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Mangusta on Chasing Classic Cars- Find the Errors!

I'm surprised that no one has chimed in on this one......episode aired tonite.....  I was aware that it was coming to a boob toob near us soon...couldn't find it...but my son called earlier today to tell me he saw a commercial for it....checked DVR and it was already flagged for recording! (First runs only!)

I had sold Carrini's F40 biz a couple of things for this car last year sometime and was told that an episode on the car would be forthcoming.   I also had noticed a Goose up on a lift in the background a couple of times in one or two of their episodes last year or so.

When I was getting the parts situation straight, I also offered to help with anything that they needed in terms of info/parts/seat time.....! ...but never heard back.......

SOOOOO it was very interesting watching all the "for TV viewers" BS being spewed about the car's history and features......and "how little is known about these rare cars"...... I think we know an awful lot about these cars!  LOTS of knowledge by owners here!

I'll start a list of the super simple boner mistakes in parts selection & comments that were spewed about this car which was likely produced in mid to late 69.....

1) 289 engine in the car.........    Nope, ya got a 302 Wayne, unless someone stole it. Chrome valve covers? No DeTomaso emblems on them! Really?  What was your research site, wiki-lies!?

2) Side Marker lights: early round dome style was installed in car. These were only ever used (in US cars to the best of my experience) in the earlier of cars built.  Rest got "trapazoid" shaped Carello "Fiat" lights.  Euro lamps were different in many cases. (Smaller round)     The show incorrectly referenced the large ovalish lamps on the red cover car of the reprinted "parts book" which was a reprint of a pic of one of the first batch of prototype cars with the very large oblong amber lamp...name of the hardcover book escapes me at the moment.

3) "Maroon" was a popular color and "Black" was "probably the most popular". According to who?   I think I've only ever seen one maroon car (508) and one or two black cars....... Need to look in the 12 page foldout ad and see if there is a maroon car shown.....

4) Front marker lens were clear, should have been amber for a US car. (Gauges were US version)

5) Silver paint on the suspension arms/links???   Weren't they all painted black?

6) Missing rubber booties on Heim style joints on rear suspension....only caught view of one side, but I suspect many more were not there.....

7)  I have never seen a yellow jack in a Goose.   Not that they weren't equipped that way, just never seen one in oh......a couple hundred cars pictures!  This being a late car.....perhaps it was correct.....or they were copying Ferrari parts seen lying around the shop.....!

I'll stop my list here....but I have more general issues often found on other shows of this nature.....

They blathered a bit about uncovering lots of bondo......never really saw where they straightened all that metal work up front out!   Are we to conclude that there is now simply "more" bondo in place of the old bondo?   (I don't think there's a bondo free front end from the factory.....! Just MHO!)

What was that mess of a Holley and other widgets stuffed on top of the intake!????   Sounded like they used an electric fuel pump....not stock.  Also looked like an oil filter relocated to above the LH frame....(What a mess at oil change time!?)

They also didn't have a spark plug wire organizer on it to keep the wires off of the jackshaft, but who knows how many cars actually got them and if they were used on late cars, which this car is. 

See if you can spot the late features in the chassis and interior shots!

Did late cars NOT get the little decal indicators on the ends of the dash switches????? This was one of those cars with the switches installed sideways to clear the ginormous "built in" dash AC vents......

The seats were masterfully rebuilt with the side bolsters being  a bit too blunt....they should have been tapered more out to the sides, to more of a point..... in leather. I think they picked out vinyl...but that may have been for the dash.....

That all said, physically a very nice job with only minor nits to pick on! I just hate the TV blather about what a fantastic restoration job....... as it would potentially send a new owner into a tail spin if they took the car to a big show and all of these "discrepancies" were mark downs on a scoresheet!!!!

If I were a judge at a show and noticed these items, I'd not be doing the job correctly if I didn't point them out......

Pardon me for being bored out of my stinking tree such that I felt the need to post this.....! Not fair.....

Cheers!

Steve

Last edited by mangusta
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