Sunday, August 21, 2011

Shop update - August 2011

The summer has been quite busy and it's time for an update on what's been going on in the shop. After spending the early part of July prepping the HRG Coupe for its trip to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, we have turned the main focus of our attention to the 1957 300SL Roadster and the 1962 Ferrari 250GT Lusso as well as several "small" projects that have come through the door. These include some minor repairs to several cars belonging to a prominent local collector as well as repairs to a 1950 Jaguar XK120 race car and installing an air conditioning system in a 1948 Jeep pick-up. The HRG has also continued to get some attention to various minor issues. The Ferrari engine is nearly fully assembled and is sitting on the engine run stand where we will fire it up and tune it. The car itself is having the brake system installed and a new fuel tank fitted. The 300SL roadster reached a major milestone when we reinstalled the body on the chassis. The car is really moving forward now. We've also put quite a bit of time into the 1956 300SL Gullwing with a new nose piece and inner wheel house being put in place. We've also torn down the engine to this car and will be taking the bare block to be cleaned before we begin reassembly. Last week we got the engine for the 1965 230SL back from the machine shop and have begun reassembly of it as well. Once it's together, we'll be able to devote more time towards getting that car completed. We expect to restart the restoration of the 1955 Gullwing in September as the owner chose to pause the project over the summer. Finally, there is the '68 GTO which is nearly ready for primer and the '80 500SL Mercedes that is awaiting a new set of exhaust manifolds. As you can see.....busy, busy, busy....which is good. In September we will be taking the HRG Coupe to the Radnor-Hunt Concours in Malvern PA. and Bill Hahn will be attending the Gullwing Group Convention in Virginia.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Something very special



For a while now we've been writing occasional updates on the progress of the restoration of the 1938 HRG Coupe. Last summer, we thought we were close to completion only to be set back by a significant engine issue. It took a fair portion of the Winter and Spring to troubleshoot, have parts custom made, installed and tested. Finally, this Summer, we've been able to bring the car to a near complete state (still waiting on the headliner). Seeing the car fully assembled with the interior in place and hearing the little Triumph four cylinder jump to life the moment you hit the starter has been a thrill for our whole team. As we've neared the home stretch on this project and are beginning to make plans with its owner to show the car around the country, it is beginning to really hit home just what a special project this has been for everyone involved. The HRG Coupe is a piece of British automotive history. It was around before the owner or any of us working on it were born. Seeing photographs of the car....this very car..when it was debuted at the Brooklands Race Track in England (black and white photo) and then seeing the completed car today brings a tremendous sense of accomplishment. The little car has survived so much to get to this point. It made it through the second world war. It traveled about the English country side until parked in a field in the early sixties. Purchased for a Shilling by its current owner in 1965 where he promptly disassembled it and boxed the parts. These were moved to the United States in 1985 where they sat for a number of years before restoration was started. The car has had a long, roundabout journey. To see it complete and being driven about is quite a rush. The most common reaction we've gotten when someone sees the car is how beautiful it is....which is usually followed by "what is it??"...but the real fun comes from watching folk's eyes light up and the smile that comes across their face when we explain what a rare piece they are looking at. Seeing a piece of history brought back to its former glory is appreciated by both car enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. It has been an honor for our team to work on this car. Something very special indeed.