[alfa] Re: AROC-OR Spica tips, Spider vs sedans

[Jon Pike <jhpike@xxxxxxx>]

> Hi guys.  FWIW, I towed a cosmetically challenged silver 74 Spider from
> CT to Ohio last week and got comments everywhere I stopped for gas (which
> was frequently @ 10MPG with a small tank).  "Cool car."  "Nice old Alfa."
> "Beautiful old car."  "What is it"?  You get the picture.
>    Also, I didn't find a link to the much-praised AROC-OR site for Spica
> tuning.  Anybody?  Need to sort out the 74 - usual Spica problems I guess,
> tho it was supposed to be sorted out by the time I picked it up, sigh.
> Might just switch to carbs - so simple, so elegant, IMHO.  But I've sung
> that song here before, so I'll leave the stage before the tomatoes start
> flying...   :)    Cheers, Ron.
Naaaaa...  Remember what John Lennon and the Beatles were saying: Give 
Spica a Chance!! 
Or, something like that...

Basically, the way to go about it is to go thru the procedure steps IN 
ORDER.. since there are adjustments
that stand on the sholders of earlier adjustments.  This is why the 
Spica got such a reputation, it's very easy
to get it out of whack if you don't fully understand the settings and 
their interactions.  Wes Ingram's book has
a nice troubleshooting/adjusting flow chart. 
Tips I've learned in my fooling around:

When setting the pump gap,  after making sure that the engine is warmed 
up to normal operating temp,
work fast... it's surprising how fast an Alfa 4cyl head can cool in a 
few minutes.  When I first started, I used
to make a change, put the TA back in, measure, find it different than it 
was when I held it in place by hand,
go back, over correct, etc.   I now will run the engine,  stop it, 
quickly pull the TA, and turn the screw,
press the TA in place by hand and check,  trying to all do it in a 
minute or two.  Then tighten it down,
run the engine for a few minutes and recheck the gap.  Takes a little 
pracitce.  You want to be very careful
with the TA capillary tube, try to flex it as little as possible..  
You'll learn how to pull it just enough to come
out of the pump and back in, and how not to lose the screws in the 
process.  ;-)

I found a tiny, 1 1/2" long feeler gauge set at Pep Boys. It makes life 
MUCH easier for measuring the gap. Nicer to use on the ignition points 
too, than a full sized set.

Adjusting the mixture can be done by ear,  using the defined procedure.. 
but I found it difficult sometimes to get
right.  Another practice thing it would seem..  I'd suggest going in 
search of someone with a smog analyzer, that makes for easy and fast 
setting. (Thanks Greg! I owe ya, buddy!)  Know that any slight misfire 
will confuse your readings or make it that much harder to do the "ear" 
thing,  so try to have that cured before,  as the procedures reccomend.

Give it a shot, a well tuned Spica car is a wonderful thing..  Hope 
you're out enjoying your new baby soon!

Jon and Marcia
Irvine, CA
77 Spider
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