[alfa] Why won't it run the way it should?

["Doug and Julia Harris" <dharris@xxxxxxx>]

    At the risk of being labeled an Alfa lightweight, I'm going to share my
frustration with my '77 Alfa Spider.
    I bought it three years ago.  It's a low-mileage survivor and is very
clean.  But it has left me stranded several times.  I've never had a car that
had to be towed three times!
    The Spica system has been calibrated by my Alfa guy here in Richmond, VA:
Aren (at European Classics and Sportscars).  He's great.  All filters have
been replaced.  I have a Crane Cams ignition module (second one, as the first
failed).  All ignition parts have been replaced.  Every obvious maintenance
item (that I and he know of) have been addressed.
    Yet, since I've owned it, it has been in my garage more than on the road.
I've been a bit hesitant to use it and rely on it because I've never been
stranded so many times by my car -- not even my old TR6!
    Finally, this Spring, I thought I'd be able to trust it and atually USE it
and enjoy it.  But it still has some driveability and reliability issues.
It's hard to start hot.  (I've heard different methods of starting and have
tried them all.)  Yesterday when I took it out, it ran fine for most of the
jaunt, but it had problems starting hot again.  Towards the end of the jaunt
and when I pushed it beyond about 3,000 RPM, it started to bog out, as if it
were either starved of fuel or getting too much (the latter is my guess as the
exhaust smelled a bit strange -- but it always has to me in a way I've come to
guess is due to the Spica system).  I found myself in a familar place:  Hoping
I could just get it back home and in the garage.
    HELP, GUYS!  I love my Alfa.  But I'm tired of looking at it and I want to
drive it.  I don't want to part with a car if there's some easy way to get the
level of reliability you guys talk about, trust it and get the enjoyment out
of it that I want.  I don't have the $$ for a Weber conversion (doesn't sound
like a cure-all, anyway).  If I sold it, I wouldn't nearly recoup the 8 or 9 K
I've put into it (including purchase price).
    Any advise or helpful comment appreciated.

Doug
Richmond VA
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