The brakes were the first thing to go. Not the brakes themselves, but one of the hard brake lines that finally rusted through, bleeding all the fluid out of the reservoir. So it was fitting that the brakes were the Alfatross' first major system to be restored--well, that and the fact that brakes are easy and inexpensive to fix!
The three flexible rubber lines also appear to be re-useable--but they're at least 58 years old and who knows what's going on inside? These I will replace for safety's sake, relegating them to the "replaced original parts" box. The set of three flexible replacement lines I found on e-Bay came from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and arrived about a week after I placed the order! They are not "NOS," but made of stronger, more modern materials which might explain why they are smaller in outside diameter. But they are the right lengths and have all the right connections.
The six original wheel cylinders were gummed up and their critical rubber seals had long ago given up the ghost. The spring caps seem to have been made of a softer metal that was showing some corrosion but the other metal parts just needed cleaning. Ditto the master cylinder. I sent the whole lot off to White Post Restorations (http://www.whitepost.com/) and was delighted with the quality of the work and how quick the turn-around was. It was one of the best experiences I have had with a contractor. No-nonsense professionals!
So if the brake system is "easy and inexpensive to fix," you can imagine what the "difficult and expensive" systems are like!
Brake Lines
Upon disassembly, visual inspection of the metal and rubber lines revealed no obvious problems, but the fact that one had failed made me wonder if other lines would fail under pressure. Fortunately, new lines are easy to make and all of the original double-flare compression nuts and connections are intact. If the original metal lines pass pressure-testing I will re-use them, but if even one fails I will replace them all. |
| The Alfatross has three flexible brake lines. They are easy and inexpensive to replace, but the new lines don't look like the originals. The connection ferrules are heavier and the hoses themselves are thicker on the originals. |
Cylinders
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| The front wheel cylinders were in good shape except for the rubber parts. |
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| The rear wheel cylinders are a bit more complex due to the emergency brake actuation parts. |
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| The wheel cylinders and master cylinder came back from White Post restored, refinished, and shrink wrapped! |
Drums
Although it looks primitive today, the Alfatross' drum brake system was pretty advanced for 1955. Disc brakes were just beginning to appear on high-end sports cars so drum brakes were still competitive. The Alfatross has a simple, unassisted hydraulic system activating brake shoes that scrubbed against giant, steel-lined finned aluminum drums. The use of aluminum instead of iron both reduced unsprung weight and improved heat dissipation. The front brakes have two wheel cylinders each and carry inboard scoops to aid in cooling. The front drums are 15 inches in diameter and the rear ones are 13 1/4 inches! All the components are made by the British company Girling.
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| The brake drums after bead-blasting and one of the front back plates with Bo Monroe's reproduction scoop. |
Scoops
The Alfa Romeo engineers didn't stop with installing 15-inch finned aluminum drums. They also provided sporting 1900s with front brake scoops mounted inboard of the back plates. When I got the Alfatross in 1969 I could see spot-welds where the scoops had been, and notches in the perimeter of the back plates but no trace of the scoopes themselves. In 2004 I began to inquire around to find out if original scoops could be bought or accurate replicas fabricated. Joost Gompels suggested I contact Bo Monroe who is also restoring a 1900. Bo responded:
Donald --
I have indeed invested much time in this and have made a
prototype scoop based on data sourced from Joost's car and supplemented with
info from Peter M. and Carter H. Subsequently we have learned that the front
screen interface is slightly incorrect, but otherwise is very close to the
original in shape and (presumably) functionality. Once I modify this I will be
able to provide the parts pre-cut from mild steel (or actually, just about
anything you desire, from stainless to ???). The patterns are quite complex.
I am leaving it up to the end user to fold them up and
tack them together. Or, I would be willing to weld them up for extra
"consideration" as... I am not looking to get rich at this, but I am looking
to trade the pre-cut parts for 1900 parts or ?? to advance the cause of our Car
#265, 1900TI berlina veteran of the 1954 Carrera Panamericana Mexico.
From the photos of his prototype I could see that there was a lot more to these scoops than I first assumed! They are massive and involve a lot of cutting, bending, marking, test-fitting, shaping, grinding, more test-fitting, welding and finishing. I placed an order and within a month or two Bo shipped them to me. The cost? Even with the "extra consideration" for welding it came to $208.50 for the pair!
Bo is another straight-shooting man of his word and dealing with him was always a pleasure. The Alfatross is better off for having made his acquaintance. He is restoring one of the Alfatross' cousins, a car that competed in the Mexican version of the Mille Miglia in 1954.
From the photos of his prototype I could see that there was a lot more to these scoops than I first assumed! They are massive and involve a lot of cutting, bending, marking, test-fitting, shaping, grinding, more test-fitting, welding and finishing. I placed an order and within a month or two Bo shipped them to me. The cost? Even with the "extra consideration" for welding it came to $208.50 for the pair!
Bo is another straight-shooting man of his word and dealing with him was always a pleasure. The Alfatross is better off for having made his acquaintance. He is restoring one of the Alfatross' cousins, a car that competed in the Mexican version of the Mille Miglia in 1954.
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| The right front brake scoop prototype fabricated by Bo Monroe. Notice the three separate internal chambers and the fabrication patterns in the background. Bo Monroe. |
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| Business end of the scoop. Bo Monroe. |
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| . . . and what mine looks like mounted on the right front brake back plate. |
Reservoir
The brake fluid reservoir was surprisingly complex, too, but by the time I got to it I was getting used to surprises. The reservoir was not attached to the master cylinder as it is in modern vehicles. Instead, it was attached high up on the firewall, several feet away. After I took mine apart and saw how complex it was I contacted Tony Stevens at Alfa Stop (http://www.alfastop.co.uk/) for a replacement just in case I couldn't make mine operational again. I have noticed that a number of restored Alfa 1900s have the new, replacement reservoir like the one on the left, below. Come to think of it, I have yet to see a car with the original reservoir. Maybe that's a warning that the originals are more elaborate than they need to be, and consequently less reliable. Hmmmm . . . another one of those "restore it or preserve it" decisions. |
| The original brake reservoir (right) and the reproduction (left). The reproduction reservoir is just an empty cylinder except for a tiny one-way valve at the bottom about the size of three nickels stacked on top of each other. I like the fiddly intricacy of the original more than the reproduction, but making a set of rubber seals is going to be a challenge! |
So if the brake system is "easy and inexpensive to fix," you can imagine what the "difficult and expensive" systems are like!
