Alfa Romeo 156 1.9 JTDM Major Rust Repairs

[@therushden]

The owner is lucky to have you. Most would have washed their hands of it.

[@AlfaGTA156]

Fantastic job. Even though you rust protected the inside, I’d personally drill a ittle access hole in a discreet area of the sill and plug it with a grommet. I’d use this to spray wax oil in side to give it more protection.

[@geodrome]

Brings back memories of my Alfasud Green Cloverleaf. Spent many weeks cutting and welding inner and outer sills, inner wings and the triple bulkhead. Was in tears when I found all the rust but finishing it was very satisfying.

[@josephmifsud8261]

Wow. I am amazing that this was still repairable. I love Alfas but I'm sure I wouldn't have been so keen to repair it. Hats off to you and the owner for doing it.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Kudos to the Alfista who owns this car: stomach what looks like a hefty bill to keep this car on the road isn't something many people would have done. That's true love, indeed!

[@gearhead9828]

Glad to see that one gets saved. Brave decision that is👍

[@CumminsVoortman]

Yes for sure but the key thing is that once you get away from the money side of things and focus on what you like then the decision becomes different. I am restoring a 2001 156SW also and there is some bad rust but it is a nice car and it is one I have had for many years and there are memories so then money doesn't matter.

[@nigeltoon1848]

Good on the customer for spending a few quid and saving it, I’ve seen worse repaired. Couple of questions - what are you putting on the repaired inner sill it to protect it? Did you address the rust behind the base of the B pillar? Looks like it would have been continuous across the inner sill? Those outer sills look like a decent fit.

[@marklawton5753]

Why is the customer bothering to repair his car? Simple! It's the same reason I am about to spend a small fortune on my 156, How do your replace or even find another one, these are becoming increasingly rare at a frightening rate! They are fantastic cars which will become classics! If this kind or work is not carried out by the current owners then they will disappear altogether. My car is not rusty and for a 17 year old car that's some going whatever the make. As regards the reason for the rust, if there was a reason other than the salt that is placed on our roads then both side would have deteriorated at an equal rate not just the side that is in the gutter. Love your content Neil keep it coming.

[@tommylascelles1918]

Absolutely agree your sentiments here. Being new to Alfa ownership I don't see anything too different being done here to how you'd approach any inner / outer / partial wheelarch replacement. Being an old lag myself I remember only too well undertaking these types of repairs on Cortina's and Austin, Morris. I think it was only in the later years when better rust prevention methods were employed at the manufacturing stage that we saw less need to weld. That fact, together with the inyroduction of cheap credit and a throwaway disposable mentality ride within the UK, did we see these skills fall by the wayside. Thinking back (and possibly in response to @kevgermany) who posted a comment here. Driving on the left of the carriageway in the UK in my experience kicks up more muck, stones, grit and salt over the years from the gutter, than you'll get on the offside, hence it makes sense to me that the nearside will be the first to corrode. It'll happen be the opposite in Germany. But to be fair there'll be a number of factors, such as whether the car has had an indoor swimming pool that's never been fixed etc. Great channel and a right down to earth approach and explanation of stuff here. Looking forward to getting immersed in all things 156. It's a piece of art and automotive history that is way beyond mere economic consideration. And even if they don't increase in value because of their scarcity and uniqueness, they're still a beautiful thing and we can spend our money on what we love.

[@nickmoore2301]

That's pretty rotten, thumbs up to the owner for getting it fixed 👍 What's the drivers side like ? 🥺

[@george_364]

I was also thinking what the other side would be like. Hope he mentions it in the next video.

[@vtouloumtzoglou]

Neil, you are the customer's hero and a savior of Alfas... Even if it is "just" a 1.9 JTDm, the shape is unique and deserves the treatment!

[@mickpalmer3521]

The 156 has always been a rot box around the sills , l remember looking at 3 year old cars that had already gone . The thing with the Alfa 156 is it's a design classic , l love em . I think saving these now is money in the bank , so many have gone to the scrappers making them rare even now so their value has got to go up in the near future .

[@chrisl8873]

There's only 80 or so left in the UK

[@markreynolds8449]

Sometimes economics doesn’t come into the decision, if the car means a lot you just do. Nice video Neil, not a nice job but well done doing something most wouldn’t care for.

