We're back with lots of changes in store. Time for a little catch up.

Wow I can't believe how much time has passed since our last post. Many thought that we had given up but nothing could be further from the truth. A LOT has happened and we will fill everyone in on the changes in due time with plenty of photos to bring home the drama and developments.

A great deal of effort has been put forward in the sourcing of rare and odd parts while equally strenuous work has been accomplished to forge ahead with existing projects. For now I'll leave you all with a single photo outlining the artistry that is to come. It is a tiny detail that is often lost on a repaired car or hastily created with body filler. In fact it should be, as shown here, sculpted in beautifully shaped metal as this is the cavity to which the door handle mounts.

Stay tuned for more regular updates.

Engine Jewelry: New Connecting Rods From Carrillo

Today I made a special drive out to Santa Ana California to pick up, direct from the factory, our new connecting rods. Made special to order, and ready on exactly the day promised, these gems were produced by con rod specialist Carrillo. In the world of con rods the name Carrillo is one of those universally accepted brands that resonates as being the best of the best. Their components are integral to some of the worlds most powerful and high performance engines and are the choice of those who require nothing less than excellence.

Our Dino engine is being re-built to much less demanding factory OEM specifications yet we felt that a little gift to our power plant was in order. It is a shame these beauties will live where they cannot be seen yet with every revolution we can be sure of their reliability.

Now for some pictures....

Our first Concours: Luigi makes us proud

In a previous post we introduced you to Luigi, our 1964 Fiat 500D which was the subject of a complete restoration prior to starting on the Dino. While we had taken the Fiat to the odd fun car show, yesterday, for the first time, he was entered into his first professionally judged event. The venue was the La Jolla Concours, which ranks as one of the top 5 most significant concours in California, and we were entered in the micro-car class for cars under 1000cc in displacement. Our class had some excellent and rare entries including a BMW Isetta and an NSU Wankel powered convertible. In the end we managed to win the category and take home the class trophy.

While we were extremely happy and proud with the win, the real treat came afterwards when we were approached by some of the judges who informed us that our little Fiat was further short listed from among the class winners for consideration of best in show honors. Realistically we appreciated that the historical significance of the Fiat could not compete with our rare multi-million dollar competitors which included a class winning car at last year's Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance. That said, it was a real honor to have some of the top judges in the United States tell us that they had a second look at our car and that they considered the quality of restoration to be up there with the best cars in the show.

Not bad for two brothers doing this as a hobby in their spare time. We hope that the Dino turns out as nice and will continue to give it our best effort. Annetta, as always, felt the need to dress up for the event.

Doing the work of sand: Restoring damaged aluminum castings

Over time mechanical components get accumulated marks from both use and service. Or rather between use and varying degrees of care during service. Our gearbox casing showed 40 years of such marks and, while we were lucky to have no broken bits, there were still many scrape marks and nicks that required our attention.

The original gearbox casing was cast in a sand mold that gave it its distinctive outer texture. The first step in restoring the casing was to carefully file away damage so that the rough shape of the part is restored. After this is done, hours are spent with an assortment of odd tools and hammers peppering the surface of the aluminum to replicate the natural finish once made by sand. While extremely time consuming the results are well worth the effort as the repair is not visible even under the closest of scrutiny.

One last job was to restore the original drain plugs. Again, an assortment of tiny files and a finishing using glass beads at a very low pressure achieved a factory fresh look over 40 years after manufacture.

We are not the only ones: www.tomyang.net

In the world of vintage Ferrari restoration Tom Yang's website has long been a wonderful source for information and inspiration to those who pursue the prancing horse. We urge the visitors of Dino246.com to visit Tom's site and see the magic he works on his and other cars.

www.tomyang.net