Spidey gets some new clothes

The seats on my Alfa Spider, mostly the passenger side, were showing some wear and tear, with a couple rips developing at seams. So I decided to take advantage of a 15% off sale at my favorite Alfa parts supplier, International Auto, and buy some new seat cover upholstery for the car. Here are a couple pics. I think they look sorta swell.

Nice drive to the coast

This morning I hopped in the Alfa Spider and took a drive over to the ocean. It was a beautiful day here, partly cloudy and mild. I always like taking the Spider over to the coast and driving along highway A1A, the coastal highway running along the Atlantic Ocean.

Here are a few snaps n vids of today's outing....

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Great day for motorsports!

What a great day for racing on the tube today...

Right now the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco is going on. Fantastic racing on the streets of Monaco, nestled on the Mediterranean Sea

This afternoon the fantastic Indianapolis 500 kicks off, with cars reaching speeds of 230+ mph

Finally this evening NASCAR's Coca Cola 600 kicks off with plenty of sheet metal banging action!

Out and about on the Guzzi Breva

Today for the first time in quite a while I got out for a ride with friends on my 2006 Moto Guzzi Breva 1100. At 9:00 a.m. I met up with friends Andrew(Triumph), Bob(Harley Davidson), Rob(Kawasaki) and Rob(Suzuki) for a breakfast ride to Duck's Dam Diner in Moss Bluff, FL. Nice cafe out in the country with great food at really good prices.

After breakfast I said goodbye to the fellas as they headed back toward home and I headed to the Blackwater Inn in Astor, FL for the central Florida Moto Guzzi lunch gathering. We had probably 13-15 bikes for this gathering, which is great considering the rainy weather we have had the last week, today included. In fact, as I was riding from Moss Bluff to Astor, the skies began to darken and then for a 5-7 mile stretch I was in a torrential downpour, arriving in Astor soaking wet.

It was fun anyway, even though I had to sit in the restaurant in wet clothes :=( Still great to see the Guzzi folks and the cool bikes. Quite a good outing today all things considered! :=)

Alfa Romeo Spider - water pump replaced!

This evening I received my other parts order from International Auto parts, allowing me to complete the water pump replacement job.

I got some new hoses, a new drive belt and a new radiator cap. I replaced those old parts with the new bits and reinstalled the radiator and fan shroud. Next all the hoses were reconnected and I refilled the system with coolant. Finally I fired up the old girl and bled the air out of the system.

Everything seems to be okay! No apparent leaks, no strange noises and I am happy to have the Spider back and roadworthy again :)

Agua from the heavens!

It's been raining basically non-stop for over two days here in Florida, much needed relief for this drought stricken state. The rest of the week calls for good chances of rain as well. Keep it coming! Pond Victoria across the street from my house needs a refill!

Chitter chatter

Just a few bits and pieces of chit chat....

Yesterday Scott the Canuck came up to Deland and we spent some time on his Honda Accord. Job 1 was to pull apart some of the dash and remove the clock and radio so we could install a new auxiliary device, allowing the northerner to listen to his Sirius satellite radio with more clarity. After that we did a nice job of detailing his car, i.e. vacuuming, carpet cleaning, leather cleaning, window cleaning, washing, waxing, tire cleaning, etc. Man does it look a lot better than before. I can actually ride in it at lunch now without having to shower when I get back. We rewarded ourselves for a job well done by sampling some most excellent pale ales and india pale ales.

Tonight I got my keen new water pump for the Alfa Spider! I scurried home after work in the Alfa 164L looking forward to gathering the new pump off the front porch. It is so nice and shiny and clean. Neato paper gasket too so it won't leak. I will prolly head out in a while and get started on it.

(Little update...I spent a while in the garage tonight and got the water pump and gasket installed, as well as the fan assembly (couple pics below). Now I need to wait til Wednesday for a couple new hoses and a new drive belt. Then I can start final reassembly)

Check out this very cool old school game my friend Mike "Stal" Caniglia is refurbishing! Stal's Hobby Site...