. . . but I digress . . . . (Post # 43)

For me, 2013 has been a year almost entirely devoted to restoring The Alfatross with few distractions or digressions.  An exception was the Santa Fe Concorso.   For most of us local car guys life was put on hold during the last week of September until the driving tours were over, tribute was paid to racing legend Denise McCluggage, cars were placed and polished to a fare-thee-well on the viewing field, and the judges verdicts were in. You can read all about it at http://santafeconcorso.com/about.html. We are now settling back to earth and the buzz is finally starting to fade.   

In addition to taking in all the events and even managing to participate in a couple of road tours, I volunteered to help the Concorso organizers in the manual labor department, schlepping boxes,  setting up tents for vendors and the like.  Although physical work on The Alfatross stopped cold some very important connections were made and decisions reached.  More about that later . . . .

I'm trying something new in this post: a short video.  I hope it works!  Let me know if it causes a problem.


Six Days of Cars, Cruises, Congratulations, and Companionship

Wednesday September 25th: the Georgia O'Keeffe Driving Tour
Jeff Krammer signed up for this one and asked me if I wanted to ride shotgun.  He said it was a tour designed by Denise McCluggage, so it was bound to be the kind of ride every sports car driver dreams about--and it would cover about 300 miles of twisty northern New Mexico mountain roads! Who could pass up an opportunity like that? With Jeff driving all I had to do was rubberneck and make scintillating conversation.  Besides, I had never ridden in Jeff's 1974 2000 GTV Alfa. 

Unfortunately--or fortunately, depending on how you look at it--the GTV developed an ominous vibration somewhere in the running gear and we had to take the Yellow Peril (my wife's 40-year-old Porsche) insetead.  We were among the first to arrive at the 8:30 departure rendezvous with a full tank of gas and no idea at all of what to expect.  As we waited, a McLaren MP4 glided into the parking lot, followed by a Ferrari Testa Rosa.  Then some kind of new Porsche and a top-end Audi.  What's going on here?  We thought we would be joining a troupe of tired old "classics" like ours, but these arrivals are cars that cannot be driven slowly.  They idle at 75 mph. 

Once outside the city limits of Santa Fe the McLarens, Ferrari, Audi, and even the turbocharged Abarth Fiat 500 vanished ahead, but we soldiered on with the Triumphs and a '65 Pontiac GTO.  Well, it wasn't a race after all.  The day was perfect, the Targa top was out, and we had a great drive.




The Wednesday tour found Jeff Krammer and I in the Yellow Peril trying to keep up with the likes of  a Ferrari Testa Rosa,
a Corvette C6, a pair of  pumped-up new Porsches and TWO McLarens on Hyw 64--a great drive!

Thursday September 26th: the Big Cats Arrive
Having volunteered to help set up for the events at The Club at Las Campanas, I found myself under the direction of Beverly Little, one of the organizers, loading a U-Haul truck with supplies and equipment. It was promising to be a very dull day.   On the way to the Concorso site Beverly spotted a pair of large, double-decker car transports headed the same direction.  "It's the Jaguars!" she said, then "Follow them!" We made a quick detour to the unloading area where, for the next two hours, the transports disgorged 8 C-Types, D-Types, XKSSs (including Steven McQueen's!), 140s and 150s--millions of dollars worth of legendary cars.  Then, out of thin air, equally legendary Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis appeared to oversee the unloading.  What started as a day of drudgery became a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have my picture taken with Norman, surrounded by a pride of C- and D-Types!



The author with Norman Dewis, now in his early 90s and apparently
 as unaffected by the passage of time as the Big Cats that were being
off-loaded from the transporters.  He probably knows each of the
C- and D-Types personally! 

Friday, September 27th: Two Events Paying Tribute to the Racers Themselves
There were two events this day, both designed to honor legendary drivers who made the cars and the races famous.  The first was "Legends of Racing," a tribute to Denis McLuggage, during which Denise, Sir Stirling Moss, and Norman Dewis shared their experiences racing in the 50s and 60s.  Various cars that Denise raced were on display.  The event was scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.  I got there a few minutes early only to find an animated discussion well under way and the meeting room completely packed with a long line out the door.  I think the huge turnout for the tribute surprised everyone.  The revelation for me was that not everything in Santa Fe starts late.

