Tom Yang's Ferrari Restoration

Tom Yang's Ferrari Restoration http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari.html Tom Yang's Ferrari Restoration en tomyang.net http://www.tomyang.net/cars/Ferrbtn.JPG http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari.html 72 89 2/3/12: 3553: An Old Friend in for a Stay http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1152.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 2/3/12 3553: An Old Friend in for a Stay <img alt="GTE" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_133.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Gary Hiniker had his car delivered to the shop for a list of things that needed attention. I worked on this car a few years ago, and it was nice to have an old friend back for some maintenance and repair. <img alt="voltage regulator" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_126.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The biggest issue with this car was a problem with the charging system. Gary told me he was driving the car one day when she mysteriously cut out. After trying to restart the car, he saw smoke coming from the behind the fuse panel. When I took a closer look, I could see some melted wires hooked up to the after market voltage regulator. <img alt="burned" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_125.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Looking behind the fuse panel, I found the source of the short. Two wires from the voltage regulator had fused together and overheated. I'm hoping this started from some worn insulation, and not from something more, but I'll have to do some more investigating. <img alt="burned" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_127.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Taking a peek inside the regulator, I found evidence of a lot of heat. <img alt="burned" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_128.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I don't think there is any saving this unit! <img alt="vent flap" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_129.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The next item I had to look into was the driver's side fresh air vent. The complaint was a sticking control, and the inability to shut the fresh air off completely. This problem is made worse in the Northeast during drives in cool weather. Looking at the flapper inside the fresh air vent, I found the rubber seal had rotted away. <img alt="vent flap" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_130.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> I removed the old rubber, and cut new rubber to seal the pipe. I made the seal slightly oversize to insure a tight seal. <img alt="open" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_131.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I checked everything for smooth operation before trimming the seal and tightening everything down. <img alt="fuel" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_132.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Another item on the "to do" list was look at the mechanical fuel pump. Gary said rarely is the mechanical pump capable of supplying fuel to the engine without the help of the electric pump. A whole host of reasons came to mind for this problem, but the most common solution would be to rebuild the pump. I could see the diaphragm was made from the original red material which has not been available for about 10 years, so this pump was probably due for a rebuild. <img alt="fuel pump" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_134.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> After getting the pump out, I found more than a bad diaphragm. The rubber gaskets inside had disintegrated so they weren't sealing the check valves very well, thus no pressure. This was no Jarvik 7! <img alt="bad rubber" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3553_135.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Worse yet, the top rubber seal had almost completely dissolved! The old gaskets supplied with the red diaphragms were found to be incompatible with American fuel, and it was obvious these gaskets were the old type. The new nitrile gaskets are supposed to be better. <img alt="lusso transmission" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/lussotranny1.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A client of mine has a Lusso Transmission for sale. It's a 250 4-speed transmission. If anyone is interested, <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">let me know</a>. Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1152.htm 1/28/12: Catching Up After Cavallino http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1151.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 1/28/12 Catching Up After Cavallino <img alt="GTC" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_17.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A couple of weeks ago, we agreed to look at a 330 GTC. There was a short list of "to dos" that I checked off to make this car "perfect" for the new owner. The final issue on the car, was a pesky "pop and spit" right around 3000-3500 rpm. A popping issue can be a number of things, and usually requires going through the simple things first, eliminating each system that can affect engine tune. <img alt="carbs" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_16.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Since this was a new purchase, we were told the car was freshly tuned, but when we tried adjusting the carburetors, the misfire was still there. As the list of simple fixes were eliminated, we realized the problem was not so easy of a fix. We tried to gather as much information on what was done to the engine from the owner, and previous shop, but we learned the pop and spit was never eliminated from previous attempts, and perhaps the problem was passed on for a reason. While researching the previous work, I worked at getting everything on the ignition system spot on. We found hotter plugs were installed, which we replaced. I found one distributor phased 1 degree off from its opposite point set so that was corrected. During our carb cleaning and inspection, we found the jetting slightly off factory specs, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Even though we experienced small improvements, the pesky spitting at that particular RPM range under load was still there.  <img alt="carbs" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_15.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> On our test drives, we found an interesting phenomena, the spitting was only coming from one side. Black deposits from the back firing was only collecting on the right side of the carburetors. This clue pointed to something perhaps happening with the cam timing. Francois explained that if the cam timing was off, the intake charge could be ignited by a delayed exhaust  event. Unfortunately, the only way to check this was in pulling off the cam covers for a closer inspection. Cam timing is one of those "black arts" in Ferrari engine building. There are factory marks for cams when the engine was originally installed, but these marks become less valid when an engine is rebuilt. Cams twist, heads get shaved, and timing chains stretch, all changing the relationship between the position of the cam and the pistons. There are marks on the flywheel that show where the valve timing should be, and by following these marks, one can accurately "time" the cam to match these marks. When camshafts twist, however, not only does the mechanic have to check the timing of the cam on one set of lobes, but also where the cam lobes are from one end to the other. If there is twist, the mechanic then has to find a happy medium to set the cam. The only better solution would be to regrind the cam, and set it to factory specs. With the valve covers off, Francois found exactly what we expected. The right bank of cylinders, one through six, were off. There was a slight twist in the cam, and the valves timing was not exactly matching the marks on the flywheel. Francois made his best guess to set the cam timing taking into account of the twist, and reassembled the valve covers. I called him from Cavallino and he gave me the bad news. The Frenchman said, "Ess, better, but steel bad!" I felt horrible about being in Florida, while Francois was dealing with such a problematic car. Not to mention I brought this car into our shop as a quick "in and out!" Francois said something was still wrong, but he would keep plugging away at it. I know Francois does not like to be defeated with something he is an expert at, and without a solution, it eats away at him.  Going home for me was not going to be fun. I let Francois work while I busied myself with the other cars in the shop. By the end of the day, Francois came back from a test drive with a big smile on his face, and motioned me to jump in the passenger seat. As we took our usual route, the spit and pop was gone! Amazed and elated, I asked what he had done. Basically, Francois created a restrict or plate on the carbs to determine if there was a lean issue with the carbs, and it eliminated the problem. He finally found the silver bullet to the problem. Although he still had more testing and tuning, Francois was on the right track. These carburetors will have to be re jetted to run much richer than factory spec, but we think with the better valve timing, we'll find the sweet spot. I spoke to Mike Pierce of Pierce Manifold after our discovery, and he had a similar issue with a GTC. It was nice to hear we weren't the only ones struggling! Although this is just a theory, I believe others have tried to fix this problem before. The missing choke plates and hotter plugs, all point to someone trying different things on this engine. The missing combination may have been cam timing and carb jetting. Let's hope we can button things up this week, and GET THIS CAR OUT OF HERE! <img alt="knock offs" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_343.