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He Spent 4 Years Turning an Old ALFA ROMEO into a FERRARI-POWERED Supercar — Transcript

by Quantum Makers · 5,486 words · 874 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Squeezing a big Ferrari engine into this
0:03compact Alfa Romeo demands a rock solid
0:06chassis. That's why Jeff must first
0:09strip away decades of neglect to see if
0:12there's enough clean steel left to build
0:14on.
0:15>> All right, let's uh see if we can uh tie
0:17this up and start pulling everything out
0:18from inside and see what we've got.
0:20>> This is a 1973 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
0:25that has survived more than one serious
0:27crash. Jeff bought it two years ago from
0:30someone who had abandoned the
0:31restoration, paying less than $10,000
0:35for it.
0:37This tiny motor is nothing compared to
0:39what's coming next. A massive Ferrari B8
0:42with double the cylinders, twice the
0:45size, and nearly four times the
0:47horsepower.
0:48>> That's it.
0:50>> Forcing that supercar beast into such a
0:52narrow frame will be the biggest
0:54challenge down the road.
1:00Jeff will take on this restoration
1:02between shifts as a firefighter.
1:05He's self-taught and relentless, and
1:07[music] he's willing to repeat any job
1:09until it meets his standard. As he says,
1:13if it's worth doing, it's worth doing
1:15twice. And it is precisely this
1:18mentality that leads him to tackle the
1:20next step, building a custom rotisserie.
1:24A standard one can cost over $3,000,
1:28so Jeff builds his own in the garage.
1:31This metal skeleton will allow him to
1:33rotate the entire chassis 360°,
1:36providing easy access to the underside
1:39of the car.
1:43Mounted on the rotisserie, the Alpha
1:45[music] can finally be stripped down
1:47further, making the shell lighter and
1:50easier to handle.
1:54The chassis now needs to be sand blasted
1:57using high pressure abrasive to strip
1:59away every layer of paint, rust, and
2:02corrosion.
2:04But the process requires heavy
2:05industrial equipment and creates too
2:08much dust and debris for Jeff's garage,
2:10making it the only major job he cannot
2:12handle himself. So instead, he focuses
2:16on getting the car to the blasting shop
2:18safely.
2:22All right, and I made it. So, uh, the
2:24car is down here now getting ready to
2:25get blasted. So, we will, uh, see this
2:28back in a couple of weeks when it's
2:29hopefully looking a lot better than it
2:31does now. This twoe weight gives Jeff
2:34time to deal with the heart of the
2:36build.
2:39This is a 3.6 L V8 sourced from a
2:42Ferrari 360 Modina. He bought it from an
2:46auto wrecker after the original car was
2:48wrecked in Japan. At over $15,000,
2:53it costs more than the rest of the build
2:55combined.
2:56But the cost is only part of the
2:58problem. Jeff uses a crane scale to
3:01compare the old and new engines side by
3:04side and discovers that the Ferrari V8
3:07weighs 60 lb more than the factory
3:09engine.
3:11To pair with it, he spends $500 on a
3:14manual gearbox from a Subaru BRZ, which
3:17will add another 20 to the final build.
3:21Adapting the Alpha to these changes
3:24while keeping the car street legal, is
3:26going to be a real challenge. But before
3:29any of that work can begin, the two
3:31weeks are up, and it is time for Jeff to
3:34hit the road to retrieve the freshly
3:36blasted chassis.
3:39The sand blasting strips the Alpha back
3:41to bare metal, revealing far more damage
3:44than Jeff hoped.
3:47And that is only half the problem
3:49because he still needs to see if the
3:52massive Ferrari B8 will actually fit the
3:55engine bay.
3:56>> All right, this is the scary part. I've
3:58obviously done some measuring up till
3:59now and um I have some idea that this
4:03should come pretty close and fit the
4:04engine bay, but
4:07I I I haven't tried it yet. This is this
4:09is the first real go of seeing how the
4:13Ferrari engine fits into this little
4:15105. And um yeah,
4:21>> Australian laws demand 10 mm of clear
4:24space around the whole motor, which
4:26makes the space even tighter.
4:30Luckily, the engine fits, but the height
4:33creates a major roadblock.
4:36Jeff marks that problem for later and
4:38goes back to the more urgent one in
4:40front of him, rebuilding the shattered
4:43chassis.
4:47To protect this bare steel from forming
4:49new rot, Jeff sprays it with copper
4:52primer.
4:55Dozens of rusted areas across the
4:57chassis need to be fixed before it is
4:59strong enough to support the heavier
5:01engine, gearbox, and everything still to
5:04come.
5:06Using a bead roller, Jeff presses
5:09channels into a metal sheet, turning a
5:11flat, flexible panel into a much
5:13stronger trunk floor.
5:16Once that section is in place, Jeff can
5:19weld and position the surrounding
5:20panels, locking the rear of the car into
5:23its final shape.
5:27At the opposite end of the shell,
5:29structural strength matters even more.
5:32This section has to take the first hit
5:35in a crash while protecting the Ferrari
5:37B8. So any weakness here could put both
5:40the engine and the entire build at risk.
5:44That is the front end of the car done. I
5:46am really happy with how this has all
5:48turned out. The uh the headlight buckets
5:50are all nice and solid now. The whole
5:51front end is together.
5:54>> The repaired chassis is ready for a
5:56drivetrain. The Ferrari B8 and Subaru
5:59gearbox, however, were never designed to
6:01fit together. The bolt holes on the
6:04engine block do not align with the bolt
6:06holes on the gearbox casing. To solve
6:09this, Jeff needs to build a custom
6:11adapter plate that sits directly in the
6:14middle between them, allowing the bolts
6:16on each side to fit perfectly without
6:18altering the engine or the gearbox.