The second event, the Friday Night Gathering at the Santa Fe Air Center afforded hundreds of people the opportunity to meet Denise and the other VIPs, as well as Concorso entrants, and view vintage aircraft and some of the cars and motorcycles that would be judged on Sunday.  An open bar and food provided by Chefs from the Southwest (http://santafeconcorso.com/Concorso_Chefs.pdf) insured that a good time was had by all (the fajitas were great!). 


Legends of Racing: Denise McLuggage, Norman Dewis and Sir Stirling Moss
reminiscing at the Friday Night Gathering.  Host Tim Considine kept things
interesting.

Saturday, September 28th: The Main Tour

While we were admiring his 1974 Porsche RS on display at the Friday Night  Gathering, Tom Linton asked me if I wanted to ride shotgun with him during the Mountain Driving Tour.  This was open only to actual entrants in the Concorso and was a BIG DEAL.  Again, I couldn't resist.  The route took us through downtown Santa Fe where I was amazed to see people lining the roads to view the cars.  It was a brisk morning, but some drivers of open cars, such as Mark Reinwald in the video below, were appropriately attired . . . .

The halfway point in the tour was Los Cerrillos.  Somehow, Tom and I managed to arrive first and savor the peace and quiet of a tiny, nearly abandoned New Mexican town on a quiet Sunday morning.  Then, like Marlon Brando and his outlaw motorcycle gang riding into Carbonville, California in The Wild One, the other cars roared onto Main Street, one by one.  Dust, oil smoke, rumbling exhausts, and gasoline fumes filled the air and shattered the peace--much to the delight of the small group of good citizens gathered there to witness the spectacle.  It was a brief invasion and the only damage our Wild Ones inflicted on Los Cerrillos was to seriously deplete the water supply used to flush the toilets in the Visitors' Center.

In 20 minutes we were all gone.  Peace and tranquility settled over little Los Cerrillos once again--like smog.



The Wild Ones and a few tens of millions of dollars of collector cars arrive in Los Cerrillos, the mid-point of the Sunday morning tour.  For some reason the good citizens were neither surprised nor terrorized..  Uh, which way to the restrooms, please?

Sunday, September 29th: the Concorso
Sunday dawned bright and clear.  I got to The Club early and, armed with my "Event Staff" lanyard, waltzed onto the exhibit field while entrants were still setting up.  You could not have asked for a nicer day.  After shooting a lot of photos I ran into Tim Marinos, a well-know restorer who was highly recommended to me as someone who could do the chassis, bodywork, and paint on my car.   We ducked out of the Concorso for a few hours so he could have a look at The Alfatross. 



The Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spyder that took Best of Show, Sport category.  But look at the setting!

Tim and I returned to the Concorso in time to see the award winners being photographed--and stayed on until the cars were off the field and everyone went home, to help Beverly clean up the aftermath.  The Concorso relies on a lot of volunteer help.  I can tell you from first-hand experience that volunteers should have to pay for the privilege!

There were too many great cars and interesting people to comment on individually--but the two images below were moments in time I have to share.

Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis (left) and Sir Sterling Moss aboard "722" -- the immortal number of the Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Moss drove to victory in the 1957 Mille Miglia  with the fastest time ever recorded. 

1957 Aston Martin DBR2 Recreation.  Recreations were not eligible for awards, but recreation or not, I want one of these!

Monday, September 30th:  Tim Marinos and Mark Reinwald visit The Alfatross
The Alfatross didn't get to go on any of the tours, meet the legends of racing, or see the Concorso.  The highlight for The Alfatross was being visited by Tim Marinos and Mark Reinwald, both well-known restorers, concours judges, and authorities on classic cars.  I thought they might browse for a few minutes, look at their watches, and say "Oh, look at the time!" But after a while I started to wonder if they were ever going to leave!  Suffice it to say that The Alfatross had a thorough going-over.

The upshot of it all is that Tim (http://vintageautocraft.com/) is going to do the chassis, bodywork, and paint on The Alfatross, which I will deliver to his shop in Tennessee before the end of October.

So now The Alfatross and I are racing to get ready for the trip to Tim's shop.  Let's see, first we need a trailer, then we need to shorten the rotisserie to 18 ft and figure out a way to stabilize it for the 1,200 mile trip to Tennessee--and don't forget to include the doors, windows, window trim, trunk, hood, hinges, locks, handles, headlight bezels and buckets and  . . . .



Tim Marinos of Vintage Auto Craft and Mark Reinwald, Curator of the Ralph Lauren Collection, visit The Alfatross.  Why are they so happy?  