[@weltraumcowboy07]

So nice to see one being saved. Such a gorgeous car. Thanks for sharing.

[@andries514]

Respect for this job.

[@autoazure]

Fantastic Neil, another Alfa saved from the scrapyard!

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Gosh - I was going to buy another Sportwagon to use as my daily, but sadly, I think that a lot have succumbed to the red peril! Goes to show how much the chill covers conceal! Good to see another lovely 156 being brought back to full health!

[@paula200]

The owner must be very emotionally attached to that car for whatever reason. Watching you working on that car made me grateful that I got out of the trade and into another form of engineering in the early 90s!🤣

[@RyderGaming]

As someone with a GT that's gonna need the same repairs next summer (it was put together just to pass MOT this year) I think this is beyond reasoning for the customer. It's a matter of loving the car. I for example I know I'll have to spend around 1-2k on it, but this is the car I want to have, so. The things we do for love, I guess.

[@davidfoster1762]

Italia Autos . The patron saints to Italian cars !

[@_RicksGarage]

Great to see one with the wing on the back 😎👍🏼

[@ItaliaAutos]

Yep super rare

[@Negativvv]

IMO a bare boot lid is the best look. But the whale tail does have it's fans...

[@thomasmcewan9465]

One of the best and most underrated car channels on KZbin. Cracking video

[@mkserwis8667]

Niestety nie mogę powiedzieć że to co zrobiłeś to dobra robota. Nie zabezpieczyłes wnętrza przed kurzem i brudem powstałym z wykonywanych prac. Nie zabezpieczyłes wnętrza niczym w czasie cięcia przez co iskry wypalały wszystkie elementy w środku. Co do swojej ochrony brak rękawiczek przy pracach blacharskich słabo. Jeśli chodzi o szlifierkę która cały czas się wyłącza a i sam włącznik jest w fatalnym miejscu nie ostała by się w moich rękach 10 minut. Na plus jedynie że ratujesz motoryzację z historią wiele lat marka Alfa Romeo była ze mną z modelami 147, 156FL, 159, 159Q4.... Życzę ci wszystkiego dobrego i powodzenia w ratowaniu klasyków.

[@The_Dee_Jay]

You're a brave man Neil...

[@anthonytube]

Deeply impressed at your skill and so shocked it can get that bad! Need to really get under my 156. In 17 MOTs never a single mention of rust and only advisories for gaiters & hand brake in 2012. I guess the more you pamper the better. Great to know people like you exist to keep these beautiful cars on the road. Think about it has another saloon come along as beautiful!?

[@ItaliaAutos]

Thanks. Good luck with yours

[@anthonytube]

@@ItaliaAutos Thanks so much!

[@carlosceoofredlinequickshift]

Save them all I say mate, fair play to the owner man. He's obviously had it a long time, I wouldn't want to scrap it if I'd had it a long time. Great one as always Neil 👍🏾

[@turbomac5195]

Don't care how rusty they are Italian cars love them.

[@silvermane9370]

It’s getting saved because he loves his car! Any petrol head of a certain age will have done something similar. While i watched this all i could think about was my old 156. Sorely missed.

[@ds1868]

It's a diesel not a petrol.

[@noo1542]

The 156 is starting to get rare. I understand the customer ..

[@noo1542]

@@ds1868 He said petrol HEAD...

[@weerares]

Got the same 156 1.9jtdm car from 2004, mine is just black. Although I took care of it, it needs a full respray now and I would like to rust treat it as well. It doesn't have any major rust spots like this one, but it seems that no shop is willing to start working on it. It is my daily commute and I just love it. My wife has a 159 and we were thinking of selling that one and get a Giulia rather that selling the 156. So, even if it will take 2000Euro to get it sorted (about the value of the car), I'm still going to do it, because that engine is just great!

[@larrysimon1]

Been their done that before with a customer, its a nightmare to be trapped between a car that should be scrapped and a customer who has sentimental value on a rotten death trap. they simply won't listen to Good advice !

[@miguelfreitas1991]

well done to the customer for saving, mine was too far gone and it couldnt be saved ...... miss my 156

[@kevinoakes1171]

I have one exactly the same as this, same colour, same wing on the back, and I love it. Mine has some surface rust to the underside which I am going to be treating and wax oiling later this week, but, nothing like this poor thing. God bless you and your customer for saving this car. Looking forward to see how it comes out. Thanks for the vid showing where they rust.

