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.

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