Lots Going On . . . . (Post # 42)

In case you haven't noticed, it's been three weeks since my last posting--the longest pause this year!  That doesn't mean nothing has been happening to The Alfatross.  Quite the opposite.  So much is going on that I had to postpone writing about it until the dust cleared (literally, with respect to the on-going soda soda blasting). 

Still Blasting

I thought I was close to finished with blasting, but then I started rotating the car 360 degrees and seeing all the places I missed!  It's down to detail work now: all the little nooks and crannies that still harbor bits of undercoating, paint, and primer.  It's slow going and now I have to use a simple, low-output suction gun instead of the dedicated soda blaster in order to get into tight spaces.


"I said keep the rubber side down!"  Soda blasting--still at it!

Soda, even when mixed with aluminum oxide doesn't remove undercoating or tarry seam sealer.  That stuff has to be removed chemically.  I brush on paint remover, cover it with aluminum foil to reduce vaporization, and leave it overnight.   It usually comes off easily the next day with a Scotchbrite pad or a paper towel.



Bird's eye view.

Santa Fe Concorso

The Santa Fe Concorso will be held this weekend http://santafeconcorso.com/about.html.  For classic and collector car guys around here it's like Christmas in September.  I volunteered to help out schlepping boxes around and setting up tents for the various vendors and hospitality providers.  With luck I'll meet a variety of restorers, owners, and judges, and pick up some pointers that will be helpful with restoration of The Alfatross.  One of the more than 100 cars on display will be Steve McQueen's Jaguar XKSS.

 

 Driving tours associated with the Santa Fe Concorso start today.  I signed up for a 300-miler to be held tomorrow.  With fingers crossed and an enhanced tool kit for insurance, co-driver Jeff Krammer and I will join the fray in the Alfatross' stablemate, a 1973 Porsche 911E Targa borrowed from my long-suffering better half.  Thanks Toni!    

 

Phoenix Connection

Treated parts are starting to come back from sub-contractors.

I made a trip last week to Phoenix to check on the progress Roger Lorton and DeWayne Samuels have been making on my engine and to take samples of upholstery to John Pollock at Young Guns Designs to see if anything comparable still exists.  I drove my truck to Phoenix this time because I also needed to pick up some antique hard hat diving equipment  my friend Dr. Randy Davis has been accumulating for a museum exhibit we are designing. 

I was relieved to see that considerable progress has been made with the engine, but a lot of problem-solving and careful work still lies ahead.  The first batch of nitrided parts is back, all neatly shrink-wrapped to protective cardboard backings.  Looks like something NASA would do!  The new main studs are in and the main bearings re-measured for out of round.  All were found to be too loose and have been sent out for coatings to bulk them up and reduce friction.  One camshaft will have to be welded up, heat treated, and ground to obtain the proper lobe profiles. The crank will need to be turned, nitrided, and cryrogenic treatment, but that will have to wait until the bearings come back.  We're also going to need new pistons, valve guides, and exhaust valves. 

DeWayne and Roger flow-bench tested the carbs, intake manifold, and head at various valve lifts to determine how well it breathes.  This sort of work is way beyond the usual engine rebuild.  In DeWayne's words "If we just replace worn parts that doesn't fix the problems that got us here in the first place."  We already know the dual downdraft Solex 40 P II carbs are too small for all-out performance, but they're original, so we're keeping them!


Right now they are pondering the grooves milled into all the cam tower bearing surfaces.  Are they factory or some previous owner's idea of a performance improvement?  Roger thinks that they must bleed off a huge amount of oil pressure, perhaps contributing to the lubrication problems seen elsewhere in the engine.  If anyone out there has seen this before and can explain why these grooves exist, I'm sure Roger would like to hear from you!


Pressing on to Young Guns Designs Randy and I met with Tyler Tibbits,  John Pollock and Frank Bennett to discuss bumper fabrication and upholstery for The Alfatross.  While we were there we got to see the 5,000 sq ft addition to their operation and some of Frank's painting artistry.  We came to the conclusion that yes, the interior could be re-upholstered in modern materials very similar to the originals in color, texture, and pattern .

Bookkeeping (Post # 41)

"Bookkeeping" is the only word in the English language I can think of that has three sets of double letters in a row.  Most people misspell it.  I'm going to spell it correctly, but misuse it to talk about two books that have given direction to The Alfatross' restoration.   But first . . . .

