So....this just happened.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-alfa-romeo-spider-11/

Can't wait to drive it on the mountain roads of CO.

A long over due svending for my GTV.

Nice reflection of the clouds on the hood.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I ordered some New Age Bold Series cabinets for the garage. They are installed now. Here's some thoughts followed by some pictures.

They seem to be well made. The Bold Series is their lighter steel, but definitely sturdy enough for casual use in my home garage. This series is also shallower than the Pro Series and that means the work top is only 18" deep (instead of 24). It would have been nice to have the deeper work top, but the Pro Series is quite a premium over the Bold and I just couldn't justify the expense. Also, the Bold Series fit the spaces that I wanted them better than the Pro. Obviously just installed, but I think I'll be happy with them.

Here's some pics. They are packed well:

The smaller cabinets are nested in the larger:

The installation was relatively easy, but I quite a few to install:

Installation tip....the doors have spring hinges. Removing the door made the installation easier and made them lighter to move around.

Finished installation. I had to work around the windows so the center, top cabinets are bit lower than they should be (tops are supposed to be flush with the tall cabinets), but I didn't want to block the windows at all.

After a recent move from sea level to 8250 ft, my Alfa Romeo GTV had a low fuel pressure light on the dash that would not go off. I thought it may have been the mechanical fuel injection (Spica), but some investigation showed that the Spica is after the fuel pressure sensor. So, it was most likely something between gas tank and Spica. My fuel system components:

Fuel tank -> Rear filter -> Fuel Pump -> 2nd Filter -> Pressure sensor -> Spica

I decided to start at the back and work my way forward. Replaced the rear fuel filter and that didn't resolve it. Then I changed the fuel pump and that was it. Could tell even by how easily and quickly the car started. I'll probably check 22 more times for leaks, but for now, all seems good. It took me way longer than it should have, but I'd rather go slowly and (hopefully) not mess anything up. I'm happy to be able drive my GTV again.

Old fuel pump:

New filter and pump:

I know my Alfas are small, but I try not to think about just how small they actually are. I'm nervous enough driving them considering they have basically no safety equipment. But, when they are parked by current SUVs and pickups....I shudder to think how bad getting hit by one would actually be.

My GTV behind an Explorer:

My Spider next to a pickup:

The plan for the afternoon....full tanks of gas for my two Alfas and my 911. Add a gas stabilizer and connect up the battery tender. Basically....tuck them away for winter.

The GTV went to plan. Fixed the ground on the driver's side rear taillight so the turn signal works again. Full tank of gas with stabilizer. Nice.

The 911 had a full tank of gas so I added the stabilizer, but the planned quick drive to mix up the stabilizer and get some stabilized gas through the system didn't go well. When I touch the clutch pedal, it drops about half way down and only then starts to engage. Doesn't want to go into gear. Clutch pedal doesn't return all the way up. Quick googling shows it's possibly/probably the accumulator. Which is something I've never even heard of. It's gonna need a tow to the mechanic. It's almost due for it's annual maintenance....so, I guess I'll just get it all done at once.

The Spider started fine and also had a full tank. I put in stabilizer and went for a quick drive. I was smelling gas on the drive and thought maybe it was stabilizer on my hands. Nope. Pulled back into the garage and saw a rather large puddle. Yep.....fuel leak. If there is good news here, it doesn't leak when it's off. I'm guessing it's either the electronic fuel pump or at least on the pressurized side of the fuel pump. The leaked gas is cleaned up. Gonna need to tow this to the mechanic as well because I don't feel like dealing with it.

So....2 out of 3 cars down for the count. Hope your afternoons were better than mine.

And with the title to this post....you too can have an old Meat Loaf power ballad stuck in your head.

Busy weekend around these parts....kinda a long post.

I put the batteries back in the 911 and the GTV. Both started right up. Well "right up" considering they've been sitting for about 6 months. The clutch pedal on the 911 dropped all the way to the floor when I touched it. Thankfully I could pump it by hand (lift, push, lift, push, repeat about 30 times) and it started to engage more normally. Not perfectly but normally. Should be enough to get it to the mechanic.

The GTV started well but still has some idling issues when it's cold, but it runs really well when warmed up. Took that to do some errands. Needs a svending...but, fun to have it out:

I also got rid of those ugly black windshield wipers. Replaced them with some nice silver blades that match the wiper arms. Not that the wipers work very well....they kinda move in slow motion. At least the look better now.

Old:

New:

I crawled under the '91 Spider but don't see anything obvious for the fuel leak. And, I didn't feel like turning the ignition on to power the fuel pump....and getting sprayed in the face with gas. So....2 of the 3 are running but also 2 of the 3 need some work.

I then moved on to svending Mrs Leper's Macan. Broke out the new undercarriage attachment for the high pressure washer. Rolls nicely underneath to blast away the winter grime:

After washing....I busted out my polisher for some animal scratches on the passenger's door and some Mrs Leper added scratches also on the passenger side. Not perfect....but much better than it was. Some before and afters below:

Busy weekend that included putting away the snow blower and firing up one of the lawn mowers. More to do. Time for a shower and then a cocktail.

