Monsoon season

It's time for hurricanes and monsoons here in Florida. Almost every afternoon you can count on some heavy rain, which goes as quickly as it arrives.

Today was no exception and the Alfa Spider Graduate felt the brunt of it, leaking through some gaps between the window/door and the convertible top. So she sits in the garage, her carpet peeled back and a fan going to try to dry out the carpet.

I also started disassembling the cowl near the firewall so I could make sure the drains under it were clear and so i could replace the windshield washer jets and tubing with new bits scheduled to arrive soon.

All in a days work....and I love it. Welcome to your new home Grad. You're gonna like it here :)

Champ Flight to the Beach

This morning Champ Pilot Jim and I took the Alfa Romeo Spider out to Bob White Field for a flight in the Aeronca Champ out to New Smyrna Beach. 'Twas a great morning of roadster riding and classic aircraft flight!

CPJ drove the Spider too and fro the airport and had the expression of a child on Christmas morn as he was behind the wheel.

The Champ's new Gascolator device works a treat. What a marvelous and handsomely fashioned device. We flew out to the east coast of Florida, over New Smyrna Beach. Stunning views of the ocean and coastline! CPJ even let me work the controls a little bit and I move the plane's nose up/down and left/right!

We landed at nearby Orlando/Apopka airport and the Champ's new butyl rubber tires squealed with delight as they met the paved runway. After a quick refueling, we were airborne again and headed back over to Bob White airfield.

Once there we met with Cub Pilot Jim and I got to sit in the back seat of his 1942 Piper Cub as we taxied around for a while...very cool!!

CPJ then shuttled us back to his abode where he used his electronic wizardry skillset to help me diagnosis why my license plate lights were not working on the Alfa Romeo. After much continuity testing and disassembly/reassembly, we traced the problem to a lead which had become disconnected. Once reconnected, the license plate lights sprang to life, happily glowing and welcoming a rebirth and a new purpose in life!!

Once home I started troubleshooting why my windshield washer pump was not squirting any fluid. The problem was simple enough...it was disconnected from power. Further investigation revealed that(GASP!!) the washer pump was an aftermarket item from TOYOTA!!! ARGH!!

I scurried indoors to my International Auto Parts Alfa Romeo catalog and sourced a new washer tank/pump assembly for a mere $31! That will be ordered toot sweet!

Searching for even more things to do on the Alfa, I went about attacking the issue of some minor convertible top leakage I had experienced in a recent torrential rainstorm. I added a couple pieces of rubber flashing type material in two key spots and will test this in the coming days.

Finally, I reinstalled the oil pan guard which the previous owner had removed for some reason.

All in all a great day of flying and further bonding with Alfa Romeo Spider :=)

Here are some pics...

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Busy with the Alfa Spider

A package awaited me on my porch this evening when I got home...from International Auto Parts, a big Alfa Romeo/Fiat/Lancia/Maserati/Ferrari parts seller.

I had ordered all new window seals/trim pieces, a new vent window locking handle for the passenger side vent window (it was missing), a bunch of metal and plastic clips for the boot cover(covers the top when folded down) and a nice new Alfa Romeo badge for the trunk lid to replace the previous one which had been faded to the point of being hard to read.

Oddly everything went on pretty easily. That usually doesn't happen for me :) Here are a few pics.

Cap'n Jim gets a new gascolator

Champ Pilot Jim (CPJ) ordered a new fancy dan gascolator for his Champ the other day and it should arrive today, in time to be possibly installed for weekend flying activities.

This gascolator is a real work of art with a lifetime guarantee. Here's a pic of the little beauty....

The Alfa gets a "physical".....***UPDATE***

Tomorrow I am taking the Alfa Romeo Spider to Daytona Beach for a thorough inspection from a very well known Alfa Romeo mechanic, Rick Lovecchio. Rick is going to spend a few hours going over the Spider and making a list of things which require immediate attention and things to do as funds permit. I am going to hover around while Rick does this and try to learn as much as I possibly can, as I do plan to do as much of the service work as possible myself.

Check out Rick's shop... RML Automotive

**********UPDATE**********

Yesterday was a great day in the Alfa Romeo shop in Daytona Beach. I got to meet Ric Lovecchio, the Alfa "guru" there. He is the sole mechanic in the shop and his wife Rose runs the shop office. Yesterday his 90 year old dad was there and he had a constant stream of friends stopping in to chat, etc.

It was a lot of fun and he is a great fella. He allowed me to linger around while he was checking out all the stuff on the car. That was a great learning experience.

Ric thought it was a really nice car, especially considering what I paid for it. He found the issue with the clutch. The master cylinder had a leaking seal, which made the hydraulic system lose pressure. Once he installed the new master cylinder (I got to assist by holding a flashlight), the clutch was transformed! I now have a load more confidence in the car!

Ric also replaced the oil light switch as one of the previous owners had installed the wrong switch (they installed the switch for the oil pressure gauge, not the light). Now the oil light works again!

