Shocking Developments (Post # 39)

Originally, this post was going to be titles "Spring Time," but Spring came and went while other issues seemed more timely, and "Shocking Developments" is a lot more gripping.  But first, some "old business" follow-up on previous posts:

Engine, Part I:  Commenters noted that I erroneously assigned two different engines the same engine number (01915).  To set the record straight, the third engine photo is number 01909 not 01915.  The fifth engine photo is 01915.  I hope this doesn't undermine my credibility too much, but at least it tells me that some of you out there are careful readers! 

Engine, Part II: Roger Lorton at Standard Machine sends word that flow-benching has begun on the carbs, intake manifold, and intake and exhaust ports in the cylinder head. 

Crossing the Rubicon: An anonymous commenter makes a case for using bumpers on the grounds that they finish off the ends of the car, and rightfully observes that on these cars the bumpers were too flimsy to offer much actual protection for the bodywork. 

Wheel of Fortune: Dan Allen sends a photo showing the original Nardi wheel from a Fiat 8V (left) and the copy he made in his shop (right).  Now THAT's craftsmanship!


Dan Allen's replication of the Nardi wheel from a Fiat 8V with the original--
which is which?  Dan's total understatement: "Fun, but time-consuming project."
Dan Allen.

Keeping Cool: Last week I received a package from Jason Wenig of  The Creative Workshop (http://www.thecreativeworkshop.com/bio_jasonwenig.asp).  It contained items I loaned to him to hasten the restoration of the Ghia Aigle bodied 1900 Spyder he is preparing for Pebble Beach--and a replacement radiator thermostat for The Alfatross!  I hasten to add that both the Ghia Aigle and The Alfatross now have working radiator shutter warm-up systems only because Ed Leerdam was generous enough to loan me the very rare original parts from his 1900 Zagato to replicate. 

The Ghia Aigle at The Creative Workshop nearing completion.  Then off to
knock 'em dead at Pebble Beach.  Nice workspace!  Jason Wenig.

Shocks and Springs

When I dismantled The Alfatross' suspension I discovered that the rear shocks and springs were in surprisingly good shape.  The front shocks and springs were a different story.  The first surprise was that the shocks were made by different manufacturers.  One is definitely Girling, but the other, badly rusted, had no identifiable markings until we cleaned it, after which we could barely make out the word "Armstrong", a British manufacturer known for making lever-action shocks.  A seal on the Girling had let go and oil was seeping out.  The Armstrong was rusty, but still soldiering on. 



The two front shock absorbers.  The broken Girling is at the top, the Armstrong
at the bottom. 

Even worse, one of the coil springs was broken.  It was a classic case of what seemed like a simple job getting more difficult the more I worked on it.  Rebuilding the Girling shock might be an exercise in futility, and the Armstrong may not be salvageable either.  Where do you get shocks and springs for an extremely limited production car made almost 60 years ago?

Springs

The front springs.  Now what?!

Well, the first thing you do is contact Peter Marshall, the "go to guy" for everything Alfa 1900.  "Gee, Peter, I got this broken spring!  What do I do?"  A couple of weeks later here comes a big brown envelope with a tabloid size print of not only an engineering drawing with specifications of a front spring for an Alfa 1900, but specifically for a 1900 C second series Coupe Zagato!  And just for good measure he included a similar drawing for a "normal" 1900 C for comparison and one for the rear springs, too! 

Engineering drawing for the front springs of a Zagato bodied 1900C in July, 1954.  Note the peculiar reference to white patches on three of the coils indicating--what?  .

That's great, but I still have to figure out how to make that spring from the drawing and specs alone.  So I go to my go to guy for Porsche parts, Jason Burkett of Paragon Products (http://www.paragon-products.com/) because I know he handles a lot of suspension and brake components for modern high performance cars.  Turns out he has a special relationship with Hyperco, the company that makes Hypercoil springs for the racing industry.  His contact said they could custom make the springs if I would supply them with dimensions like the overall length, inside and outside diameters of the coil, the wire diameter, and the "spring rate", the amount of weight it takes to compress the spring a certain distance. 

Getting a spring rate I was happy with was the hardest part, but I managed to do it with 300 pounds of diving weights and a bathroom scale.  In the end, I sent Hyperco the engineering plan, the requested dimensions (translated into Imperial values) and the spring rate along with the surviving original intact spring.  About 6 weeks later I received four new springs and the original (I decided to order 2 pair in case some other owner might need replacements).  As far as I can tell, the only downside is that the new springs are powder-coated in Hyperco's signature purple; the originals were black.

The original front spring (top) and the Hypercoil reproduction.

Shocks

So the spring problem has been solved, but what about the shocks?  Rebuilding shocks is a specialty--an expensive exercise requiring tools not found in your average shop.  It might be different if The Alfatross did not have mis-matched shocks in front to start with.  So I began casting about for an alternative.  Someone (probably Peter again!) sent me to Tony Stevens at Alfa Stop (http://www.alfastop.co.uk/) where I picked up a full set of adjustable replacement shocks, front and rear for a very reasonable sum. They carry the "Avo" logo and the catalog says they are made by a leading UK manufacturer.  As the photo below shows, they don't look like the originals, but being adjustable could be a major asset.  In any case they will get the Alfatross back on the street while I continue to mull over restoration of the originals. 

Tony has a lot of other replacement parts, too.  I ended up getting new rubber bits like "silentblocs" for the anti-roll bar and new rebound straps for the rear axle because I had to cut the originals to free the axle.  Fast, efficient service, reasonable prices, and good advice--another excellent resource for us restorers. 



The replacement Avo rear shock (top) compared to the massive original Girling rear shock.  Below them are the replacement Avo and original Girling front shocks.

Only 6 days left before the Pebble Beach Concours.  Jason's Eagle will be there but The Alfatross is going to miss this round.  Maybe 2014 will be the year The Alfatross takes flight once again  . . . . after being grounded for more than 40 years!