Old Business

What to do about bumpers for the Alfatross has been at issue over the last several posts.  It had no rear bumper when I bought it and the front bumper that came with the car is an obviously incorrect, hideous replacement.  The restoration options are (1) delete one or both bumpers for esthetic reasons, (2) design and install "custom" bumpers more to my liking, or (3) determine what the original bumpers probably looked like and fabricate and install exact replicas.   That the Alfatross had bumpers originally is not in doubt because bumper supports are still present in front and attachment points for the rear bumper are visible in the trunk. 

Consulting the Alfa Romeo 1900 Companion (http://www.alfa1900.com/stories2/extant_zagatos/index.html), which has photos of all known 1900 SSZs, I had two important revelations:  First, that while cars that left the Zagato factory probably had bumpers to start with, the vast majority now have no front bumper, and probably no rear bumper, either (most photos just show just the front of the car).   This is probably due to a decision by most restorers to delete one or both bumpers for a cleaner appearance.  Second, that there are two distinctly different types of bumpers that show up in period photos of 1900 Zs.  The most common (with variants) is a thin, blade-like, probably aluminum, strip curving inward and upward at the ends to follow the shape of the horizontal grilles in front with a simpler flat, straight matching rear bumper.

The  front bumper type most commonly seen in period photos. 
Le Zagato.

. . . and the matching  flat, straight blade type rear bumper. 
Le Zagato.

The other bumper type looks more substantial and less like an afterthought.  Sometimes called "mustachios,"these bumpers are split in the middle, both front and rear, wrapping around the corners.  They are seen mostly on cars produced later in the series (late 1955 and '56).  Although these bumpers are more refined and attractive that the more common blade type, they too are frequently absent on restored cars.

Verdict: Authenticity votes for replicating the thin, flat bumpers front and rear for The Alfatross--even though most restorers seem to think the cars look better without them.

 

New Business

I recently bought a copy of  The Stewardship of Historically Important Automobiles edited by Dr. Fred Simeone with contributions by numerous well-known collectors, curators, conservators, auctioneers, and concours event organizers and judges.  The book was compiled to make a simple statement:  It starts with the concept that certain cars transcend individual ownership and should be preserved unmolested for future generations.  I bought the book because I wanted to know if The Alfatross qualifies as an historically important automobile.  On page 19 I found a list of 6 criteria used to determine a car's importance:

1. association with a particular historic event or individuals
2. rarity as a survivor of its type
3. evidence of past design innovation, style, construction techniques, etc.
4. condition and extent of remaining original material
5. political, cultural , or spiritual significance for a particular segment of society
6. exceptional aesthetic qualities of form and decoration

I was already aware that many authorities agree that The Alfatross and its siblings qualify as rare examples of design innovation and aesthetic achievement, with varying degrees of originality, but until I read Michele Marchiano's book, Le Zagato: Fiat Berlinetta 8VZ Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ. I did not realize that they might also qualify on the basis of the part they played in an historical period involving the dynamic between Fiat and Alfa Romeo, the post-war racing scene in Europe, and the Zagato family.   Most of the following information comes from Marchiano's book, which I have had for 10 years, but never read carefully. 

Fiat "Ottovu" (8V) Zagato

At about the same time that Alfa Romeo began to produce its 1900 series, Fiat introduced the "Ottovu," an 8-cylinder 2-liter (1,996 cc) coupe.  Racers immediately recognized the car's competition potential and created a demand for cars with lighter, more aerodynamic bodies.  Zagato bodied 30 (or possibly up to 46) 8V chassis between 1952 and 1954.  In the right hands they proved to be formidable contenders on closed tracks as well as in road races, and rallies. 


The  Leto di Priolo brothers Fiat 8VZ, driven hard in the 1953 Stella Alpina
event.  Le Zagato.  



The 8Vs engine was an aluminum block, aluminum head 70 degree 2-liter V-8
cranking out 125 hp in its final form--only marginally more that the 1900 SS
4-cylinder engine!  Le Zagato.

One pair of the right  hands belonged to none other than Elio Zagato, son of the founder of  La Carrozzoria Zagato.  Behind the wheel of his 8VZ he was one of the most winning drivers in the under 2-liter class.  The record speaks for itself.  According to Le Zagato, although Alfa 1900 SSZs racked up 18 first-in-class wins and two overall wins in major events between 1954 and 1960, Fiat 8VZs took first-in-class 52 times, overall wins 7 times, and 2-liter championships 5 times!  Elio Zagato accounted for 22 of those class firsts and 3 championships in 8VZs!



