Looking back . . . . (Post # 81)

One of the original door mirrors.  Note the deep
denting and corroded base. 

The Alfatross had a matching set of British-made Raydyot aluminum mirrors on the driver's and passenger's side when I bought it.  The brushed aluminum housings were free of corrosion but the bases were showing rust and the housings themselves were dented in several places. Moisture had crept in around the reflective surfaces rendering them useless.  The biggest problem would be getting the dents out of the soft, cone-shaped aluminum housings.  I considered what it would take to restore the originals to an appearance in keeping with the rest of the project and elected instead to replace them with identical reproductions.  Well, almost identical.  The originals have the Raydyot logo elegantly engraved on top of the housing.  The reproductions do not, probably to avoid patent infringement issues. What to do?  

The Raydyot emblem engraved on top of  one of the original
mirror housings . . .

Having already done business with Scott Babcock, Engraving Manager at J. Chadwick Engraving (http://www.jchadwickengraving.com/contactus.php) regarding another matter, I sent him a photo of the Raydyot emblem to ask if he could reproduce it.  No Problem, but he would need to have one of the original housings to make a pattern and get the proportions right. I give Scott and J. Chadwick Engraving high marks for customer service, attention to detail, communication, and professionalism.  The skill involved is obvious!

At my request, Scott sent this photo of one of the engraving machines he uses. Looks complicated!  Scott Babcock.

. . . and the newly-engraved reproduction mirror housing. 
Scott Babcock.

While writing this post I realized that I had never paid much attention to the mirrors on other 1900C SSZs that I have photos of.  So I reviewed the images and discovered that only 14 (about half) of them have outside mirrors.  Of these, there is little commonality with respect to mirror shape or location. Almost all are on the driver's side door or front fender, but their types and shapes vary widely. The rest do not have outside mirrors at all!  The presence of mirrors on both sides of the car is a rare characteristic shared only by The Alfatross and two others. 

Mirror type and location on Chassis 01845: a flat keystone
shape mounted high on the driver's side front fender.
Octane Magazine.

I began to wonder if The Alfatross' mirrors are "original equipment" or were added some time between its manufacture in 1955 and the oldest photos of it in 1965. Many of the other 1900C SSZs I have photos of have been restored and updated for use in modern traffic, so they may not be representative of their original appearance.

Mirror type and location on Chassis 02056: a round
bullet-shaped chrome housing  mounted on the
driver's door.  Tim Marinos.

I also started to wonder if the presence of outside mirrors might be evidence of a car equipped for racing, but then noticed that chassis no. 01931 was definitely raced, but period photos show it without outside mirrors. When it was "unearthed" a few years ago it had no mirrors, but after restoration it gained mirrors on both sides! This serves to remind us that mirrors should be considered more as options than as part of a car's original fabric.

Mirror type and location on Chassis 01747: round bullet-
shaped mirrors mounted high on both doors. 

Read 'em and Weep! (Post # 80)

While looking for something else in my Alfatross files I came across this page of cars for sale in Road & Track's Market Place dated 1969, the year I acquired The Alfatross. At first I wondered why I kept it, until I spotted the photo of one of The Alfatross' brethren offered for the princely sum of $2,500!

Most cars are liabilities, not assets . . . aren't they?  Not these! [All current values taken from the 2015 Sports Car Market Price Guide].

Blast from the past.  .Road & Track market place ads, 1969--the year I was tricked
into buying The Alfatross from my cousin Bo.    If we only knew then what we know now!

1939 AR 6C2500 (50 built).  Value today: $535,000-700,000.

We can only guess what it went for then.  Value today: 
$2,250,000-4,000,000.

Expensive!  Value today: $400,000-750,000.

Or real estate?  Has it appreciated as much?  Value today:
$375,000-650,000. 

Self addressed, stamped envelope?  How quaint!  Value 
today: $97,500-185,000.

Gas hog.  Gotta get rid of it!  Value now:$975,000-1,250,000.

So is it a Cobra or a Mustang?  Never hot-rodded?  Why did you buy it?  Value now: $850,000-1,000,000.

And last, but not least . . . .

So did you get the whole $1,500 or did you have to drop the price to get rid of it?  Value now:
$900,000-1,400,000. 