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The knock offs came back from Cork Adams this week, and they look great. They went immediately back on 2259, the Survivor GTE. <img alt="oil lines" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_344.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Now that the engine is installed, I started working on fabricating new oil lines to the gauges. Unfortunately, the rear oil line fitting required I remove the 7/12 distributor so I could install the line. After carefully marking the position of the distributor, I removed the distributor/angle drive, and had clear access to the line. <img alt="oil line" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_345.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The new line was fabricated, and attached. <img alt="seat cushions" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_346.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The seat cushions came back from our upholsters, and so far, they look great. I'll have to fit the seat backs on to see how everything fits back together. <img alt="lights!" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_347.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> It was time to check the car's electrics. There was something monumental about this task as lights that have not been on in 40 years came to life. There were a couple electrical issues that needed to be addressed like blown bulbs and dodgy connectors, but generally, everything worked! <img alt="lights" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_348.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> Then there was the case with the Series III tail lights...This car's serial number, 2259, places her as a Series I car with the vertically stacked round tail lights, but this car has later Series III tail lights. The story is the first owner of this car used to take the car back to the Factory for service, and on one visit, they installed the newer lights. Series III tail lights do not simply bolt on to a SI car, so there is a chrome filler piece behind these lights. As I was checking the electrics on this car, I found the reverse lights were not hooked into the wiring harness. Normally, SI cars had a single reverse light mounted below the center of the bumper, but looking closely, this car had no hole or mount for this light. As I traced the wiring, I found the reverse light harness but it was neatly tucked away back into the main harness on both sides. After I made a new harness, and connected all the wires, we had reverse lights! <img alt="lusso transmission" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/lussotranny1.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A client of mine has a Lusso Transmission for sale. It's a 250 4-speed transmission. If anyone is interested, <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">let me know</a>. Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1151.htm 1/24/12: Eurocoachworks and Motorcargallery http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1150.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 1/24/12 Eurocoachworks and Motorcargallery <img alt="dinner" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/cavallino2012_9.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 266px;" />Photo T Wilson I know I had a short writeup on Cavallino this year, but I did more socializing and dining than taking picutres for my website! I needed the time off so I wouldn't burn out. I hope you understand! <img alt="Eurocoachworks" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/eurocoachworks10.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> That doesn't mean, however, I didn't do something that I wanted to share with you! Sunday of the Cavallino weekend, while many people went to the Mar-a-Lago car show, a couple of us hardcore guys tried to do something besides stand on a lawn and look at cars. Instead, we wanted to look at cars that were a little less prestine. I call my friend Orlando Cairo  in Fort Lauderdale to see if he would be around on Sunday for a visit to his shop. He graciously met us at <a href="http://www.eurocoachworks.com/" target="_blank">Eurocoachworks</a>. My buddies Zac Dugger, Art Taxman, and Tom Wilson came with me to look at some of the projects Orlando was working on at his shop. <img alt="Orlando" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/eurocoachworks11.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> Art's PF Coupe was there getting some rocker rust repairs done, and we poked around to see how extensive the rust was in the floors. <img alt="PF Coupe" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2081_12.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> Art's trying to put this car back on the road on a budget, so he was open to all suggestions, and we were all happy to give advice. By the end of the day, we may have only confused him! <img alt="inner rocker" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2081_11.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> Orlando did a nice job fabricating new inner rocker panels for the PF Coupe. This will be your last chance to see these panels before they're welded in and closed off from the rest of the world to see! <img alt="Motorcargallery" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/motorcargallery1.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> While in Fort Lauderdale, we stopped by the <a href="http://www.motorcargallery.com/" target="_blank">Motorcar Gallery</a>. The owner, Ed Waterman, was kind enough to open up the showroom on Sunday for a quick peek. <img alt="Motorcargallery" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/motorcargallery2.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> I've been told there is always something neat sitting in the showroom window, and I was not disappointed. Two Mangustas along with a Daytona were sitting among all the cars. <img alt="superfast" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/motorcargallery4.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> Ed owned this nice Ferrari 500 Superfast that I've saw in the parking lot at the Breakers the day before. With production in the dozens, this was a rare and desireable Ferrari. <img alt="superfast" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/motorcargallery5.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> What was amazing was down the street in storage was a second Superfast! I wished I had more time to visit, but I had to leave early to catch a flight home. <img alt="Orlando" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/eurocoachworks13.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 601px;" />Photo T Wilson Thanks Orlando and Ed for a fun car day in Fort Lauderdale! Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1150.htm 1/20/12: Cavallino Weekend http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1149.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 1/20/12 Cavallino Weekend <img alt="Track" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/cavallino2012_1.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> I just got back from a weekend in South Florida to attend the 21st Cavallino event in Palm Beach. The weather was spectacular and Friday was spent at the track. <img alt="Arts 330" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/cavallino2012_4.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> Saturday morning, my friend Art Taxman picked me up at my hotel in his Series I 330. It's a "driver," and couldn't think of a better car to take me to the Breakers in Palm Beach! <img alt="the field" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/cavallino2012_7.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> I spent most of the day seeing old friends, and meeting new ones. I barely got down to the other end of the lawn at Cavallino to see the newer Ferraris! Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1149.htm 1/14/12: 7039: 275GTS Sheet Metal http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1148.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 1/14/12 7039: 275GTS Sheet Metal <img alt="right floor" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_210.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Jay began pulling the right floor pans out of the 275GTS project. The left floor is basically done, but we'll need to fabricate new seat mounts and position them in the car. We'll get all the floors repaired and come back to the final tweaking. <img alt="gap" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_211.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> As Jay peeled back some of the inner structure to access the floor pan, he found a lot of debris trapped in between the floors. Upon closer inspection, we found a gaping hole left by the guys at Pininfarina that allowed road mud and dirt to splash up into the car. This water found its lowest spot and slowly rusted out some of the floor in this car. We'll be a little more careful to weld up all the pathways for water to get inside the car. It's amazing how one little oversight can cause so much damage over the years! <img alt="rear floor" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_212.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> When the new floors are installed, all these panels will be bent back into place, and welded, and ground smooth. No one will know about the repair except you and I! <img alt="front floor" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_214.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> By the end of the week, Jay cut out all the floors and exposed some of the problem areas in the rocker areas. What at first looked bad from the rusty floor pan surrounding the door post area, turned out not to be so bad. <img alt="rust repair" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_215.