The Alfa Romeo "millenove" 1900C SSZ  at speed.  Le Zagato.

So the historical event The Alfatross and its siblings were part of was the rivalry between Alfa Romeo and Fiat that provided the basic hardware and environment for Ugo Zagato and his sons to apply and field test their unique design and construction techniques.  The Alfatross and its siblings may not have won the most races in their day, but  they were worthy opponents.  In the words of Elio Zagato,

"The Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ, however, was my rival.  It was a car just as outstanding.  It seemed strange "fighting" against it but when I got into a car I became a racing driver and forgot about everything else.  Even so, few cars gave the Ottovu so much competition.  The real winner then was not myself but the person who had built them both: my father."

This Zagato-bodied Fiat 8V was sold at auction in 2012 for $750,000.  Viewed
from the side the car bears a striking resemblance to Zagato-bodied Alfa
1900C SS cars like The Alfatross.  Sports Car Market.

This photo encapsulates the long mid-'50s duel between the Fiat 8VZ and the
Alfa 1900Z; even though the 8V spun out in this 6-hour event, it went on to
win the race!  Le Zagato.

Interior Design (Post # 40)

Old Business

Ever wonder who besides you is visiting this blog?  Where they are from?  Why they visit this site?  How much pageview traffic The Alfatross gets?  I do too.  Fortunately Blogger makes some statistics available. One of them is traffic by country.  Not surprisingly, the vast majority of the people who visit this site are in the US.  Then comes Germany, also not too surprising.  But what country do you think is third?  Italy?  France? The UK?  No, its Russia!  Another big surprise is who's in 10th place: South Korea! 

Which posts appear to be the most popular?  According to Blogger,  In the Beginning (January 1st) has been viewed the most.  I guess that's not too surprising since it tells the back story.  But the next most popular post is the one that talks about The Alfatross' family, The 39 or . . . . (March 26th). That suggests to me that readers are intensely interested in the 1900 SSZs that are left and where they are.  The third most-viewed post is The Rotisserie (January 29th), which is surprising to me because it isn't really all that informative.  About the only conclusion that makes any sense is viewers are going there to see the two images of Dave's resto-mod, The Helcamino!

There haven't been all that many comments.  Most posts don't get any at all.  The one that elicited the most was Buried Treasure (June 5th).  Blogger statistics say that The Alfatross has had just under 3,000 pageviews over the last 7 months, and that the largest number of pageviews in a single day is 80.

Brian Williams at AutoRight Collision, Dave's shop, found a video that you have GOT to see: http://jalopnik.com/this-57-alfa-romeo-1900-ss-zagato-is-a-cocktail-for-al-1109712894.  It is a 7-minute, professionally produced video in which Andrea Zagato, grandson of Ugo Zagato drives and discourses on the red 1957 1900C SSZ that has remained with the family.  His observations about automotive design, the unique blend of form and function that characterizes the Zagato brand, and "essential beauty" are worth considering.  Thanks, Brian and Dave--this video made my day!

New Business

In the last post I mentioned critical decisions that need to be made ranging from in-your-face obvious ones like exactly what shade of red (its original color) to paint The Alfatross, to invisible ones like what kind of seam sealer to use between the body panels--something that will never be seen unless the car is disassembled. 

One of the biggest decisions is what to do about the interior.  The factors to consider here are originality, functionality, attractiveness, and appearance in keeping with the rest of the car.  The first two factors are pretty objective.  The last two are totally subjective, and that's the rub . . . .

The Alfatross' interior just before dismantling for restoration.

Let's start with originality.  The Alfatross was originally equipped with some desirable interior features such as the domed dashboard studded with Veglia instruments, Nardi wood-rimmed wheel, lightweight Zagato seats with vented backrests, and floor shifter for the 5-speed gearbox.   The Bueg accelerometer and Jaeger chronometer may have been original equipment or added later.  Those features define The Alfatross' original interior character: no-nonsense, Spartan, everything that you need to race and nothing that you don't!  

The Alfatross' lightweight Zagato seats with ventilated
backs.

On to functionality: A race car doesn't need a fine leather interior, so The Alfatross got blue Naugahyde in different types and different textures.  Was that because plastic fabrics were less expensive than leather, or because plastic is more durable?  The front and rear seat cushions are covered in a smooth-finish textured Naugahyde, while the seat backs and door panels wear a kind of suede finish in a slightly darker shade of blue. 

