Jon G came to the shop last Thursday to pick up Rob’s Dino after we took care of some war wounds along with a complete color sand and rub and a detail. There were still a few things Jon needed to do before Rob came out for his “test drive” but the paint sure looks great! Love the color!!
Well, many of you have spent countless hours contemplating what my favorite and most used tool might be. I’m sure you’ve stayed up late pondering whether it would be one of the many sanding blocks or buffing pads; could it be as simple as sandpaper or one of the power tools that are necessary in my trade.
Your wondering stops right now…. My favorite, most often used tool… the tool I couldn’t work without is the humble, unassuming but essential…. wooden stir stick!!!
That’s right, a wooden stir stick! It’s the ideal tool to…
- mix paint
- block in tight spots
- shim temporarily
- brace
- scrape
- scratch (our backs)
- eat with (when we forget our utensils)
- detail in tight places
There are many types of stir sticks including bamboo, pine, plastic, aluminum but I personally like the regular wooden stir sticks you get for free at any hardware or paint store.
The versatile stir stick
When Saturday rolls around I’m usually heading to the shop to prep for the coming week or finish something on one of my clients’ cars … or to meet a client or potential one. Occasionally, I head up to the shop to work a little on my art. I’m working on some metal sculptures and unique wall art in steel. I’ll be posting some photos of these pieces in a couple weeks.
Working on my art on a day off
In my line of work there are plenty of blocking tools custom-made and store bought. We use them to resurface the body of a car before paint. This photo shows a sizable but not complete set of my surfacing tools. Can you guess my favorite and most used tool? Take a wild guess. Really.
I’ll post it in a few days… I think you may be surprised.
Some of my tools of the trade
Considerable metal work has been done on the Lamborghini Miura since last reported. Repairs to the tail end have been done along with metal fabrication to the trunk area. Metal work continues as we head toward paint prep and surfacing. Our master metal man, Attila Vecsernyes, makes magic with metal!
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- New rivets in the original factory holes
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- New trunk floor
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- Riveting new trunk floor to inner fender well
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- Welding cracks in aluminum and fitting
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- New trunk floor installed and pop-riveted in
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- Repairs to rear honeycomb and bumper bezel
I’ve traveled around car shows, Concours d’ Elegances, and junk yards for years, always snapping photos. It occurred to me that some of you may be interested in seeing some of these photos. So, I set up a “Gallery” page on the header of my blog. I plan on updating it regularly, so check it out from time to time and let me know what you think. Send me your questions about any particular photo and I’d be happy to answer them.
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- Euro light fabrication
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- Euro light fabrication
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- Finished caulked and Lizard Skinned inside doors
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- Finished caulked and Lizard Skinned inside doors
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- Filing space around front bumper mounts
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- Front bumper bracket space filing
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- Hood bracket studs stripped and repaired
This Dino has been under extensive metal work and fabrication. Metal repairs continue and body surfacing started as we head toward a sleek new black paint surface.
It felt great dropping the Dino off at Larry’s shop this morning! When he told me to push it up next to the GTO I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Larry Englehart, the owner of Ferrari Technologies with Vincent, one of his Ferrari technicians.
Farm Find Dino Interior
Before we completely dismantle this Dino we’ve decided to take it to Larry Englehart at Ferrari Technologies in Orange, CA this week to get an assessment and determine what repairs are needed in order to get this baby running. It only has 37,000 miles on it but it has been in storage for awhile. We’ll know more in a week or two.
I was quite surprised when asked to be interviewed by Preston Lerner and photographed by Sean Teegarden of Orange Coast Magazine last month but when I received the August issue of Orange Coast I was incredibly humbled by the article and portrait. I thought you might like to see it for yourself.
Bella Classics by Steve Kouracos 