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The rust was actually from a bad gas weld that burned through the thin sheet metal when it was first welded in place. The thin metal was left in place along with the holes that burned through, and it was these thin pieces were the first to rust. The rest of the structure was solid and can be easily welded. Our welds will be a little neater, and will last a lot longer! <img alt="floors out" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_225.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The original pans were taken out to make templates for new floors. Jay and I were especially careful to mark the locations of the seat tracks so the seats will go back exactly as they came out. The out riggers that you see here are firmly attached to the frame sections and the inner rockers look good. When the new floors go back in, we'll let our body guys work on the outer skin of the car. <img alt="engine compartment" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_216.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> We decided to have the engine compartment chemically stripped by hand, and it's looking pretty good. <img alt="crude metal work" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_217.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> With the paint gone, we marveled at the crude work done on the inner fender sheet metal. The waves and use of brute force to get the panels to weld together was common practice from the boys in Italy. <img alt="make it fit" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_218.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> It's a lot less noticeable when the engine compartment is painted in semi gloss black, but to the uninformed, they would wonder if this car had seen an accident in its past, but nope, this is normal for Ferrari! <img alt="rockers" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_213.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> As the work continued on the floor pan and engine compartment, I worked on some of the sub assemblies in the engine. I disassembled, inspected, and repaired anything I found wrong with the valve train. <img alt="water pump" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_223.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The water pump also got a cleaning, checking, and rebuilding. <img alt="hood bumpers" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_222.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> We already sent on large batch out to the various plating shops, but there are always a few stragglers. These hood bumper mechanisms missed the last batch, but will be cleaned and readied to go out with the next batch that goes out. Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1148.htm 1/10/12: 2259: GTE Details http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1147.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 1/10/11 2259: GTE details <img alt="hand stitch" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_338.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I spent a little time hand stitching the parking brake cover, following the original holes made by the sewing machine about 50 years ago. <img alt="parking brake" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_339.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> After I installed the boot, I was very happy with the results. I had originally considered replacing this boot with new leather of similar color, but I can see saving the original leather was much more fitting to the rest of the car. A new boot would have stuck out with all the rest of the orignal leather. <img alt="driver's compartment" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_340.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Speaking of preserving the original details, I finished preserving the steering wheel. Instead of stripping all the varnish off the wheel, I managed to clean the stained wood where the varnish had worn away and coat the steering wheel fresh coats of varnish. Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1147.htm 1/5/12: 330GTC Sorting http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1146.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 1/5/12 330GTC Sorting <img alt="spacers" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_5.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> This week I got to work on a 330 GTC that arrived at the shop with a list of "to-dos." After installing some missing ball bearings in the seat tracks, I focused on some spacers that were installed on the tracks. For some reason, the seat mounts on this car make these seats sit at strange angle, and an easy solution was to add spacers until a comfortable angle could be achieved. The owner wanted us to see if we could get a little more angle in the seat, so I decided to replace the washers with a thicker machined bushing. <img alt="spacers" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_6.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I also used a longer mounting bolt so the seat would remain secure. Although no one will see this, I know it looks a lot better than a stack of washers. <img alt="shifter boot" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_13.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> While the seats were out, we noticed the shift linkage boot was torn. Luckily, the linkage pin came out without a fight, so the hardest part of this repair was done. <img alt="boot" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_14.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The new boot was installed, and should keep water and debris from coming up and soiling the light colored carpets!  <img alt="bracket" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_7.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The brake and clutch reservoir bracket was missing a divider so the containers were ratting loose in the mount, so I fabricated a new piece. <img alt="shutoff valve" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_8.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Another item on our list was to take a look at why there was no heat in the car. After a test drive, I felt the various coolant hoses and pipes in the engine compartment and found the hoses leading to the heater cores barely hot. I suspected one of the coolant shut off valves was clogged and traced the issue to the manual shut off valve. With a new rubber diaphragm installed, it's doing job correctly. <img alt="crushed pipe" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_9.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The GTC has independent left and right blower controls, and for some reason there was very little air movement on the left vent. After removing the left tire, it became obvious where the problem was. There is very limited space between the top of the tire and the vent pipe leading from the blower motor to the passenger compartment. It looks like an over zealous mechanic squashed the vent pipe shut by trying to make more tire clearance. I felt a compromise could be reached, and reshaped the pipe to clear the tire and still offer air from the blower. <img alt="oil leak" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_12.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Checking the general tune of the engine was also on our list of things to do. While I had the distributor off of the engine, I noticed the bottom of the distributor was wet with oil. <img alt="oil leak" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_11.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> There is an oil seal under the drive mechanism in the distributor stand that fails and allows oil to pass. Popping out the seals and replacing them at this point was simple job. Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1146.htm 1/1/12: Happy New Year and Thanks for your Pledges! http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1145.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 1/1/12 Happy New Year and Thanks for your Pledges! Thank you to all of you that donated to the 2011 Tomyang.net Pledge drive. It's always nice to know I have your support for this website and that you make the extra effort to show your appreciation. I'm looking forward to 2012 and what exciting things are in store for us in Vintage Ferraris! J Wicktsead W Taylor J Barker S Hallowell S Ross J Asp G Corbett G Alverez J Wilmes R Gaeta A Mongillo D Hudson C Youngberg Y Evelev P & J Vardanian L Brown C Rahm J Ruth M Kolb T Ohno O Callahan M Dempsey J McNeil R Hoover D Altemara S Meltzer J Cuccio C Gardenhour A Cartlidge M Gorski J Carlson D Reese P Hall R Cranshaw S Smith T Wilson D Fisher M Greenspan D Minnick E Long E Newman A Murray S Klion Z Dugger G Bearden R Garre M Meehan T Gardiner B Phillips B Galdston T Waller R Shimmel M Travers T Treue D Crozer S & A Shaw R Leander D Eichenbaum K La Velle J Viereg A Suckewer J Barta R Phillips J Tewksbury M Bayer L Kowalski D Suanders J Walker R Palmer S Lapp If you donated and don't see your name on this list, I apologize in advance. Please contact me and I'll correct the issue! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1145.htm 12/30/11: Finishing Out the Year http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1144.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/30/11 Finishing Out the Year 2011 has been an exciting year with some good projects to work on and share with you on this website. The Survivor GTE is coming together nicely, and the 275GTS is well into her complete restoration! <img alt="center console" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_322.