gemellocattivo.com

12-26-2007
Now that I'm almost done with the cover

the biggest problem I have with belts is at my normal 3-5k per year it'll be 20 years before I hit the mileage, but the belt still need to be changed every 5 years. The chain on the other hand will last 100k miles regardless of how many years it takes me to get there.

Space is also a problem. The chain spaces about an inch I think.....plus I'm almost done setting up for it.....

12-27-2007
The casging is pretty low quality, very rough. I don't thing beam blasting would be nearly enough to blend the smooth machined areas into the rough cast area. It looks like the factory did some grinding to clea things up then sandblasted the whole thing to blend it. I Think I'm going to sand it the whole thing down to about a 400 grit and call it done. That won't take more than a few hours and it will give a nice uniform look.

I've got what I think is a good plan for the camcovers too now. I'm going to weld the top of the chain cover to the cam cover as I said earlier. Then I'll paint the the u-shapes piece formed by the chain cover and the 2 raises cam ares on the cam cover and leave the center part bare aluminum making it look very similar to the 400 engine or the earlier 4 cam engines. That will get me red on the can covers without so much red that I can't paint the air block red like it should be on a QV. I think the plug wires can run down the center of the cam cover to keep everything tucked in and neat.

12-28-2007
I've used that stuff before, but hadn't thought of it for this. After I get the cover sanded to a point that is can be scotch-brited I'll give it a go.

No pictures today. I started the second side of the cover, got the corners cut out and plated welded in on the front. I need to figure out how I'm going to do the back where the head sticks into it a bit and not screw-up where the chain tensioner sits.....

I bunch of material showed up yesterday, some plate for the back of the cover, bar stock for the mods I'm planning to the cam covers, the bar stock to make the trans adapter rails (next week maybe), the 4150 steel for the new head studs, and some new line for the tig torch to replace the ones I damaged, cut and repaired several times during the whole block welding fiasco that’s just a bad memory now...and on that note, 10 more lbs of welding rod.

I need to get the big stuff done quick….my mother-in-law who has been staying with us to help with the baby will be leaving in 3 weeks and I don't kow when or if she'll be coming back. So time to spend in the shop will be much harder to come by. I think I also found my next project (that will make this one look perfectly normal and simple and of course includes another v12), so this one has to get done.

12-28-2007
That was years and years ago....like about 1988 I think. I got it running but sold it before finishing the body work, I don't have your skill with metal it turns out. Anyway, a guy came to look at an ultralite plane I had for sale and left with the plane and the fiadillac.

Very scary car, the eldorado drivetrain put too little weight on the front wheels, it really needed a 200-300lb front bumper. It turned up on ebay a few years ago looking exactly like it did when I sold it, here's the description that went with the add:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/12159...+for+posterity

If I had it to do again, it would get a different trans....I almost used a porsche trans and a SBC and it would have been better that way. Even better would be a 308/328 drivetrain, that would be an awsome car,particularly for autocrosses and such, but too similar to the 308 in concept but in a less good kind of way to make me want to pull the trigger and do it.

The Fiat Topolino on the other hand is a front engine car so it's a whole different animal and I think they look pretty good once they are stretched 2 or 3 feet. When I originally bought the 308 I was actually looking for an old hotrod but didn't come across anything that really did it for me. I didn't have a place to build one at the time, so I changed directions and bought the 308 which I just love, butI'd still like a hotrod and done have a place to build one now. A topolino with a chrome-moly space frame, 4 wheel independent suspension, a 400/412 (.....or maybe 456/550 engine if the budget will allow) would be pretty cool.

12-28-2007
Quote:
Originally Posted by maurice70 View Post
Mark please restore the topolino to its former glory!!!!

I didn't buy one yet. I've been looking at 500s as a sort of anti-ferrari opposites attract thing and happened across the hotrod topolino which I kind of like. Stock I prefer the 500, but for a hotrod……..the table the engine is sitting on in most of the pictures I built for making race car frames, it's flat and straight with in .005".

12-28-2007
I'll try to remember to video it.

There are a lot of people on this site I'd like to work with on a project....if any of us just lived close enough together. I'm pretty good at coming up with really stupid ideas that are technically possible, Bert is the body king, Paul gets the details perfect, there is another guy who does interior stuff and a bunch other others who are all very good at the stuff they do. If any of us where close enough togewther, oh the cars we could build......

12-29-2007
I'm going to re-work and re-use the 400 cam sprockets so the there should be no problem with the drive ratio.

So with all this V12 talk are you getting exited to finish yours?........or sell it



....I forgot, you told me about the shop problem

1-1-2008
Very little car time the last few days with company and the holiday. I’ve got the timing cover almost done now. I’ve just got to do a little more work around a boss for a idler sprocket and the chain tensioner on the back side to get the proper clearance and get the cover to slip on the last little bit.

I should be ready for a test fit tomorrow.

1-2-2008
I did the test fit tonight....and it looks freaking good in there....tight, but good

I've got a couple other small projects I need to get done so this will sit for a week or 2 before I start the trans adapting phase. I'm going to need a little time to think about that anyway.

1-2-2008
I know, I know, but I told another f-chatter I'd convert his intake to EFI for his TT conversion and I need to pack up some stuff I owe Verell for his supercharger project. Important reasons to take a little break here I think. I don't want either of them holding on me and it looks like I have about a year of work left anyway......