Talk about a complex paint job. This will be a replica of the graphics that BMW puts on their bikes with vinyl stickers but done in the paint for a much better finish.
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Mini Rescue
Not uncommon for a Mini this one has had major metal work in the past and is now receiving a fix to those repairs as well as repairing the rest of the body.
32%er
The legendary Ford V8 was first available in the Ford Model 18 in 1932, body styles included roadster, coupe, 2-door sedan, 4-door sedan, cabriolet, and phaeton. Since World War II the 1932 Ford Roadster has been the dream car of many and still is today.
Italian Parking Meter
In Italian towns you would use this meter to display what time you parked on the street. Probably in this Italian Innocenti Mini from new this a very cool original piece.
Barney Gaylord the MGA Guru
Thanks to Barney Gaylord the MGA Guru for stopping by the shop today. We helped him out with a spare distributor for his car which has gone 150,000 miles in the last five years of traveling across the United States. Check out his website at https://www.mgaguru.com/
Flaked
Be careful who you have paint your car and that they have done it correctly. This 1974 Alfa Romeo GT Veloce has a beautiful looking paint job but the heat from the engine caused the paint in the center of the hood to start flaking off. The paint had no adhesion to the layer below and is like the candy coating on a M&M. How fragile is the rest of the car as well?
Before: 1959 International Metro AM 150
Released in 1959 the AM series of the Metro was built for two years. This was the last series of Metro to use the classic body style which was largely unchanged since 1941.
Welded: 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Vehicle bodies are made of several layers of sheetmetal consisting of at least an interior wall and an exterior wall and sometimes another wall in between for more structure. When repairing the body it may be required to repair all of the layers not just the exterior layer.
Ultracapacitors
For years we have been testing homemade ultracapacitor banks in the old cars such as the one on the right. Now commercially available they are a considerable upgrade on original generator powered cars giving you constant power for lamps, quicker charging, easier on the generator, and most of all is not affected from being fully discharged if your car sits around. Due to the power output they are dangerous if you are not careful so do not install one yourself if you are unsure how to do so.
After: 1966 Ford Anglia 105E
It used to be a standard Ford Anglia until Mr Weasley enchanted it making it able to fly, become invisible to Muggles and to carry his entire family despite its modest size.
Painted: 1958 Austin-Healey Sprite
This soon to be FIA race car will be wearing an Healey hardtop and side curtains. The Speedwell door handles added to these doors will make getting the doors open during a race a lot quicker and easier.
Mobile Conference Room
We turned the latest van to come through our shop into a mobile conference room. It is equipped with powered USB ports, many HDMI connections, internal and external speakers systems and it is all powered from solar panels installed on the roof.
Competition Sebring
Thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday for our competition Austin Healey Sprite event with the Iowa British Car Club.
1951 Willys M38 Update
With the chassis restored and a brand new engine built from NOS block and parts it was time to tackle a fuel tank relocation. Early Jeep drivers had to sit on top of the gas tank but with the installment of a CJ7 tank in the rear we were able to free up the space used by the original fuel tank for other things.
Before: 1966 Ford Anglia 105E
The Anglia 105E built from 1959 to 1968 was the third and last version of the famous Anglia nameplate. The 105E was powered by a 997 cc engine which was actually smaller but more powerful than the 1172 cc engine that powered the previous model.
Before: 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Never dig into the body of a 45 year old car unless you are willing to fix the horrors it may expose. A small amount of rust or a repaint can’t hide the true degraded condition of what lies beneath.
After: 1959 Porsche 356 A Convertible D
The key differences between the Speedster and the Convertible D are the windscreen, rear window, rear cowl, side windows, door pockets, seats, convertible top and boot, and badging.
Restoration Failure
This 1966 MG MGB has less than 100 miles since restoration at another shop, which incidentally is no longer is around. The rod bearings were completely worn out, the timing chain tensioner had never been engaged, and camshaft key was almost completely sheared off. Now machined properly and back together the owner can finally enjoy their family heirloom.
Before: 1970 Chevrolet Corvette
Wait for a huge transformation including color for this Corvette.
Z06 Powered
We have the LT4 Wet Sump Automatic Connect & Cruise Powertrain System w/ 8 Speed transmission installed and running great in the Firebird. This engine has a 10:1 compression ratio, makes 9 pounds of boost, and produces 650 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque with 100 octane fuel. On our dyno with this configuration and running 91 octane for testing purposes we are seeing 541 horsepower and 613 lb-ft. of torque.
