[alfa] Obscure brake parts

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Responding to Spiros Angelopoulos' query about an "L'-shaped connector to the brake booster on his '73 GTV, Jeff Greenfield writes (with his admirable and usually unwarranted disclaimer that "I could be completely wrong") that the cars came with ATE, Bonaldi or Benditalia boosters, and "I think that this part (the elbow) is different depending on the Mfr of the booster."
 
According to the parts books both ATE and Bonaldi boosters were used, (no sign I have seen of Benditalia) but the elbow, 105.48.45.021.00/01, and the grommet, 105.48.45.021.00/02, originally 1750 parts, were the same on all 105.48 (LHD 1750 Berlina) and derivative cars like Spiro's '73 2000. They do not seem to have been used on RHD or 116 cars. Whether they survived through the late Spiders I can't say; my interests and my library never get there. As the elbow is a non-deteriorating part I would not expect it to be stocked by an aftermarket source, but every dead booster in the USA had one once, and they shouldn't be scarce. I would be more worried about the grommet. Despite the RHD/LHD conflict Alfastop in GB probably has them new, and any good continental Eurosource (or DeFatta here, with their excellent connections) should be a good prospect.
 
Sidebar: the same part-number string with /04 and /05 suffixes in place of the /01 and /02 are used for the nut and split lockwasher mounting the master cylinder to the booster, indicating that those nuts and washers were engineered and stocked expressly for that application, but it doesn't take many shop visits for same-size nuts to get scrambled. Back when I was trying to figure out the logical numbering structure of Alfa's fasteners I asked Don Black about these inexplicable cases. I haven't found my notes, so he is clear to maintain deniability, (and he may just have been in an odd mood) but my recollection is that he ascribed it to a mix of ego and sloth among some Alfa engineers; it was easier for them to design a new washer than to look up an existing standard product, and they would probably have been certain they could have done a better one anyhow.
 
Not many societies or cultures would have generated or tolerated such spirits among the drone pencil pushers. Whether it was a Good Thing or a Bad Thing is a hard call. Alfa might have lasted longer otherwise, but it also might never have been Alfa.
 
Enjoy yours,
 
John H.
Raleigh NC
164
Milano 
MBz C 230 K
various 115 projects
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