"Hazel" - a series 1 V8 daily driver
- Thread starter Phil Robson
- Start date
Bernd
Member
I have fitted an additional gearbox oil cooler. However, I haven't towed a caravan yet because mine is too heavy for the P6 V8. Many years ago I had a Volvo Amazon Estate with BW35 and I used it to tow a small lightweight caravan. The Volvo didn't have an oil cooler for the gearbox and so I overheated my gearbox, which meant it had to be repaired.
The Volvo would have fewer clutches than the RV8 box which would have hastened the end.
Phil Robson
Well-Known Member
I changed Hazel's blowing centre exhaust can recently so I took the opportunity to remove any flaky underseal & spray with "Shutz".
Not a pleasant job, but worthwhile. I've done it several times & whilst the underneath isn't perfect, there was no rust to speak of
:
And the De-dion elbows are still in great shape, thankfully:
I'm pleased that I decided not to sell it after all. It did have its bit of a shunt 15 years ago, but it is basically a straight & original car that drives very well.
Not a pleasant job, but worthwhile. I've done it several times & whilst the underneath isn't perfect, there was no rust to speak of
:And the De-dion elbows are still in great shape, thankfully:
I'm pleased that I decided not to sell it after all. It did have its bit of a shunt 15 years ago, but it is basically a straight & original car that drives very well.
Phil Robson
Well-Known Member
I have a plan to do a fair bit of work on the Alfa over winter & will use Hazel as my run around in that time (salt excepting). So I thought I'd just sort its rear o/s wing out because its had some rust issues at the top for a long time:
As usual, it's a bit of a shock when you start poking around.....
I was going to repair this wing as from the outside is was pretty good & it had a nice paint finish on it, which I could touch up. In order to start doing the folded sections, I went to my store to get a wing for comparison & the first one I picked out was this:
It's never been on a car (no holes for the riveted front seal) & is almost perfect, so why faff with the old one? Strangely, there was a bit of a hole under the rear light, so I've cut that bit out of Hazel's wing:
...& welded it in:
I debated a while as to which wing to use, but why keep good ones & repair the others when I've got 3 x each wing spare, so I'll never use them all.
If anyone needs a decent wing, please get in touch & I'll have a look at what I've got. I can easily let 1 of each corner go, perhaps more. I've also got a series 2 boot lid with boot-mount socket (& most of the fittings) if anyone's interested.
As usual, it's a bit of a shock when you start poking around.....
I was going to repair this wing as from the outside is was pretty good & it had a nice paint finish on it, which I could touch up. In order to start doing the folded sections, I went to my store to get a wing for comparison & the first one I picked out was this:
It's never been on a car (no holes for the riveted front seal) & is almost perfect, so why faff with the old one? Strangely, there was a bit of a hole under the rear light, so I've cut that bit out of Hazel's wing:
...& welded it in:
I debated a while as to which wing to use, but why keep good ones & repair the others when I've got 3 x each wing spare, so I'll never use them all.
If anyone needs a decent wing, please get in touch & I'll have a look at what I've got. I can easily let 1 of each corner go, perhaps more. I've also got a series 2 boot lid with boot-mount socket (& most of the fittings) if anyone's interested.
Phil Robson
Well-Known Member
Subject to getting the wing sprayed at this time of year in a cold garage without it 'blooming', it's finished. However, I also took the opportunity to clean up the bottom of the o/s D-post where the seal channel had been primed years ago, but never finished properly:
I thought I'd better just take the outer sill off to do it properly...:
Ahh... Hazel is a good solid car, so this was a surprise. The outer sill didn't have a mark on it, which just goes to show. Fortunately, it is confined to the rear most part of the sill & the rest is still very good. The 'waxoyling' must have helped . I have used the jacking tube which has remained perfectly rigid, which is a good sign.
All I can say is that it was a good job that I hadn't thrown that d-post section out after 15 years of keeping it:
I thought I'd better just take the outer sill off to do it properly...:
Ahh...
Hazel is a good solid car, so this was a surprise. The outer sill didn't have a mark on it, which just goes to show. Fortunately, it is confined to the rear most part of the sill & the rest is still very good. The 'waxoyling' must have helped . I have used the jacking tube which has remained perfectly rigid, which is a good sign.All I can say is that it was a good job that I hadn't thrown that d-post section out after 15 years of keeping it:
Phil Robson
Well-Known Member
Fortunately, the rot wasn't too extensive & I was able to cut pieces out cleanly:
I put the middle rib back in first as this is the piece that everything else attaches to:
& then I cut the d-post section as accurately as possible, remembering to measure twice & cut once (I did take a little too much off & had to add a bit back...). It was challenging to work out what section had to be cut, so that I could access all the seams when the piece was put in:
& then I welded it in:
I'm reasonably pleased with the outcome. Now just the closing panel of the sill to do & some wax injecting.
I put the middle rib back in first as this is the piece that everything else attaches to:
& then I cut the d-post section as accurately as possible, remembering to measure twice & cut once (I did take a little too much off & had to add a bit back...
). It was challenging to work out what section had to be cut, so that I could access all the seams when the piece was put in:& then I welded it in:
I'm reasonably pleased with the outcome. Now just the closing panel of the sill to do & some wax injecting
.johnsimister
Active Member
That is an astonishing display of spatial awareness and 3D thinking!
Phil Robson
Well-Known Member
Hopefully not too much work to do on mine, but they are certainly on the 'minimalist' side compared to a P6
Phil Robson
Well-Known Member
Perhaps foolishly, I've had a go at spraying the new wing, despite the poor weather. It did get quite mild a few days ago & with a bit of heat on I thought I was in with a chance:
but predictably it 'bloomed' on the first attempt:
The second go seems a bit better & is starting to flat ok:
If it's no good, I'll just have to do another few coats on the car in the spring. I really want to get Hazel back on the road soon so that I can use it over winter (except in salt) whilst the Alfa has some surgery. I'm booking our son & I into a hotel in the Yorkshire Dales in early May so the Alfa must be ready by then. I took OCC last year & it performed really well, but it's the Alfa's turn in 2026.
Just look at that sky.....
but predictably it 'bloomed'
on the first attempt:The second go seems a bit better & is starting to flat ok:
If it's no good, I'll just have to do another few coats on the car in the spring. I really want to get Hazel back on the road soon so that I can use it over winter (except in salt) whilst the Alfa has some surgery. I'm booking our son & I into a hotel in the Yorkshire Dales in early May so the Alfa must be ready by then. I took OCC last year & it performed really well, but it's the Alfa's turn in 2026.
Just look at that sky.....