Just for the sound of it.
I spent a lot of evenings in the New Years break watching YouTube clips of various Alfa V6's in different states of tune.
My mate wanted me to plough all of my savings into a GTV V6, as they are starting to appreciate in value, a la Coupes.
Being a more cautious kind of chap, I'm prepared to forego looks in favour of affordability.
Hence I bid on, and won, THIS .
I've just come back from London in it.
As well as the declared faults, the front tyres are scrubbed out on the inside and the o/s rear sill needs welding up for the next MOT.
It sounds just fantastic. My face aches from smiling all of the journey home.
It makes no sense financially, but - well, who can explain how the mind of a petrol head works?

Nice

Passed MOT tests look pretty good as well.

Will you be joining us at the Shelsley Walsh breakfast meet in February, bring her along?

Thanks for the report Joe.
It's worrying that the sill didn't even get an advisory last April. The rest of the car inc floor pan looks ok though.
Shelsley Walsh sounds like a good idea but the 156 is not presentable really. Do other people turn up in classy sheds?

They usually put our sheds in the overspill car park huw..

Sounds like a plan then. It would be good to meet up.
Is it on a Sunday? Which day are you aiming for?

At last! Well done

Lovely engine, I fell for it too

And guess which weekend I'm working in Feb? I won't be able to swap either as we're so short of staff. Grrrr.
At least it will give me a chance to 'muck it out' for future meets.
(Should be ok for the March meet).

Thanks T - made me laugh.
I wasn't going on about my car hunt, was I?

What did you get, Mark?

I'm having trouble concentrating at work today. I just want to go home and clean and polish those chrome induction pipes

I got a 2001 Cup

I have had a couple of 156 V6's.
One thing I will say is that the standard Suspension is pretty rubbish, so an upgrade to better dampers will make a huge difference.

The engine is a peach though, not as torquey as the 3.0 but revs much more freely and is smoother.

I would be tempted with another, but most of the ones that have survived seem to be Autos.

My last V6 Alfa was a 3.0 GTV, unfortunatley whilst it looked nice, mechanically it was a dog.

It's just had new dampers at the back.
It has a curious diagonal pitching motion at times - n/s front to o/s rear for example. I put it down to the boot hanging out the back.
First thing I need to do (after cleaning it) is change the stat. It only gets to 70 in town and 50 on a run. Stuck open like the Coupe, I guess.

Sweet. My mates is a Cup replica and they're lovely

Changing the stat is dead easy on the V6.

I found they tend to float on undulating roads, the SP/Veloce versions were a bit better but not by much.

I took car to Scotland this year and the temp gradually started to rise well above 90..

The increase was progressive over the two week period, but keeping heater on full blast managed to get back without issue. Stat obviously slowly failing to open.

New OEM stat installed and the temp often hangs on temps significantly below 90. Does go to 90 sometimes like in traffic jams or other random times. Point is that unlike my wife's Audi TT where the stat is forced to read bang on 90C when things are okay, the Alfa gauge is not forced to the 90 and therefore can fluctuate and all is still fine. Obviously if it goes over 90 as mine did then time to pay attention. Bottom line is that stat might be okay, but I can understand you might want to change it for peace of mind. Good luck

One thing that can happen is that the radiator fails as well as the stat.

The stat stays open so the engine gets the full flow of coolant, but because the radiator isn't cooling correctly it can effectively cancel out the failed stat.

Then when you stick a working stat in the engine overheats.

Of all of the Alfa's I have owned, the vast majority have had to have replacement stats at some stage, and the original copper cored radiators don't last more than about 5 years either.

Nice one!

Ive had a few 156 v6s, including one i popped a 3.0 in. I do have a little thing going for the busso engine. Currently have the 155 v6 12v which i love, and two 3.0 GTVs. Absolutely storming cars but all under cover for the winter. Cant beat that V6

Not much, no Knew you'd get one eventually

I found the stat last night. I'm soaking it and the bolts in wd so they don't snap (like my Coupe arb did (shudder)).

The radiator was changed recently so I'm hoping the stat will put things right. The heater isn't that warm so I think it is running cool. Seems to tick over too fast too.

Fitting a 3 litre into the 156? How hard was that to do, Wombat?
Thanks for all of your replies.

3.0 into a 156 was a straight swap. The fuel map on the 2.5 ECU copes fine with it (not rolling road tested though) so ECU is straight engine loom plug in.

Only issue on the engine was my transplant was from a 166 and the plenum was slightly different, and oil breather set up was different (2.5 had a drain into the back of the block. The 3.0 does not have the corresponding hole).

2.5 does not have an oil cooler so it needs fitting. The water/oil cooler does fit, but oil cooler is better (GTA style fitting).

Other than that it is a straight forward bolt in.

Other upgrades needed really. 2.5 brakes are good, but GTA hubs and 4 pots are better.

It was a great car until a Czech truck driver wrote it off by changing lanes into me on the M25 and shoving me down the motorway sideways for 200 yards!!

I know of a couple of people who have used the 2.5 oil/water heat exchanger on the 3.0

It is fine as long as you don't live in a hot country or do trackdays.

I sooooo want an Alfa V6.... hooked since I went in a 75 cloverleaf many years ago.

I never realised you had a 75, Toby!
I loved my twin spark until I span it with the missus in as well. I sold it soon after because I'm not a good enough driver.
Bet you wish you still had it - there was a black one on ebay recently for £14k.
(Cheaper merry go rounds are available)!

Nope I never had one, it was a friends. Maybe one day.

Tut. Sorry. Not the first time I've mis-read a post
The 'proper' engines that we've grown up with are being consigned to history.
I'm on a quest to try or own a few good ones before they've disappeared to the museums'.
I've had a five cylinder engine. Now on my first v6.
The best sounding engine ever is apparently a Maserati V8.
I'll see how long that takes for me to get that one

My First Alfa was a 3.0 V6 164, with the 12 valve engine.

I actually think it sounds much better than the 24v, the only thing is it doesn't rev as high.

Was that because it didn't have a cat?
Cats took away car exhaust note personalities. I'm thinking of Fiat saloons in the 70's and 80's that used to rasp. Even my Uno 45 had a sporty note.