The clause in the contract between Bo (the seller) and me (the buyer) whereby I became the
Steward of The Alfatross in 1969 (and the Honda was wrecked!).  It was just a used car, 
and I was just a dumb kid . . . .

The Unusual Suspects (Post # 79)

The Alfatross' Support Group

Recently, I started thinking about all the people who have had a hand in bringing The Alfatross back to life. Although we're not done yet, the list is already surprisingly long. I don't want people who have never restored a car to think that it is a one-person job. And I don't want to just spew out a list of names without categorizing the nature of their contribution, so I came up with my own categories. It turns out that some people should be included in more than one, but that gets complicated. So I have placed them in their most important category. The order in which names are listed is entirely arbitrary.

Peter Marshall, A 1900 fan before 1900s were cool . . .
and part of the reason why they are cool today!

Networkers and Researchers

These are people who know people or have people or have people that know people.  As the saying goes, "It's not who you know, but who knows you!" These people are already part of the Knowledge Base, have accepted your credentials, and accepted you as a worthy participant.  They include:

Peter Marshall, was a 1900 fan before 1900s were cool.
Joost Gompels, (www.ar1900reg.org/newsletters/ACF87B.pdf) America's version of Peter.

Daniel Allen, he talks, I listen.

Bob Schnittger, (http://www.alfa1900.com/) Keeper of the 1900 flame.

Jason Wenig http://www.thecreativeworkshop.com/) Boss at The Creative Workshop. 

Matteo Bosisio, (m.bosisio@ruoteborrani.com), Head of Classic Wheels at Ruote Borrani.
Eric Reishus, (borrani@aemgarage.com), A&M Garage, LLC. Borrani America's official dealer.
Raimondo Corsi, Secretary of the Registro Italiano Alfa Romeo.

Dan Allen, as seen by one of The Alfatross' brethren.
Dan Allen.

Craftspeople

These are people who have a very narrowly focused specialty in restoration ranging from reproducing wiring harnesses, to beating metal, to machining parts, to designing cam grinds.  They include:

Derrick Dunbar, Tennessee Tim Marinos, and Ed Hayes,
discussing Ed's very original car, 01915. 

Derrick Dunbar at Paul Russell and Co. Head of the
Dept. of the Interior.

Roger Lorton and DeWayne Samuels, Exotic engine
 builders.

Gene and Scott, YnZ's Yesterday's Parts
(http://www.ynzyesterdaysparts.com/). Made the wiring harness.

Tim Marinos, Vintage Autocraft, (http://vintageautocraft.com/). Chassis restoration, body and paint. 

Derrick Dunbar, Paul Russell and Co. (http://paulrussell.com/). Researched and restored the interior restoration. 

DeWayne Samuels, Samuels Speed Technologies (http://www.manta.com/c/mmshdxb/samuels-speed-technologies). Restoring the engine.

Harold Williams, Maker of custom gauges and bespoke coffee contraptions.

Roger Lorton, (balancing.acts@hotmail.com)Balancing Acts. High performance engine machine work.

Bruce Crawford, (brucecrawford@hardwoodclassicsltd.com). Restored the Nardi steering wheel.

David DuBois, (SUfuelpumps@donobi.net), SU fuel pump specialist.

Helmut, North Hollywood Speedometer (http://www.nhspeedometer.com/). Restored the Veglia instruments.

Joe Osborn, Masterpiece Watch Restoration, LLC, 
(www.watchrestoration.com). Repaired and restored the Jaeger chronograph.

Bo Monroe, fabricator of reproduction 1900 front brake scoops.

Cork Adams, Precision Wire Wheels, (http://precisionwirewheels.com/). Restored the Borranis.

Gordon Self, Gordon't Imports.  Checked and adjusted the transmission.

Owners of The Alfatross' Brethren

The Alfatross has close relatives. They started out from the same workshop, but over time became separated. I am very grateful to their owners who have provided precious information and let us visit them to learn more about their similarities and differences. They are like people in the same family: there are unmistakable similarities and unmistakable differences--and that is what makes them so wonderful!

