3.23.2003-What a Blast!

This weekend saw some actual work done on the Alfa.  I had a box full of engine and transmission mount parts that I removed when I took the engine and gearbox out that were crying out for attention.  The paint on them was horrible, they were greasy and bent.  The rubber bushes for the transmission cross-member were competely destroyed.

Thanks to my good friend Jon Nichols of Nichols Manufacturing (purveyor of Head-up Displays to the military and lightweight flywheels and clutchbaskets for Ducati owners) I was able to bead blast the box full of parts in his blast cabinet.  Having access to this piece of equipment was invaluable when I restored my CS and if I were able to have my pick of home workshop tools a bead blasting cabinet would be right up there with a welder and a plasma cutter.  Hopefully someday I'll have one, but in the mean time I'm lucky to have the occasional use of Jon's.  The bead blasting made quick work of prepping all the parts for powder coating, and I was even able to use his 50-ton press to remove the wasted bushings.

This week for the first time in a while I have pictures!  See the before and after pictures and you'll understand why I think bead blasting is so cool.  With a little work these guys will be ready for powdercoating, at which point I'll box them up and store them until the day I'm ready to re-install them on the car.

Saturday also saw the second meeting of the growing local Northern California Alfa/BMW owner's Pose-n-drive session.  This event saw the addition of a new face, Mr. Erik Lutkin, whose Silver 74 GTV joined Tom Hardy's 67, Jeff Mc Neill's wonderfully restored 74, and my CS.  We met at Alice's Restaurant and after a short pose session we headed out Highway 84 toward the coast.  With the exception of a large gaggle of bicyclists whose presence severely limited us for a few miles the roads were clean and clear and we had a nice time swapping the lead.  I even got some video of us screaming Westward toward Highway 1.  We then headed south on 1 along the coast, and then up through Soquel back to the house for sandwiches and bench racing on the deck.

Perhaps more local Alfisti will come out of the woodwork and we can begin making this a semi-regular event. 

Ciao!

TJ