RE: Alfa Mongrels

["Shorey, Brian P." <ShoreyB@genrad.com>]

<snip>

excellent points, almost all of which i agree with ;)

>Again, I don't have a problem with anyone who wishes to do something to
his
>own car.  How could I?  It's his car, not mine.  What I do mind, is
having
>someone tell me that they "improved" their machine when they really
have no
>idea what portion of their car's performance they have enhanced, and
more
>importantly, what areas they have diminished.

yup, again, i think we agree.  similarly, i have a problem with anybody
telling me that because i've changed something on one of my cars that
i'm a peckerhead for bastardizing it.

personally, i consult with paul glynn on each and every mod.  paul
crewed on the gaston andrey gta's in the 60's (among others).  he was
mentored by oskie at gaston andrey, arguably one of the 'best' alfa
engine builders in the country.

there was a time when people like oskie were building more robust motors
than the factory, o-rings and roll pins, etc.  for a lot of things they
had access to factory designers, for a lot of things they didn't.
however, for things like 2 liter head gasket sealing, eventually the
factory came around and adopted the methods developed by people like
oskie.  did oskie have all of the design data from the factory?
probably not.  did he improve upon the design?  absolutely.  the factory
even acknowledged it.

so, my criteria for *most* of my alfa's is how they feel on a track, and
how well they perform on a track.  street driving is of lesser concern
to me, i don't require optimal street performance for a number of
reasons, a lot of which has to do with the fact that i don't drive
rapidly unless i'm on an open highway or a race track.  given the fact
that my spider tends to go faster than other spiders at our track events
(and i'm no alain prost), and that it feels comfortable and well
balanced to me while it's doing it, by my criteria i feel i've
'improved' it.  do i need to put an asterisk next to any mods i discuss
and then refer to my own personal criteria, just to make sure that the
reader isn't offended by my use of the word 'improvement'?  should i
grovel and apologize because i wasn't satisfied with an alfa the way it
was delivered by the dealer (not factory)?

thanks for your insight.  i'm enjoying the discussion, and have learned
quite a bit.  it's good to discuss differing points of view with people
who can remain rational, and not lower themselves into personal attacks.

i'd like to carry on, but am leaving this e-mail address tomorrow and
won't be back on-line until march.

enjoy your stock balocco, but trust me - that 3.41 rear end s*cks -
unless your criteria is good highway cruising ;)

bs

p.s.  fwiw, the '71 gtv i'm restoring is mostly stock, my criteria for
that one is a family weekend cruiser, and i don't think i could improve
much upon what alfa delivered in the first place (except for the euro
cams, ingram pump, and electric fan..)