Ed Leerdam, former owner of 01915
George P. Fogg, III, former owner of 10003 and current owner of 01954
Joe Hayes, current owner of 01915
Arturo Keller, owner of 01847
Dan Simpson, owner of the REAL 01941 
Corrado Lopresto, owner of 01845
Scott Gautier, owner of 01909
Berge Bergesen, former owner of 02010
Hans Josefsson, former owner of 01997

Business Advisors

OK, I admit that this is kind of a made-up category. But these are deep-thinking people who provided endless, unsolicited advice on how to handle The Alfatross' health and well-being going forward. Their advice has been absorbed, appreciated, taken for what it was worth (along with a grain or two of salt and even some pepper), and incorporated appropriately into the overall plan.  They include:

Dr. Randy Davis,Tactical Services International, "Sell!  Sell! Sell!"
Dr. Paul Johnston, Curator of Transportation, Smithsonian Institution, "Why don't you donate it to the Nation?  I have a place for it right here, he-he."
Dr. Toni Carrell, Ships of Exploration and Discovery Research, "Keep it, you idiot!"

Cheerleaders

This is not an insignificant category. They are people who inspired me to continue with the restoration in spite of the legion of very good reasons not to, including "It's costing too much!" "It's taking too long!" "It's not worth it!" and the all-time favorite: "Get a life!"

Pat Braden, The Alfatross' only celebrity previous owner.

Pat Braden, the one responsible previous owner.
Bo Bricklemyer, who convinced me to buy it in the first place!
Beverly Little, got me involved with the Santa Fe Concorso.
Richard Ballantine, a never-ending font of encouragement.
Mark Brinker, the most enthusiastic of all!
Alessio Girotti, gave me an insight into the Italian language and mindset. 
Toni Carrell, kept me from giving up on occasions too numerous to mention.

Charlatans

This is a surprisingly small, but very definitive, category comprised of totally incompetent people recommended by others, who agreed to provide a particular service, failed utterly and miserably, and ultimately made things worse instead of better while charging outrageous prices for their "services".

Carter Hendricks, author of The Book of Excuses.  
Mark Wallach, "All hat and no cattle!"

Mark Reinwald

Voices of Experience

Rich Heinrich, Scottsdale Automotive Museum.
Mark Reinwald, Curator, Ralph Lauren Collection.
Andre von Reiter, Neighbor and Mercedes/ Porsche collector.
The Santa Fe Car Table. Lots of experience, lots of voices.

Heavy lifters: Brian Williams, Dave Carrell, the Steward,
and Jeff Krammer.

Helping Hands

Don't sell this category short on account of the simple title. These are the hands that are doing the work at The Shed, The Alfatross' home in Santa Fe. Their hands are taking apart and putting back together virtually every part that wasn't consigned to a specialist. These are the hands that The Alfatross knows and trusts.   
Jeff Kramer, "No rust too tough, no part too hard to find, no job too dirty, no setback too discouraging. 'Nam didn't kill me and neither will The Alfatross!"
Dave Carrell, "Whatever it takes, man!"
Tom Linton, "Borrow my Silverado to trailer The Alfatross 4,000 miles? Sure, just take it to the car wash afterward . . ."

But Wait!  There's More!

I have purposefully saved all the many vendors who supplied parts and equipment for recognition in a future post.  

Then there is the problem of failing to recognize someone because my record-keeping wasn't as good as it should have been. If I have done that to anyone out there, let me know and I will correct the omission! 

Famous Last Words: "How Hard Can It Be?" (Post # 78)

Original tall piston and short rod (top); short piston and 
tall rod below. The new pistons and rods are much lighter.
DeWayne Samuels.

Machining the relief in the piston valve pocket. 
DeWayne Samuels.

That depends . . .

I thought rebuilding The Alfatross' original, matching-numbers engine would be the easiest, fastest, and least costly part of the overall restoration. At first glance, it's pretty old school: 4 cylinders, 2 carbs, a cast-iron block and 1950s technology--How hard can it be?

The fact that the previous engine re-builder couldn't do the job in eight years should have made me rethink the true magnitude of the task.  Working with DeWayne Samuels and Roger Lorton over the last three years I have come to appreciate at least some of the intricacies of rebuilding the Alfa Romeo 1900 SS engine.  

Machining the valve relief bosses. DeWayne Samuels.

Yes, the engine is simple in terms of number of moving parts, but some of those parts were damaged beyond repair and had to be replaced.  This opened the door to modification options.  

