Improving airflow by tidying up sloppy work

In an earlier post we criticized the British for supplying lackluster vent fans for the interior cabin. Truth is that the Italians are not totally innocent here either.

Behold photos of the original assembly that feeds air to the upper vents on the dashboard. As you can see the Italians were quick to assemble components that really did not fit well together. The result is an air passage that was about 10-15% blocked.

Easily corrected with an air saw however we are not expecting a massive improvement in ventilation. Either way every little bit counts.

Koni USA Delivers. Original shocks returned as good as new

Today our long awaited shocks arrived from Koni USA. As we reported earlier in a previous post we discovered that 01464 was still fitted with its original shocks as delivered from Ferrari. These were sent to the classic division of Koni USA for re-building and restoration.

I must say that the service and finish was first rate. Not only were the shocks re-built but they were painted the original Koni red colour (much more orange in tone than the new shocks which are more red) and with the period correct decals. Anyone thinking of replacing their shocks should consider having them re-built by Koni USA. The wait time was almost 2 months but the price was less than the cost of a new set of shocks with a better paint finish and correct decals. Also the quality of packing was first rate.

Thank you Koni.

Crazy Task #3: Painting in an invisible spot

It's been a while since we have profiled a crazy task but the insanity has not eased up a bit on our end. Here is a photo of Paul painting deep inside one of the balance holes for the engine's main pulley. During spray painting it was impossible to get paint properly in the bottom of the holes so we decided to go back with a brush to touch up the missed spots. 

Of course this is totally nuts as the holes are all bit invisible on the assembled engine but we don't call it a crazy task for nothing.

The gift of sound on a sad day.

Today the world remembers the founder of Apple Steve Jobs as his passing yesterday reminds all of us what a profound impact his ideas had on the way we live our lives today. You may be reading this blog on one of his devices and with the invention of the iPod and iTunes, he made music more accessible to the world.

On that note I decided to surprise Paul today with something I had been putting together for him as a surprise gift for several months. Yesterday the last piece of the puzzle came in the mail from Italy and with it completed the original audio system for the Dino. Front and center is the Voxson Stereo 8 radio and 8 track player. Voxson was an premium Italian radio manufacturer that was fitted to Ferrari's and some Maserati's in the early 70's. I was able to find an incredibly intact unit that still had all of the original wire ends and Voxson labelled fuse holder. When I opened the package I was astounded to the condition of the radio and all of its ancillaries. This includes a factory powered amplifier with outputs for the left and right audio channels.

The other item I sourced was an NOS Voxson antenna. Incredibly rare, these were often damaged and changed so to find a brand new unit was a real stroke of luck tied to a lot of creative persistence. It will adorn the rear flank of 01464 nicely.

Stay tuned for a future post where wiring schematics for iPod integration will be revealed. 8 tracks are great and all but we will be making provisions for modern digital music. Don't worry it will be 100% hidden and will not involve cutting a single wire.

The blog catches our goof

Paul always enjoys reviewing the blog entries and upon looking at the photos from the last post regarding the fan motor re-build, he realized that a tiny mistake was made. The main bolts that hold the blower motor together were re-installed backwards compared to how they left the factory in England.

Of course this makes no difference to how the motor operates however it was not correct and had to be fixed. As such, after an un-settled night of sleep, Paul made his way to the shop early the next morning to again dis-assemble the motors and turn the bolts around.

An insignificant detail to most but totally un-acceptable to us. Let's hope we put the pistons in right :)