Re:The Great Tea Tray Debate Rages On

[George Graves <gmgraves@domain.elided>]

on 6/16/02 5:09 AM, alfa-digest at owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided wrote:

> 
> And the GTV6 tea tray is simple to explain. The factory thought they needed
> additional clearance for the V6 plenum. They  made the tooling for hoods
> (OK bonnets) with the hole cut out for the metal hood scoop they thought
> they needed. Then they ran a bunch of hoods with holes and realized they
> didn't need the extra clearance after all. Too expensive to weld and finish
> steel covers on all those hoods, so they molded a cool plastic feature for
> the hood instead.
> 
> OK prove that's wrong. And no points for spotting the flaw in the "logic".....
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Michael
> 
> 
> Michael Smith
> Calgary, Alberta,Canada
> 91 Alfa 164L
> 
> ------------------------------

I think that the poster who said that the GTV-6 was originally supposed to
 have carbs (like the V-6 sedan which preceded it) hit the nail squarely on
the head. Downdraft carbs would need a hood inlet for cold air so the GTV-6
bonnet was designed to accept an air scoop. Then, after the tooling for the
new bonnet was already in place, the decision was made to go with Bosch
injection instead. After all, the 3-liter GTV-6, made for the South African
market, did indeed, have downdraft carbs, and the tea-tray WAS replaced by a
cold-air scoop. Tooling to stamp-out sheet metal for automobile production
is expensive, too expensive to replace the bonnet dies after they had been
made when a simple plastic part could be fabricated very cheaply to fill the
hole. After all, we are talking about a car who's entire 5-year production
run was only a few in excess of 22,000 units.


-- 
George Graves
Editor-in-Chief
"Overheard Cams" Magazine
Alfa Romeo Association of Northern California 
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