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[evanbottcher]

Having recently arrived back in Melbourne after a long working holiday in the UK (3.5 years!) I'm thinking of pulling the little red Sud (77 ti) out of my Ma's garage and getting it back in fettle to blast around again in track days and club sprints. The car hasn't been run for almost 4 years but has been nicely dry (thanks in part to the long drought over here), I'm looking for advice on how I should start, what to check etc. before I collect the car.

1. Fuel - I think the tank was pretty much empty when she was parked up, but I expect a fair amount of rust will have built up in this time. Any advice on cleaning or coating it? Will the little inline filters keep the rust out of the carbs, or should I look for something bigger?

2. Brakes - I'm guessing that after being cold for this length of time that I'll be lucky if the brake calipers aren't seized solid - any advice on dealing with this? Can the Sud calipers be rebuilt, or should I look to replace them? What other components will corrode - will the master cylinder and/or booster be screwed?

3. Other stuff - I figured that I'd change oil, oil filter, fuel filters, brake and clutch fluids, flush the coolant, new cam belts, look closely at hoses and brake lines. I would also go over the suspension closely to look for anything that might be weakened by rust. Anything else I should be aware of?

4. Strut Bearings - Before I put the car away I had noticed that the steering had become quite heavy and rubbery (and made some interesting noises especially when hot). A mechanic mate diagnosed a strut bearing had failed. I'd like to take a look at this myself - are they difficult to replace? I understand I'd need a spring compressor to pull the strut apart, any other special tools?

Would appreciate any advice, thanks!

Evan.
_________________
http://www.trofeoalfasud.com
'77 Alfasud Ti
'69 1750 GTV

[evanbottcher]

I forgot: I'm also wondering what fuel I should use? Since I left Australia Super is no longer available and I'm wondering if I should use LRP, or Optimax, or will plain old Unleaded be fine?

My guess is that because the Sud has alloy heads with valve seat inserts I shouldn't need an additive to protect the valve seats, so is the equation as simple as using a similar octane fuel? i.e. I think old super was 97 octane, Optimax is 98...?

cheers,
Evan.
_________________
http://www.trofeoalfasud.com
'77 Alfasud Ti
'69 1750 GTV

[GaryUK]

Before starting the engine take the plugs out and put a few drops of oil in each cylinder then remove the cylinder head covers and cover the cam lobes and bearing shells in plenty of oil. Remove the coil HT lead when u start the engine up and turn the engine over a good few times to get some oil in the pump and oil passageways before putting the lead back on and firing it up.

You might find that the valve stem seals have hardened but you can get oil additives that will soften them back up.

Treat the engine as if it were new and run it in properly.

Good Luck!!