[@stevestone4346]

Any 156 is worth preserving. Great video.

[@anthonybrand6137]

Fair play to the customer for wanting to save this car. Unfortunately, that means a lot of work for you Neil & I enjoyed your in depth video on removing the sill & associated parts/rust from the car! This is NOT a job for your average home mechanic, so it was very interesting to see how a professional deals with these structural bodywork issues., Keep up the good work & looking forward to the next episode!

[@herridge819]

Great work Neil, hope the rest of the car is not as bad!

[@mattdewsbury]

Brilliant stuff, got a 156 V6 that im starting so great insight Neil !!!!!

[@Dimce011]

The customer loves the car, it makes him happy! Simple as that. It's not about the money, he will not sell the car. I have one like that even older, June 2001, in little better condition, and I will face the same issues soon for sure. I would also try to repair it If most other parts of the car are in fair condition.

[@marcbrasse747]

If I am correct the official latin term is Wurmus Tinnus. Sooner or later all cars suffer from it. Last week I spent about a day reconstructing the front right jack up point / lower front fender to sill attachment on my XM. The things we do (or let do) for the love of our cars, eh? Great instructional video though!

[@tjshill82]

I’m assuming this car has spent a lot of time by the coast because that’s a heck of a lot of corrosion even for a 156!! Great video. Definitely worth repairing as not before long 156s will become very rare

[@davidfoster1762]

I think it depends where the coast is !

[@richardjohnson3463]

Great to see a 156 on the channel Neil, great work as usual

[@doktoruzo]

wow...quite a big job that. Someone has got deep pockets.

[@psircos]

Alfas need to be saved 🙂. I've just spent 3k on mine, about 1k of that was welding and the labour involved in getting to the areas that required attention! It is a Gta though and, will be going to the grave with me 😉

[@ItaliaAutos]

Worth spending that on a gta

[@borisborisov195]

Yeah I'm looking forward to the fabrication part. Good job !

[@alandeacon6568]

Enjoying watching this here and on Instagram

[@abidmahmood8961]

Great idea. No doubt others may now attempt a sill replacement on their older cars,.....if they can weld.

[@RandomYTStuff]

Had a major clutch-oil leak early April that ended up soaking the carpet badly; didn't know it was badly corrosive and was initially only planning to have the carpet bio-cleaned. Should have it removed to check for metal corrosion, perhaps the felt needs replacing/clean-up too?

[@OggyGTA]

Oh dear, kudos to the customer with deep pockets! At least it'll be solid for a few more years. I think we're facing a similar dilemma with the 145.

[@neilmcclary3589]

night mare job but great content for you ,some one has deep pockets as it looks like its been at the bottom of the sea lol . great vid neil this sort of thing is great to watch . keep it coming

[@daveffs1935]

Oh god, memory's of doing my 159 are coming flooding back, worst thing is the passenger side needs doing next.... Might drop it in to you since i know you've got experience now lmao.

[@MegaReddevil71]

Alfas still have their rust issue remember from the days of the alfasud couldn't see any drain holes In the old sills

[@andyhill8236]

That's exactly where my old 156 went in the end it just wasn't justified to repair it but have waxoyled all the outer and inner sill to hopefully prevent it happening to my alfa gt

[@jamesdecross1035]

Oh, that looks familiar… doing mine now. Glad it's not just me that swears at Alfas, but hey, that's life with the 156. Good work!

[@freefall6696]

Great vid! You are the picture of Brummagem stoicism in this vid, Neil. Ploughing on against your better judgement... looking like you wish the job could go as fast as the vid's 'fast-forward' button! 😂

[@ItaliaAutos]

Video was a full day's work pretty much.

[@freefall6696]

@@ItaliaAutos They are a labour of love, too, I know. But yours are much appreciated. (PS - Saving up to get my GTV V6 resprayed by you before too long).

[@cirrus1964]

I am now driving my third 156 Alfa after 15 years. Not one had any rust.

[@chriscooks9850]

Really good video this. Great sound quality and loving the music. Also, awesome work as always

[@carsyoungtimerfreak1149]

I assume this 156 has plastic sideskirts. All cars, even Volvos, do rust behind those. Been there, done that. When I purchase a car with such skirts I always take them off, repair and rust proof behind them. And, if possible, I modify them so mud has no chance to remain in there. On my C180 I removed them completely as the preface lift model did not have them, I believe it was the same with the 156. A very, very nice car by the way. I once drove a 2.4 JTD... And looking at the state of this particular Alfa I believe the owner left it a bit late...

