69 GTV brake reservoir needed (+comments)

[alfacybersite <acs@domain.elided>]

Regarding the 69 GTV (AND Spider) brake reservoir: Feel one is out of
luck. The only thing I could suggest is to have one fabricated out of
stainless. The trickiest part would be to fabricate the necked down area
in the middle. This is essentially to allow for the retaining clip. I'd
come up with another mounting solution and simply make a rectangular box
which fits within the current metal reservoir 'shelf'. I would make the
center baffle completely block one side from the other and install a
filler cap on each side.

The reservoir shown on the alfahurtienne site is the more 'modern'
reservoir which attaches to the MC.

White Post Restorations should be able to rebuild (including resleeving)
your old, original brake cylinder. You did save it didn't you? If not...

I've discussed the brake MC mentioned with Chris Sweetapple of Highwood.
The dual brake MC he was / is involved with is for right hand drive
Alfas and will not work on 'our' left hand drive 69's.

Which leads us to the crux of the problem. Apparently this braking
system was used only on the US cars for one or possibly two years and
affected (inflicted?) only the Spider and GTV (to the best of my
knowledge).

If one plans on keeping their car forever and / or don't care about
resale value, the ultimate solution, in my opinion, is to install the
later single brake booster with readily available dual brake MC, clutch
MC, along with their attached reservoirs.

Visit http://www.alfacybersite.com/ BR67AlfaSpd.html to see a system I
fabricated and installed on a client's '67 Duetto vintage race car. In
his case, he insisted on a dual braking system and preferred pendulum
pedals (as do I). Having at one time in my life put considerable mileage
on an English car with floor mounted pedals. I always dreaded rainnot
only for the various leaks, anemic windshield wipers, but because I'd
always end up with wet pant legs and shoes.

Even though the client's car had been turned into a race car many years
agoincluding cutting the windshield posts off, I don't like making
major modifications to Alfas (or any car). However, I do feel at times
Alfa seemed to go out of their way to make complex solutions for
relatively simple problems. The bastard dual booster brake system is
certainly one, another that comes to mind is using complex fittings and
consequently weird  hoses on early Giuliettas for their Weber to Weber
gas line and another type (but similar) for the flexible oil pressure
line. The gauge being mechanical rather than electronic.

Please allow me to pontificate on the latter items. Even though client,
Joe, asked that I go with the original type hose on these items, I threw
in the towel and went with a silver soldered, stainless mesh covered,
flexible metal line for the oil pressure hose. It is unoriginal but
beautiful and will withstand 3,000 psi pressure, I would assume forever.

Yesterday I installed the short ($4 per inch) stupid large, yellow Weber
to Weber gas line. I also installed the standard regular rubber gas line
which goes from the engine bay sidewall fuel pressure regulator / filter
to the incoming portion of the forward Weber. Pray tell, if an 'old'
rubber gas line is okay to go from the filter to the carb, why did Alfa
go to such lengths for the carb to carb flex line? Makes absolutely zero
sense.

Some, actually many of those of the Alfa persuasion, find these 'little
idiosyncrasies' quite charming. I personally find them dumb and dumber.

That said, the reasons I enjoy working on Alfas is because of their
often brilliantly engineered and quite beautiful castings, forgings, and
elegant mechanical solutions.

"Has one ever seen a picture as pretty as an Alfa cam cover or a
sinistro brake drum?" (Yes, you may quote me).

But I digress,

Biba
Irwindale, CA USA

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