Moving Away From Strict Originality

April 13, 2025 RichardReina Events, Repair sessions BelMetric, hose clamps, Romablok

As I wrote about in June of last year, my 1967 Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior has been certified by the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) as an HPOF winning car, the awkward acronym standing for “Historical Preservation of Original Features.” Full recognition for that achievement must go to its previous owner, my late, great friend Pete, from whom I bought the car. During my thirteen years of ownership, I have endeavored to maintain the car’s originality while continuing to keep it safe, reliable, and roadworthy. After all, I bought it to drive it, and have put over 14,000 miles on it since taking possession in 2013.

Recently, though, I have had some issues related to my efforts to stay with original style parts. Last year, after a cooling system refresh which included new replacement hoses and clamps, I had a few antifreeze leaks, traced back to a very simple fix: retightening the “Romablok” hose clamps, the same design as was used by the Milanese factory workers in 1967. A few weeks ago, while visiting my good friend Terry and his ’64 Malibu project, he let me know of a company called BelMetric. To my surprise, I had not heard of them before, and to my happy surprise, their website is chockablock (yes, it’s in Merriam-Webster’s, spelled this way) full of all kinds of neat metric hardware.

They carry a variety of metric radiator hose clamps, and I selected the ones listed “for European OEM auto brands: Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, VW, etc.” I ordered them and they are presently sitting on my work bench. I intend to install them before the AACA NJ Region Spring Meet on Sunday, May 4. Am I making my car slightly less original? Yes. Do I think the HPOF judges will notice? Probably not, but since I know that they focus on hose clamps as part of Class Judging, they may ask. In any event, I need to have peace of mind when driving my Alfa. Once this dreary weather goes away, you will find me in the garage with my head under the hood, getting this necessary task done.

The Romablok clamp on the upper radiator hose

The BelMetric-sourced clamp, yet to be installed (camera tripod being put to good use)

Hotter Spark Plugs for the Alfa

April 6, 2025 RichardReina Events, Repair sessions Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior, NGK spark plugs

There is a well-known adage that says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It is something that should be heeded by us car guys and gals. Among Alfa Romeo owners, there is a corollary adage which applies to Weber carburetors: “If the car runs well, don’t mess with the carbs.” Webers are unlike most other carburetors such as those found on American vehicles. After an initial set-up as found in a service manual, the choice of needle and jet sizes for Webers is made on a basis of trial and error. I believe that it was Pat Braden, the late, great Alfa guru, who advised against trying to “tune” your Weber carburetors without checking other engine basics first.

I bring this up because for the thirteen years I’ve had my GT 1300 Junior, during which I’ve driven it over 14,000 miles, the engine has always run strongly. One issue, though, has been that the spark plugs quickly turn black, apparently from an overly rich fuel mixture. (The engine uses almost no oil; at most, a half-quart in between oil changes.) Rather than try to “adjust” my dual Weber carburetors, I replace the plugs. Spark plugs are less than five dollars each, and the set of four takes about twenty minutes to replace. As a rule, I have been swapping out spark plugs once a year at the start of the driving season.

Last year, when I changed the plugs (which have exclusively been NGK B7ES), I moved up to the next hottest heat range plug, the B6ES. In 2024 I put about 1,100 miles on the Alfa, and there was no perceptible performance difference with the hotter plug. However, when I pulled the plugs a few weeks ago to check them, I was impressed. To my eye, there was less build-up on the plug tips, to the point where I decided to leave the plugs in place. The one-step-hotter plugs did a better job of burning off deposits, without affecting drivability.

This was not easy to capture in photographs, but take a look at the two pictures and see if you can tell that the B6ES plug looks cleaner than the B7ES plug. I have two spare sets of the B6ES plugs, so if need be, I can quickly replace the set. But for now, I will leave them in the car and see how it goes. I’m expecting to possibly get a complete second driving season from them.

The “colder” plug, the NGK B7ES, shows some heavy deposits.

The “hotter” plug, the NGK B6ES, looks serviceable still after one driving season.

A Dremel and Some Wenol Work Wonders

March 30, 2025 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Events, Repair sessions AACA HPOF, Dremel, Wenol polish

A few weeks ago, I pulled the cover off the ’67 Alfa Romeo and began the springtime ritual of prepping the car for the driving season. There are always two components to this: the mechanical, and the cosmetic. Mechanically, I have already gotten my order from Classic Alfa, consisting mainly of tune-up items like plugs and points. Cosmetically, the car was clean when it went into storage last fall, so at first glance, there didn’t seem to be much need in that department.

