We are almost finished with the 512BB engine overhaul. Casey has done the bulk of the assembly work and has done a nice job making all of the details correct and look fresh without going totally nutty. We are waiting for the vibrational dampener to return from the repair shop but we can make the engine run on the test stand without it, keep tuned for a video of it running on youtube.

While waiting for the engine machine work and pistons to be custom made, we overhauled the transmission and addressed a few other issues to make sure the car will be solid for driving this summer. This engine is slightly enhanced and we will have dyno sheets of before and after the overhaul.

BB 512 FERRARI

Made from dairy cow bones

Sculpture

Hemmings Sports and Exotic Magazine did an amazing article on a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE belonging to our customer in New York.  The owner had a spectacular Alfa Romeo 1900 for a number of years and decided it was time to sell. He did an incredible “feature” of the Alfa to sell it on ebay which had video links on youtube showing how the car performed on the road. The Alfa sold very well and guy now has a pocket full of cash to get what he really wanted, a Ferrari GTE.

He bought this car and had it shipped it to us where we picked it apart and did some major repairs to bring it up to a standard that it can be driven and enjoyed. We repaired or rebuilt every mechanical component on the car except for the rear axle so true to form, after 1000 miles, the ring and pinion started to growl.

At this time, the rear axle is overhauled and we have driven the car about 20 miles after performing a check over on the work we did last year. We have a few things to address so the car can  be driven regularly for the summer of 2011.

As you can see from a previous post, we changed the rear axle ratio from 7-32 to an 8-34 which I recommend for an early Ferrari 250!

Here is the link to the Hemmings article. Pics and words by David Traver Adolphus.

http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2011/04/01/hmn_feature1.html

I just sold this 1973 246 GTS  and I am taking it to a warehouse in New Jersey tomorrow. We checked all systems, fixed the horn and drove it 20 miles which reminded us how it’s one of the best 246′s we’ve had at the shop. After selling a few cars recently, I am looking to buy a Porsche 911 or another 246, preferably a European Production car so let me know if you have something.

Someone offered me a super solid 1973 Porsche 911T Coupe with a sunroof yesterday that I am considering buying. Unfortunately, the car is apart for restoration but the price is fair and I may spring for it. Otherwise, one of my customers has an outstanding 911T Coupe that is a known quantity so i’ll probably make him an offer on that car.

246 GTS Ferrari Dino

I had the great pleasure of driving this 1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 from Quebec City in Canada to our shop on Tuesday April 12 2011. It was fanatically restored by its owner who made sure every little detail worked in addition to making some upgrades to make it better than new.

If an electrical engineer looked at the wiring set up on the car they would run and hide. All of the electrical current that the car runs through the ammeter which is horribly under capacity. This car came from the factory with a wimpy 55 amp alternator, a paltry 40 amp ammeter and when the A/C is on, headlights blazing, don’t make the mistake of pushing the horn button or open the windows because you will have an electrical meltdown! The Previous owner happened to be an engineer  who remedied this in a very clever way.

He also kept the classic stereo VOXON in the dash but had a specialist modify the internals, now it operates as a modern high watt unit with all kinds of capabilities. The stereo sounds great and with the ice cold A/C, power steering and great power and visibility, you could drive this car every day without feeling like you will get run over by high speed traffic.

These Queen Mothers are hard to restore because they have so many intricate details.  To me they feel more like a Mercedes Benz than a Ferrari. The coachwork is impeccable, the car feels heavy and planted and it gets about 4 miles per gallon just like a 280 SE 6.9!

Radio Cheat Sheet

356 Queen