Time to get Back in the Saddle Again.

This car lost its Dinoplex box many decades ago. In the parts bin with the car there was a home made electronic ignition from the 1970's. It appeared to be an inductive system similar to an early Bosch system. Appeared quite well made but I did not want to install it.

Fortunately, I still had an original Dinoplex box, in which I had let Adrian install one of his Bosch systems with the pull-up resistor and pulse inverter for use with ordinary breaker points. It was originally intended for my old Dino but never installed. Came in very handy now!

I managed to find the original holes from the two coil brackets and at least two of the holes from the original Dinoplex mounting, I believe.

Pictures show before and after installation. The cover panel will be installed later.

The car runs well on both back-up coil and electronic system now. With the latter I also have the tachometer working.
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During the test drive around the block, it became immediately apparent that the gearbox synchros are completely worn out! There is simply nothing left of them on the second and third gears. Obviously, the whole drive package has to come out and the gear box completely rebuilt. Argh!

The story? This is an E-series gear box. During the restoration, the previous owner mentioned that his M-series gear box was a bit weak on the second gear synchro (but otherwise OK). The mechanic/restorer convinced him to buy this E-series box instead. It was said to be essentially new, and priced accordingly. The owner then sold his M-series box. It now appears that the E-series box was not only not new, but actually much worse than the original M-series box he was advised to sell.
I will refrain from comments...


I have now found a gear box specialist located about two and half hour's drive from here. He was familiar with the Dino gear boxes. He referred me to a mechanic and fabricator nearby who could remove the drive package for me. He had also worked on Dinos before. My car is being picked up at the end of the week and transported there.

So, a bit of a setback to the time schedule - not to mention the budget. But it should still be ready for the driving season.

 

In the meantime, I am posting some additional pictures of the car. Some cosmetic details remain to be done, as you can see.
- The front batch board is broken, cracked and ugly. Will be replaced.
- Washer under spare wheel hold down bolt incorrect. Will be replaced.

In the interior:
- The driver's heel pad and clutch foot rest are missing. They are on order from O'Rourke.
- A knob on the defrost control is missing. Will try to find one.
- The spacer under the steering wheel will be removed as soon as I can find the correct shorter screws.
- No chrome trim on the door pockets. Will talk to the fabricator...
- Panels behind the door posts not installed (Not visible on photos). Will be trimmed to size and fitted, eventually.
- Chipped paint on ignition key housing. Will touch up.

On the exterior, there are some deviations from original, which I decided not to do anything about.
- The removable panel under the front grille is replaced with a flush welded piece. OK with me.
- No black paint at the bottom of the body. I approve, think it looks better without.
- No holes taken up for the jack points. Fine with me. The Dino jack should never be used.
- A custom stainless steel exhaust. Very free flowing, looks good, sounds even better. I like it!

Those are the things I know about. Other than that, feel free to nitpick.
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Thank you, I am trying to focus on the positives, and there are many of those with this car. The engine, for example is superb (knock on wood), even better than I hoped for. So I am really looking forward to getting a crisp shfting transmission to go with it.

 

Hi Coop, I did not think of that. There is a reason why they are missing, though. The engine lid that is on the car is actually the custom made lid with a 10 mm higher bulge. Hard to tell, isn't it? I was waiting for somebody to pick up on that. I don't even notice it myself. It is on the car already, because I plan to put the Stratos intake and larger carbs on the car as soon as I get some break-in miles on the engine.

When that lid was made, they did not bother to put those baffles on. They said they wanted maximum air flow into the engine compartment. I may look into having those baffles made also for this lid. I doubt that they restrict the air flow very much.

The stock engine lid is sitting on a shelf, wrapped in blanket. I took a look at it and it does have those baffles as you can see in the photos below. One of them is unpainted for some reason, though. I will have that taken care of, too.

Adding a picture of the front compartment from the other side. The left side baffle is also there, so the front lid should be OK.

Thanks for bringing all this to my attention!

Lars
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I forgot to mention that this car has matching numbers on both body and engine, verified by Matthias. Only the transmission is non-matching, being an E-series unit.

As some of you may have noticed, the engine has two oil filler caps, something normally associated with the E-series engine. The previous long-term owner has told me that they were on the engine in 1979 when he acquired it.

