Alfa Romeo 1966 to 1994 Spider Installation guide

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ALFA ROMEO 105/115 SPIDER FAQ
(covering cars built from 1966 through 1994)
ByScott Johnson
Copyright 1996
Third Edition, Released August 2001
All Rights Reserved.

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Table of Contents
Development and History 4
Introduction and Initial Development 4
Series 1 5
Spider Junior 7
Series 2 7
Series 2a 10
Series 3 11
Series 4 15
The Alfa Spider and FIAT“s Takeover 16
Final Comments 18
Things to lookfor when buying a Spider 19
Value and Your Alfa Spider 22
Modifying your Alfa Spider 24
Day to day in an Alfa Spider 28
The Care and Feeding of your Convertible Top 30
Maintaining your Alfa 31
Insuring your Alfa Spider 33
Driving Your Alfa Spider 36
Spider Trivia and Other Questions 37
Final Words 42
Appendix A: Factory Recommended Maintenance Intervals 44
Appendix B: Capacities and Recommended Consumables 45
Note: This document is not sponsored or endorsed byAlfa Romeo or its parent companyFIAT in
anyway.

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Development and History
Introduction and Initial Development
Its been said in other places that the Alfa Spider is a modern Morgan (for those of you who don't
know what a Morgan is, it's an English sports car that is in production to this daywhose origins
go back more or less unchanged into the 1930s). This is onlysomewhat true. The fact that it
soldiered on so little changed for so longa period meant that, at the end, it reallydid seem like an
automotive fossil. However, when the 105/115 Spiders first appeared theywere quite advanced
for their time.
With a pedigree that goes back to before the designers of the Corvette or Mustangwere even
born, and a reputation for design innovation and sophistication, Alfa Romeo Spiders should be
seen less as expensive Miatas and more as cheap Ferraris (the relationship is more than skin
deep... Ferrari got his start at Alfa).
To avoid confusion Iam goingto make some veryblunt and unsubtle generalizations of the
various types of 105/115 Spiders. These are roughlybased on what can be found in the British
book ”Alfa Romeo Spider„, byDavid Sparrow (Ospreybooks).
NOTE: Throughout this document Iwill be referringto these cars as, variously, 105, 105/115,
and 115 Spiders. This is the model numberingsystem Alfa Romeo used on their cars, and assists
people tellingthe various Spiders apart (Alfa has produced a number of different Spiders, with
model numbers like 750 and 101 as well as 105 and 115). This number can be found under the
hood of the car, on a plate riveted to the top center of the firewall.
Also, you maywonder what ”Alfisti„means. An ”Alfisti„is a person who is thoroughlysmitten
with Alfa Romeo automobiles, who dedicates a large amount of their spare time and a good
percentage of their income to maintaining, acquiring, and drivingAlfa Romeos of all sorts.
Alfisti are to Alfa Romeo what Trekkers are to Star Trek (we even dress funnyand have
conventions, but hardlyanyof us wear pointyears).
Unless noted in the text, Iwill separate the models bytheir bodystyle, and bodystyle only(this I
believe is valid, since the bodies were what changed the most through the years). Each car will be
given a "Series number". Theyare as follows:
1966-1969: Duettos and other ”roundtails„- Series 1
1970-1974: The first Kamm tails, ”Coda Tronca„- Series 2
1975-1981: US Market Kamm tails - Series 2a
1982-1991: "Aero" bodies, ”Aerodynamica„... the "Duck Tail" years - Series 3
1991-1994: "smooth" bodies - Series 4

