Confortevole "Restoration"

[davisfamily]

So, I guess it's my turn to begin a post describing what my dad, boys, and I are doing to the car.
I scratched off enough of the crackled paint to read the Bertone body number, 655871*A*. This is 750 E Sprint Veloce #06482. The car was originally Bianco Nube (cloud light blue) with navy blue and light grey interior, and was repainted by my dad and uncles in the late 1960s to resale red. The can of red paint is on the back shelf.
I bought it last week from my uncle for $1. He was the last owner of the car, although the four of them don't really know who owned it! They bought it in 1968 from an Italian-American airman on Moody Air Force Base in south Georgia.
Pictures to follow.

[davisfamily]

Yesterday my dad and I cleaned out the spark plug holes (twigs, acorns, rat nests, etc.) and took out the spark plugs for a quick visual inspection of the cylinders, pistons, and valves.
Today, we plan on draining the oil and fabricating a tool to spin the oil pump with new oil installed. Then we will try to turn the engine over manually. I may work on cleaning the inside out, too.

[velocedoc]

Oil pump is geared to the crankshaft. Put some Marvel Mystery Oil down the spark plug holes and let it sit for a couple of days. Drain the oil and change the filter.

When changing the filter, do not ...repeat...do not lose the metal plate that sits on the bottom end of the oil filter. It is essential for oil pressure.

You might get lucky and have the one with the retainer in the bottom so that plate doesn't fall out.

Manually rotate the engine using a large socket and extension bar or roll the car in gear to free up the rings. Charge the battery and spin the engine over with out spark plugs until you get oil pressure before starting.

[davisfamily]

Well, after putting up some bulletin boards in my classroom, I drove over to my dad's to do some work. He had to go to the post office, and we couldn't decide if we wanted to pull the valve cover off to lube the upper end.
So, I decided it would be no time like the present to begin cleaning out the inside. Apparently, the passenger footwell was where the rats/squirrels used the restroom, and the area under the rear cargo shelf was their bed. It was full (from metal to the underside of the shelf) with acorns, pecans, and twigs and padding scraps. At least something was using the car while in storage! I filled up most of a kitchen trash bag with the junk, just on the passenger side.
I quickly used some vinyl cleaner to wipe the interior panels down, then go the call from my wife to race home (45 miles) and kill a huge snake outside our front door that my dogs were going crazy barking at. Problem solved, ready for another day!

[davisfamily]

An "after" shot. Still smells bad. There is also a rat nest in the headliner between the sunvisors. That'll be later. There is the other side for reference of what it looked like before. Oh, yeah, and the paint can!

[silverspider]

"The car was originally Bianco Nube (cloud light blue) with navy blue and light grey interior"

Here's hoping you restore it to that color combo. Good luck.

[spider4me]

"Apparently, the passenger footwell was where the rats/squirrels used the restroom, and the area under the rear cargo shelf was their bed. It was full (from metal to the underside of the shelf) with acorns, pecans, and twigs and padding scraps. At least something was using the car while in storage! I filled up most of a kitchen trash bag with the junk, just on the passenger side."

You must have some very advanced rats and squirrels if they are drinking Schlitz beer!

Good luck with the project. You have a great starting point!

[davisfamily]

Dad drained the oil late last night. I don't have any indication about how much was in there, but it looks like a good color, not chocolate-milky or clear like it had water mixed with it.
Velocedoc, I am in "constant contact" with GTD, and he gave me the heads-up on the oil filter canister. We'll be careful with that.
Should we take the cam cover off the manually lubricate the valve train and timing chain before spinning the engine over? I know the timing chain can be reached through the oil filler, but...
How are the cam lobes lubed when running? Oil galley, squirter, other? We are beginning to prepare ourselves for electric starting (jumping the starter with a device suggested by GTD). Maybe this weekend? School starts next week, minus furlough days.

[davisfamily]

More photos.

[davisfamily]

More photos. This IS a genuine Veloce!

[Mikes4C1300]

Dan, by all means pull that cam cover and do a bit of clean up. There's quite a bit of oil retained under the cams that you'll want to clean out. I do this with every oil change and refill this area with clean oil. You might even want to put some assembly lube on the cams in the event oil pressure doesn't come up quickly.

Why was the car laid up? Given that Spruell replaced the original 1300 about the same time it came off the road in the early '70s I'd guess the engine is good i.e. it doesn't have a blown head gasket or failed water pump. If the engine did go toes up I think you'll want to deal with that fault before expecting it to run again.

Mike

[davisfamily]

I'll try to find out. As you know, the history is part of the family story behind the car, but can be hard to "pin down." The Solex carb was off the car, maybe they couldn't get it to run right with the linkages for the Webers or something. The linkages are there but the car has a downdraft intake manifold. We'll see!

[alfa soon]

Looking good. That interior will clean up nicely. If it were mine I'd get some Kroil (or other rust penetrating lubricant) and apply a few drops/squirts to EVERY nut bolt washer pivot spring etc on the underside of the car the next time you go for a visit.

Am I in danger of mailing you the trunk 'airplane' any time soon?

[davisfamily]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfa soon Am I in danger of mailing you the trunk 'airplane' any time soon?

[davisfamily]

I see how the rear bumper mounts together and with the bumper mount. Pretty self-explanatory now!
Any hints on getting old JB Weld off of dainty little chrome trim?