It would make no sense for any of the owners during those first 8 years to add a second oil filler cap! That is why I believe - and have said so in another thread - that Ferrari started to add the second filler cap already at the end of the M-series. I recall seeing at least on other late M-series car so equipped. Both filler caps are magnesium, by the way, indicating that they belong to the M-series and were added during that time.

 

Freeman,

I was aware of those issues and they have been solved for me. The Stratos/IDF intake for this car is ready to bolt on. Because the individual involved here is a bit secretive (it is PJ, I believe you have been in contact with him), I did not want to disclose anything until the car was in my possession.

Here is what I know: Some individual in Italy is (or was) making the Stratos intake manifold. He also makes a modified top section for the current production IDF carbs, which address the issues of fuel inlets that you mentioned.

Here are photos of the assembly, ready for installation.

I know you don't like PJ's system of sealing the air filter foam against the engine lid, and I don't particularly like it either. I will be most interested to hear about the air box that Simon is making.

Lars
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Enter the Winterburn CD ignition.

Initially, I was running a Bosch inductive ignition system built into an original Dinoplex box.
This system has worked very well, and I have no complaints relating to its function.
But there are a few disadvantages with this system, when it is used in a Dino:

First, it can not be wired exactly like the original wiring diagram. This may seem like a minor issue, but to me it is an important consideration.

Second, it tends to drive the (Bosch) ignition coil to quite high temperatures. You can not put your hands on the coil after a long drive. It is still below the max operating temperature specified for the coil, but it gets uncomfortably hot.

Third, it was designed for use with electronic triggering, and needs an internal adapter board (inverter) and load resistor when used with conventional breaker points (which I insist upon using). The current through this load resistor puts additional heat into the Dinoplex box.

For these and other reasons, I decided to look at the Winterburn CD ignition system.

The Winterburn is a capacitor discharge system, just like the original Dinoplex ignition. You can even use the original Magneti Marelli ignition coil with it. The standard Winterburn system is a universal box to be used with many different cars, but Fred Winterburn is now offering to build his ignition system into your original Dinoplex box. The Winterburn/Dinoplex then plugs directly into the standard wiring harness, uses the standard breaker points, and retains the emergency backup system. Nice!


Here is the Winterburn ignition mounted inside the Dinoplex box. Photo credited to Fred Winterburn.
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Many different igniton coils are compatible with the Winterburn system, but I simply used the Magneti Marelli BAE 201A, which came with my car. That coil was of course specifically designed to work with a capacitor discharge system, so it is ideal for this application. Fred assured me that the primary resistance of 0.8 ohms is not extreme in any way, and that it should be fine with his system.
The BAE 201A coil apparently came with the load resistor attached (see photo below), but that is not needed in the main system, so I transferred the resistor and bracket to the back-up coil, to make the system exactly like stock configuration.

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Here is the system installed in the car. For now I am using a standard Bosch coil painted black as the backup. I may be looking for a Marelli coil and new stickers to make it even more concourse correct later on. But I am happy with the way it looks now:
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So, how does it work?
Exceptionally well, in my experience. The engine runs extremely well now. It even seemed like the engine was producing more power than before, but that was probably my imagination. What I can say, though, is that it seems to bring out the best in my engine, both with the stock DCNF and the big IDF carburetors. It revs clear as a bell all the way to the redline. At cold starts, the engine bursts into life almost the moment I turn the key. I have used it for several months now, and have only good things to say about it.

Best of all, after a long hard drive in hot weather, the coil and the Dinoplex box are now barely lukewarm. Just the way I like it. Also shows that this ignition is efficient, and drawing only modest amount of current from the electric system.

To me, this ignition system is the ideal replacement for a defective or missing original Dinoplex system. You return everything to the way Ferrari designed it, complete with mechanical points triggering, a CDI system and a conventional backup system. The only difference is that the Dinoplex is now a more reliable and servicable ignition system. Also putting out a more powerful and better controlled spark. Highly recommended.

 

Thanks for the tip on stickers, Tony! Will order some.