The driver's door panel: simple, light, functional.

The headliner is yet another different kind of Naugahyde, very similar to the seat cushions but consisting of three layers of material: a visible layer of the same Naugahyde used to cover the seat cushions, a backing of white Naugahyde, and a thin layer of some kind of fibrous material sandwiched between and held in place by heat-fused lines bonding the front and back layers.

The front and back sides of the headliner.  The white backing material is partially
obscured by the adhesive that held it to the underside of the roof.  This adhesive
formula was later used by NASA to bond the ceramic tiles to the Space Shuttle
(just kidding, but that's what I was thinking when I was trying to get it off!).

The headliner uses two layers of Naugahyde with a fibrous material sandwiched
 in between to give it a more substantial look and perhaps even add
a little more insulation.

The rear deck cover was similar to the headliner in that it also
had the same striped pattern as the headliner, but without the
two other layers behind it.

The embossed pattern.

The panel that fills the enormous space between the back of the back seat and the lower edge of the rear window is covered with yet another variation of the Naugahyde theme. 

So that's a lot of different textures and shades of probably hard-to-find materials!  No wonder so many restorations choose to re-upholster in leather.  But then you have the paradoxical situation of, in the words of Peter Marshall, "leather imitating plastic imitating leather." 










I don't know what the original floor covering was, but most restored 1900 SSZs are nicely carpeted.  Car 01915 is thought to be very original and the covering is an understated low pile brown carpet with contrasting piping.



Car 01915 sports a more sumptuous interior with larger front seats and
carpeting throughout.

On the other hand car 01845, also very original, seems to have ribbed rubber floor mats although it is difficult to tell from the available photographs.  With respect to originality and functionality, I think we would be safe to give The Alfatross carpeting similar to what car 01915 has, but in a shade of blue or possibly gray that will compliment the rest of the interior.  I notice that although cars with both restored and original interiors seem to use contrasting piping on both upholstery and carpeting, The Alfatross' upholstery is uniformly trimmed in matching piping, so that should carry through to the carpeting as well.



The floor covering in Car 01845 appears to be rubber mats, but these may hide carpet underneath.  It also has the spacious front seats appropriate for grand touring.  The door panels and transmission tunnel look like they bear original leather upholstery.

Now we are down to the last two factors, both subjective: attractiveness and compatibility with the other elements of the restoration.  The Alfatross' original interior could be cleaned up and re-installed (think of all the money I'd save!), but it would not be in keeping with the rest of the car.  So that is not a good option.   The alternatives are to reupholster in Naugahyde or in leather, keeping the original color and texture scheme.  I get the impression that at least some original interiors were partially upholstered in leather and most restorers of 1900 SSZs have opted for re-upholstery in leather, taking the leather-imitating-plastic-imitating-leather path.  Is that because original fabrics are impossible to duplicate or because if you are going to the trouble and expense of re-upholstering everything you may as well cash in on the cachet of leather? 

What am I failing to take into account?  What about safety restraints, seat belts?  They weren't original equipment, but if The Alfatross is to be driven we will have to make provision for them, probably an arrangement that can be easily disconnected and removed without leaving visible traces.

I hope these questions generate comments from whoever is going to the trouble to look at this blog from time to time.  How about you Germans and Russians?  What do you think is the right choice?  What would you do if The Alfatross' restoration were in your hands? 

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!

Crossing the Rubicon (Post # 38)

There comes a time in every restoration project for pivotal decisions from which, once made, there is no going back.  I don't mind admitting to a degree of indecisiveness about some of these. Because we are talking Italian cars here perhaps we can take inspiration from an important event about 2,050 years ago when Julius Caesar pondered a risky course of action while camped on the banks of the Rubicon river.   Crossing the river with his army would be a capital offence.  Victory meant honor and riches.  Failure, certain death.  In the end, he crossed, saying "alea iacta est!" (the die is cast!).

OK, so a 2,000-year-old inspiration is a little stale.  Point is, there are important decisions that have to be made, they won't wait, and once they're made you're stuck with it--so get it right!

Decision time for The Alfatross.  No place to hide.

