Ultimostile

No more tears - season begins?

Camber is now -0.20' (-0.33 degree) and caster is +0.10' (+0.17 degree) ... both sides!

Toe-in is +2 mm.

Main jets are 118 with 100 air correction in F16 emulsion tubes.

Idle jets are 55F4.

Radiator cap has the correct pressure rating.

 

Skallebølle revisited

Before going to Steffen's, I installed the air/fuel ratio sensor.

And I went with Keld, who was headed the same way in his Zagato.

Angry Giulietta without front wheels but in good company.

Radiator removed and ready for repair at a specialist.

Temperature sensor drilled out for use as a heater fitting.

Race-spec-size cabin heater from Demon-tweeks.

Difficult disassembly - expecting to see a bent axle.

But all was straight - both sides!

Upper ball had a bit of play - but both sides were straight!

I had to go and see for myself - and could hitch a ride with Rejkjær.

 

Measuring suspension alignment

Front view with suspended string.

Distance between the strings.

Rear view.

Same distance.

Left side view.

Tight string.

Right side.

Tight string.

Body centering.

Wheel alignment (no toe-in/out).

Wheel alignment (no you-in/out).

Wheel alignment (slight toe-out 0.2 cm ?!)

Wheel alignment (slight toe-out 0.3 cm)

Right side lower ball-joint distance.

Left side lower ball-joint distance.

Checking right upper triangle distance from tire.

Checking left upper triangle distance from tire.

 

Free revving to max power

 

Ready at the the workshop from early morning.

After a reference-drive the old carburetors are removed.

The new Weber DCOE40s came with all-wrong tubes and jets.

It pays to be thorough in this line of work.

We spent almost two days, because it was really difficult ...

We even re-checked the camshaft timing.

An in the end it all turned out very good!

During the two days a couple of exciting cars came in.

Like this GTA-abnormale with a dysfunctional 2-liter engine.

And in the end I could drive home in the angry red car.

On the journey home I used 19.17 liters of 100 octane petrol.

While driving 199 km - that is 10.4 km/liter.

 

Progressing towards first drive

 

Dent repair in boot-lid and rear left corner; now with new "airplane".

Glad to see that the underside is okay.

Planned for a long time; new rear interior side cards.

They will fit in neatly with the new parcel-shelf.

Talked for years about putting door check-straps in.

Stripping off paint in some places; applying new paint in others.

Painted and with the doors back in; getting there!

 

One-eyed Giulietta

Since I lost a bezel in my autumn crash

I have been indecisive about how much refurb I should do

But this time it has to be properly attached.

I also sourced new lenses for the rear lights.

And while I was at it - the cracked number plate light (airplane) is also fixed.

 

Going racing 2019

Yes there will be racing this year!

Come and visit me at the Copenhagen Historic GP in august.

Right now in the garage, I am doing some body work.

And some remaining fiddling in the interior.

The engine at rest after some angry driving last fall.

While Steffen is working on 'the other engine' ...

There's another engine?! - yes, why not?

Carburetor innards - all shiny.

 

Club Bongard not so proud member

CROWD-funding now at a total of 455 EUR

Pick-up after using the Notruf phone number (2009).

Between Metzgesfeld and Kallenhard.

Not so proud passenger, but memorable drive!

At Rent-4-Ring with broken petrol pump.

Stranded at RSR Nürburg with failing alternator (2016).

Handing over car to Bongard for SOS International return to Denmark.

 

Final insertion of the engine

This is what the carburetor clearance looked like for the 1600 engine.

The lower 1300 engine sits deeper in the engine bay.

A new cleaner deck is welded in.

Retaining the structural strength.

While also leaving room for the suspension.

Much cleaner result - leaves room for the clutch housing under the car.

The transmission tunnel has been hammered out - and brake lines moved up.

Finally, the engine is going in for real. 

Now there is clearance between bell-house and bodywork.

Proper room for good aerodynamics around the trumpets.

Now the engine sits "level" at 6 degrees.

 

Terrific but bloody expensive

2016 has been the most exciting year ever in my car life. I finally got around to do some actual motor racing and I drove up and down the Alps and criss-crossed the spectacular island of Sicily. But it has also been ridiculously expensive. This craziness has to stop!

As you might know, I like honesty. I just show it as it is, and in my videos I don't mind showing how difficult I find it, to get things right. So, here's to honesty: Let me show some numbers. I write down all expenses in a spreadsheet during the year, and I have done so since I purchased the Giulietta in february 2013. Back then the value of the car consisted of the 15.800€ I paid for it. I have bought components for 17.100€ over the the 4 seasons an now, I have 53.400€ invested in the car. During 2016 I spent 9.200€ on improvements on the car, and luckily the prices for Giulietta Sprints out there are going up. But the car is getting awfully valuable; I don't owe any money - but it sure would be a shame to see it burn behind the armco of some boring danish race track.

Running the Ultimostile Experience has cost me a total of 11.500€ this year, and that is just crazy! I spent more or less the same amount on racing as last year, 2.400€, but this time I actually went to three races, whereas in 2015 it was all spent on license and race gear. I had a wonderful outing at Padborg Park for the long-distance night race with the Sixtyfivers, and I raced at the Munkebjerg Hillclimb and in the season-closer at Ring Knutstorp in the south of Sweden. In the two latter events I even got on the podium (for what it is worth).

Part of the Ultimostile Experience is my internet activity. I am a sucker for the attention, and I actually love when people get what I am doing. It all cost me 265€, but I got a 190€ refund from advertisements on my Youtube videos. So 75€ for all that? That's okay, I think.

I am paying 490€ for Tax and Insurance and Club Memberships cost me 100€. This leaves 8.400€ spent on the three journeys I went on in the Giulietta during 2016. Okay they were epic! I will never forget the early spring drives in the Alpine Dolomites and the fantastic places we stayed - and the wonderful company. And obviously I enjoyed the Sicilian trip in late autumn - with my wife, even! And in summer I went to a full-day track event at Spa Francorchamps, where I sadly had to leave the car behind at the Nürburgring. But that was also an epic experience. In early spring I went to the Bremen Auto Klassik and in late summer I visited the Auto e Moto d'Epoca in Padova, Italy. Tremendous fun with charming people and good friends; gentlemen trips.

Anyway: This has gotten out of hand. Right now the car is sitting, gutted, in Steffen Madsen's workshop. He is refurbishing the worn (abused?) three-shoe drum brakes and he is building a race engine. This will probably add another 8.000€ to my expenses. Terrible!

But the car will be so delicious and I can hardly wait to take part in the final tuning. It is so much fun to be part of the restauration/rebuild, where Steffen and I spent several minutes on the phone every day. I love that.

The question is: "Do I even dare take this precious little car on the track in 2017?" I am not exactly poor, but I don't have the kind of money it takes to run such a circus. Maybe the Ultimostile Experience has eclipsed, and the rest will only be legends and anecdotes?!

Well, see you out there ...