However, I have decided on a change of tack for the car. A quick refresher: when I purchased the car from Pete in 2013, it had already been awarded its HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features) status by the AACA. This means that the car was verified to essentially be in original condition. Future HPOF awards at AACA events would require maintaining its originality. I have only shown this car at one AACA National event, in Saratoga Springs, NY in 2024, where it won its repeat HPOF.

I’ve done my best to maintain the car without changing anything. But now I’ve decided that, given the decreased likelihood of participating in AACA Nationals, I might consider some minor upgrades for reliability, safety, and appearance. (Mind you, I’m not a trophy-hunter, and while I appreciate the recognition from my peers, it is far from the main reason I own a collector car.)

For example, I have continued using the original factory-style Roma-Block radiator hose clamps. But several loosened up and caused a minor coolant leak. I now plan to replace those clamps with an updated design. And speaking of clamps, I was always bothered by the tarnished and dull appearance of the air intake hose clamps. They are original to the car and in thirteen years of ownership, I have ignored them, until now. I thought I would try a buffing method I had never used before.

One of the air intake tube clamps, before treatment

I grabbed my tube of Wenol “automotive” metal polish, labeled as a finer compound than the regular Wenol. I also broke out my Dremel tool and mounted a small cotton buffing wheel on it. Securing the hose clamp in my bench vise, I put a schmear (yes, the word is in my Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary) of Wenol on the clamp, cranked the speed dial on the Dremel up to 15k (range is 5k-30k) and had at it.

At first I became alarmed when the clamp turned black! But I kept at it, and within moments, the matte gray metal glistened like chrome. I continued the treatment, buffing a small section at a time, and wiping each section down with a microfiber cloth to remove the remaining remnants of polish. After finishing one clamp, the buffing wheel seemed saturated, so I switched to a new cotton wheel for the second clamp. I also polished the clamps’ bolts and nuts for the complete look.

Wow! What a difference an investment of thirty minutes of garage time made, and it was fun to do! The clamps now look almost new, and are nice and contrasty against the black air hose. The next challenge will be to attack other engine compartment clamps which will look shabby compared to these two refurbished ones. And if the car does enter another round of HPOF judging, I’ll simply tell the judges the truth: yes, these clamps are original to the car.

A Visit to Motorcyclepedia, March, 2025

March 23, 2025 RichardReina Events, museums Motorcycle Museum, Motorcyclepedia

Last week, I made my second visit to what might be one of the few motorcycle museums on the East Coast, “Motorcyclepedia” in Newburgh, NY. Unlike my first visit in 2021, which was more of a quick walk-through, this time I had the pleasure of an informal tour guide in the form of my good friend Terry, who has done some volunteer work at this museum and is more familiar with its content.

First, the building is huge, with displays which are well-lit, well-maintained, and well-organized. Perhaps the museum’s biggest claim to fame is its collection of Indian motorcycles. Arranged in chronological order, there is one Indian bike of each model year from 1901, the first year of production, through 1953, the final year. Whether you are a bike buff or not, the history as represented here is also a history of the U.S. and its growth as a nation which was putting its citizens into motorized transport.

The Indians are on the main floor, along with a somewhat bizarre collection of motorcycles built for television, movies, and shows. A name familiar to me was Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. If you are at all aware of some of his four-wheeled creations, you can imagine what he might have been able to do with motorcycles. Another interesting element of the collection is the number of original, unrestored bikes.

On the lower level were Harley-Davidsons, and an eclectic collection of import bikes. A surprise to me was the Velorex, a cloth-covered vehicle from Czechoslovakia, which I last saw in the year 2000 at a microcar event. Other treats included bikes by Vespa, Husqvarna, and Opel. There is memorabilia as well, such as posters and vinyl albums with bikes on the covers.

This entire collection was amassed over many years by a father and son team, and the level of preservation is beyond reproach. If you are into motorcycles, this museum is a must-see. Even if you are not, it is an impressive display which thoroughly captures a significant slice of the history of 20^th century America.

INDIAN DISPLAY

Not only was there one bike from each model year arranged in order, each bike included a descriptive placard. It was fascinating to read how the bikes changed and sales grew year over year.

UNRESTORED BIKES

A number of bikes were displayed in “as found” condition, including one where a tree grew into and around the motorcycle.

OTHER BIKES

MEMORABILIA

AACA NJ Region Judging Seminar, Mar. 15, 2025

March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 RichardReina Events Lotus Elan, NJ Region AACA, Olds F-85

The Ides of March seemed to be an ideal date for the Reinas to host an AACA judging seminar at our home. As we did last year, we opened the invitations to all members of the NJ Region, and eighteen replied in the affirmative. Instead of breakfast (my wife is still trying to clean the frying pan of scrambled eggs), we offered lunch, and relied on our local Wawa, all of two miles up the street, to provide an assortment of hoagies (heroes, grinders, subs).