So far, most of the things that have been done to The Alfatross were necessary if you wanted a car that could actually be driven, no matter what the final product of the restoration might be.  Things like patching holes in the gas tank, replacing the radiator core, foggy Plexiglas windows, broken spring and leaking shock, restoring the splintering steering wheel, reconstructing the smoldering wiring harness, and rebuilding the smoking, noisy engine and gummed-up brake master cylinder and wheel cylinders.  Strictly speaking, we did not need to restore the Borrani wire wheels and knock-off hub locks, repaint the car inside and out, or re-plate the peeling chrome bits, but those were things I did years ago and now the restoration must be compatible with them.

The two front suspension springs.  The broken one has to be replaced.  Without
complete disassembly this serious problem might never have been discovered.

The delaminating wood-rimmed Nardi steering wheel.  Not something you can
just put up with!

But now we are looking at a long list of decisions, the sum total of which will permanently define The Alfatross' character and appearance going forward.  The decisions need to be compatible with each other and defensible.  Some of the decisions are big and obvious, like choosing the period-correct shade of red for the body.  Others are small--sometimes even invisible--but still important, like using the right seam sealer between body panels.

What factors play a part in making these decisions?  There are at least the five listed below, but there could be others under special circumstances. 

Originality.  Sounds simple, but there are a lot of "judgment calls" when it comes to establishing what is original for a particular car and what was added or subtracted by six previous owners over the last half-century or so.  Then there is the question of replacing missing or damaged parts with period-correct items.  If they are not the parts that were originally fitted to the car do they still count as "original"?  These days, completely original historically important cars are seldom actually used because using any machine wears it out eventually.  Worn out parts can only be replaced, and there goes your originality . . . damned if you do, damned if you don't!

Functionality.  At a minimum, The Alfatross must be fully functional.  Not just with respect to going and stopping, but leak proof, rattle free, and non-smoking, with windows that wind up and down smoothly, wipers that work, doors that lock, comfortable seats, and hinges that don't groan.  Even brand new cars have problems getting all these things right, so making a 60-year-old one functional is a challenge!

Safety.  If it is likely that the car will participate in driving events like the Copperstate 1000 or the California Mille, fitting it with safety restraints might be prudent or even required by law.  the Alfatross has only two, probably dim,  little tail lights. They have to do triple duty as turn signals, brake lights and running lights.  Some of its restored brethren have two pair of rear lights.   While such  modifications are not be in keeping with maintaining originality, they could be seen as necessary concessions to safety. 

Esthetics.  The Alfa 1900 SSZs seen in period photos seem to sit a little high on their suspension, perhaps in response to the condition of normal roads at the time.  Lowering The Alfatross, even slightly, could result in a more appealing stance, but that would conflict with originality.  And what about the paint?  After going to all the trouble and expense to restore The Alfatross, do I really want to give it the kind of mediocre (by modern standards) paint job that it would have had originally? 

In period photo (1954) shows a lot of ground clearance, but car has no occupants.
Le Zagato Michele Marchiano.

Part of the difference in stance between the car in this photo, which appears
to be rather low-slung, and the previous one is the presence of the driver and
co-driver. Check out the beautiful paint job--far better than original.
 Dirk de Jager, Supercars.net.

One of the Alfatross' original U-joints.  Note the drilled
studs and castellated nuts for cotter pinning or safety
wiring. 

Cost effectiveness.  Restoration can be unreasonably expensive.  If you aren't careful you can end up spending a lot in the wrong places.   When you say "I'm restoring my car," some vendors hear "Money is no object."  How important is it to spend a lot of time and money looking for an original tool bag to replace mine?  Even if I found one and paid a lot of money for it, it still wouldn't be "original" to The Alfatross.  And what about the U-joints?  If the old ones are bad can you get away with perfectly functional replacements that are attached with nuts and bolts, or do they have to have drilled studs and castellated nuts secured with cotter keys or safety wiring?  The difference could be hundreds of dollars.



This modern replacement U-joint uses through-bolts with Nylock nuts.
Is it close enough?     

So just exactly what are these decisions that are so important? 
There are a lot of them, so let's just start with a  relatively simple
one having to do with the body: 

Bumpers: The Alfatross' brethren exhibit a variety of bumper forms including none at all, but the front bumper  when I bought it is a travesty, totally unlike any of the other bumpers I have seen.  I suspect it was a replacement.  It is not going back on the car. There is no question that a bumper was present from new because the brackets that held it to the frame are still there.  So the decision options are: (1) fabricate a new bumper patterned after one of the original bumpers seen on other 1900 SSZs, or (2) delete the brackets, cover the holes in the body and go bumperless.  