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For anynon-American readers, Imust apologize for the ”US-centric-ness„of this document. US
cars are the cars that Iam most familiar with, and so will write the most about. Iwill tryto make
an effort to note where the European models differ from the US models. However, since a
number of US Spiders are being ”exported„byprivate individuals to Europe and other parts of
the world, the entire document will probablybe of some interest to you.
Series 1
It probablyseems surprisingto us today, but when the 105/115 Spider was first introduced (the
Series 1 cars), it was quite poorlyreceived in the press. It was thought ”gimmicky„or ”poured
from a jellymold„or other, even less kind things. Its coupe sibling, the 105 GTV, wasn“t treated
anybetter. It is difficult to conveyto readers who don“t remember what automotive designs were
like in the 1960s, when the car was introduced, how different and avante garde it reallywas. To
put it in some sort of perspective, it should be noted that the 105 Berlina (the four-door sedan
version of the 105 series, also sometimes called a ”Saloon„), whose styling, bycurrent standards,
can onlycharitablybe called ”plain„, was considered byfar the most attractive bodystyle of the
105 Series bythe 1960s-era automotive press. Fashions change in automobiles no less than in
clothing. (However, to avoid beinglynched byall those Berlina owners, who if anythingare even
more dedicated to their cars than Spider owners, it should be noted that the Berlina outperformed
the Spider in most respects, and is considered bymanyto be the only ”real„Alfa of the 105
series.)
Time has caught up with the Spider“s design (this seems to be a common occurrence with Alfas
of all sorts), since Ihave never heard anyone sayanythingbad about the looks of the cars today.
Quite the contrary, their stylingbears much more resemblance to modern cars than anyone could
have predicted when it was introduced.
At least some of the design features of the bodystylingdate back to the Superflow 1 and 2 show
cars introduced in the mid 1950s. The final shape of the 105 Spider was heavilybased on
”aerodynamica„show cars that premiered in the early1960s. It was probablythe final design that
Pinin Farina, the head of a famous Italian automotive designingfirm, himself had a hand in.
Pinin Farina, in case you aren“t familiar with the name, is the man, and the design firm, directly
responsible for a great deal of the designs Ferrari produced in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as
manyother famous Italian cars. Indeed, a Pinin Farina-designed car (a 1951 Cisitalia 202 Gran
Sport) is to this dayon permanent exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art as one of
the ten best automotive designs of all time.
When the Spider premiered it sported a "boat tail"... the rear sloped to a point just like the front.
Alfa originallytried to name the car "Duetto", a name picked from a contest held after the car's
introduction. Unfortunately(or not, dependingon your point of view), the name was reserved by,
dependingon who you believe, either Volvo or an Italian pastrycompany, and the Duetto name
was never officiallyadopted. The Italians called these Series 1 cars "osso di sepia", or cuttlefish
bone, a comparison that will be obvious to parakeet owners all over the world. Americans tend to
call them "round tails" or "boat tails".

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These cars were equipped with a 1570cc (1.6 liter... about 96 cubic inches) dual-overhead cam
all-aluminum engine, a design Alfa is justlyfamous for, four-wheel disk brakes, a five speed
transmission, and dual Weber carburetors. It included such (at the time quite uncommon)
comforts as roll-up glass windows, a simple one-pull-two-clips-it“s-up top which actuallysealed
well against the weather, a real heater, and comfortable (if narrow) seatingfor two.
For comparison, most English sports cars of the time came with engines derived from sedans (at
best) or tractors (at worst), four speed transmissions, drum brakes, and single, or even worse,
multiple SU carburetors. Theyhad "side curtain" windows (i.e. visqueen... plastic sheeting),
erector set tops, and heaters that might keep your right foot warm on a 50 degree day. Some
English designs neglected such ”niceties„as exterior door handles and trunk (boot) lids
Indeed, the performance and sophistication of the Alfa Spider prettymuch put it out of the
leagues of the ”classic„English sports car makes. It also was about 25% more expensive when
new. Neither Germanynor France were producingopen sports cars at the time, so the onlyreal
competition the Alfa Spider would have for a longtime would come from the original Lotus
Elan, a small, innovative automobile from the famous English engineer Colin Chapman.
Although the Elan design was four years old at the Spider“s introduction, it was still the onlycar
in the Alfa“s class. This would become a deeplyironic twist to the Alfa Spider“s historyin the
distant future (FIAT also produced a Spider, but this was designed, and priced, more alongthe
lines of the lower-cost English makes).
A Duetto was prominentlyfeatured in the movie "The Graduate", starringDustin Hoffman.
Indeed, the movie popularized the Spider so much that in later years Alfa created a "Graduate"
trim level in their US cars.
Because of this, and because the bodystyle was onlyproduced for about three years, Duettos
(and their round-tailed 1750 descendants) are the most valuable of all 105/115 Alfa Spiders.
Theyare incrediblyfun, extremelydistinctive cars even amongAlfa circles. One note: in 1968,
Alfa did not import cars in the US because of tighteningemissions standards. This would occur
again in 1970, probablybecause of problems with the SPICA injection system (more on this
later).
However, the interiors are quite primitive bytoday“s standards, with metal dashes, rubber mats,
and no center console. Wind noise is a problem with all Spiders at speed, especiallyso with the
uncarpeted models. And theywere originallynot equipped with rear anti-swaybars, makingthem
understeer verybadly.
The interior ergonomics of the Alfa Spider would always receive a great deal of criticism from
the American automotive press, especiallythe ”arms-out„drivingposition. ByUS standards, the
steeringwheel is too close to the pedals, forcingthe driver to ”reach out„for it. It has been
reported elsewhere that this position was actuallythe result of research that revealed that an
”extended elbow„drivingposition was actuallyless fatiguingover a longtrip duration. This may
or maynot be true. It is myexperience that, while the position does take a bit of gettingused to,

