Bill took a few pictures from around the shop today that show both the range and the beauty of some of the cars that we are working on. Sometimes I fear that there is too much “range” and not enough beauty! Bill takes outstanding photos that look super pro. Have I written a post on Bill yet? Bill, can you write a post on yourself, introduce yourself?

Upstairs: the Osca, Whitehead Special, and a silver Ferrari

Downstairs: The rare green 330 GTC and a deep inventory of stored classics, projects, and restorations.

Ferrari 750 Monza at Restoration and Performance Motorcars in Vermont

Here is a lovely child’s toy Bugatti that we have had kicking around the shop. It took some time to locate the odd sized tires and we need to tune up the potentiometer (gas pedal) but when the weather warms up the kids will be able to do some hot laps in this spectacular go kart. Since I am a sucker for details,  this little car freaks me out – with beautiful cast wheels,  a hollow forged front axle, and Ducellier electrical components – it isn’t really the toy that it appears.

These original Bugatti toys are very valuable, so this car would best be sold to a collector and replaced with a replica – so I can feel more comfortable letting the kids drive it around.

Baby Bugatti

Eben built the 212 body from pictures, as you may know. His metal work and sculpture are fantastic – that’s why we insist on taking him away from his art – to work on ours. Here’s his website showing other projects he has been working on besides the damn Ferrari.

http://www.ebenmarkowski.com

We dynoed this blue 512BB last summer, and I cannot remember the exact figures. But, I do remember the incredible torque curve and how it made the maximum HP and torque at 5000RPM then plateaued out. I think it made just under 300HP at the rear wheels. We are going to be overhauling and enhancing this engine soon and it will be cool to put it back on the dyno to see the new numbers.

Here’s a link to a similar 512BB on the dyno this winter – this time in red. http://www.ferraricraft.com/2010/01/video-1984-ferrari-512-bbi-at-the-dyno/

Here are a few more panels that Homer worked on.

Clear coat tint

Tinted clear on aluminum

A woman recently contacted us with a Ferrari tool that she couldn’t identify. I asked around and we had some ideas, but had never seen one of these before. So, we open it up to our readers – a few thousand minds are better than our Safety-Kleen soaked brains.

Note the tool has the Ferrari name embossed on it and a gauge to provide measurement, most likely of angle or distance. Is this some sort a measuring device to check for wear or stretch in an assembly?

Here is a lovely Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 that just came in for some minor work and to put on the market. The owner has asked us to sell the car and we are happy to oblige since it is so incredibly nice.

It is a late model 2+2 with the 2 mount engine and power steering. It does not have A/C but would be an easy retro-fit since it has the rocker switches located to the left of the steering column allowing room for the evaporator under the center of the dash. We installed A/C in an earlier car with the rocker switches in the center of the dash and it was an effort to make the evaporator fit properly.

330 GT 2+2

330 GT 2+2 interior

Last night a friend called me to take a look at his newest obsession, creating a water effect with sheet metal and paint. These panels are beautiful to see in person and I am impressed at how great they look in photographs. The technique for painting the fish is amazing.

Clear coat is not intended to go over bare metal, it typically needs primer or some sort of surface prep but the stuff is so high quality and hard, I have a feeling it will hold up great.

Fish in Clear

Water panel

As awful as this engine looks from the outside, it was in relatively good condition on the inside. The cylinder walls were a little bit rusty and the piston rings fatigued, but the major engine components are in good shape. Typically the crank case is bullet proof on these engines; however, we had to split this one since it was leaking so much. Since we’re in there, we will replace the bearings and inspect everything else.

Typical of German engines, the cylinder heads are a weak point because the valve guides are so short. When the guides exhibit a tiny amount of play, the rocking accelerates the wear rapidly.  We will do a full valve job on these heads. More pics inside the engine here.

911.T

'71 T 911