The
original Spica Injected Alfas have become desirable collector cars.
New owners and investors are intrigued with the mechanical quality of these
vehicles and want them original as presented by the factory. With our
H&W high performance systems, the engine can remain very
correct looking and be upgraded internally for great gas mileage, low
emissions and easier maintenance. These Alfas were designed for the American market and there are very few 4C Alfas in other parts
of the world with mechanical injection, though the Spica technology was also used for factory race cars. We offer full service rebuilds,
and custom parts and our SPICA
manual. Hemmings Motor News, an excellent magazine in print and online for car collectors, published a SPICA article. "The best ever written in the aftermarket" says Wes. Road & Track recently took up that challenge and published this feature.
We also offer restored high performance throttle bodies and injectors, and replated injection pipes and hardware.
The
Thermostatic Actuator (TA) functions much like a Choke. It will last 10 to 15 years. If your engine runs very rich, it is very likely the TA
needs replacing.
The picture of the TA on the right is
correct at room temperature. The steel pin must extend past the brass
at least 5 mm. If the pin is only extended 4 mm or it is flush, send
the TA to us for rebuilding. It is not necessary to test it in hot
water.
Remove the two 4mm hex nuts first from the
mid-clamp device half way up the tube. These fasteners are usually
rusted requiring rust-buster and a good grip on the nuts to remove them.
Do not send the small bracket that attaches to the intake manifold on the
4C cars. Please take care not to bend the tube excessively.
Included with our TAs are two 4mm Allen socket screws to replace the slotted 4mm
screws. You can use a long "T-Handle" Allen tool to simplify the
re-installation of the TA. You may have to remove the screws up to
three times to get the .5mm (.019 in.) hot reference gap correct. Note
the adjusting screw on the shaft that allows for setting the .019 in.
reference gap.
The shaft and compensating screw is inside the pump, not visable from the
outside. Use this screw inside the pump to make this adjustment. Do not
use a Dummy TA.
Once the TA has been replaced and
set up correctly you can expect your Spica system to run well and to be
very reliable. We will do our best to have TAs in stock for a quick turn
around as long as we know your old TA has been shipped to us.
The Montreal TA's have a 90
degree adapter that allows for a tight fit under the low silhouette of
the air box. We can now supply replacements where the original TA's are
missing or for owners who want a spare while supplies last.
After reconditioning all injectors are run at very high speeds and fuel
volumes on our custom test bench. Injector
pulses must also be clean and crisp at very low speeds. Click here for
information about injectors.
We
replace all the plungers and barrels on all our rebuilt pumps to
prevent gasoline from seeping into the engine oil. Our pumps include
upgrades to correct several original pump design defects. After
re-assembly each pump is installed on our test bench and run for more
than 8 hours that simulates actual engine operating
conditions.
Fuel calibration is set to less than 1% differential between cylinders
at selected speeds and load points. This results in more
power,
fuel mileage and reduced emissions.
Our
Brass Hex Nut and Alloy Wrench replace the difficult to adjust factory
fuel solenoid. Due to tough emission laws, the injection systems were
designed to be tamper proof. Anytime the injection pump is serviced or
replaced it is necessary to re-set the air/fuel mixture. The original
fuel solenoid lock nut was designed to require a large, deep-socket
spanner tool. We produced a limited supply of special aftermarket
spanner sockets until costs became prohibitive.
We designed a new Hex Nut to allow use of a short wide-mouth wrench
that allows using a 19 mm end wrench on the end to firmly seat the
large brass hex nut. You can now make air/fuel adjustments without
removing the air box/air cleaner.
The nut and wrench are precision CNC Billet machined tools designed to
last the life of the vehicle. The new brass nut and hardened alloy
wrench are now included on all our rebuilt pumps that have the threaded
fuel solenoid.
Street Pumps
For factory stock engines with original cams the best pump is the pump
model type originally installed on the vehicle. The original
“69”
4C single solenoid pumps are every bit as good as the later 2L pumps.
The backfiring defect on the 69 pumps is corrected during
rebuilding.
HP Pumps
Our HP (high performance) Spica Pumps feature a 4th dimension fuel
curve in the pump “Logic” section that improves the air/fuel ratio at
high rpm.
Confused about cam timing? Please contact us before
you decide.
There are no new magic cam profiles, but the mysteries of performance
cams remains legendary in the minds of many car owners.
Send all the details of your engine upgrades. We will assist you with
the selection of cams that are correct for your engine and your driving
style.