Down the road I will need to do some front suspension work and probably some exhaust work but for now I will have fun driving it. I took it to work today and with my newly gained confidence I kept up with interstate traffic, hit ~80 mph and passed more traffic than I can recall :)

FORZA ALFA ROMEO!! :=)

Down the road it goes....

Maybe not one of my better decisions, but I could not resist driving the little Alfa Romeo Spider to work this morning.

So off we went, on to I-4 with all the now "blazing" fast traffic whipping by us as we cruised along at a little over 60 mph in the right hand lane.

I got her all the way up into 5th gear and cruised along at 72 mph and I even passed one car myself...a Geo Metro :=)

Made it into work just fine, no clutch issues, engine temp settled right in at ~175 degrees, oil pressure looked fine and battery voltage looked fine.

Now she sits right below my 4th floor window, awaiting a (hopefully) fun and issue-free drive home later today :)

Spider update

My friend Andrew came over to have a look at the Alfa and see what was up with the clutch. After working the clutch pedal a bit he grabbed it and using a good, strong, steady and slow pull he pulled it back toward the himself, back up even with the brake pedal where it was before! Then we took it out for a test drive and it shifted perfectly!

So maybe the issue is not too serious. Thanks Andrew!!! I will sleep A LOT better tonight!!!

**SUNDAY***
I spent a few hours last evening cleaning the Alfa in and out. Today I took it for a few rides around the area in Deland, Lake Helen and Cassadega and the clutch issue did not recur. It is a fun little car to drive for sure!!

*****UPDATE***** Saturday Aeronca Champ Flight: Mission Alfa Romeo

This morning I awoke early (3:00 a.m.) eager to get my day underway. I am going to look at a 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate not too far from Tampa, Florida.

My plan was to ride the Guzzi Breva there this morning, but after I mentioned where I was intending to go to Champ Pilot Jim, he suggested we take flight in the 1946 Aeronca Champion and take it to the Crystal River Airport, just 10 miles from the Alfa owner's home. The Alfa owner will meet us there this morning and whisk us away to see/drive the Alfa.

It just so happens that the Alfa's owner is a vintage motorcycle racer and it also just so happens he knows two of my Guzzi friends down here in Florida! What a small world and once again, Moto Guzzi is a key part of the equation!

Expect a full report on the trip and the Alfa upon my return later today!

***************UPDATE***************

What a morning and afternoon it has been! I picked up CPJ bright n early in the mighty Soob-a-roo and we made our way out to Bob White Field. The grass was dewy as the sun rose, the Champ awaiting another skybound mission.

CPJ turn on the fuel in order to visually check the fuel via the gascolator device....and things were not looking good immediately. Fuel was streaming out of the gascolator at an alarming rate...it was leaking :(

CPJ quickly determined flying was not to be today, so we headed back to the Soob and headed east toward Hernando, Florida, home of Bion St. Bernard, his marvelous motorcycles and the 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate. NOTE: BIG THANK YOU to Champ Pilot Jim for taking a lot of his day to head out with me to view the Spider and lend his expertise. I owe you big CPJ!!


We arrive shortly before 9:00 a.m. and Bion and his wife could not have been nicer people. We talked for a while and visually inspected the Spider. It was in MUCH better condition than I expected it to be given the asking price ($2500). There were some dings and a couple places where the clear coat paint was peeling away but overall the paint and body were nice, no rust to be seen anywhere.

The undercarriage as well was nice and clean and the engine was looking quite good too. I was surprised that the interior was in decent shape, with a rip in the passenger seat being the main fault.

The convertible top was in great condition, no rips at all and not even worn looking.

So visually I was pretty impressed...certainly it had numerous little faults but overall was really nice.

Bion then fired it up to take it for a test ride. It started right away and sounded good. Nice idle, good steady throttle. CPJ and I climbed in and started out for a ride. The first thing I noticed was the lack of power steering as some effort was required to steer the car in the driveway. But as we drove along it felt good. Suspension showed its age somewhat as it was not too firm but certainly good enough to drive around in. The motor moved the Spider forward at a decent pace and the clutch and gearbox seemed to be fine.

After more discussion with Bion we made a deal! We settled on a price of $2000, which I think is quite a good deal for the car.

Being the great fella that he is Bion accepted my personal check, signed the title over to me and allowed me to drive the car home!

This is where things got interesting. About 10-15 miles into the trip the clutch pedal lost pressure....and I quickly became Cap'n Crunch as I struggle to get the car into gear, especially at stop lights. Several times I had traffic backed up behind me as I tried again and again to get the car into gear, painfully grinding gears. Man that sucked! I finally figured out that if I shut off the car at stoplights I could easily get it into first gear and then I would start it in first gear and give it plenty of throttle to lurch forward.

Anyway, this was how it went for like 40-50 miles but we finally made it to CPJ's house and decided to assess the situation. Fearing I might cause (more?) damage to the Spider if I tried to drive it the 20 miles home, I decided to have a flatbed come and haul it home.

