The Dyno(saur)meter (Post # 83)

The Alfatross came with a strange looking instrument bearing the label "DynoMeter."  Former owner Pat Braden writes in his book Alfa Romeo All-Alloy Twin Cam Companion 1954-1994 that the man he sold it to (the man I bought it from) "never knew the car carried an (originally fitted) accelerometer." I think the DynoMeter is the accelerometer that Braden was talking about.  How he knew it was "originally fitted," and exactly what that phrase means is a mystery. To the best of my recollection, when I bought The Alfatross 46 years ago it was included, but no longer attached.

The Burg DynoMeter before restoration.  The 
more you look at it the less you understand!

Profile view of the DynoMeter.  There are no
connections, electrical or otherwise.

I puzzled over this thing for many years.  What does it do?  How exactly does it work? Where and how is it supposed to be mounted?  Why can't I find any information about it?  Is this the only one left in the world?  Is it another mute, but tantalizing indicator of race history?

Thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Jeff Kramer, Internet Nightcrawler, we now have answers to some of those questions--but by no means all.

Bands, Numbers, and Increments

The Burg logo appears to show a pendulum hanging from
the top of a box with a graduated arc just below it: a
simplified schematic of the mechanism inside?

The steel housing is surrounded by a chrome band with a peculiar clamp. Both detach easily from the dial face and inner body. No clues there. 

Only the dial face hints at who made it and what it does. Starting in the middle of the dial we see that it is called a "DynoMeter" and it appears to have been manufactured by a company called Burg.  The Burg name is written in script over a logo that appears to depict a pendulum suspended over a graduated arc.  This is an important clue. The device appears to be patented "PATENTE ANG.", but where? 

All the text is in Italian, but it could have been produced anywhere with dial faces appropriate for the market.  At first glance, it could be mistaken for an item from the Italian equivalent of the J.C. Whitney catalog, but on further close inspection there is more than meets the eye.

This might get a little tedious, but I just want to point out some details that are easy to miss if you aren't paying close attention.

The dial face is divided into four bands encircling the pivot point for the needle. The outermost and innermost bands are symmetrical circular bands, but the two between them taper as they spiral around the dial face. 

Acceleration is measured on the white band in meters 
per second squared when the needle moves in a clockwise 
direction.  Braking is measured similarly when the needle
moves in a counterclockwise direction.

The outer black band is evenly divided into 80 increments representing percentages of G-force, and numbered 0 to 40 % reading from top to bottom clockwise and counterclockwise respectively. Note that the outer band is labelled "discesa" (deceleration) left of the zero point at the top of the band, and "salita" (acceleration) right of the zero point. Are you following this? Good, because it's about to get complicated.

Acceleration and deceleration are measured in different ways on four information bands.

The largest text is at the top of the dial face. On the left is the word "FRENO," meaning "brake." It is in white letters on a black band.  An arrow beneath it points in a counterclockwise direction. To the right of the 0 point at the top of the dial is the word "MOTORE, meaning "engine," in black letters over a white background.  And in the middle, between them, is the word "FOLLE" in red script, meaning something like "don't even think about it." These comprise the second and third bands.

In addition to the percentage increments around the outside of the dial face band 2, the white band just inside it, is numbered clockwise 1 through 4 from top to bottom in meters per second squared.  Although the numbering stops at 4 at the bottom of the dial, there is one incremental mark beyond the 4. The black band inside the white one is labelled counterclockwise 1 through 8 meters per second squared. Note that the distance between graduations decreases dramatically. 

The fourth band is labelled and graduated somewhat vaguely compared to the others. All of the left side of the band and part of the right side are labelled "insufficient" in white letters on a white background and the remainder of the right side is labelled "good" in white letters on a green background.  

So what does all this tell us?

The Bowmonk Connection

Searching for information on dynometers, Jeff made contact with Mr. Ernie Hill at Bowmonk Ltd., the British manufacturer of Bowmonk Brakemeter/Dynometer, used primarily as brake testers (http://www.bowmonk.com/automotive/brakemeter). According to their literature their meter, which is substantially the same as the Burg, 

consists of a finely balanced pendulum free to respond to any changes in speed or angle, working through a quadrant gear train to rotate a needle round a dial. To damp out vibration, the instrument is filled with a special fluid not sensitive to changes in temperature. No maintenance is necessary.

The dial is calibrated in percentage "G", the accepted standard through the world for measuring acceleration and deceleration.   

Here's a helpful little schematic and formula to help clarify the above statement.  Say what?