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I'm really getting excited about the GTE, as the interior nearly finished. There are only a couple of wrinkles in the transmission tunnel, but I think these will fade as the leather is allowed to take a set. The newly sewn carpets look great, and all I'm waiting for now are the front seats from our upholsterer. For eagle-eyed viewers, you can see a stainless steel kick panel covering the forward part of the passenger compartment foot well. These pieces came with the car, but I don't believe are original to the GTE. I've never seen these on other cars, and there are all the correct snaps for the carpet pieces under this panel. I'm thinking of eliminating these panels, but was wondering if anyone has seen these panels on other early GTEs? <img alt="shifter boot" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_324.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Another small detail I wanted to point out on this GTE was the height of the shifter boot. A lot of upholsterers sew replacement boots all the way up to the top of the shift knob, but this original one leaves some of the shift lever exposed. <img alt="parking brake boot" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_325.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Speaking of boots, I spent some time rejuvinating all the leather on this car and that included the parking brake lever cover. Although the leather was saved, not so much could be said about the stitching which rotted and came apart at the seams. At first I though about taking this piece down to the upholsterer for re-sewing, but I remembered the words of Frank Segreto, by upholsterer mentor, who said that sewing over leather that had already been stitched will weaken it much like perforating a piece of paper. After thinking about how to save this piece of leather, I decided the only way to resew this piece of leather would be to hand stitch it, threading the needle through the exisiting holes. <img alt="radiator hose" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_327.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> We chased down some small pieces to finish up the engine compartment. I found a match for the hose at my local NAPA store for the lower radiator hose. "8834" will be the best replacement after we cut the portion we need. <img alt="clamps" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_329.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> We sent out the original Cheney hose clamps out for plating and found some original ones that were missing. Reproductions are available, but don't offer the same clamping force as the original ones. Unfortunately, our stock of large clamps are dwindling down to nothing! If anyone wants to sell me their stash, let me know! <img alt="heater valve" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_330.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The heater hose got the appropriate clamps. <img alt="trunk" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_333.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> We were using the trunk to store many of the parts that go on the car, but with most of the pieces installed, I could finally finish the trunk area. <img alt="trunk panel" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_334.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> All the original trunk carpeting is present and in great shape. <img alt="gas cap" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_335.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> While I was in the trunk area, I remembered to address the fuel filler cap. The rubber used on the orignal caps melts in the presence of modern fuel, so we've been replacing them with fuel safe cork. <img alt="cork installed" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_336.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The original rubber gasket had to be cut out and the new cork gasket squeezed into place. <img alt="outside" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_337.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> We installed the hood and brought the car outside to turn her around in the shop. We still have the rear exhaust section to deal with, along with some carburetor work, but she's looking great! <img alt="330GT" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5581_9.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Last week, I had a 330GT in the shop for a short list of repairs. The right front wheel bearing and radiator core was replaced, but I had one more issue to look at with the passenger side seat. The owner said the seat adjuster was not latching and the seat rocked in the mounts. There are several different seat rails Ferrari used in this era car, but I had a pretty good idea of the problem. <img alt="tracks" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/seattracks4.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The tracks in this 330 were the type with ball bearings in the track. You can just make out the groove made by the ball riding down the center of the track in this picutre. A few balls were missing, and this was causing excessive play in the seat rail. Through the years of use and wear, the balls pop out of the tracks and once one ball pops out, the rest will soon follow. Luckily, this 330 still had two of the original sizes left in the track for me to measure and order some replacements. <img alt="ball bearings" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_3.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Two large balls ride in the center of the track, while four smaller balls ride on the edge of the track rail. Replacing them so everything stayed in the correct order and placement requires a specific sequence of bending open the rails, inserting each ball, and carefully bending things back in place to secure the balls. <img alt="GTC" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/11077_1.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A newly purchased GTC was dropped off at the shop for us to sort out a couple minor details. It's a very nice car with a fresh restoration, but as with most old cars, they always need some fettling. <img alt="four headlight" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/seattracks1.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> It was fortuitous for the owner to have brought the car to us when he did because he was having the same rocking issue with his seat rails! When I took one seat out, I found ALL the balls were missing. <img alt="seat tracks" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/seattracks2.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The previous restorations shop did a nice job cleaning out the tracks, but never put the balls back. Perhaps these balls were already missing when they restored the car, but whatever the case, new balls were needed so the seat would slide correctly. Luckily these were the same design as the 2+2, so the balls and insertion technique worked the same way. Reminder: 2011 Annual Pledge Drive Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1144.htm 12/24/11: 2259: Seat Belts and Interior Details http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1143.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/24/11 250GTE 2259: Seat Belts and Interior Details <img alt="rear seat" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_315.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I finally finished up the rear seat area on the Survivor GTE which included new seat belts. It took a lot of coordinating to get this done since there were no seat belt mounts. We needed to fit the rear seat several times when fitting the anchors for the belts so they could be welded in place and fed through the seat cushions without obstructions. I don't like using the big washers often found on some seat belt installations, as they are usually bolted straight through a floorpan section. Welded in mounts are far more secure, and I feel worth the extra time. <img alt="carpets" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_316.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I wanted to make a set of over mats for the front carpets since we had some extra carpet. The original carpet (foreground) will be installed, but a second carpet will sit over this layer for everyday use. I had some extra matting from another project to sew in a durable heel pad. <img alt="transmission tunnel" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_317.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The old crumbly foam was removed from the transmission tunnel, so I had to replace it with new material. <img alt="covered" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_318.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I'm always amazed how well the original leather from this car has held up over the last 45 years, and with the new padding it will go back in the car with very few wrinkles. <img alt="ash tray" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_320.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> As the little details are being sorted, I wanted to make a point of showing the rear ash tray stand mounted in the rear of the car. I've seen upholsterers finish this piece with a regular piece of leather, but it always looks a little puffy or thick. <img alt="leather" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_319.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The original leather was "skived" or shaved thin before gluing it onto this piece of leather. It's paper thin and is a little detail sometimes missed by upholsterers. Skiving leather is an extra step that is often skipped to save time, but it gives the piece the correct look. <img alt="seams" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_321.