The blasted shell reveals a clue and a missing part

Recently we were confused as to whether or not our car had an under hood light in the engine compartment. Ferrari stopped putting these in Dinos shortly after 01464 was made however we found images of cars with both earlier and later serial numbers that had the bracket for this additional light in place. The mystery came in that there was no bracket on our car.

Today the mystery was solved as closer inspection of the blasted chassis tubes reveal without a doubt that the bracket was removed at an earlier stage in the car's life. Now we are left to both re-create the bracket and locate this tough to find light.

Attached are photos of the light we are after. If ANYONE has a lead as to where to find one, please e-mail us at: dino246@live.com

First batch of chrome. Hard to photograph but amazing in the flesh

Today we received our first bits back from the chrome shop. I'm sure the before and after photos below will tell the tale and today we also learned how hard it is to properly photograph chrome. Next time I think I'll take the parts outside and use natural light with no flash. Next to chrome will be the large parts including bumpers and window trims.

Shell delivery to the body shop breaks in a brand new trailer

With the shell finally blasted it was ready to take to the body shop. On a snowy morning, and right on schedule, our transporter arrived with a brand new trailer that he had picked up the day before. The Dino was to be its first haul.

Here are some photos of the transport. Our next installment will introduce our painter and the shop the Dino will spend the next couple of months getting its new metal work and finishing.

Meanwhile in rural Georgia...

You never know where you will find a part you are after. Earlier this week I was driving through rural Georgia on a business trip and passed a field full of old cars. Normally I would just carry on but this field had a bright red Ferrari 328 which caught my attention. Taking a second look I noticed a number of old BMW's and remembered a part that I was after.

The seat belts on the Dino have a small plastic cover that carries the manufacturer name 'Klippan' that hides the mounting bolts. There are 3 of these per seat belt and I was missing 2. Turns out that these covers are the same ones that came on the BMW 2002 and this field was full of 2002's. Speaking to the owner of the yard I was able to pick some covers up for $5 each.

You just never know where the next part will come from. Luckily I had my trusty iPhone to capture the moment.

A blast for the past

After long delays that included having our spot bumped by the Canadian military, the shell finally made it to the media blaster. Years of history was blasted away to reveal a bare steel shell with no real surprises. Of course this came as welcome news as the body and frame were more solid than expected and this will translate to a lower bill at the body shop. Many thanks to Tom and his team at Sodapro for the blasting services.

While name is deceiving, no soda was used in the process as a mixture of sand and other media were specially chosen surface by surface to yield the best result. Now for some pictures of the days adventures.