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it certainlyisn“t anyless comfortable than other makes or models with more conventional
layouts, and mayin fact be more comfortable over longtrips.
Spider Junior
In Europe, Alfa made a lower-cost, smaller displacement Spider available from 1968 through
1972. Called the ”Spider Junior„, it differed primarilyin engine displacement. The Junior was
fitted with the same basic engine originallyfitted to the 750/101 Giulietta series the 105 replaced.
Displacingroughly1300 cc“s, the engine“s output was about 30 hp less than its Giulia-engined
brother. The car was also somewhat more basic than the 1750 and 2000 Spiders, most notably
deletingboth the headlight covers that came standard on European Spiders and the interior center
console.
The Junior was created mainlyas a response to Europe“s verydifferent taxstructure on
automobiles. Vehicles there, especiallyin Italy, are taxed on a steep slidingscale usuallybased
on engine displacement. Although it is unclear to this author exactlywhere the cutoffs lie, it
would seem that there is (or at least, was) a major one at 1300 cc“s, and another at 2000 cc“s.
These taxes meant that while a certain class of people could probablyafford to buyan Alfa, they
couldn“t afford to keep it verylong. Introducinga 1300 cc variant of Alfa“s 105 line allowed Alfa
to fill this niche and broaden its market.
As with the later Series 2a in America, Juniors are noticeablyless powerful than their bigger-
engined brethren, but still recognizablyAlfa and still quite a lot of fun to own and drive.
Because of the different taxstructure in the US, the lower cost of fuel, and the typicallylonger
distances Americans drive their cars, Juniors were never officiallyimported to this country.
Some made it over anyway, but because of their smaller engines and lower performance are
usuallyworth substantiallyless than big-engined cars of the same model year.
Series 2
Around 1970 Alfa made a major alteration to the Spider's appearance by"choppingoff" the
boattail. This would be the onlyreal alteration in the car's appearance in Europe for the next
twelve years. People who own Series 2 or 2a cars can still see the boattail lines bystanding
directlybehind the car... a distinct "broad shoulder" impression is given, and the lines obviously
once came to a point. As noted above, Alfa didn“t import anycars to North America in 1970,
and, since most Spider production went there, there probablyaren“t verymany1970 Spiders
anywhere. Contemporaryautomotive press reports criticized the 1969 SPICA-equipped cars for
having ”flat spots„in their power curves, and this, in addition to radical changes in California
emissions laws occurringat this time, was probablythe cause of the ”famine„.
In the front, the Series 2 cars“center grille was made smaller, and the number of ”crossbars„
decreased from eight to five. In Series 1 cars the bumpers were so small and lightlybuilt theyled
to speculation that ”bumper„must have translated into ”expensive, extremelyfragile decoration„
in Italian. The Series 2 bumpers were made at least somewhat more functional, and integration

