Alfa Romeo SPICA Tuning Set Up

I wrote an article around the year 2000, and if I find it I will post it here. If one can find the Factory Manual, written in the mid-to-late 1970's, the steps listed are concise and easy to duplicate on the car with no guess work involved.

From memory I'll try and walk through the steps here:

1 - Set Bell Crank degrees (it was to be 60 degrees from what I recall). Then ensure throttle cable play is adequate.

2 - Set short rod length to butterflys.

3 - Set butterflys to "just closed" (so they are not forced closed, but nonetheless fully closed). They can be synced for air flow hissing or vacuum etc to equalize.

4 - Using a dummy Thermostatic Actuator (use the correct length specified for your year of SPICA), set the clearance at .5mm (which is between .020 or .019 inches).

5 - Adjust the long rod to match the position of the butterflys at fully closed and the Thermostatic Actuator lever without moving it from its rest position (i.e. doesn't change the gap from .5mm).

6 - There's a step to check the barometric pressure sensor too I think - by length and knowing the pressure if I recall.

7 - Set the fuel cutoff at approx. 1300 rpm. (Can be checked by coasting down to a near-stop in gear with throttle closed - foot off the throttle. The cutoff will be noticeable).

8 - Set the fuel mixture.

9 - Set the idle flow mixture to proper Hydrocarbon % (2% if I recall) at the butterfly air tube connection.

10 - Be sure to check the belt position for proper timing of motor flywheel to SPICA pulley indexes.

Basically, when the bell crank is at the correct degrees, the butterfly opening matches the Thermostatic Actuator lever opening, which turns the 3D Cam in the SPICA to allow fuel flow to match air flow. The fuel flow also being adjusted by barometric pressure and fuel mixture.