Keeping Up Appearances

The valve spring seat areas were machined to  take
a chrome moly hardened spring seat
DeWayne Samuels.

Externally, the engine will look exactly the way it did originally.  This is a claim that few of The Alfatross' brethren can make, particularly the road-worthy ones. Many have traded their original Solex 40 P II carbs for Webers and in the process jettisoned their emblematic but heavy, cumbersome air filter housings. This is understandable because Webers are the performance carburetor of choice, but we're sticking with the original Solexes. 

Internally, though, there will be significant differences.  Throughout the restoration of The Alfatross it was always paramount to maintain originality.  With the engine, that meant cleaning and reusing old parts whenever possible rather than replacing them. But those original parts are now 60 years old and some of them have been rode hard and put away wet. 

Correction of a design flaw: installation of "stepped
seat" washers provides a hard surface for the studs
nuts and washers to bear on.  DeWayne Samuels.

"New and improved" valve guides with relocated spring
seat bosses and areas for valve seals (which the originals
never had.  DeWayne Samuels.

Preparing the crankshaft for installation in the block. 
The discoloration is a result of the nitriding process
which hardens and strengthens the steel.
DeWayne Samuels.

Engines are designed to be maintained and repaired, so replacement of parts that wear out relatively quickly is not only necessary, but perfectly natural. Problem is, with the exception of certain parts which continued to be used in later models, finding replacement parts for an engine that has been out of production for half a century can be challenging. From the beginning it was apparent that if we were going to restore The Alfatross' sprightliness the engine's internals would have to be modified. Is this a departure from originality? Yes, but a necessary and rational one.   


As I mentioned in a previous post, The Alfatross' cams, pistons, and exhaust valves needed replacement. DeWayne spent some time researching NOS parts but very quickly concluded that if we had cams and pistons made to order rather than "stock" we could improve power and reliability. But as long as we were having them made, we could have them made better--more in line with modern engineering principles. We could go with shorter pistons and longer connecting rods instead of the stock tall pistons and short connecting rods--and up the compression ratio at the same time.

Improving Performance 

Engine engineering has come a long way over the last 60 years.  We can do things now to make an engine last longer and run better and more efficiently. Some modifications are as simple as hardening and polishing contact surfaces, or installing stepped washers to prevent the steel washers and nuts that torque down the cylinder head from gouging into the much softer aluminum. 

Others are small refinements to reduce friction and wear such as improving valve guide configuration.  Still others get into some serious re-engineering of the engine's internals. Changes made to one element, like the connecting rod length, necessitate making changes to other elements so that everything works in concert.

The five main bearings saddled into the block in
preparation for receiving the crank.
DeWayne Samuels. 

A good example of this cascade effect is the way changing the length of the connecting rod changes piston velocity, which changes the fill/empty cycle rate of the combustion chamber, which in turn necessitates developing a new cam profile--all doable, we just have to get the entire package working in concert so the outcome is what we want in all aspects--not just parts stuck together.

The crank, fitted to the block.  DeWayne Samuels.

Flywheel end of the crank with the oil slinger in place
DeWayne Samuels.

   

What If The Alfatross Could Speak for Itself? (Post # 77)

Anthropomorphization

Ann Arbor, MI, 1963.  Pat Braden.

Not surprisingly, The Alfatross has never spoken to me. Not in words, anyway. It's just a machine, a collection of bits and pieces, rubber, steel, glass, and aluminum. It doesn't have a soul or spirit. It isn't alive.

Ann Arbor, MI, 1964

So why do I feel like it does and is? Sometimes I wonder what it would say if it could speak. What do cars care about? Do they have memory? Do they have feelings? Do they bond with their owners?  

If I could establish a five-minute dialog with The Alfatross I think it would go something like this:

Alfatross: "We need to talk."

Me: "Uh-oh . . . ."

Chapel Hill, NC, 1970

Alfatross: "Why did you buy me . . . and then treat me so badly?"

Me: "Well, you know, I was young and inexperienced and you were an Italian Exotic. Va-va-voom!"

Alfatross: "That doesn't explain the mistreatment part: leaving me out in the cold and rain, ignoring me for weeks at a time."

Me (guiltily): "There were a lot of demands on my time . . ."