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was very, verygood. The exterior door handles were switched from an”external handle-and-
button„to an innovative semi-recessed design. Windshield wipers were changed from a then-
unusual interlockingstyle (the blades pointed inward at each other and swungto the outside) to a
more conventional side-by-side arrangement. The windshield rake was also increased somewhat,
improvingthe car“s looks, and probablyits aerodynamics as well.
In 1969 the engine displacement was increased to 1779 cc's, allowingAlfa to call the Spider a
"1750 Spider", evokinga famous pre-war Alfa type. The engine produced more power, but
retained the "zippy" feel and throatyexhaust that the 1600cc motors had. Alfa added a rear sway
bar sometime around 1971, substantiallyimprovingthe handlingof the cars bygreatlyreducing
the understeer exhibited bythe Duettos.
In 1969 for the US market Alfa introduced the SPICA fuel-injection system for the first time.
Created primarilyfor the famous Type 33 race car series, it was based on a diesel injection pump.
This all-mechanical system provided precise fuel metering, allowingAlfa to squeak under the
emissions laws of the US for several years without sacrificingpower, driveability, or addinga
catalyst. With the possible exception of Porsche, Alfa Romeo was the best adapted and most
driveable car make available in the US at that time.
Unfortunatelythe new SPICA system was kept a tight secret at Alfa (perhaps, because of the
SPICA system“s relationship with Alfa“s racingdivision, this was not entirelyas inexplicable as
would at first appear), and enthusiasts in the US greeted it for the most part with great suspicion.
In actuality, the system provides better fuel control than the dual-Weber setup, without
sacrificinganypower or driveability. It is verystraightforward, if somewhat unique, and once the
proper manuals and (relatively) inexpensive equipment are acquired, verysimple to set up and
maintain. In delivery, it is quite similar to the "tuned port" injection systems introduced in
American cars in the mid …80s, but is not anywhere near as pickyabout fuel quality.
None of this was clear to owners of Spiders in those days, so a sizable percentage were converted
to Weber carburetors. Because today's emissions inspection requirements are becomingmore
exacting, and workings of the of the SPICA pump are becomingfar better understood, an
appreciable number of these Weber cars are beingre-converted back to the SPICA setup. In
Europe, where Spiders were nowhere near as popular and hence less common, people are
actuallybeginningto import the cars back from the US, so theyare now experiencing(some
would saybeingafflicted by) the same troubles and joys of the SPICA system. A SPICA
equipped car will probablyhave the onlyworkingexample of a mechanical computer that you
will ever see (except for maybe a slide rule). Once you understand the system, it“s reallycool.
For a more complete set of recommendations about what to look for and what to avoid when
buyinga SPICA equipped Alfa, Irefer the reader to Pat Braden's Alfa Romeo Owner's Bible
(available from Robert Bentlypublishers), at this writingobtainable at most major book stores.
In addition to the drivetrain changes, Alfa began a slow process of improvingthe qualityof the
interior. It was duringthe earlySeries 2 cars (probably1970, but I'm not sure) that the well-
known (and sometimes oft-cursed in the automotive press) "dual pod" padded dash was

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introduced. At the time it was merelythe most radical expression of a twin-pod theme carried
throughout the 105 series. This was considered a prettybizarre setup as late as 1985 (the last year
it was produced), but it seems to have aged verywell... it certainlydoesn't look "antique", as the
metal-dashed Duettos do, and seems more aestheticallypleasingthan the similar executions of
this theme in the coupe and the berlina.
A completelyintegrated center console, holdingthe ventilation, wiper, dash lightingcontrols, and
some indicator lights, was introduced as well. However, for most of the Series 2 (and 2a) run, the
interior retained rubber mats and vinyl seat covers, and onlycame in black.
In 1971 Alfa introduced yet another enlargement of the twincam engine, the (now ubiquitous) 2
liter. Despite this fact, very, veryfew 2 liter Spiders seem to have been produced in 1971. In one
book only2 are listed as havingbeen imported into the US. It wasn“t until 1972 that the 2 liter
motor was produced in large numbers.
While this motor, in its pre-emissions form, produced (dependingon who you believe) 129 to
135 hp (one source claims 155 hp for the European version), it has always had problems with the
head gasket. Unlike other motors from other manufacturers, failingAlfa 2 liter head gaskets don't
leak coolant into the cylinders, but rather first leak oil into the coolant, and then coolant into the
oil (with potential major damage to the engine). This problem has never been completelysolved,
although advances in gasket design and the introduction of roller-pin-and-square-cut-o-ringkits
have helped a great deal. The model designation of the cars changed around this time as well,
becoming"115.XX" Spiders (the XX beingreplaced byvarious numbers, dependingon the trim
level of the cars and their relationship to the rest of the Alfa Romeo line). Theywill be referred to
as such through the rest of this document.
In myown opinion, the Spider“s overall combination of performance, refinement, and desirability
peaked duringthe 1970-1974 years (in the US, at anyrate). Which year is mostlya matter of
taste. The 1750 engines, while less powerful in raw numbers, are a bit "zippier" and smoother
than their 2.0Lcounterparts. Theyalso do not have the head gasket problems of the larger
motors.
However, 130ish horsepower out of a 117 cubic inch engine (the 2 liter) is quite impressive to
your typical speed-shop crowd, and, again in myown experience, there are very, veryfew
modern non-turbo cars with fewer than 8 cylinders that can keep up with a well-tuned …74 Spider.
Unlike later years, these cars came hot from the factory.
The owners of Series 2 cars are also in a happymiddle ground right now. The cars are clean,
high-performance machines that will probablyappreciate noticeablywhen the next "used classic"
car boom comes alongin about 5 years. Because the series was produced in Europe for another 7
years, most exterior trim is readilyavailable (albeit for a price, in some cases). With the
exception of the dash and center console, the interior trim is a complete match for the Duetto,
whose boost in value has spawned a cottage industryreproducinglike-new original interior
fittings. The dash, the instruments, manybodypanels (includingthe all-important floorpans... see
below), and nearlyall the mechanicals are shared with cars produced as few as five years ago.