[@linseyyoung1772]

99% of ford transit owners would say "What's the problem?" 😂

[@simonstanyer8082]

Awesome video and a lovely car

[@markhoskins]

Great video! It'll be nice to see this one back on the road. ❤

[@honda0105]

You most certainly had your work cut out there Neil, pun intended! A question if you don’t mind? Why do Alfa’s suffer so badly with the old tin worm? Is it down to the use of poor grade metal or does the primer / paint preparation leave a lot to be desired? I’d be interested to hear your opinion. Cheers mate. 👍

[@davidvickers4228]

Fantastic work 👍👍👍👍

[@troogroove9318]

Great video and another one saved. Shame that you didn’t protect the interior when you cut the sill out from hot pieces of metal.

[@TheMaurob1979]

Same problem here in the Netherlands.. Cars get rotten

[@nevillepretorius8948]

Insane how the UK weather just eats up cars!

[@barukd]

It's incredible. I've never seen an Alfa 156 devasted by rust here in Italy.

[@seanb9814]

Wow, what a tea bag! And there was me thinking that replacing rotten sills was a thing of that past. What year is the 156?

[@red75v67]

He must love that car. It could only happen with an Alfa as I'm sure the sums don't add up.

[@nikolajolevski3232]

Congrats for the owner 👍 and nice video all best..👍🇲🇰

[@adamwoodward2003]

That looks brand new compared to my 2002 Jaguar X-type. The inner and outer sills have completely rusted away on both sides, I love the car though so I'm going to get it repaired. Eventually 🤦‍♂️😪

[@ItaliaAutos]

Check out my punto gt videos now thats a rusty car

[@xynostasos9022]

I'm thinking of buying an Alfa Romeo 145 2.0TS QV. Seeing your video I guess I must be super careful to buy a good example, even though the climate in Greece is way more kind to cars.

[@matthewbell1968]

Great work Neil in saving this Alfa but if truth be told a car of that age shouldn't have such issues...

[@alancampbell1008]

Brave owner to pay for that repair! Glad they're doing it though, hopefully the non gutter side has fared better though you've had some practice now 😂

[@fiestasiphil]

Such a great looking car the 156 😎

[@porsche356a]

Neil, what would cause that much rust in the sill? Water must be getting in somewhere? If it's this bad on this side what is it like on the other side? Great it's being saved though.

[@a11csc]

you would make a good goalkeeper neil lol

[@rupertpiersbutler]

Hope you make a follow up vid. Impressive skills Sir!

[@ItaliaAutos]

Already filmed the following up. More pics on my Instagram

[@mercedesfriesland]

Nice car and color. Big rust repair job!

[@ItaliaAutos]

It’s a huge job for such a cheap car.

[@mercedesfriesland]

I love Alfa's 😍😍

[@codrvr]

Could You please give us an estimate on such job? I've owned two 156sw in Estonia, took the JTS to the scrap yard due to rust problems underneath, and the second one with a 2,5 sold on before having to tackle the same problems. Shame though, loved that one.

[@domenicocimino4531]

Considering its age, it looks pretty good for a 156. The floor of my 156 rotted out at 8 years.

[@Negativvv]

I fear to look at the sills of mine!! Although sooner always beats later!! My rear driver's side inner arch on my 156 is rusted to hell too but it hasn't quite reached the suspension tower yet. The joys yes...

[@ΆγγελοςΤσουρουδιακάκης]

Ευχαριστούμε!

[@ItaliaAutos]

Thank you.

[@kevgermany]

Good you're doing the job properly. Too many bodges around. But, what about the other side? Hard to believe it's gone that badly on one side only.

[@ericbovenkerk7608]

Great job fantastic skills perfect video, but take care of your health and lungs and use mouth-nose cap bye from Amsterdam

[@caindl7393]

Great work as always ❤️

[@44554l]

Great job! A question, what is the song name at 4:40?