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 394px;" /> The results of the thin leather are subtle, but it makes for sharper creases on the edges and there is less puckering at the corners. There are several other places in a GTE interior that have thin leather, but these details are often lost when modern upholsterers eliminate the extra steps. Reminder: 2011 Annual Pledge Drive Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1143.htm 12/20/11: 330GT Repairs http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1142.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/20/11 330GT Repairs <img alt="330GT" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5581_9.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A Series I 330GT 2+2 was dropped off at the shop with a list of about 5 items, so I put her up on jack stands to try and get the car in and out! <img alt="radiator" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5581_11.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The radiator had developed a leak so the hood had to come off for the radiator to come out. We sent it out to our radiator guy to take a look at it. <img alt="front hub" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5581_13.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> The owner said he was hearing some noise from the front right wheel and suspected a wheel bearing was going bad, so I took a look. It definitely had some play in the hub, so I pulled the hub off and found a disintegrating outer wheel bearing. <img alt="bearing" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5581_14.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The bearing cage was broken and a couple of the ball bearings were MIA. <img alt="spacer" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5581_15.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The bearing spacer was showing some bluing from excessive heat, so bringing the car in for service was done just in time! <img alt="5839" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5839_9.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 300px;" /> Speaking of 330s, Ben sent me pictures of his RHD Series I 330GT several months ago from a show he attended. It was a lot more finished than when I saw it over a year ago In Oceanside, CA. Here's the original post about<a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1008.htm"> Ben's 330GT</a>. Reminder: 2011 Annual Pledge Drive Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1142.htm 12/18/11: GTE Progress http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1141.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/18/11 GTE progress <img alt="rear seats" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_312.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> With the engine installed in the Survivor 250GTE, I decided to focus my attention to the interior for a little bit. The rear defroster fan motor needed to be installed, along with fixing some of the old wiring. After the rear panel was installed, I trimmed in new foam on the rear well arches. The old foam was removed several months ago because it was all loose and crumbly. <img alt="rear seat sections" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_314.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The original leather covers were in great shape, but not as pliable as new leather. Most of the wrinkles have come out with the new foam, considering the old leather, but I'll continue to work the leather as it takes a set. <img alt="rear carpet sections" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_313.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Some of the carpets pieces were curiously replaced years ago with mats that weren't even close to matching the original carpets. I managed to find a carpet that was close to the Wilton Wool type carpets and cut them to fit the missing spaces. I'll take these pieces to my upholsterer to sew new binding on the edges of the carpets. <img alt="GTE" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2953_14.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> As I got closer to finishing 2259, Francois and I delivered another GTE to its owner. This GTE has been at the shop for all to long. Through the years, this car has received an engine rebuild, then it got a new interior, and after that, it was painted. The owner was in no rush to get this car back, but as it neared completion, he was excited to get his car back! <img alt="engine" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2953_17.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> This car was one of the first projects outside of my own car I was intimately involved with, and I have fond memories seeing all the parts I had something to do with. <img alt="interior" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2953_20.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The interior was done by Frank Segreto, and although he passed away a few years ago, his work lives on in this car. It was sad to see an old friend go away, but it was also nice to send her his owner could become re-acquainted! <img alt="brake equalizer" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/brake20.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 262px;" /> I sent Karp's Brake Service another brake equalizer for them to rebuild, but the large nut that seals the unit was really seized. You can see from this picture of another unit how the pieces fit together. There is a flat section on the equalizer that can be clamped to a vice, but for really stuck nuts, this flat section really gets chewed up. To make things worse, when enough force is applied to the aluminum casing, it can crack. <img alt="nuts" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/brake39.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 300px;" /> Ron Karp and I discussed alternatives to chewing up the aluminum case and risking breaking an irreplaceable aluminum casting. One solution was to machine the steel nut out of the body of the aluminum case, and replacing it with another nut. I contacted Morten Mortensen of <a href="http://www.montimatic.dk/" target="_blank">http://www.montimatic.dk/</a> the machine shop that made the pushrods for the same unit. Morten owns a GTE and was happy to help make the nuts. <img alt="brake equalizer nut" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/brake38.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 286px;" /> Within a couple of weeks, I had the parts in my hand and now <a href="http://www.resleeve.com/" target="_blank">Karps Brake Service</a> has a safe alternative. Thanks Morten! Reminder: 2011 Annual Pledge Drive Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1141.htm 12/17/11: 275GTS 7039: Floor Pan Replacement http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1140.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/17/11 275GTS 7039: Floorpan Replacement <img alt="GTS floorpan" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_194.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> After stripping the car, we found most of the structure of this Ferrari convertible to be pretty sound. The floors had the typical water traps that caused the original unpainted surfaces to rust through. We decided to go ahead and have our "floor guy" replace the rotted floor sections with newly fabricated pieces. The job began by carefully removing the original panels so templates could be made and sections fabricated. <img alt="weld through primer" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_198.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Once all the rusty and thin sections were removed, the surfaces were cleaned and a weld through primer was painted on all the mating surfaces. Ferrari did not paint any of these panels, and if there was any water present, they rotted away pretty quickly. Any amount of paint or surface prep will go a long way to making these floor last a lot longer. <img alt="floor pan sections" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_199.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Jay took the old panels to his shop and fabricated new pans to install the next day. None of these pans have right angles so they're all trapezoidal in shape. The hand made nature of these cars even show in the way the floor pan sections were installed. The original panels were pretty crudely attached and although we tried our best to replicate the original floors, I couldn't help but ask Jay to improve some of the work. Reminder: 2011 Annual Pledge Drive Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1140.htm 12/10/11: 275GTS 7039: Engine Disassembly http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1139.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/10/11 275GTS 7039: Engine Disassembly <img alt="valves" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_187.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I disassembled the heads by removing the valve springs, keepers, shims, and valves. I kept everything in order on a piece of cardboard so if we found any irregularities in the head, we could inspect the correlating valve for problems. <img alt="heads" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_185.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A couple of cylinders showed a lot of carbon build up which meant this engine must have smoked pretty badly before it was parked almost 40 years ago. <img alt="valves" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_186.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> It looks like the head still had the original valve guides and seats without provisions for a valve stem seal. These guides would allow a lot of oil to dribble down the valve stem as the guide wore causing a lot of smoke. You can see how all this oil burned up near the exhaust valve (smaller port) leaving enough coke to nearly clog the exhaust port. <img alt="nova pistons" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_192.