The Alfatross in 1965.  Rear bumper shows a lot of battle scars.  Original? 
Replacement?

There was no rear bumper on The Alfatross when I bought it, but a photo  from 1965 shows that it had one then. When I stripped the paint from the rear body I discovered two holes where brackets for the bumper once passed through the body.  Decision options are:  (1) try to recreate a bumper like the one in the photo (not overly attractive) or (2) go bumperless.  Going bumperless front and rear has a lot to recommend it.   It compromises safety and functionality but it improves esthetics and is a cost-effective solution.  Originality gives us little guidance because I suspect the front bumper is a replacement and the rear bumper was removed by a former owner decades ago.

But the die isn't cast yet . . . there's still time . . . how about some comments from the Blogosphere?

Engine Part II (Post # 37)

Last week's posting, Engine Part I, was about the general features of the Alfatross' 1975 cc four cylinder Super Sprint  engine and the differences between it and the more pedestrian engines installed in other 1900 Alfas.  This post is going to delve into the inner workings of the engine and how we're going about making sure that beneath the Alfatross' beautiful skin its beating heart runs strong and true. 

The Approach

The Alfatross was built to race, and we want it to be race-worthy when the restoration is complete. It follows that functionality will be emphasized. Some authorities would say that maintaining originality trumps other considerations, but the 1900 engine has known internal design defects that can be corrected during the rebuild.  My view is that we would be doing a disservice to The Alfatross not to correct these internal problems while we have the opportunity. There are other departures from originality that will improve performance and longevity such as the application of special coatings that reduce friction and even chemical and physical treatments that allow the re-use of original parts which might otherwise have to be replaced. This is where I am relying on the expertise of DeWayne Samuels, who is directing the engine work in Phoenix. The following is a distillation of his various progress reports, broken down by component groups.    

Engine Block

After cleaning the main bores and mating surfaces of the block the main bearing bore diameters were measured and checked for core shift and alignment.   These dimensions tell us how true the crankshaft will run in relation to the cylinders, and also will indicate if there has been any core shifting or problems with the main web or main cap.



The initial measurements indicated that new main studs and fasteners need to be installed first to obtain proper loading during measuring and correction procedures. So the main studs were extracted, measured, profiled, and sent out to a vendor to fabricate new custom-made stud and fastener assemblies.  The threaded female stud bores in the block were also analyzed and repaired where needed.



  The cylinder walls and deck surface were subjected to sonic testing to determine thickness and integrity.  This test tells us the amount of material available for overbore with relation to wall thickness, concerns for cylinder deformation, and cooling/heat transfer.  The results show that the cylinder block assembly has plenty of life left.  

Cylinder Head, Valves, and Cams

The combustion chamber volumes were measured and recorded as were the volumes of the piston domes and valve reliefs.  The valve spring retainer/adjusters could not be assembled without first fabricating a tool.  The cam bearing journals were prepped and measured to determine clearances.  When the camshafts themselves were cleaned and inspected it was apparent that one lobe was badly worn and will have to be repaired.  Additionally, all the bearing journals were pitted.

The cylinder head was disassembled, cleaned and glass bead blasted.  It was apparent that cylinder No. 3 had sustained damage.   Valve seat wear was assessed for all cylinders.  A special tool had to be fabricated to measure spring heights and seat location in the head.

Measuring the piston dome and valve relief volumes.

Pistons and Crankshaft

The piston domes, wrist pin locations and offset, deck heights and pin heights were measured along with combustion chamber molds and volumes.  When the pistons and cylinders were checked for wear, piston no. 3 was found to have irreparable damage.  So the Alfatross is going to get a new set of pistons.   The crankshaft's main bearings had damage attributable to poor lubrication (one of the known design deficiencies of the 1900 engine) in addition to a potential crack.  It may be necessary to send the crank out for nitriding to treat the bearing surfaces.

By the Numbers

The Alfatross' heart is not exotic or complicated, but even a simple engine takes a lot of time to break down into its component parts, and clean, measure, and compare them with the original specifications.  So now we have a lot of "baseline" numbers and dimensions for the main components of the engine, and it is clear we have a lot of work to do. Although I have not yet discovered incontrovertible evidence that The Alfatross was raced competitively, at least some of its previous six owners must have driven it pretty hard, given the evidence of use and minor rebuilding in the past that we have discovered.  The good news is that it looks like the pistons are the only parts that need replacement--so far!