Whether carbureted or Spica Injected, the factory designed “individual
throttle per cylinder” intake system is a feature usually found on rare
and exotic vehicles. As compared to a single throttle plate in take
system, throttle per cylinder intakes are much more forgiving, allowing
engine upgrades and more robust cam timing. Idle quality can be very
good especially on highly modified HP Spica systems.
You can plan on a 25% to 35% power increase with your street Alfa
running 92 octane pump gas.
Send all the details of your engine upgrades.
Note: There will be an extra charge for
failed fuelcut-off solenoids on pumps received for rebuilding (De-cels)
Our rebuilt pumps feature the fruits of knowledge
gained over our
years of rebuilding them. We have identified their weaknesses and have
developed alternatives and guidelines to make them last longer. Each of
our pumps have these upgrades installed.
Our "Manual for Alfa Romeo SPICA Fuel Injection"
by Wes Ingram is
written as a do-it-yourself guide for owners. The first edition was
written in 1985 and as we gained knowledge, 10 new editions have
followed.
We now have a Kindle edition! You can read our manual on Kindle Fire, any tablet or computer with the Kindle Reader App. In the USA, click here to buy it on Amazon. Elsewhere, search your amazon for "Alfa Spica Book" (available worldwide in US English).
It took 4 years to
design our dual test benches. We installed and put them into operation
in the summer of 2013. The complex design of the mechanical gasoline
injection pumps requires from 20 to 80 hours of bench time after they
have been assembled. The benefit of having two benches allows us to run
two pumps at the same time which has cut our turn-around time in half.
All phases and components of the pumps are run and tested to match the
engines various speeds and power. When sending your pump to us for
rebuilding we need to know the intended engine upgrades even if it is a
mild camshaft upgrade.
Maintaining the pump calibration to within 1% accuracy between
cylinders results in low emissions, improved gas mileage and more power
and torque.
High Performance (HP) Pumps
HP
pumps are a very popular option
that exists for owners of modified Alfa motors. The HP pump matches the
fuel metering characteristics to the breathing mods done to the engine.
You wouldn't throw larger cams in the motor without increasing jet
size, would you? Without modifying the pump's fuel distribution curve
you won't maximize the potential of your improvements.
The
heart of the HP pump is the re-profiled 3-D cam. We've developed
several styles of the 3-D cam to deliver correct fuel mixtures at all
engine speeds. It is necessary to specify the engine mods and power
expectations on custom orders. Note that the 40mm throttle bodies are
available for all SPICA cars and particularly those with modified
engines.
Autodelta Race Pump
Photo: Sven Heimbach. This GTAM engine has one of our 2013 series race
pumps with flexible fuel lines.
Tipo 33 Stradale Pump
Air Boxes
Patrick Suyama's 74 GTV restored engine bay. Click image to enlarge.
If you would like us to restore your air box, send an email to wing@nwlink.com.
If you want to get in the queue for a new “2000” name plate please send your name, address and
phone number. We need a large order to get these manufactured.
1969 Spica
Click image to enlarge.
This simple tool designed by Tom Sahines allows running the 69 engines without the air box.
Things you need to know when ordering your pump
rebuild:
The second step is to to discuss the work to be done: that gets you in the queue.
We can exchange most of the 4C pumps to the
correct model
pump for your 4C Alfa if your pump is not correct. We usually have a backlog of pump orders, so it is best to get your order
started and in the queue before you ship the old pump to us for an
exchange. Once your order is in the queue no one gets in front of your
order, and we will prepare your new pump as soon as we can. You can
ship the old pump two weeks before completion of your rebuilt pump:
we'll let you know when that will be. Shipping Instructions: click here.
Be sure to include your contact info (name, address, phone, email) in the box with your pump.
We
do not have Injection pumps on the shelf. There are 14 different Spica
Injection pumps depending on the model and year of the car and the
state of build of the engine.
We do have a large supply
of pump cores. We usually have the correct pump core in stock for your
Alfa, with the exception of the 8C Montreal and a few very rare pumps.
We
do the exchange to ensure that you get the right pump. There can be a
problem if the pump had been previously replaced with an incorrect
model pump. The “T” number on the name plate is specific to the year of
the car beginning with the 69 pumps (T-237/1) through the 80-81 pumps
(T-265). The serial numbers are numerically sequential and not matched
to the vehicle or engine.
We can usually supply the correct model pump
for a small fee even if the pump you send is incorrect.
Be sure to include your contact info (name, address, phone, email) in the box with your pump.