Hendersonville, NC, 1980.

Alfatross (accusatorily): "That's lame."

Me (changing the subject): 
"Are you male or female?"

Alfatross: "Does it matter?"

Me: Never mind.

Corpus Christi, TX, 2004.

Alfatross: "Was your original intention really to turn me into a 'hot rod' with Corvette seats, fat tires, tinted windows and a flashy two-tone paint job?  And what was that I heard about tossing my engine and cramming a small-block V8 in its place? Didn't you like me the way I 
was?"

Me: "Well . . . not the color."

Alfatross: "Then what did you like about me?"

Corpus Christi, TX, 2010.

Me: "I liked your weirdness--wire wheels, knockoffs, plastic windows, hand-made little bits and pieces, five-speed stick shift, those funky seats, all those great instruments on the dash, especially the 220 on the speedometer (until I figured out it was kilometers!), your shape, your beautiful shape--but 
not your dependability (or lack thereof)!"

Santa Fe, NM, 2013.

Me: "I admit to neglecting and mistreating you for all those decades, but aren't you happy about what's happening now?"

Alfatross: "That depends on how it all turns out."

Me: OK, that does it!  You are definitely female!"

Alfatross: "Suit yourself."


Me: "I just have one question for you before the five minutes is up: Did you ever race?"

Santa Fe, NM, 2013.

Alfatross: "That's all you men ever ask!  'What races were you in?  What were your podium finishes?  Who were your drivers? Talk about one-track minds!  Well I'm not saying.  If it means that much to you go find out for yourself!"

Me: "You're lucky. You can roll back time. You're getting younger every day 

Lebanon, TN, 2014. Tim Marinos.

like King Arthur's Sorcerer Merlin.  Me, I can only get older, more decrepit and useless. You will outlive me and other men will eagerly step forward to lavishly care for you.   

Alfatross: "Quit complaining. And don't expect me to feel sorry for you. I'm just a heartless, soulless machine, remember?"

Lebanon, TN, 2015.  Tim Marinos.

Me: No, really, think about it. You started out as chassis number 02016, one of 20,000 other Alfa 1900s produced. By pure chance you were selected to be sent to carrozoria Zagato, where some great designers shaved off hundreds of pounds of excess weight and made you a to-die-for lithesome dress. From that day on you were special. You must have felt like 'Jake Sully'  in Avatar. 

Alfatross: "Yes, I was a dish in those days.  But I didn't see the movie and I still don't feel sorry for you."

Me: "Those days are coming back.  You have a lot of admirers--you're going to be reborn, and more beautiful and powerful than ever!  All it takes is time an money.  And expertise. And research. And artistry. And careful planning. And devotion.  And Perseverance.  And Patience . . . and did I mention MONEY?

Department of the Interior (Post # 76)

Stranded in his workshop in Massachusetts with 10 feet of snow blocking the doors and windows, Derrick Dunbar, Head of the Department of the Interior, has made remarkable progress this winter restoring The Alfatross' seats, door panels, and parcel shelf.  In the photos below, you will see what the seats that I sent him one year ago looked like and what they now look like.  You will probably think the shape is right, but the color differences are dramatic. Yes, they are, but remember that the difference is due to (a) dirt and fading on the original materials and (b) The lighting conditions under which the photos were taken.

Original condition of one of the front seats.
It looks like it was made of one type of
material, but in actuality it was made of
two very different material in two very
different colors.

Original condition of a seat back and the
Pirelli webbing on the base.

The new Pirelli suspension webbing material.
Derrick Dunbar.

              

The original bright color of the rubber fabric used to upholster the seats and "slats" of the seat backs is revealed in this photo taken in Derricks shop after the vinyl backing the protected it for 60 years was removed.  The new material was selected to match this original color.

A finished seat upholstered with dark vinyl bolsters, seat skirt and backing panel and an
unusual material for the seat and back closely matching the original material which no longer
can be found. Derrick Dunbar.

Detail of the stitching and
 textures of the two
types of materials used.  
Derrick Dunbar.

The backs of the front seats are covered in the
same material as the bolsters and skirt.
Derrick Dunbar

The driver's door panel when it arrived in Derrick's shop.  

The driver's door panel after restoration.  Derrick Dunbar.