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> When I pulled the pistons out of this engine, I didn't see the familiar shape I found in OEM Ferrari pistons, and when I showed Francois, he immediately recognized them as Nova pistons. He explained that "NOVA" was an aftermarket piston back in the 60s and 70s, and were common replacements for Ferrari engine rebuilds. <img alt="nova pistons" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_193.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 314px;" /> He showed me where to find the "NOVA" stamp underneath the piston crown.  <img alt="borgos" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/borgo1.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Borgo pistons have a specific rounded casting on the back side of the piston skirt. These were the original Ferrari pistons installed on these engines when they were new.  <img alt="borgo" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/borgo2.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 378px;" /> The BORGO stamp can be found on the top of the piston. Modern replacements are readily available made by several manufacturers, but it's fun to see what original and period replacement parts looked like. We also discussed why this engine received new pistons so early on. On closer inspection of the NOVA pistons, we found them to be standard 77mm bore for the 275cc combustion chamber, so the cylinder walls were not over bored. Francois' guess was the the new pistons were an attempted cure for the smoking problem. The one piece oil rings of the original Borgos were replaced with the Nova pistons which used a three piece oil ring to try and stop some of the smoking. Unfortunately, nothing was done about the valve stems, so the engine continued to smoke.  New pistons, valve guides, seats, will be part of this standard rebuild. We'll take some measurements and see what size replacement pistons will go into this engine and place our order in the next couple of weeks. It's just a couple more weeks left to the 2011 Tomyang.net pledge drive, and I want to thank everyone for contributing. It keeps me energized to bring you more every year! I'll be posting a list of contributors at the end of the drive, but I want to take moment to thank some of my customers for allowing me to share some of the work I have done on their cars for this website. Without their approval, this site would not have the variety of work and interesting projects to follow, and I want to let them know how much I appreciate their permission. I'm sure many of you out there can live vicariously in Ferrari ownership and repair through some of the cars I've written about through the last year, and owners of cars can learn what to expect when it is time to do the same repair on their own car.It's a win win for everyone. Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1139.htm 12/7/11: 275GTS Suspension and Engine Disassembly http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1138.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/7/11 7039: 275GTS Suspension and Engine Disassembly <img alt="suspension dirt" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_174.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Finally, the last piece of suspension came apart. The ball joints came out, and the front spindles were removed. To keep the dirt out of our wash tank, I scraped some of the accumulated dirt off the suspension pieces. It was amazing how much grime was on the car considering the mileage on the odometer. <img alt="speedo" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_46.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> The speedometer on this car was in miles per hour, and showed a total of 20,753 on the odometer. Considering this car has been parked since 1974, we guessed this was probably correct for its age, but there are signs that have been proving otherwise. Although I doubt the mileage could be 120,753, the signs show more mileage than a mere 20K miles. The first clue has been the amount of dirt and grease we found all under the car. Ferraris leak oil, and this attracts a lot of dirt, but the accumulations seems excessive. We'll continue to look for clues, but the verdict is still out if this car is an actual low mileage car. <img alt="275GTS engine" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_176.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> One of the main places to look for clues to the mileage is in the engine, so I was anxious to tear into it. With the valve covers off, I found the roller followers to be perfect without any signs of marking, but the adjuster screws were all badly worn. These two signs canceled each other out to prove the mileage on this engine. <img alt="head puller" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_175.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> I installed a head puller after removing the valve covers preparing for a fight. Some heads can really be stuck to the block when the head studs corrode to the aluminum head. The process involves attaching a head pulling fixture to the head, and slowly applying pressure to the the head with long bolts. Eventually, the head will release and the head will inch its way up off the head studs. <img alt="head puller" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_177.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Luckily, both heads came off without a problem, and the head studs had very little corrosion. Either this engine had been apart once before, or had seen little mileage. Still no verdict on the mileage. <img alt="pistons" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_178.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> There was definitely rust in the cylinder walls from the long dormancy, but luckily the engine was not seized. From the look of the deposits on the pistons, this engine had smoked a lot, maybe too much for 20K mileage. <img alt="oil pan" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_179.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Next to come off was the oil pan. The fins on the pan often show how many miles were on the car from the amount of scars on the aluminum sump. This pan was pretty nick free much like 2259 which was definitely a low mileage survivor car. <img alt="oil pump" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_180.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The oil pump pickup has to be disconnected so the timing chain case can be removed. It's connected to the pump with a soft rubber hose. In the past, Francois and other engine builders have seen the incorrect hose used at this pipe. Inexperienced or unknowing mechanics would have used a piece of heater hose for this connection. As it was submerged in oil, the hose would disintegrate and cause suction issues for the oil pump. Needless to say, loss of oil pressure can cause catastrophic engine problems. Replacing this little hose unfortunately means an engine out procedure, so using the the right hose would be a good idea for many reasons! <img alt="pistons" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_181.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> With the timing chest out of the way, I focused removing all the pistons. We'll measure them to see if they're still the original standard bore size. <img alt="crank" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_182.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> By the end of a day, I had only the crank and main journals left to remove, but huge pile of parts that will need to be cleaned. I want to thank everyone who donated so far to to my annual pledge drive. Your pledges and support continue to motivate me to shoot more video and share them on this website. This past year, I added several more videos to my you tube channel, and plan to do more. I love sharing some of the experiences I have with the web, and hope you're enjoying the videos as well. Here is a video I shot out in Monterey with John Surtees talking about racing a GTO. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ws7yoqlcJWQ" width="560"></iframe> I especially liked the visit with Marshal Buck, and the visit to CMA Models. I learned a lot about the world of high end model building. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0fWBg0sS99I" width="560"></iframe> You can see more at my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/tomyangnet" target="_blank">YouTube Channel</a>. Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1138.htm 12/5/11: 7039: 275GTS Suspension and Parts Cleaning http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1137.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/5/11 7039: 275GTS Suspension and Parts Cleaning <img alt="suspension" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_157.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The suspension was next on the list that needed to come off.  <img alt="suspension" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_159.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> As the parts were removed, I took notes on how the pieces were oriented and how many spacers were installed at the A-arm mounts so we could get the camber settings close when the parts go back on. <img alt="brakes" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_161.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The brake parts were sand blasted and inspected. The caliper frames will be sent out for plating while the brake caliper pistons will be sleeved and rebuilt. <img alt="grease" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_162.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> With the engine out of the car, I wanted to get the heavy grease and dirt off before tearing apart the engine. <img alt="washed" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_163.