I've just become a 2 car family

Currently reading:
I've just become a 2 car family

The Beard

Prominent member
Joined
May 23, 2007
Messages
5,135
Points
839
Location
Manchester
Mrs. Beard has decided that her 156 has gone past its sell by date so we've acquired a Giulietta Multiair for her and because a 14 year old, 100,000 mile plus Alfa has a very limited value I've decided to adopt her. The er, car not Mrs. Beard.... obviously. Because we now have two Alfas we (well me actually) have decided to name them, so Alfie and Giuli it is.

Because it's a 2.0 Veloce with the Momo interior and is, arguably, the last of the true Alfas having its own make engine rather than a FIAT or GM sourced unit and we've known her history, the er, car that is, not Mrs. Beard.....obviously, it makes a degree of sense to hang on to her as I've always wanted a "Classic". Rather than buy one with a chequered history that might be full of bog or be a re-built write off, the maxim "Better the devil you know...." comes to mind.

I got her out of a friend's garage, the er, car that is, not Mrs. Beard..... obviously, today, put 20 quid's worth of Unleaded in, pumped up the tyres to 35psi, gave her a wash, the er, car that is, not Mrs. Beard....obviously, and took her for a brief spin up the M60, the car that is not....oh bagger, you know what I mean.

First task, hopefully next month is to nip down to Heath Road Garage in Sandbach and get Alfie, er, he's the mechanic, not the car.....obviously to give her a full service. Cambelts, oil and filters, plugs (all 8 of them), ancillary belts and water pump. At the same time I'm going to get him to have a look at the O/S/F front wheel assembly as it's starting to make a "chuffing" noise on full lock so I'm not sure it this is a wheel bearing starting to fail.

A couple of months later we'll have a few days in East Anglia and while there we'll have all the underside blasted off to get rid of the old sealing, weld up whatever's necessary and have it re-sealed.

Then just before winter sets in there is some minor body damage, stone chips and the like, that needs dealing with and at the same time I'll have the screen replaced due to a large chip.

Just trying to think what else I need to do to be a real classic car enthusiast. Well I've already got the facial hair and a flat cap, so it just remains for me to make sure I have oily fingernails and, er, oh yeah, start smoking a pipe.

There's something else, but I can't think what it is.

Mind you, modern cars aren't what they were in the '60s and '70s, we had real cars then. Cars where every time you opened the boot you checked that you had a socket set, trolley jack, tow rope, jump leads and half the manufacturer's spared parts inventory. 'Course, we were real drivers back then, waffle, waffle, waffle.

Just remembered what the something else was. Yup, got to learn to be a real bore.:)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top