Craig Kunz reprised his role as Chief Judge and motored to the event in his 1966 Oldsmobile F-85, although he expressed disappointment that the morning dampness and fog nixed his original choice of wheels, his 1929 LaSalle. But the Olds looked great in my garage! Dick and Bobbi Bettle arrived in their Lotus Elan, and along with my Alfa Romeo, this gave Craig three different cars to use for training purposes.

Instead of hanging out in the garage, yours truly headed up the all-female Administrative Team (lucky me) in our living room. Our challenges will be to help oversee the 40-point judging sheets for 150+ cars and help the judges tally scores to award first, second, and third place awards in all sixteen judged classes. As opposed to AACA judging at the National level, our Region adds its own classes such as Class 16, “Modified vehicles to (the year) 2000,” and Class 17, “Modern Classics, 2001 to current.” Another challenge is correctly identifying “modified,” so that was discussed with the team.

Looks stock, but in fact is heavily modified

By one o’clock, everyone’s stomach announced that training should cease and dining should commence, so into the kitchen we went, for the aforementioned hoagies, plus chips, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and hot and cold drinks. But we can’t forget dessert! Since the previous day was Pi Day, Bobbi Bettle brought not one, not two, but three pies in honor of Pi. Needless to say, the pies (along with two 12-cup carafes of coffee) were scarfed up in minutes. We had a great turnout, which we hope gives us a sufficient number of judges for our Annual Spring Meet car show to be held on Sunday, May 4, at Nielsen Ford, 170 Ridgedale Ave., Morristown, NJ. Put it on your calendar!

NJ AROC Breakfast Meet, March 8, 2025

March 9, 2025 RichardReina Events AROC NJ Chapter, Jimmy's American Grill

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club held its March monthly breakfast at Jimmy’s American Grill on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Nine Alfisti joined together to enjoy the unique brunch menu at Jimmy’s. It was not quite spring-like enough for those with classic Alfas to show up with them, but we did have four modern Giulias, including two Quadrifoglios, in the parking lot. It’s always great to be able to chat about our favorite Italian marque, and with spring’s official arrival just two weeks away, we are looking forward to cruising in our marvelous Milanese machines very soon. A special thanks to Paul for getting several friends from the Giulia forum to join us at breakfast. We hope you guys consider joining AROC!

The National Alfa Romeo Club Magazine Publishes My Bologna, Italy Article

February 24, 2025 RichardReina Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Jr., Car shows, Events AROC, Auto e Moto d'Epoca

The Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) has been in existence since the 1950s and has a storied history in the U.S. You can read more about the club’s history and mission at this link, where the passion for the marque is obvious. It has been said, without the slightest exaggeration, that it was AROC that kept the Alfa Romeo spirit alive during that long gap of time (1994 – 2016) when new Alfas were not offered for sale in this market.

The club’s monthly magazine, Alfa Owner, is a highlight of club membership. It is a full color publication, printed on high quality glossy paper, and carries stories about recent and upcoming events throughout the country. After my trip to the Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Bologna, Italy last October, I submitted an article to the club. I am proud to let you know that it was accepted for publication, and was selected to be the cover story as well. Twelve of my photos were included, and I was honored by the editors’ decision. I have included scanned pages from the magazine in this post. (Please excuse the fact that several photos were positioned across two pages and appear disjointed in my scans.)

NJ AROC breakfast meet, Feb. 16, 2025

February 16, 2025 RichardReina Events Americana Diner, AROC-NJ

The NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club held its monthly breakfast on Sunday, February 16, 2025, with six Chapter members gathering at the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, NJ. The lighter than usual turnout was not a surprise given the weather, which overnight had started as snow, then changed to sleet, freezing rain, and finally rain. Temperatures above freezing helped make the hour’s drive for your scribe palatable.

Also palatable was the food, which was excellent as we’ve come to expect from this diner. Conversation ranged from winter projects on stored Alfas to the upcoming Amelia Island show and the annual National AROC Convention in Chicago.

Four of the six of us motored in Alfas, and we decorated the Americana parking lot with a Giulia, two Stelvios, and the oldest Alfa out today, a 164 sedan. Here’s hoping for an early spring so that our March breakfast might include a larger number of Milan’s finest.

L to R: Lee, Richard, Vic, Paul, Alfred, Frank

NJ AACA Judging Seminar, Jan. 25, 2025

January 27, 2025 RichardReina Events AACA judging, NJ Region AACA

As they did last year, the Bettles of Florham Park hosted around two dozen members of the NJ Region of the AACA at their home for a seminar on the finer points of show car judging. There were several twists compared to 2024. First, the family 2000 Saturn station wagon is now, at twenty-five years of age, AACA-eligible, so it was moved into the garage and used as the target vehicle. And in addition to the vehicular judging, a separate seminar was conducted upstairs on the administrative side of the judging juggernaut.