So now it sits in my garage, lookin' all purty and just smiling at me like it didn't do anything wrong :=)

Lucky for me I have the Guzzi Breva and the Subaru, two very reliable vehicles, 'cause I think this little Alfa has a lot more tricks up its sleeves.....

MORE PICS HERE!!!(clicky)

One leaving......

Well, one of my Guzzis is leaving soon. I have a buyer for my 2006 Griso. A fella in Connecticut.

Now, the Breva will be lonely in that garage with no fellow Italians to keep her company. Hmmm, maybe a 4-wheeled Italian is needed.....

The Super Cub returns to Omaha

Piper Super Cub pilot and Moto Guzzi aficionado Bob Alf returned to the Omaha area Sunday, piloting his newly repainted, gleaming Piper Super Cub from Montana back to the Millard airport!

Super Cub Pilot Bob flew Sunday a.m. to Baker, MT in his friend Dennis' plane, crossed the T's and dotted the I's on the Super Cub and then flew her back to Millard Airport! Congratulations Bob on a successful flight and having the Super Cub back where she belongs! I hope next time I am in Nebraska I can persuade you to take me up for a flight in that majestic bird!

Saturday morning in the Aeronca Champion

Champ Pilot Jim and I took to the skies Saturday a.m. in the 1946 Aeronca Champion (Champ). It was a somewhat hazy day as the air was filled with moisture, but Cap'n Jim and the Champ handled it with aplomb.

We flew around the area for about an hour and a half, including flying over my house in Deland...that was cool!!

Also, we landed at the neighboring Orlando/Apopka airport, which has a paved runway. Cap'n Jim did a major league slip maneuver to scrub off some speed as we were approaching the runway. During a slip the plane is flying at an angle to the runway...it felt almost sideways...very neat.

The new butyl rubber tires chirped with delight as they made contact with the runway and Cap'n Jim gently massaged each rudder pedal to keep the mighty Champ straight and true on the runway. Then we fueled up and were on our way again to the friendly grass runway of Bob White field which the Champ calls home.

Here are a few pics...my house is the sorta mustard colored one in the pics...that's Lake Victoria across the street from my house.

Jerry's SMART car!

My neighbor Jerry got a SMART car while I was away on my trip! Man that thing is neat! Here are a few pics of it :=)

Some more pics from the Guzzi National rally

Here's a link to some pics taken by the fella that organized the rally...

CLICK ME TO SEE PICS!!

Sweet naked Breva

I spent some time giving the Breva a well deserved cleaning and oil change this morning. Man oh man she looks good with all the accessories removed and nicely cleaned. Check out this Italian beauty!!







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Made it back home to Florida!!

Well, I finally made it back home to Deland, FL at about 4:00 p.m. ET today. Total trip mileage was 6,469 miles.

I left Papillion, NE fairly early Thursday morning (around 5:15). It was a LOOOONG day. 832 miles from Papillion to Tupelo, MS. I learned that my GPS is not to be trusted and nearly smashed it on the ground after it told me of a "shortcut" around Memphis on Hwy 81. I said to myself, sure, I'll try it! Well, about 25 miles later the dreaded "Dead End" sign showed up! I had to turn around and go back to where I started. POS!

Today was a little easier, just 670 miles from Tupelo to Deland. Not a lot of fun in Alabama and Georgia having to slow down and stop in every GD small town along the highways I traveled but once I hit I-75/I-10/I-95/I-4, the Breva just chugged along between 80-90 mph and I got home in no time.

Anyway, glad to be home. Very glad I went and saw some GREAT friends and some of my family. A special thanks to Mike "Stallion" Caniglia, my brother of the iron horse on this trip. Couldn't ask for a better guy to ride along with. Thanks Stal!!

Stal rode his 2006 black Guzzi Breva 1100 and I rode my grey 2006 Guzzi Breva 1100. Both bikes performed great! Mile after mile through 112 degree desert and mid 40's in the mountains. Really and truly we put these Guzzis through a torture test and they came out of it with flying colors. Bravo Carlo, you done good!!
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Now it's time to relax....

Visiting Guzzi Guru Bob Alf and his lovely wife Barb

This morning I had breakfast with Bob and Barb Alf of Elkhorn, Nebraska. I met Bob and Barb through Guzzi riding in Nebraska. You meet the nicest, most genuine folks from riding Moto Guzzis.

Bob and Barb just moved into a beautiful house in Elkhorn and are in the process of moving in. It will sure be a wonderful place to call home when they are completely settled in.

Bob has some really cool motorcycls, including 3 Moto Guzzis, all of which are beautiful, well maintained bikes. He has a Moto Guzzi Ambassador 750 (black, which he has owned for 39 years and taken some epic trips on), a Moto Guzzi Eldorado 850 (white) and a Moto Guzzi V11 Sport (black). This morning Bob let me ride his Moto Guzzi Eldorado 850. You won't find a better example of this bike anywhere. Just awesome!








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