Don't know where you hail from, but in many states, it's illegal to
change anything having to do with air/fuel delivery in any smog-
controlled vehicle. In CA, For instance, if the car is later than 1975
model, you can't legally touch it. On the other hand, SPICA is
mechanical Fuel injection and there are no user-modifiable
"enhancements" that are available for it. You could probably gain a
few HP by replacing the air cleaner with a more free-flow type like a
K&N, or with porting and relieving and polishing inlet and exhaust
ports, and possibly a better exhaust system. Again, different states
have different rules about that. I understand that Wes Ingram, the US'
top SPICA specialist (206-762-3931, [email protected]) can provide
rebuilt SPICA systems (on an exchange basis) that are capable of
providing much more horsepower than stock, but I don't know anything
about the specifics. If you live in a state where it's not illegal,
you can replace the SPICA setup with new Webber carburetor kits that
are available from vendors like International Auto Parts (www.international-auto.com
; 1-800-726-0555) and these just bolt on and include all the parts top
make the conversion including a plate to cover the SPICA pump power
take-off on the engine and the complete throttle linkage kit. It's
really just an afternoon's work to make the change. However it's
expensive (about $1400, last time I looked) and by itself won't gain
you any horsepower (but it will eliminate the mechanical SPICA which
many people view as a potential nightmare due to its complexity). In
conjunction with high-lift cam shafts, porting and relieving, and a
better flowing exhaust, I'm told that the 1750 or 2000 Alfa engine is
good for close to 160 BHP without either overtaxing it or jeopardizing
reliability. Hopes this helps give you some ideas.
George Graves
'86 GTV-6 3.0 'S'
On Mar 7, 2011, at 6:00 PM, [email protected] wrote:
Hi everyone- I was looking at a 81 spider for sale last summer. I
test
drove the car and found it to be a very solid example. The only
negative was
the lack of gusto. The timing for me buying an extra car wasn't
right. I
was recently looking around the Alfa BB and found out the car is
still for
sale. It is fairly priced and I like the odd color.
I am curious how difficult (subjectively) it is to alter the Spica
for more
performance. I know the 80-81 Spica is different and generally
considered
the worst of the lot. What are the realistically priced options
here?
Thanks in advance- Cory
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