Greetings all - so by way of introduction:
The Car: after a long stint on the waiting list, my Hawk Stradale kit shipped from England and arrived earlier this year (narrowly avoiding Tariffs). It a Hawk "Classico" variant, which I believe is Italian for "no instructions". Only joking. I fancied fabricating a few of the pieces, so the order reflected that. I did opt for the 5x108mm hubs though, which I might regret.
Shipping to the USA: the car shifted a little in the crate, but nothing badly damaged. I now own enough 6mm plywood to build a small aircraft and associated hangar.
Donor vehicle: Alfa 164 12V. These are not that common in the US so was originally planning on adapting a more modern V6 - but a 130K mile donor + spare (low miles) trans became available when I was in wait list purgatory - so that's the current plan.
Me: Moved from England to the USA in 1996, have rebuilt / modified various cars over the years, always had a hankering to do a full build from the basic elements. I have a deep love & appreciation for rally cars in general, and almost went for a replica 037 build - but decided that might be a bridge too far, hence the Stratos. Electronics Engineer as a day job, but have picked up enough Mech Eng. skills over the years to be dangerous. What I lack in welding skills I make up for with the angle grinder technique ;-)
Progress to date: Not great - taking it slowly and figuring out how best to approach things. The front suspension is in; front headlight assemblies are almost there, but lots (clearly) left to do. Currently making up a front grill; inner front panels are 90% there, just need a little trimming. Cooling / heating next!
Look forward to tapping the tribal knowledge and brain trust here as the tasks get trickier.
- Tony
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