Hi Guys I have done some very detailed drawings to repair / replace parts on my jack. I have now gone one step further and completed some more investigations and also sourced a manufacturer that is willing to remake these jacks exactly as per original ones. I stressed the 100% accuracy required by owners as well so these are going to be done to a very high standard. It will be a huge undertaking but to gauge opinion if it is worthwhile taking the next step, how many fellow fchatters are missing this item from their tool kit and would want one. The manufacture would take about 9 months to complete this is because the gearbox case is a casting and new moulds will need to be made. Interested parties please pm me.
Ron, An original will always be worth more as these will only be a reproduction / copy. however it would be nice to make these as near perfect copy as possible. Others thanks for all your info, cost will be around £1400 for a small run. Original bags may be available as well. Yes they would be a working copy. Yes they would be complete with rubbers Yes they will have the winder mechanism handle. Sorry but I cannot make individual parts for them. Yes the colour would be as near perfect copy as I can get. The jacks would be made from a E series jack, I understand there are minor differences between the L&M models but it would be uneconomic to made all types, however depending on quantity it may be possible to adapt the arm to suit. No I would not use the original or this repro to change my flat even if my life depended on it, they are dangerous in my opinion and is only worthwhile having for display purposes Tony
Tony I looked at doing this a few years back and even at todays prices I am not sure how feasible a project it would be. What you may want to consider is adjusting the design criteria to not make new jacks but to modify Alfa Romeo jacks and turn them into Dino replicas. Alfa jacks can be had used for $25-50 and share the same top cast gearbox and bottom claw. Where they differ is in the swing out arm, the length of the body (Alfa is longer so it can be cut) and the shape of the handle. They do have the correct plastic bits with the exception of the round disc on the swing out arm. I have reproduced these discs so there is a source for those straight away. Should the other plastic bits be missing then you can get them from PR Products who have them available. That only really leaves the swing out arm to manufacture. Not hard to have some of them made up and welded to Alfa jack bodies. We were going to do this but ended up with an original Dino jack that had been in a fire. We restored the jack, got plastic bits off a donor Alfa jack, and made the disc to complete the unit. When painting it we were sure not to use too thick a coat of yellow paint as the originals had a thin coating leaving the edges looking dark due to low paint coverage. Just some food for thought.
can someone post pix of the various dino jacks that shows the minor differences and to which model each belong?
They would be based on this working prototype. btw the end cap is missing Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Nuvolari, Could you tell me what would be the best Alfa models and years to look for a jack. Thanks in advance Chris
I don't know, but you can find several threads about Alfa jacks on the AlfaBB forum: Jack Mystery - Alfa Romeo Bulletin Board & Forums
Interesting, but I doubt sufficient spare Jacks are laying around to convert. In any event the gearbox handle and mechanism is not the same as the prototype so would not be 100% correct.
Can somebody pls define the paint colour of the original Jack....must be a number somewhere ?? Thanks
The paint colour is yellow. I don't mean to sound like a joker but the reality is that there is big variations in jack colour from a vibrant yellow to a muted green. These jacks were painted very lightly over un-treated steel (no primer). Yellow covers very little so the corners are always darker because the paint is thinner there. When I repainted my jack I was careful to not put too much paint on or the colour would be too even. As for paint I went to the hardware store and bought a rattle can of bright yellow and applied that. I was very pleased with my results.
Everybody who is restoring a Ferrari should read this: Tom Yang's Ferrari Restoration click on "Ferrari Stories" the left menu and "Yellow Paint". Conclusion is : if you're actually worried about the correct jack yellow, then you have other problems
Love it, we have a few over here like that as well. I re-sprayed my jack a colour very close to the original and it was straight out of the standard colour of ford if I recall correctly. The dino story is ace too.
