[alfa] Recommendations and thanks

["Ray Manners" <rmanners@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi guys-
I was just looking at a post that was bashing a vendor, and realized there
are probably newbies out there looking for guidance, so I figured I would
post a few success stories. BTW- I'm on my 2nd '87 Alfa Spider Veloce (1st
one I bought new in March 1988) and I also own an '83 Pininfarina (Fiat)
Spider (I had a '79 back in '82- my first Italian car.)
I buy a lot of parts from International Auto and I consider them to be a
first class outfit. Most people on the phone are cordial and knowledgeable
and often make good suggestions about purchases and procedures. I bought the
expensive black Stayfast canvas top from them (twice), and I would buy it
again and again and again. It looks great, fits great, and wears
exceptionally well. You know the old adage "You get what you pay for?" Next
time I need a top, I won't even look anywhere else no matter the price-
worth every penny... Oh- International gave me (and a lot of other good
customers) a free subscription to Car and Driver- which I would like to
publicly thank them for (even though I usually pick up Road and Track!)
I bought some stuff (including poly bushings) from AlfaBill and he is also
first class. I wish he had more goodies for my Spider. BTW- the Poly
bushings are great, and very easy to install.
Vick's is also great- mostly bought Fiat stuff from them- last I spoke to
them, they knew Fiats like the back of their hand, but were coming up o
speed on Alfas. That was probably about 2 years ago, so they may now be Alfa
experts, but they are nice guys and deliver as promised.
I recently needed an emblem that went missing on my Momo shift knob. The
Momo parts source for the USA is The Wheel Source (www.wheel1.com) They sent
me the emblem and a shift boot right away. They are also a Zymol dealer.
They didn't have the Ital wax in stock (which I like a lot) but should be
sending it soon.
As a last endorsement- you guys will think I'm crazy- is West Marine! It
seems like whenever I need to improvise or improve the car, I wind up
thinking about boat stuff! For example- broken trunk release cable? Pull the
old cable out, buy some 1/16" STAINLESS wire (at 69 cents/foot), have West
Marine put a swage loop on 1 end (just big enough to fit over the screw in
the release handle), and feed the other end into the sheath. Simple, cheap,
and will probably last a lifetime- certainly longer than the original cable!
Also a good source for high quality (but expensive) electrical parts,
stainless screws, and lots of other stuff. I even used a sailboat pulley to
repair replace a damaged window winder pulley in my old Alfa!
That's about it for now. I've made small purchases from other vendors over
the years, but don't have enough recent history to comment further.
If anyone wants to bash these guys, you'll have to go through me first!
Thanks to all you guys and Richard and the Alfa Digest for keeping my Alfa
(and Fiat) roadworthy and beautiful!
-Ray Manners
'87 Alfa Spider Veloce
'83 Pininfarina (Fiat) Spider
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