Our Regional V.P. Craig, as he did last year, assumed Chief Judge duties while we wait for a dear Regional member to recover from an extended illness. Craig had this to say at the end of the technical session: “… repetition of the discussion of what and how to judge is always beneficial for judges. My eyes were opened a bit because judging the engine compartment of a car only 25 years old car is not the same as judging a 60- or 90-year-old engine compartment…. There’s a lot of technology stuffed under the hood, and … recognizing authentic is a lot more complicated now.”

Is it all original? How is a judge to know?

Meanwhile, yours truly helped oversee the administrative brainstorming, which focused on doing a better job of keeping the registration line moving, accurately identifying which cars belong in which class, and ensuring that those cars are correctly parked in those classes. The biggest issue will be the tallying of the scores. The Region has 17 AACA classes, plus classes for modifieds and moderns. Each class potentially has a 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winner. Within the space of three hours or less, the entire judging team must correctly identify up to sixty trophy winners, based on numerical scores assigned by the team.

Craig and I agreed that the biggest takeaway of the day was the greater number of Regional members who expressed a willingness to volunteer on show day. At the conclusion of the separate meetings, we all headed toward the kitchen for a delicious self-serve lunch of ham, lasagna, meatballs, sausage and peppers, and dessert. As our President Paul has pointed out more than once, we get a better turnout at these things when food is involved!

Craig (facing camera on right in light blue shirt and cap) is about to start the meeting

John P, using Saturn door as armrest, ably assisted Craig with his deep knowledge of AACA judging

“The ‘judged’ stickers go on the placard, NOT ON THE CAR’S HEADLIGHTS!”

Although it wasn’t used for judging, our host owns this very nice Lotus

The lady of the house generously provided more than enough food for all

Dining Room #1 held these hungry campers

The folks at Dining Room #2 were smart enough to sit close to the food

AROC-NJ Monthly Breakfast Meet, Jan. 18, 2025

January 19, 2025 RichardReina Events AROC NJ Chapter, Bernards Cafe

The New Jersey Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club (AROC) got the 2025 season off to a roaring start with our first monthly breakfast meet, held at the Bernard’s Café in lovely downtown Bernardsville, NJ, on Saturday, January 18, 2025. Ten hardy Chapter members made the trek, enjoying the fine food and comforting coffee as served up by the capable wait staff of the Café.

What did we talk about? Where do I start? Much of the discussion focused on our plans for the year. I’ve long maintained that living in the Northeast as we do, and enduring the winter seasons as we must, only makes us look forward to the coming spring with increased excitement. The group anxiously awaits that first drive of ’25. Meanwhile, all of us with older, classic Alfas have their cars in hibernation. Only Steve and J.P. with their modern Giulia, and John and Fran with their Tonale, drove Alfas to the breakfast.

For many of us, our Alfas are our toy cars, and we have “non Alfa” daily drivers. There was much talk around the table about our ups and downs with our Fords, Saabs, Volvos, Hondas, BMWs, Mazdas, and Kias, among others. This led to an interesting discussion about the prevalence in our daily drivers of modern safety aids such as rear-view and 360-degree cameras, and automatic braking for front collision avoidance. Our hobby-level Alfas have none of this electronic wizardry. Does that make them unsafe to drive? Not by a long shot would undoubtedly be our consensus. Our classic cars are fun to drive, and stick shift transmissions, manual steering, and non-ABS brakes require 100% driver focus at all times. We could make the argument that some so-called modern features, such as touch screens, add to driver distraction. At Volvo, I was taught that “active safety” is another term for accident avoidance, and our older classics have lots of active safety features. Precise steering, excellent handling, abundant outward visibility, and well-placed controls enable the driver to take appropriate evasive action when necessary.

Another hot topic: Stellantis, as in, the parent company of Alfa Romeo, which is having some major business issues at present. Alfa Romeo’s new vehicle sales in the U.S. last year were not great, and while these things don’t necessarily directly affect us right now, all of us want to see the brand thrive. The company is under new management and we’re hoping that there are big changes for the better coming soon.

Once we had finished solving the problems of the world, the group headed back into the winter air. The first day of spring is two months from Monday, and the days are getting longer, so there is plenty to look forward to and to be thankful for, including the continued camaraderie of this group.

From L to R: Bob, Richard, Jay, Steve, J.P., Tony (standing), John, Fran, Gene, and Cathy.

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