So now we're getting somewhere. Bowmonk was able to clean and repair The Alfatross' DynoMeter and refill it with the anti-vibration fluid, which had leaked out long ago . . . but they are just as much in the dark about the Burg company and this particular device as we are.

The Burg DynoMeter after cleaning and restoration by
Bowmonk, Ltd.

It is clear that we are missing part of the instrument's mounting apparatus, perhaps just a simple bracket. At some point in the not-too distant future we're going to install this thing in one of our vehicles and field test it to see how it actually works.

Bowmonk provided this certificate of calibration after restoring
the Dynometer giving it a clean bill of health!

Key Thoughts (Post # 82)

Life is full of keys: the key to happiness, the key to success, the humble house key, office key, car key.  We all have scores of them.  When you need a copy you just take the original down to the local hardware store and get one made . . . .  unless the key is for the glove box of a 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SSZ! 

Old Keys Are Different

Where a modern car has A key that opens everything, it takes 4 keys to open the locks on The Alfatross: Key 1 unlocks the driver's side door.  Key 2 is for the ignition switch.  Key 3 lets you into the glove box and you need Key 4 to open the trunk.   Why so many keys?  I guess it's a Zagato thing.  Every lock came from a different vendor. Zagato didn't make its own ignition switches or door locks.  

The Alfatross came with one key for each of the four locks.  Remembering how many times I have locked myself out of various cars in the past I thought it might be a good idea to have spares.  Locking yourself out of a daily driver is an inconvenience.  Misplacing the keys to a 60-year old Classic could turn into a disaster!

At the local locksmith shop the attendant eyed my four keys warily, then turned to an entire wall of key blanks--hundreds or maybe even thousands of them--and started looking for matches.  It took a while, but he managed to find blanks for three out of the four, and cut them.  The fourth one was the ignition key--sorry, no match for that one! Any idea where I should look for a match?  A shrug.  

When I got back to The Shed and tried the three new keys, none of them worked.  Everything was right except that the key tongues were too thick. This is how I found out that the only sure way to know if a duplicate key will work is to take the lock with you to the locksmith shop as well as the key you want to duplicate.  

To the Web!

I deduced that the ignition key was not original from the fact that it was made by the Taylor Lock Co. of Philadelphia, USA.  Too bad, but after the passage of 60 years and 7 owners it was too much to expect the original key to still be with the car.  

The Alfatross' ignition key (not original).  Millimeter scale
at top.

Trunk key, probably original.  What does FIST stand for?
No other markings present.

But the other three key were so strange-looking that I think they probably are original.  The keys could be cut locally, but where would I find the right blanks?  The Taylor Lock Co. name was my only clue, but it turned out to be a good one. Taylor was bought out by the International Key Corporation.  A quick query over the Internet and I was in contact with Errol in Customer Service.  Yes, they have Taylor blanks with numbers matching those on my key and would send them right away.  One problem solved.

Glove Box key, probably original.  What does the "T"
signify? No other markings present.

The other three weird keys are turning out to be more of a challenge.  Two of them were short and stubby but kind of classy-looking.  Both bore the letters FIST surrounded by some fancy curlicues.  There were no other markers or numbers that I could use to narrow down the search.  The third key's only distinguishing characteristic was what looked like a capital "T" inside a box.

Door lock key, probably original.  No other markings
present.

This is where I discovered how hard it is to describe a key that doesn't have any name or number on it. Good luck asking for the trunk lock of a 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900C SSZagato"! 

First I sent out photos to various vendors.  They said "we need to see both sides." So I sent out pairs of photos. Then they said "show the keys on a metric scale with the hilt at 0." I did.  Then they said "What does the end-on profile look like?" So I sent photos of clay impressions. Then they said "Oh, just send us the damn keys and locks and let us sort them out!"

Key profile impressions made in clay.

Personal Connections

So that's where we are now. I still don't have all the duplicates The Alfatross needs, but I do have a much greater respect for the humble key!  The ignition key may not be original, but the other three are a physical connection with the previous 6 owners of The Alfatross, going all the way back to its first owner, Alessandro Costantini Brancadoro in 1955.  

And there is another connection as well, one with the Italian movie star Massimo Girotti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massimo_Girotti), a very popular screen actor in the mid-1950s.  The chain that now holds The Alfatross' ignition key belonged to him.  It was given to me by his son, Alessio, with whom I had often discussed my plans to restore the car and--who knows--maybe take it back to Italy some day and run it in the Mille Miglia.  When he laid the chain in my hand he said solemnly, "My father would approve!"  

Maybe I'll even take The Alfatross back to Bronzetti & Ternati and ask for a tune-up!

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.