#2966 at the 2022 FCA Concours

This summer, I had the pleasure of participating in the 2022 FCA Concours in Mt. Tremblant, Canada. Just 6 hours down the road from me, I had to be there.

There were 4 cars in the Dino class, all well prepared. The judges were polite, respectful and thorough - they took more than 20 minutes (over an hour in total) to examine the car and take notes.

In this thread, I'll document some of the things they found. Some were obvious mistakes, some unexpected and some I'm still trying to figure out. Hopefully, these notes will help others get ready for future concours.

A bit of background. I've owned the car since 1984. It has over 100,000 miles on it. In the past year, the car got a new interior, including Connolly hides, headliner and trunk. A bare metal respray was completed a week before the event. The engine had a complete rebuild a couple of thousand miles ago. It's in pretty good shape.

I'll start with the easy ones, then get into the unexpected and unknown. Most of these will be easy to correct, but there are a few which i'm scratching my head over. Suggestions are welcome!

George

 

The Dino class and judging taking place...

 

First, some easy ones. No pictures really needed.

1. Wheel chock missing. It got lost in the body shop. It's always the judge who is first to notice.
2. Dome light not working. (It was when it left the shop. **** happens)
3. Bumper mounting hardware incorrect. (Reinstalled improperly by body shop)
4. Front grill mounting/fitment to body is off (Not attached properly and came loose - easy fix)
5. Headlights are incorrect. Cibies are mounted. Judges were looking for sealed beam headlights as would have been supplied for the North American market.
   

 

6. Incorrect screws on sill. Scaglietti always used slot, not Philips screws.
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7. Rear bumper end cap is thin and showing copper. Even though I had them rechromed, it's apparently hard to do concave surfaces.

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8. Window trim is wavy and dented. Will be tough to fix/replace. Anyone have suggestions?

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9. Window trim missing screws. Easy one to miss when reassembling - they's small!


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10. Passenger door fit not good. It was fine from the body shop, but the new rubber seals installed just before the show need adjusting.


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11. Steering wheel incorrect. Left is mine, right is from the Compendium. It seems (?) mine has thicker padding. Anything else? Any suggestions on how to correct this?

 

12. Replica Cheney hose clamps not correct. Apparently, these are Jubilees. The Cheney clamps were also used on Jags, so some hunting will be needed.

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13. The judge asked to see my jack. No problem, I said, "Can you take it out of the bag". It's 50 years old and has never been used. The bag and the jack had become fused together - removing it was impossible. After I got home, I gently warmed it in an oven and got it out. I was thrilled to find the rubber donut on the arm - but I need an end cap. Anyone got a source?

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14. Missing trunk switch. The two pictures on the left are from my car - there is no switch there. The picture on the right is what the top part should look like. Anyone know of a source?

Aside: this is a very bad design. The switch is closed when the truck lid crashes against the button on the bottom, interrupting the circuit. Since the bottom part of the switch is mounted on the fragile fiberglass batchboard, it's prone to failure.

 

15. Incorrect seat belts. Many years ago, when I was driving on the track regularly, I installed racing belts, as required by FCA. I wasn't concerned about them in the concours. Afterall, the IAC/PFA Judging Guidelines say "Safety-related items that are not original, but which were added for safety purposes, such as seat belts". Should this have been a problem?
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16. Safety triangle is missing. I actually have one, but didn't bring it as I was under the impression that they were not shipped with North American cars. Were they?


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17. Aftermarket Ignition box/system. My ignition system is properly covered by a carpeted panel in the trunk. I was surprised when the judge asked me to remove the panel. While the system looks ok with the panel in place, once removed, you can see the Crane system.

Looks like we all have to invest in the new invisible ignition units!

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18. Wheel valve stems are incorrect. I've been asking around to see what is correct. So far, I have seen cars with the same valve stems as mine. What should they be?


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It was indeed fun and educational. You have to keep a sense of humour when, no matter how much you prepare and how much you spend, it’s still wrong. Welcome to Italy!

My experience with the car has always been an adventure. This is another chapter which I am enjoying.

 

Thank, Matthias! You’ve done a lot for this passion. I have SN 0002 of your Compendium - fabulous book.

 

You were there too, I gather. How did It go?

Where I live, colonoscopies are covered by the government. That helps a lot!