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A good soaking in engine degreaser and a power washing took off most of the grease and some of the loose paint. <img alt="transaxle" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_166.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The transaxle got the same treatment. <img alt="front suspension" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_167.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> After the rear suspension was broken down and sorted, I turned my attention to the front suspension. <img alt="front suspension" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_171.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> After a little while, I had all the pieces on the floor and so more labeling and inspecting could be done. The hub and ball joints will be broken apart and cleaned. Next in the process was the removal of the steering box and associated pieces. <img alt="suspension pieces" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_168.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> As I worked on removing the parts and labeling, Alvin, our shop helper, spent time with the suspension pieces at the parts washer and sand blasting cabinet. We'll remove the bushings and send these parts out for powder coating. <img alt="suspension pieces" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_169.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> We started separating parts for the various finishes. Some pieces need paint, while others need plating. As we accumulate all the parts, we'll send them out in batches. <img alt="rear suspension marks" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_172.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> We also took notes and pictures on markings made on the springs before the paint was removed. These marks were made by the Ferrari factory to aid in the assembly of the suspension pieces, and we'll replicate these marks on the springs after powder coating. Reminder: Please consider contributing to my annual December Pledge drive. Your donations help keep this website a useful resource and destination for all Vintage Ferrari Enthusiasts, Owners, and Future Owners. <img alt="party" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/Montereyparty11.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 225px;" /> I also use your contributions to fund some of the parties I hold at various locations around the country. It's a great chance to tomyang.netters to meet in person and chat all things Ferrari. Last year, we had a nice party at my sister's house in Savannah during the FCA National event, and I hosted another cocktail party at Quail Lodge in August. As much as this website allows all of us to keep in touch virturally, it also is a great way to bring us all together in person. If you have not had a chance to join us at one of my events, I hope you'll get a chance next year. So far, the schedule for next year is for me to be at Cavallino in January, Maryland in May for the Radcliffe/Tomyang.net show, and Monterey in August. As usual, other dates may be added, and I'll let everyone know as I make the changes. Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1137.htm 12/4/11: 7039: 275GTS Dash and Engine Removal http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1136.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/4/11 7039: 275GTS Dash and Engine Removal <img alt="dash" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_144.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The dashboard came out this week and it needed to be disassembled so three shops could do their work. The padded portion will go to the upholsterer, the chrome trim will go to the plater and the wood portion will go to the carpenter. <img alt="dash" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_156.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> With the padded dash removed, I had access to the screws that held in the chrome trim. <img alt="dash hole" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_145.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The wood dash will need a hole filled by our wood specialist. A previous owner installed a radio by crudely cutting a hole in the center of the dash. The wood dash on vintage Ferraris have wood veneered faces, and we'll have to match the species of veneer with the original laminiate after the holes are filled. <img alt="dash wiring" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_150.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> With the dash removed, the all the dash wiring was exposed and I had easy access heater core and ignition switch. <img alt="ignition switch" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_151.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Even though I took notes and made drawings of the ignition switch, I took the extra precaution of photographing the wiring. Digital technology has really helped the process of restoration because I can take as many photos as I want with my digital camera without having to processes it at the lab. It also helps to preview the pictures with a digital camera to make sure the picture is clear before moving on. In the past, one would not know if the photo was clear enough until the roll of film was developed several weeks later after everything was disassembled and too late to retake the photo. Also, without Digital photography, we wouldn't even have this blog! Let's take moment and thank the development of digital technology! <img alt="heater box" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_152.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I took the heater box out from under the dash and found a crudely made replacement door. I'll have to find the correct door to put back in the car. <img alt="engine" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_154.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> We unhooked all the various pipes, linkages, and mounts from the engine, and pulled it from the car. It was covered in a layer of grease and dirt and was in desparate need of the washing. We'll power wash the excess grease and dirt before taking it apart to avoid bringing unnecessary dirt into the parts washer. <img alt="engine compartment" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_155.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> With the engine out of the car, we can begin removing the front brake lines, fuel lines, steering box, and wring harness. Reminder: Please consider contributing to my annual December Pledge drive. Your donations help keep this website a useful resource and destination for all Vintage Ferrari Enthusiasts, Owners, and Future Owners. I try to help steer owners in the right direction on problems they might have with their cars. Besides the <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/phpBB3/index.php">Vintage Ferrari Forum</a> where others can share advice and information, I also field e-mails every week from owners about their cars, and I try my best to help. If you've benefited from my help, this is your chance to show your appreciation! Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1136.htm 12/1/11: 2011 December Pledge Drive http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1135.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 12/1/11 2011 December Pledge Drive It's pledge drive time again, and your pledges help keep this website moving smoothly. This year we surpassed 3 gigabytes of data on my server which may not sound like a lot, but that accounts for nearly 9000 images I've taken and posted to the journal entries, not to mention the images people post to the Vintage Ferrari Forum. Looking to the future, I upgraded the server for more space and bandwidth so I can continue to meet the demands of a still growing web community, but enough of the technical stuff, let's review what happened in 2011. <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1052.htm"><img alt="cavallino" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/cavallino2011_3.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 350px; height: 197px;" /></a> January almost always brings me to Cavallino, and this year was no different (click on the picture) <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1053.htm"><img alt="Taxman" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/taxman4.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 350px; height: 263px;" /></a> Cavallino may have been fun, but I had more fun visiting a fellow Ferrari owner and poking through his collection of stuff. <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1061.htm"><img alt="daytona spyder" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/Daytonaspyder1.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 350px; height: 262px;" /></a> I worked on a bunch of different cars this year. This Daytona Spyder needed some new oil seals on the transaxle. <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1060.htm"><img alt="330" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/6099_44.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 350px; height: 262px;" /></a> This Series I 330 needed a good tune up and general service. <img alt="5053" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/5053_74.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 262px;" /> I even found time for my personal car, and finally sorted out the brakes, and in the process, helped many others with the correct parts to rebuild the brake equalizer unit. <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1072.htm"><img alt="two Ferraris" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_35.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 350px; height: 233px;" /></a> I continued prepping 1747 for the National Ferrari show and received a new car at the shop. It was a 250GTE that was parked in 1969, and I managed to get it for a customer interested in preserving this car as a "survivor car." The process began in April. <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1086.htm"><img alt="Radcliffe Party" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/radcliffe2011_9.