TRAVELINGWITHTOOLS

It is a beautiful sunny spring day outside here in northern California, and I need to get out there. So far in 2024, I’ve worked in the shop five days a week and been chained to the computer most weekends. Here’s a few images from the past couple of months…

The Alfa Romeo 2500 SS got new brake hydraulics and a good going over to get ready for the CSRG opener at Sears Point a couple weekends ago. The chassis was good, but unfortunately, we had a fuel supply problem. It turns out that the previous caretakers had coated the inside of the aluminum fuel tank, and the coating came off in sheets, clogging up the system. A surprisingly common problem that you’d not expect to be… several years ago I worked on a Ferrari 250 TR, a 25 million dollar car that was freshly restored, by the factory, in Maranello (!) and they had coated the riveted aluminum tank. First task was to take the tank out and cut it up to put a fuel cell in it.

Here’s what Alfa was using for brakes in 1939…

I’ve had my hands in three different BMW M12 engines since February 15. Two normally aspirated M12/7 models and an M12/13 turbo. The two F2 motors will make a bit over 300 horsepower and the turbo should do around 600. No replacement for displacement? BOOST, BABY.

I’ve had two sets of magnesium parts to strip down to bare castings to go out and get re-chromated with the odd tan/gold finish that BMW used. One of the components to come apart is the throttle slide. The slides that BMW made use needle bearings instead the rollers that Cosworth used, and it is interesting that the turbo motor uses butterfly throttles instead of slides.

I haven’t spent much time exploring this part of California in the six weeks I’ve been here. Trout season doesn’t open until the end of April and the steelhead waters are a bit too far to ride to. There are some lakes in the area and I did go and walk around Black Butte reservoir last Sunday. Stony Creek, which feeds the lake, is still running high and muddy with snow melt and the lake is pretty cold. I had one bass grab my fly, but I was too surprised by it to actually set the hook properly.

Maybe next weekend I’ll plan ahead a bit and actually catch a fish.