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With the right set of parts suppliers, junk yards, and mechanical acumen, the Series 2 cars are
probablythe best candidates for "project" status for a do-it-yourselfer.
However, there were some detail changes in the appearance of the Series 2 cars. In 1970
(Europe) and 1971 (everywhere) there was a distinctive ”pinch„on the tip of the Spider“s nose,
just above the shield-like grille, carried over from Series 1. This apparentlywas deleted some
time around 1972 or 1973, makingthe nose of the Spider verysmooth. Probablyin 1973 an
elegant wooden steeringwheel replaced the thin, black plastic wheel found in the 1750 Spiders,
and ”turbina„style alloywheels replaced the stamped steel items that previouslyequipped all
earlier Spiders. The license plate lights were moved from the surface of the rear bumper to the
rear valance panel after 1972. Finally, in the 1973 and 1974 model years, increasingbumper
requirements forced a small but significant change in the front and rear bumpers of US cars.
Because of this, the bumpers of a 1973-1974 Spider are probablysome of the hardest to find (and
hence most valuable) parts of anySpider in anyyear.
Series 2a
This will mainlyconcern US owners, since the Series 2 cars continued essentiallyunchanged
(with Weber carburetors) until 1981 in the rest of the world.
After 1974 the US government reallylet the hammer down on the car industryin general. Safety
requirements were "improved" bythe addition of a 5-mph bumper requirement, and emissions
tightened to the point that even Alfa had to add a catalyst and learn to live with low-octane
gasoline.
The Series 2a cars are distinguished externallybythe large, prominent black rubber (babybuggy)
bumpers. It would seem that Alfa, like just about everyother European manufacturer except for
Porsche, had had it with Congress, who created all these noisome regulations, and NHTSA, the
US regulatingbodyresponsible for enforcingthem. The 5-mph bumpers seem to have almost
universally(and probablyrightly) been seen in Europe as a sop to the powerful US insurance
lobby. While the integration of these new "safety" laws byAlfa was better than, say, MG, it still
was nothinglike the effort that Porsche went through with the 911 in 1975. In what would
become a depressinglycommon event in the US Alfisti's life, the Germans beat Alfa to the
punch. The increased safetyrequirements would eventuallyadd over 300 lbs to the car.
Because California emissions required a catalyst earlier than the rest of the country, in 1975 and
1976 Alfa Romeo imported only ”49 state„automobilesi.e. for sale everywhere except in
California. Because California continues to have the most restrictive emissions inspections in the
entire country(bya longshot), it“s doubtful if even todayowners can bringcars from these two
years into that state and get them licensed without substantial fees beingimposed. If you live in
California and are consideringthis, please be sure to check with your local motor vehicle
department before you purchase the car.