It's been a while since I posted on the progress on the Dino. It went in to Algar in November to get the motor and transmission removed for a tranny rebuild. The synchros in 2nd were getting very bad, and since the car was going to get painted, seemed like a good time to take on that additional project. Despite some small delays in acquiring a bearing here and a synchro hub there, all went well. In addition, I finally found a cold idle advance assembly and it is also being installed on the motor. This was the last piece of the puzzle for smoother cold running. Then,with the motor removed, off the Delphais Collision in Exton, PA, for its much delayed paint work. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lest we forget, this all started when the detailer backed in to the Dino, causing what at first appeared to be minor damage. Image Unavailable, Please Login
upon further review, the appraiser, adjuster and body shop all agreed that a complete repaint would be the only way to go. That would include taking the car down to bare metal, and starting fresh. I agreed to pay for any work beyond the scope of the repaint, and there's been som considerable "beyond the scope" work to date. But first, Delphais took off the hoods, all three, and got to work on them while stripping the rest of the car. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Then, off with the doors. One small problem. One of the door hinges had to be beat on pretty hard to get it off. If you're not familiar with a Dino door hinge, it's a three part contraption, with a small zirc fitting on top to lubricate it. This part is unobtanium, I'm getting some made. (If you need replacements Dino guys, let me know.) Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next stop, stripping. Uh oh, is that RUST on the rockers? Yes, lots of it. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Out comes the rest of the interior. Time to get to work on the body and the rockers. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next stop, MORE RUST. New rockers are in. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
And now, today's news. Doors are primed, dash is coming out tomorrow to be sent for re-mousing. I hope to get the car to Algar by the Middle of February. Put the motor back in, wait for the salt to get washed off the roads and be back on the road before the end of March. The car will be at the FCA in Virginia at the end of May. Happy New year all. I'll follow up on this thread as the car progresses. Dave Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
WOW!!!!!!!!! I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE FINAL RESULT!!! ITS GONNA LOOK INCREDIBLE!!!!! KEEP 'EM COMING!!!!!!! THE DESIGN OF THE DINO IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FERRARI'S!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR TOO.
Good pictures, Your moving along quite qiuckly. I finished this same level of restoration on my Dino about a year ago but the process took over 2 years! I'm still searching for those last elusive pieces to the puzzle. Good luck with the rest of the adventure.
What are you missing? I've managed to turn up just about everything at this point, I might have a spare of what you need. DM
Dave: I have to say that I am more than impressed with both the quality and efficiency of the work. It is terrific fun watching the photos come on-line and getting a preview of what I might undertake 5+ years from now. You will probably cringe a little more when you drive over loose gravel or hear the ping of a small pebble, but it will truly look stunning when complete. -Brian
Dave: Let me know who does your remousing, I'm going to do the 365 next year (just don't tell my wife). Thanks, Erik
Local upholstery guy. Works with my painter. Very hush hush. Buy the mousehair on ebay from the guy in Brazil. I hear it's first rate stuff, a couple of guys here have gotten it from him. He sells repro pouches, too. I actually got a 4x6 foot peice of Ferrari factory mousehair, with the tag still on it from 1983, reeking of mothballs, but otherwise perfect for about $200. Ebay is your friend!! DM
The guys at Delphais are doing a fantastic job. They are making the car significantly better than new. They have cut out all the rust mostly doing it with metal and then grinding to get it very close to original, then just spotting in with filler. There was a ton of bondo on the car when we stripped it. I don't expect there will be much at all when we're done. Mike at Delphais has done quite a few Dinos, (and owns a GTS himself) I trust him to do a top notch job. He has a lot of high end stuff going on at his shop. Before it gets into the paint booth, I'll get plenty of pictures of it fully prepped. The step he's doing to replicate the fill the factory used is particularly interesting. I 'll get him to give some details on that tomorrow. DM
I can get you the phone # of the interior guy. He's done several, and will know exactly what you need. I know you're ending up down south, but the dash has to come out to be recovered anyway. Why not ship the whole car up, or better yet, drive it, and I'll lead you to Mike's shop. He can land it from there for you, R&R the dash, console, etc. I'm buying when you get here. Dave