Xti's 155 Q4

[Xti]

Hi guys!

Here I am finally starting a thread on my 155 Q4 which I became addicted to since I've seen it for the first time. It's true this is also due to my love for grales and as I'm an alfista it wasn't too hard to decide. ?Il cuore ha sempre raggione??

I bought this car from a friend of mine because at that time he couldn't take care of it anymore so I had to sell my 147 and save this 155 Q4. A shape not to envy at all and the car was already pulled off the road a year ago but this doesn't seemed to matter too much to me 'cause it was about a legend. Some guys said that I must be insane to buy such a wreck but I already knew what I have to do even before have this car at home. And hey, were is that passion without some madness in it? I knew that this Alfa should keep running on roads and that was more than enough for me. All Alfas are ment to be on the roads.

Here it is before starting the rebuiding project?

[Xti]

So one day I decided it’s time to take my Q4 to garage and start the job.
Don’t remember why I had to put the camera on the roof before get in the car but I’m sure now that I forgot it there…so just few pictures from the first day made by cellphone...

Hard work in the first day. Oh I remember we have struggled with a lot of...beers. I had to celebrate anyway because I new a lot of work was expecting meeeeeeeeeeee.

More to come.

Cheers,
Cristian

[AlfaJack]

It looks in great condition for a wreck!

[Xti]

Maybe the metallic colour (Rosso Proteo) helps for a good looking but it’s also true that it was far away from being a “wreck” anyway I never accepted such an etiquette for my 155. An Alfa Romeo is always an Alfa Romeo.

Here are some faulties I remember it having at that time:

- lot of scratches and punches allover the body
- scratched windscreen (faulty rubberblade)
- front left wing crashed
- skinny 155 front bumper different coloured, also cracked and no safety supports (same the rear one)
- 15” Speedlines screaming for a painting job
- no passenger door locking device at all
- defective electrical mirrors , the left one broken
- 4 different types of tyres, the rear ones in 195/65/15 => scrubbed wheels housings
- just one door handle functionable, always have had to open the rear left door first to open driver’s one
- the original driver’s seat was missing, I had to get another one but different colour
- lots of “cigarette holes” on front and rear seats
- defective front side windows (electrical)
- raining inside due to broken doors/trunk seals
- height adjustable steering wheel defective
- defective climate control
- no radio
- engine coolant massive leakage
- engine cuts above 4000 rpm
- broken rear exhaust
- oil leakage (don’t know exactly where from but dropped on the exhaust pipe)
- etc…

Will update as soon as possible.

Regards,
Cristian

[wrinx]

Certainly had a rough life (same as mine!) but everything is repairable...and you have a rare widebody!


It will be a proud car again

wrinx

[Xti]

Rough life yes, can't imagine why some don't care too much and yes you're perfectly right everything can be done. It's bad shape made me even more determined to do the job. I'll make it proud again, that's the word.

Cheers,
Cristian.

[Evodelta]

I'm looking forward to seeing some pics of your progress.

[biggie_]

Keep the good work, i will be watching your progress mate ;-)

[arjunior45]

mine was worst than yours when I've bought it, but it's in better condition now. You can have lot of fun with this car and ... it's just rare enough.
Remove the Q4 badge and you will see many surprised faces if you drive it fast.

Congrats for your decision to give away the 147 and save a wb 155 Q4.

Nick

[Xti]

Keep the good work, i will be watching your progress mate ;-)

Thanks man, I'll update this thread.

mine was worst than yours when I've bought it, but it's in better condition now. You can have lot of fun with this car and ... it's just rare enough.
Remove the Q4 badge and you will see many surprised faces if you drive it fast.

Congrats for your decision to give away the 147 and save a wb 155 Q4.

Nick

Congrats mate for straining to keep another Alfa on the streets were it belongs.
Yes I do have in mind not to keep the Q4 badge. Too bad for the cheeky felows.

Oh, wasn't necessarely my decision...I just want a strong healthy heart. Don't want master to get upset.....

Cheers,
Cristian

[Xti]

This car was expecting me at 600 km away from my location, forgot to mention...with blown gasket. But instead paying for a trailer to have it here I prefered to pay that money for parts, have it fixed and drive it myself back home. Catched up a train and there I was looking forward to meet my mistress. Got there, got her and began our first trip togheter. Everything OK untill she got horny and I had to cool her down. As you can imagine we were loosing water so from 100 km to another I had to cool her down on and on untill we got back home. After this episode I was the one to be cooled down...(poor english again ?! hope not ). Not to mention again about those brutal engine cuts around 4000 rpm...

I'm not the best mechanic ever not even a mediocre one but I'm lucky to have around some helping hands...

[Xti]

Pics from day one of this project when I've started dissmantling...
I'll let the pictures do the talk. please fell free to ask anything.

[Xti]

more...

[Xti]

...

[Xti]

So the engine being pulled out got a well deserved shower to get rid of dirt. The next step was to the body workshop...

[Xti]

As the front left wing was damaged and the left rear one was pretty rusted I had to have them replaced so I've bought 4 more wings which it was not easy att all to find around here. But after a deep search I managed to find a WB 155 so we've got wings to fly.

[Xti]

After body workshop session we got back to know eachoter better and do some more... bodywork. (discovered later some more rust)

Had those rusted sections cutted out and rewelded new ones and then grinded (I hope thats the word), just don't know were those pictures are or maybe missing at all.

[Xti]

After body workshop session (including bodyparts alignment) we've got back to get to know eachoter better.

[wrinx]

That's not REAL rust...try living in the damp and soggy UK

Bit of polish and it'll be fine

wrinx

[Xti]

and better...

[Xti]

...

[Xti]

That's not REAL rust...try living in the damp and soggy UK

Bit of polish and it'll be fine

wrinx

Don't know were from so much rust (of course for rear wings rust, guilty must be the condensation), here we have lots and lots of dust, these...beep () won't stop digging and building untill they won't find land anymore. And of course they don't bother to plant some grass.

Yes I believe you wrinx, probably when you see this kind of work you guys ask yourselves what must be under your cars, don't you. Better not because you'd end up like me and it's not necessarely something to envy believe me.

Cheers,
Cristian

[Xti]

Just take a short look at my previous post timing.

So here are some earlier pictures I've just found now which were taken before the body workshop days. I was up to dissasemble some parts from underbody at that time and also bit of grinding job.

Regarding car's positioning you might see that working conditions are pretty far from proffesionals ones but I think I'll manage. But one day I'll have my own garage were to install an elevator. And were to sleep when my wife would have had enough of my long lasting Alfa ours.

PS: Too bad that a matrimonial bed cannot hold a 155 too. See last picture and try to imagine...

The pictures...

[Xti]

After this we've moved to some interior grinding job, pics will speak english better I think.

Now here some pain put put that insulation, square cm by square cm. For some hours my vocabulary became pretty coloured...

The thing is that rust points were present even under the insulation stratum. Due to broken door seals I was enjoying the interior swimmingpool during rainy days.

[Xti]

After interior grinding I had to remove also the rust from rear side panels (behind the rear wings).

PS: Any suggestions/critics to this thread as well as to this project I will apreciate, thank you.

Regards,
Cristian.