Re: Spica attrition

[Carscribe@domain.elided]

<< There is obviously a lot to be said for the Spica system, but service parts
availability isn't one of them; you can buy parts for Webers or Dellortos, or
vulnerable ECUs for Bosch systems, but in the end Spica attrition is going to
be unavoidable. Keep them running while you can, but it would be prudent to
not believe "lax maintenance be damned".
Cheers
John H.>>


Now I know that most personal experiences and opinions here are viewed as 
anecdotal, and Spica failure modes and rates are broad and varied, but my own 
experience with Spica F.I. has been very positive and I'll also comment on 
some valid reasons why Spica injected cars will drive the market, so to speak.

I have owned 14 Alfas since 1984 with Spica F.I., all were daily drivers, 
some received better maintenance than others, but none failed by the what 
some here have described as the most common mode, dumping fuel into the sump. 
I had several faulty thermostatic actuators and fuel cutoff microswitches, 
but none ever prevented me from getting home. Compared to the other 
road-going mechanical fuel injection systems from the same era, i.e., 
Kugelfischer and Lucas, Spica is elegant in it's simplicity and an order of 
magnitude more reliable, as well as far more supported. 

My Lancia Flavia is fitted with a 1967 vintage Kugelfischer unit, and though 
I've avoided major incidents so far, both sourcing minor parts and finding 
knowledgeable service (even here in the Bay Area) has been a major issue. The 
Lancia parts aren't too hard to find, but Kugelfischer, forget it. Not so 
with Spica. 

Another contrasting example is a good friend with a 1964 Maserati 3500 fitted 
with Lucas mechanical injection. For those unfamiliar with the system, it is 
spun off the left cam and uses manifold vacuum to regulate mixture by acting 
on a primary piston. His car has been waylaid for two years while the only 
Lucas F.I. service in the country waits for a newly machined primary piston 
for his metering unit. God only knows when this sad bolide returns to the 
road.  But to convert to the MIE touted triple Weber conversion would ruin 
the originality value of this machine, which is substantial. Of course there 
is no confusion why MIE tries to ply it's conversion while elsewhere 
encouraging maintaining originality when one considers its $2700 + price tag 
and the history of MIE's mercenary motives and maneuvers.

So, it could be worse. All considered, a well maintained Spica injection 
system is a positive, not a negative. It's able to surpass dual 40 DCOEs in 
performance when properly tuned, is lower maintenance if cared for per 
factory recommendations, is a more an elegant solution, and is comparatively 
well supported. To quell alarmists, there's an adequate supply of units 
laying around the junkyards here to keep us in parts for the next 10 years in 
my opinion, if my time scavenging has been well-spent at all. By then 
enterprising owners with a small business bent will find alternate means to 
manufacture and supply the requisite bits. If not, then perhaps our passion 
in these cars is little more than a fling and we get what we deserve.

There are two major market pressures that will press owners increasingly in 
coming years to retain their car's Spica injection. Firstly, I remind our 
less scrutinized neighbors that in most of California (AQMD managed areas and 
others) you are unable to register a car when transferring title if the Spica 
has been replaced by carbs. And history indicates that what emissions 
standards start here move east with time. This affects an owner's ability to 
sell his/her car, thereby diminishing value. I can cite many, many Alfas I've 
seen here that were scrapped because to put them back to stock to be 
registered was cost prohibitive. What a sad and unnecessary end to what was 
originally a fine machine; had the car been left original or close to it, the 
car would still be on the road and possibly enjoyed by many others later. 
Many collectors feel that that such ill-conceived modifications of a rare car 
are an act of hubris and selfishness. Granted, they're talking Bugattis and 
we're discussing 105/115 Alfas, but the arguement is parallel and valid just 
the same, I feel.

Secondly, there is another type of scrutinizing that goes on: discerning 
buyers with an eye towards originality and sensitive to conserving these 
relatively rare machines for future owners and admirers abjure modified cars. 
Particularly those modified for such easy expediency.  They tend to wonder 
what other corners were cut or other sacrifices in originality made in the 
name of expediency and ease if the seller balked at the cost difference 
between rebuilding the Spica and fitting carbs or was unwilling to live with 
the perceived risk of Spica and so fitted carbs?  The fact is that the market 
will always pay a premium for an original unmolested car opposed to someone's 
idea of how the factory should have done it or their idea of an Italian 
hotrod. You can say that an original car is more of a known quantity. Time 
spent at the classic auctions or reading Keith Martin's excellent Sports Car 
Market magazine's auction reviews validates the argument for originality. 

I'd seriously consider both of these issues before tossing out the Spica in 
favor of carbs.

A last point to consider: parts for Webers and Dellortos of recent 
manufacture may be easy to find, but parts for both types from the early 
seventies and earlier are next to impossible. Rebuild kits are still 
available, but often these units require more than just the jets, a check 
valve, and gaskets in the kit to make right considering their advanced age. 
So if one is living with an older conversion or using vintage parts to ape a 
European-spec 105/115, sourcing parts, or if unable to do so, then replacing 
both carbs with modern DCOEs can make living with a modified car as expensive 
and more difficult than sending off your F.I. unit to Wes or another.  

Best Wishes,
Paul Mitchell

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