ALFAGTV6.COM

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 3:22 pm

I noticed IAP now has new joints listed in their catalog, #13748
http://www.international-auto.com/index ... id=2262121

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 7:17 pm

Yea, after i sent them an email with the part #s it seemed that they wised up!
atleast there is an accepted solution now.

MtnStephen · Post by **MtnStephen** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:06 pm

Hmmmm, well, they (IAP) are one of the sources I referred to a few posts back. I ordered a set from them a few weeks ago, and what showed up was simply not the right part. Too small, too thin, different # splines, wrong axle diameter, etc. I called, they are sending me a return shipping label, and told me all they have in stock are wrong, too, and that they are "No longer available anywhere". Perhaps they missed your email? I ordered some Porsche ones from the dune-buggy place metioned above. Still waiting for them...

Stephen, missing driving my car!

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:31 pm

Iap really stand by there stuff. They will get it sorted. The parts are easy enough to find, but if you want them on the cheap... you gotta be a ninja

MtnStephen · Post by **MtnStephen** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 2:35 pm

Just so it's clear, I've been a happy IAP customer for a long long time. Other than a few parts mix-ups over the years, they have always been great. They were quick to make things right in this case, at least financially. And it's not that I want the parts on the cheap, I just want 'em, period! I had waited until the new parts arrived before taking mine apart, to avoid being off the road longer than necessary, and it did not occur to me to measure the new ones before proceeding.

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 3:43 pm

!here is one i got off ebay. the thing is you need to use the 930 boot and flange (which run about 10-20$ a kit). keep in mind that i paid 170$ for a set of 4 brand new (made in germany) joints. lemme post the link, bc i think this guy always sells them on ebay.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 626&rd=1,1

Stephen, post pics when all is said and done. it sounds like you are moving faster on this than me

!

MtnStephen · Post by **MtnStephen** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:20 pm

Well, you are ahead of me as you have the joints in hand, while mine are on a UPS truck heading slowly north. But I am highly motivated to get her back together, because as long as she is up on jack-stands and my better half is superstitious about me riding my Italian Motorcycles while she is expecting, I'm stuck commuting in my old pickup truck with no working radio. And with the Sharks in the playoffs and the Warriors maybe, just maybe heading there, a radio would be nice. Plus the truck needs a new differential, not to mention how much more fun the GTV-6 is on my twisty commute! Yeah, I know, life is rough.

I'm curious why a different flange and boot are required... I may not be as close to getting back on the road as I thought. If the joint assembly diminsions are the same, why won't my old flanges, (new)boots & end-caps work?

While I had things appart in the back I put in a stiffer Shankle anti-sway bar I'd had sitting around for a long time, with new poly end bushings, replaced the rotten fuel line from the tank to the pump, replaced a leaking brake caliper, and put in a new hatch strut that actually holds up the hatch. So maybe it's a good thing I had to wait for the CV joints.

Maybe I should take a picture of all the nice shiny bits while they are still so clean!

Stephen

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:45 pm

i can only take pictures with my cell phone right now, so pardon the quality. about 1/4 inch in from each end of the alfa cv joint there is a machined groove to accept both the end cap and the boot flange. on the porsche cv there is only one groove machined on the circumference of one end. The side with the groove gets the the end cap. The side without it receives the different type porsche boot and flange. in the picture below you can definately see that the new porsche joint on the left has only one groove. the alfa joint on the right has two. you cannot see one because the alfa boot flange is on one end and the one on the bottom is just blends in with the rusty metal.

MtnStephen · Post by **MtnStephen** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:56 pm

Got it. Thanks for the info!

Stephen

a lathe, a lathe, my kingdom for a lathe...

MR2 Zig · Post by **MR2 Zig** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 5:13 pm

You rang?

I am a machinist after all.

I am in Fresno, Ca. Let me know if I can help.

Scott

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:03 am

Stephen, you beat me to the auction! hahaha i was going to use auctionsniper.com.

MtnStephen · Post by **MtnStephen** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 2:53 pm

Scott, thanks for the offer. If you lived closer, or if I had a lathe myself, or if my dad (who has a machine shop) lived closer, or if my neighbor who has one owed me more favors than I owe him, turning the sholder would be the answer... but none of those being true, I got new flanges instead. Thanks, though!

Vittorio, Sorry! Before I bid, Google found a number of VW and porsche places which had them. It looks like http://cat.cip1.com/catalog.asp?pg=149 has just the flanges, for ~$19, and boots for $9.95. You certainly got a much better deal (a steal!) on the joints than I did.

MtnStephen · Post by **MtnStephen** » Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:53 pm

I think the boot issue turns out to be the other-way round; you must use the Alfa boots and flanges on the Porsche-style joints.

I took a closer look at my collection of used cv joints, and found that most of them only have the groove on one end. A few have two groves, but I don't think it makes much (if any) difference in how the flange or end cap fit. Both seem to fit just fine with or without it, at least for the caps and flanges I have on hand. It does appear that on joints with one groove, the end-cap is on that end.

The Porsche-style boots and flanges, on the other hand, while really nice unfortunately have clearance issues. At least at the outboard end, with the springs, and possibly at the endboard end, at extreme suspension travel. They start out a larger diameter at the flange, and don't taper at all, which leads to the fitment problems. It's a shame, because the are very well made. The flanges are works of art, and the boots feel like they are made from a much thicker, tougher, material than the boots I've been able to find in the Alfa style. Oh well. Hope this info helps others.

Stephen

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Mon May 07, 2007 8:04 am

i have them all assembled now and only the inner cv joints are greased in the event that the outer boots rub the springs. I will finish this project up tonight and report back. this has been an exciting bit of research.

now if only we could find that porsche gearboxes are just more durable alfa gearboxes... maybe in another life.

Sporttunergtv6 · Post by **Sporttunergtv6** » Mon May 07, 2007 8:38 pm

the porsche 930 boots are too square to use! after i repaint the alfa flanges I will just use them.