[@fatwalletboy2]

I love seeing a proper job tackled especially welding Scrapping it is just the easy wsy out. Guess the owner loves that car as it wont be worth the cost of the repairs. That level of rust is shocking. For the age i can only thinkbthese cars have a weak point slong the wing or sill somewhere. Is the new sill worth drilling in some weep holes???

[@jamiebarber4675]

It is 16 years old TBF, so some rust is definately expected

[@eyewitnessproduction4333]

Man only the Alfa owners will go through all this 💪🏽. Also is this some special model I saw the Veloce badge on it?

[@OggyGTA]

No, the Veloce was just a trim level on the 156.

[@quintessence1343]

What are those wheels? They look super nice

[@ianpumphrey5041]

Neil, I respect what you are doing,, nice that the customer has the choice through your offer. I am gobsmacked that after all these years of rust Alfa Romeo don't give up making sub standard cars. Their body engineering is inept. Who would buy a new Alfa today seeing this?... Good luck to you and the owner! Shame on Alfa Romeo.

[@katywalker8322]

It is a 20 year old car. Easy to land up with rust like that in that long. BMW or Jaguar probably just as bad, a Mercedes if that age probably far worse (they had a really bad patch). Mazda MX5 from then would be really rotten.

[@grotesmurf1]

Your sure it's not Italian tin worm.....most Italian cars come with it haha. You know Neil there is a special drill you can get drilling out the welding points makes live so much easier. What would be good thing, cover the passenger side off with some plastic, so all the dust doesn't go into the cars compartment.

[@ItaliaAutos]

Yeah I need to get one but don't have to do to many

[@casualagent7250]

I scrapped my ski blue 148,000 mile diesel Rover 75 for way less rust than this, do I feel guilty? 🤔

[@marcoaita4620]

How much cost this work for the Customer?Nice Video👍

[@alexisamtosta]

Nice job.

[@alfamale5065]

Even your grinder didn't want to do it! 😂

[@ItaliaAutos]

Think it's on its last legs.

[@alfamale5065]

@@ItaliaAutos it will probably fall apart by the time you complete the job! 😂

[@Spdn199]

Great job 👏👏👏👍

[@MegaPaulSullivan]

Are replacement sills available for 156/166 's still?

[@ItaliaAutos]

Aftermarket 156 yes

[@LiamskiLFC]

Omg that looks horrendous. I spent the whole of last summer underneath a Mazda rx8 with similar sills. I’d hate to imagine how much all that work is costing

[@stuwhite2337]

It's rustier than my 1980 MGB!

[@francoisviviers1865]

Here in South - Africa they trash the Alfa's if selespeed or slave cylinder give out. My Alfa 156 , the engine it's waisted, like pistons broken loose from the conrods. Try bought Alfa replacement engine, no luck😭 Plan B. Going to fit vw engine into my 156. Love it to much to scrap it. (Body and everything else, still mint and no rust)

[@ItaliaAutos]

oh dear.

[@hd221813]

How it is possible that a car with such corrosion problems passed the last MOT if in England you have to pass MOT every 2 years?

[@paologhinetti5612]

My god! All that work for a 1.9 jtd mean the owner loves his car (maybe too much...)

[@g00dfeeling]

I never saw this rusty Alfa in my life. Maybe I'm missing something or in my country weather is more forgiving for cars but this is just crazy.

[@ds1868]

This is normal for UK. Lots of salt put on the roads in winter. So rain snow sleet ice salt more rain more ice more salt and here we are. The joys of the British winter, which ends on 30th June and starts again on 1st July.

[@matthewfrankcook]

Agreed, I have owned 8 Alfas here in NZ and some had rust (1980 Sprint which I still have) but none of the others had rust :-) thank goodness we don't use salt !

[@pedrodelagarza2286]

England, such a great country, but as a car lover, I would hate living there just for the rust in the car.

[@timhancock6626]

If you have a car you really love you have to park it in a dry garage over the winter and still check it over regularly as they can deteriorate in the garage. Cars used to rust out in seven years in the 1970s. Now they do 15 years or so.

[@pedrodelagarza2286]

@@timhancock6626 Many great cars begin they life as normal everyday cars, and those will be destroyed by rust in the future, I thnk great (expensive) new cars would be stored in dry garages and those will be ok. My first car was a Golf Gt (PRO) MkI (1987 was the last year it was produced in Mexico), to this day I am still looking for one today, I am hopefull as rust is no big problem here. (sorry about the bad english)