My new to me, 1996 Alfa Romeo Spider came with new front tires but not new rears. The rears have plenty of tread and they look basically brand new; however, the date code tells a different story:

Yep. That's April 2001. Old enough for an adult beverage. No cracks or apparent dry rot but the tread is rather stiff/hard. So, 2 new tires to match the 2 new fronts will be mounted tomorrow. It's almost a shame because there is a lot of tread left and the tread pattern is kinda cool:

I didn't have a penny handy so I used this euro 1 cent coin that was in the glove box.

And just to add to the fun of car ownership....I was driving my wife's Macan to get it's annual maintenance and a truck kicked up some rocks. One just missed the top of the windshield and left a nice chip in the roof. But three hit the windshield with 2 doing some damage. Time for a new windshield.

This drove past my house this weekend and I couldn't grab a photo. When I saw it today, I stopped to grab some photos. Sorry, I don't have one from the side, but traffic and the fact that she was driving away limited my opportunities.

I had new summer tires mounted on my wife's Macan rims at Discount Tire. And the tech removed the glue from a prior weight with what appears to be a wire brush. As in a wire brush in a drill. And it was on the front of the barrel and right in the middle of 2 of the spokes in a 5 spoke rim. So....extremely visible and extremely obvious. In what world does that seem like an okay practice? How can they damage the finish on a rim like that and just not give a fuck? Un-fucking-believable.

These rims have no curb rash. I cleaned them and coated them over the winter. And now they do this. I sent a very pissed off email sent to the store manager. So we'll see what they say. But...I have 6 cars and 9 sets of wheels on and for said cars....they'll never see another one.

@functionoverfashion The main plan is make it 5 more weeks until I retire. Yay! After that....work on bikes, work on cars, work on house and property, and get back in shape after being off the bike for months because of prostate surgery. We have a trip to Tahoe in a couple weeks for a long weekend. But are planning a late summer bikepacking trip as well. I'm really looking forward to retirement!

@theturbomrt said in Really? A f**king wire brush????:

Is it a state in the salt belt that they'd need it to remove corrosion on the bead?

Nope. I'm in Colorado. No salt on the roads. Just "sand" which is actually tiny gravel. So, no rust from winter driving, but many chipped and cracked windshields.

@atfsgeoff said in Really? A f**king wire brush????:

That's not to say Discount Tire isn't capable of top quality work, but IMO if you're taking a spotless, flawless set of wheels in for tire mounting, you should make it a point to explain how much care you expect to be taken with those wheels so there are no surprises, and the techs working on your wheels can be forewarned to be extra careful with them.

Lesson learned. I guess I'm just still shocked that they would use such a damaging method at all. I wouldn't have even thought to mention, "Please don't wire brush the finish off." Never crossed my mind until now. And I still can't believe they were so careless.

@Rufus Thank you for the link. I'll give the store manager a day or two to respond before calling corporate. Hopefully, they'll do the right thing and pay for it to be refinished/repaired.

[edit] But to be honest....even if they do the right thing and pay for a repair/refinish, I still have to deal with getting it there and back. Not really what I want to spend my time on.

And, my wife's not gonna let me near her Macan anymore. I was driving it last week and the windshield got 2 big spider chips. Now, I get new tires for her and one of the rims is damaged. [/edit]

@ttyymmnn I had great experiences with them in the Bay Area which is why I went to them here (Colorado). I just can't get over that some tech thinks this is okay. I took me about 5 minutes to remove the rest of the glue and stickiness with some bug and tar remover followed with some isopropyl alcohol. I guess that's slower than 10 seconds with a wire wheel, but doesn't damage. We'll see what they do.

I had new summer tires mounted on my wife's Macan rims at Discount Tire. And the tech removed the glue from a prior weight with what appears to be a wire brush. As in a wire brush in a drill. And it was on the front of the barrel and right in the middle of 2 of the spokes in a 5 spoke rim. So....extremely visible and extremely obvious. In what world does that seem like an okay practice? How can they damage the finish on a rim like that and just not give a fuck? Un-fucking-believable.

These rims have no curb rash. I cleaned them and coated them over the winter. And now they do this. I sent a very pissed off email sent to the store manager. So we'll see what they say. But...I have 6 cars and 9 sets of wheels on and for said cars....they'll never see another one.

@MidEngine Looks awesome! Well done. I also like that it is ground level so you don't have to deal with railings and steps.

My 22 year old tires were replaced yesterday. Today I cleaned up the rims a bit before putting them back on. The inside of this one took 3 rounds of iron and fallout remover to really clean up:

After that, I went for a bike ride that was cut short by thunderstorms. Only my second ride since prostate surgery and I'm really, really out of shape (but, at least I'm cancer free now). Time to go straighten up the garage for a bit....

@Saracen said in What's the worst car you'd buy?:

Any one of numerous old Alfas or Lancias.

@glemon I hear you on getting/being old. These old tires are Falken FK451 tires. The new ones are Falken Sincera tires. I would have gone with something different, but there are two new Sinceras on the front, so I just matched them for the rear.