted, I couldn't install the steering wheel pullers rods.

With some effort I maneged to install one rod, slightly. 

Not enough to get some traction on the puller.

One option: cutting the upper part of the wheel off the lower part, to clear the way for the puller rods. 

The wheel was disrupted anyway.

Tomorrow I'll pull out the lower part of the attachement, and install the leather wheel.

QV-adaption: windbreaker

Today I installed the windbreaker on the passengers side. In fact an easy job. With the following pictures I'll show you how it's done (I was inspired by this bloke's video).

When the windbreaker is second hand, make sure it isn't damaged. Clean it thoroughly, especially between the sides to mount in the door.

Remove the doorpanel.

Loosen the window bolts and release the window out of the windowmechanism. 

Leave the window in the door.

Before you tear out the rubber inner frame, remove the little rubber struts, if there.

Tear the inner rubber out of the window. Start in the bend of the door. When it is released leave this part hanging on the door. The rubber goes all around the door and you don't have te remove it totally.

After releasing the inner rubber, remove the hard plastic outer window frame. Start here at het long sides. Because of the sturdiness of the plastic you'll have te teaar really hard end do it step by step. Once it comes off, you're practical done.

Remove the mirror by loosing the little inbus screws and the big mutter around the big whole on the inner side. This can carefully be done with a screwdriver or a little steel rod in one of the four spaces in the aluminium mutter.

Once the frame is out of the doorwindow, use the occasion to clean it an look for dents or scratches in the paint onder the rubber. Tip the bare scratches with paint to prevent rusting.

The installing of the windbreaker begins

Start by putting the windbreakers end in the lower corner by the mirror. Make sure it sits under the horizontal rubber.

Once the windbreaker is set in the window, try to place it in the upper corner, equal tot the vertical hardplastic cover. If possible adjust it. Make esure to push it really hard in the doorframe.

The upper back corner is critical, make sure there is a perfect overlap. Here it isn't.

Once the windbreaker is set, push the soft inner doorrubber in the windbreakers inner.

Make sure this rubber is set corretly along the windbreaker, left and right.

To mount the doorpanel here's a tip:

Move the doorlock strutter through the panel's whole and turn it  slightly tight.

Now you'll have your both hands to set the panel right in the door (when you don't fixe the panel in the lock's corner this is a #@$%^&@!-job!) The inner white frame of the panel has to be set behind the doormetall.

When the panel is tight, the mirror is installed and the doorhandles are on, ready is Kees.

Nice accessory, isn't it?

The biggest advantage of the windbreakers is that you can provide you and your passengers with fresh air by leaving the window slightly open on hot and rainy days. Even when the car is sitting down and empty. Burglars won't have a quick chance.

Now the driver's side and the QV look is evolving quick.

Anyone with a spare windbreaker?

Adapted exterior

This is the set up of a QV SW. I'd like to make my Blue Lord the same. In blue, of course.



Bumpers partially painted, unpainted more dynamic shaped skirts, Speedline rims, windbreakers on the frontdoor windows, white indicators. I notice some foglights in the front, so they have to come later, just as the 1700 cc engine.
Nice view, isn't it?

More bumpers, front

Now the front bumper is to disassemble. Luckily the rust isn't that worse on the attachement elements. So only the bumper itself is to be sanded and painted, I reckon,

Rear bumper mounting elelmetnts, rust had some grip on them.

Front bumper with rusted screws and nuts. Maybe I'll leave it so.

Motip has two colours of Blu Lord. Alfa Romeo number 428 is the color Blu Lord, Alfa color 438 is  listed in the Motip catalogue as Alfa blu 8C. The 428 number has listed the years 18983 to 1988, 438 the the years from 1988. so I decided to order the 438 number, Alfa Blu 8C, because the year AND the number were compatible with my car. I'm curious what colour I eventually wil get.

Bumper disassembly

Today I disassembled my QV rear bumper and I sanded it. The inner structural elements were also sanded and treated with Brunox. I realised I already emptied 9 little cans of that anti-rust stuff. Now  I think I need a bigger bottle (400 ml instead of 150 ml). The linked adress is the cheapest in the country, when you'r ordering one at a time. Others are cheaper when you're ordering 12 bottles at a time. This seller is the cheapest in bigger volume orders. Maybe we have to put us together for a really great order. Someone interested?

Now I saw the plastic bumper is not wholy painted, there are some spots where there is no paint on the plastic bumper. So some plastic primer is to be sold to treat the surface right. Also there are some dents and scratches int the surface, #$#$%#$^%$#, so I need to put some paste on it to make it really smooth.

Maybe I'll do some internet courses to learn how to do it.

Unpainted spots on the QV rear bumper

Square towing hook sapce on the underside, scratches on top, 

bumperless SW in background

Mounting elelements with some layers of Brunox

Mounting elements drying in my garage

Front bumper in better shape, with small gray QV rim underneath,

no foglights mounted

Italian Joe

Lovely scene from the home mechanic's backyard.

Sanding the subframe bar

Sanding is an intensive work. If one wants to do it good. Here some workflow pictures.

Bumpers and bar

The subframe bar in an overview

Now with some rusty corners to do

A nasty corner, but not at all hopeless

Suspension arm mounting bay

Stabilizer bar attachement ends (left) and suspension arm mounting points

Bar front, sanded

The QV bumper with painted top, 

above the undisassembeld SW bumper from my gray 1.3S SW.

Eye and bumpers

Well, the old blacksmith used a little fire to shape his metal. Neighbour Piet has sold me an old gasburner for 5 euro's, some years ago in his garage. Now I used it to reshape the towing eye on my subframe bar. I think it has become rather edgy, but the shape is right. Only the eye isn't still fully operational. It has to be welded on the backside of the bar. A fact that my neighbour Mike also noticed, when he first saw the subframe bar, last week. Now I want to ask him to weld me some points on the eye to fix it on the bar. I don't have a welding machine, neither a grinder.

Contemplative German prune pastry

Since this is a low budget project I started sanding the bar with my bare hands this afternoon. A work that goes with some contemplating and thinking. So after grinding and doing some shopping and drinking coffee in Karken (Germany), I decided to get up the rear bumper of the QV, which was still in my cellar during some odd 6 years. At home I tried it on the bleu lord, and wonder, it fits, even tough the QV was a hatchback and the bleu lord is a stationwagon. I always thought the bumper of the sportwagon was longer in the sides. Happy me. Even more, because the QV-bumper is black with an unpainted lower rim. So I won't be needing the plastic primer to treat the bumpers surface before painting. Only a little sanding and some cleaning will suffice, spraying it in the right colour: Bleu Lord 438 and ready is Kees. The front bumper, it lay beside the rear bumper in my cellar, is also partially painted, so that's a simple job.

Now the funds for some paint and work can be started.

After sanding the subframe bar, tomorrow, a little flask of Brunox is to be sold and the job is practically done (just adding a layer of primer, some clear varnish, maybe). Oh, when I treat the arms of the suspension the same way (sanding, brunox primer, varnish) the very underside of  the Sportwagon will be practical new! Oh dear!

Blacksmith Thei working his way to the eye

Still a little edgy

slowly some progress is made

The end result, before welding it thight to the bar.

See how it was here.