And no, the M-series did not have a backing plate. The components were bolted directly to the fiberglass, just as I have them.
The plate came with the E-series. /Lars

 

Skipp, glad to hear that you are happy with your system too.
I read through all the design considerations on Fred's web site before I decided on his system. Found myself nodding in agreement with all the choices he made. It is a really well designed and well engineered system. I expect it to be very reliable and trouble free.
Good choice!
Lars

 

Freeman, it was your writings about the Winterburn ignition that brought it to my attention. At the time, I read up on all the information you had provided links to. I even studied the original patent by Fred's father! Not an easy read, but interesting. I became convinced that this was the closest thing to the original Dinoplex - except much improved. Now that I have been using it for a while, I am even more convinced. Also, so nice to be able to communicate directly with the builder/designer of the system! I think it is the ultimate answer to our prayers about a modern, reliable direct replacement for the Dinoplex ignition.

On the carburetors, I too, have been using the stock DCNF setup during the summer. Initial reason was to cure the fuel pressure problems I reported on in a separate thread. Thought I had better get the stock carbs to perform correctly before upgrading! But now I have installed the 44 IDF's again, and they will definitely stay on for me. The throttle response is much better and the larger size is giving a distinct improvement in performance. Will post some more about the setup soon.

Lars

 

Thanks for the offer, Scott, but my car is not supposed to have one - if I am correctly informed.
The M-series had both the Dinoplex box and the coils bolted directly to the fiberglass, just as I have them. The mounting plate was introduced on the E-series, as far as I know.

 

Great to hear! Yes, it is a really good system.

 

02038 at Nostalgia Festival 2019

One of the biggest (probably the second biggest) vintage car shows in Sweden takes place right in my home town around the first weekend in July every year.
Nice event with around 1000 vintage cars and an occasional airplane in the park. A couple of boats on the pond, too.
Some info here for those interested:

http://www.nostalgiafestival.se/

And a short video clip here:
http://www.nostalgiafestival.se/2019/07/02/film-nostalgia-festival-2019/

I have been there with one of my Alfas in prior years, but this year I was able to bring the Dino for the first time.
There is no Ferrari section at this event, so I chose the Club Alfa Romeo section, where also other odd Italian exotics usually end up.

I have never seen a Dino here, so it was about time!

Here is my car, parked next to a Pantera. Photo taken in a quiet moment well before the opening of the show.
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Once the show opened, it was non-stop action the whole day. As I mentioned in another thread, the interest in the Dino was huge. Most people recognized it as a Dino but they did not know much about it. Some younger visitors asked what kind of engine it has and so on, but many others were knowledgeable and asked well informed questions. Many said that the Dino had always been their favorite car. One said that he had named his son Dino, after the car. Some also commented on the color, saying that they had never seen one in silver, and did not know they came in that color. They thought it was beautiful, though - and got no argument from me!

And everyone seemed to genuinely love the Dino. The weather cooperated (not always the case!) with sunny blue skies. A very enjoyable day in the park.

 

...and at Halmstad Sports Car Event 2019

Halmstad Sports Car Event is a more specialized event for sports cars of all ages, not just vintage cars. (http://www.halmstadsportscarevent.se/)
I had been asked by the organizers if I could bring my car there. They wanted to have at least one Dino on display, since they believed it was the 50th anniversary for the model. (Actually it is the 51st, but who is counting?)

Well, Halmstad is on the west coast I am near the east coast, so it is not exactly next door. But the Dino can travel and the trip can be done in about 3 1/2 hours, so I decided to sign up for it. Besides all the proceeds from the event goes to Children's Cancer Foundation and Children's Diabetes Foundation, so it seemed especially worthwhile.



The calm before the storm. Dino was placed together with the anniversary cars, not with the Ferraris. Fine with me. But behind a row of Bentleys (100th anniversary) and next to a lone TR 6 (50th anniversary). With such an inconspicuous location, you would think that nobody would even notice the Dino. And you would be wrong! (sorry about photo being almost identical to that in previous post, but it is all I have)
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Again, an overwhelmingly warm and enthusiastic reception for the Dino.

The car received an award too: Best Sports Car Vintage (pre-90) category. I was asked to drive the car up on the stage, and was interviewed for 5 or 10 minutes both about my car and about Dinos in general. Received many gifts in addition to a trophy and flowers.

I was actually stunned. Did I deserve all this - for just showing up with my Dino? Probably not, but it was nice nevertheless.
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Another enjoyable weekend with the Dino.