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 400px; height: 266px;" /></a> May brought on the annual Radcliffe/Tomyang.net Spring car show in Maryland. It's gotten bigger, and we're finally feeling like we got the hang of putting on a car show! <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1093.htm"><img alt="PF Coupe" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/FCA2011_1.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 400px; height: 225px;" /></a> I headed down to Savannah in June to show 1747 at the FCA National Event. An article on this special PF Coupe appeared in Forza Magazine the same time! <img alt="Quail Party" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/Montereyparty11b.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 432px;" /> Fast forward to August in Monterey where this year I manged to score space at the Quail Lodge for a Tomyang.net gathering. <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1112.htm"><img alt="Surtees" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/3647_15.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 400px; height: 533px;" /></a> I got to spend some time at Pebble Beach and meet John Surtees! <img alt="330" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/8141_47.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Plenty of work was waiting for me when I got back the the East Coast. <img alt="2259" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_172.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The GTE project was progressing nicely, and there was lots to share on the website. <a href="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1117.htm"><img alt="275GTS" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_7.jpg" style="border: 2px solid ; width: 400px; height: 225px;" /></a> Just when you think there aren't any more barn finds, another pops up! This time it was 275GTS that a customer of ours purchased. It needs a full restoration after sitting in a garage for nearly 40 years, but we'll all get to watch this car come back to life on this website! Looking back on 2011, I realized I had a very busy year, and I was happy to share it with you all on this website. It was great to see some of you in person at the various events and shows I attend or host, but for those that can't join me in person, I hope the pictures, videos, and stories offer the next best thing. As much as I now make a living at working on Vintage Ferraris, this website still allows me to share my passion with everyone around the world. If you feel you've benefited from this website, consider a pledge to keep this community alive and growing. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2012 will bring to the Vintage Ferrari world and I hope you'll join me! Donations can be sent via Paypal through clicking this button below, or sent to my paypal account: tom@tomyang.net <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5Y22AGJXMQ8L2" target="_blank"><img alt="donate" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 147px; height: 47px;" /></a> You can also send checks made payable to Tomyang.net LLC Tomyang.net LLC P.O. Box 36 Hollowville, NY 12530 Thanks everyone for your support and I hope you like what you see on this website. Tom Yang </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1135.htm 11/30/11: 2259: GTE Wheels http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1134.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 11/30/11 2259: GTE Wheels <img alt="steering wheels" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_307.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I've been working on several steering wheels at my home shop, but the steering wheel on 2259 is a little more of a challenge. The owner and I would like to try and preserve the original finish and not completely restore the wheel. Most Nardi steering wheels are too far gone from years of use to save and require a complete strip and refinish, but considering this wheel was in pretty good shape, we wanted to try and save it. The problem was the varnish had worn away from the finger grips and bare wood was exposed. If we left these areas alone, they would darken with oil and dirt from the driver's hands. On a test area, I tried simply covering these areas with varnish, but found the patches darkening too much, so I'm trying my hand at lightening the dark patches before coating the whole wheel with fresh varnish. The goal is to save the wheel without destroying the original finish, but also protect the steering wheel with something for continued use. The left side of the wheel shows some of the results of the lightening, and the right side shows an untouched side. I'm pretty happy with the results. <img alt="wheels" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_308.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> A wheel of a different sort was also coming together. The freshly rebuilt wheels from Cork Adams arrived, and as usual, they looked great. With new tires and tubes loaded onto my truck, I brought them down to be mounted and balanced. <img alt="wheel weights" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/2259_309.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> When these wheels were removed several months ago, they still had the original lead balance weights on the spokes. In the early 60s, this was how wire wheels were balanced, and I wanted to preserve this look. I purchased a spool of lead weight and brought my kitchen scale to my friend at the tire shop. As the balancing machine told us how much and where the weight was needed, I cut off the appropriate length of wire and started wrapping it to the closest spoke. A little trial and error was needed to get the differential of lead wire to stick on weight, but I soon figured out the method to get the balance zeroed. The result is a period look for a survivor car worthy of the extra effort! Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1134.htm 11/24/11: Disassembling Parts and the Dashboard http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1133.htm <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html><body alink="#ee0000" link="#0000ee" vlink="#551a8b"> 11/24/11 7039: Disassembling Parts and the Dashboard <img alt="license plate lights" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_132.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> After the parts were removed from the car, they still had to be disassembled so pieces could be either painted, plated, or refurbished. The license place brackets had two brackets that needed to be painted body color, and the light assemblies needed to come apart so the bodies could be sent to the plater. <img alt="parts" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_133.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I took notes and pictures so I could put everything back together several month from now when all the sub assemblies come back from the various shops. <img alt="vent windows" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_134.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> The same thing had to be done with the vent window assemblies. The quarter glass had to be removed before sending the pieces out for chrome plating, but many of the little screws and brackets needed plating as well. I counted 6 pieces in the vent window lever alone! You have to have great faith in your chrome plater not to lose any of these little parts, many of which are irreplaceable. I've heard plenty of nightmares from auto restorers loosing parts at the platers. <img alt="vent windows" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_138.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 535px;" /> With the glass out, I reassembled the pieces for our plater so he will know exactly how everything fits together. <img alt="instrument cluster" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_139.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> With the seats and carpets removed, I turned my attention to the dashboard. All the gauges and switches needed to tagged and removed. I took notes on things that needed to be fixed or parts that needed to be found. <img alt="labelling" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_141.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> Besides labeling the wires, I also took pictures of all the work. I was not going to leave to chance all this would go back correctly. With labels, notes, and pictures, it should go back fairly well. <img alt="glamour job" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/me_8.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> I often get e-mails from people telling me how envious they are about what I do for a living, and I find moments like this when I laugh to myself. Lying on the floor of a stripped out interior in God-Knows-What, trying to loosen the heater control cables so the dash can come out is not the most glamorous of jobs. The good thing, however, is that I'm enjoying myself! <img alt="dash out" src="http://www.tomyang.net/cars/7039_142.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 299px;" /> With the four ventilation control cables disconnected, the dash came out with relative ease. Next week, we'll be moving onto the engine compartment. Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you'd like to explore, I'd love to talk to you. I can also help if you're thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it's how I make a living, so if you'd like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an <a href="mailto:tom@tomyang.net">e-mail</a>! </body></html> http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari1133.htm