6:22To make this plate, Jeff needs to find
6:25the exact position of every single bolt
6:27hole on both units.
6:29He carefully measures the engine and the
6:31gearbox, creating a clear map of both
6:34bolt patterns.
6:38With the help of his friend Chris, Jeff
6:40inputs all his measurements into a
6:42computer design program and creates a
6:45detailed 3D model of the adapter plate.
6:48And I sent that away to an engineering
6:50company to actually cut it out. And this
6:55is what we got back. This is a
6:59beautiful, beautiful thing.
7:02This is the moment of truth. Days of
7:05tedious measuring and hundreds of
7:07dollars in custom machining all come
7:09down to this single fit.
7:11>> If this all goes on, then it works and
7:14we've done the right thing. If it
7:16doesn't, then we're going to struggle.
7:19>> The adapter plate leaves zero margin for
7:22error. If it's slightly misaligned, the
7:25spinning shaft will wobble, and the raw
7:27power of the Ferrari B8 will [music]
7:30tear this red clutch apart in seconds.
7:39But as Jeff slides [music] the gearbox
7:41into place, the shaft sits dead center,
7:44fusing the two drivetrains [music]
7:46together.
7:49So that is that is a win. That is a big
7:52win. I am I am stoked. We actually have
7:56a Ferrari engine adapted to a Subaru
7:59gearbox. Yeah. Joining the drivetrain
8:02brings Jeff back to the problem he
8:04discovered during the first test [music]
8:06fit, engine height.
8:09Jeff fixes a marker to a paint tin
8:11[music] and slides the intake against
8:13it, marking the 2.8 in he plans to cut
8:16away.
8:18That is the most he can remove without
8:21badly hurting the engine's performance.
8:24He will lose a little power at low revs,
8:26but it is a sacrifice he has to make to
8:29fit the V8.
8:34With the intake shortened as much as
8:36possible, Jeff lowers everything back
8:38into the Alpha to see if he has finally
8:41made enough room.
8:46He checks the fit carefully, measuring
8:49around the engine and comparing it with
8:51the original bonnet line.
8:56The new test confirms that the intake
8:58work is not enough. The B8 [music] still
9:02sits too high, leaving only one
9:04solution.
9:05>> I am going to have to put a bonnet bulge
9:06in this as I've mentioned. So, first
9:09part of uh creating a bonnet bulge is
9:11cutting a hole.
9:18How good does it look? How good does
9:21that look?
9:23Oh, it fits nice. It's not going to need
9:25a huge bonnet bulge. I was really
9:27thinking that in the end it would have
9:28been a much bigger bulge would have been
9:30required than what we're actually going
9:32to need. It's not that much. You can see
9:34the back edge is actually underneath um
9:37the uh the bonnet line. So, that sits
9:39down lower than the bonnet line. And the
9:41bonnet bulge is going to be just just
9:43nice. Just nice.
9:46>> Keeping the bulge small is vital for a
9:48car built to go this fast.
9:51At 190 mph, a giant bump in the front of
9:55the car slams directly into oncoming
9:57wind like a solid wall. That creates
10:00massive drag and pushes heavy forces
10:03onto the sheet metal, making this a
10:06critical spot in the chassis.
10:14Slicing open the hood also destroys its
10:16original strength, leaving thin metal
10:19that can flex and flutter under all that
10:21stress. To handle these wind [music]
10:23forces, Jeff welds extra bracing
10:26underneath, then seals the outside
10:28seams.
10:31This custom hood gives the [music]
10:33Ferrari engine the clearance it needs
10:35while keeping the Alpha sleek, rigid,
10:38and aerodynamically clean at high speed.
10:43The Ferrari engine finally fits, but
10:45[music] Jeff knows the real test is
10:47still months away. Once the car is
10:50complete, he will have to turn the key
10:52and find out if that V8 can actually
10:54roar again.
10:57But for now, knowing the engine is in
11:00place gives Jeff the confidence to push
11:02forward inside the car.
11:06First, he builds a wider transmission
11:09tunnel so it can fit [music] the new
11:10gearbox.
11:13Then Jeff needs to check his driving
11:16position. He drops the seat back in and
11:19hooks up the steering column to test the
11:21layout.
11:23All right, we have steering. We have a
11:25steering wheel in the car that's
11:27actually working. It's going to work. I
11:30am [laughter] I am really happy.
11:34Nothing here is fully finished yet, but
11:37testing the steering, seat, and shifter
11:39together confirms the entire cabin
11:41layout fits as planned.
11:45But a steering wheel is nothing without
11:47proper running gear. Jeff cleans and
11:50prepares both assemblies before fitting
11:52the solid rear axle [music]
11:54and bolting the main suspension frame
11:55into the front.
12:04That gives the Alpha the hardware it
12:06needs to steer. But stopping nearly 400
12:09horsepower is another challenge.
12:12The tiny 1970s brakes were never
12:15designed for this much power. So Jeff
12:17replaces them with much larger
12:19performance discs.
12:25Upgrading the car to handle all that
12:27power gives Jeff another ambitious idea.
12:30Why not build the Alpha to race too?
12:36That makes the build far more
12:37complicated. Jeff wants this Alpha to be
12:40a real road car, so it [music] has to
12:42pass Australia's strict road laws.
12:46Making it track ready adds another set
12:48of safety [music] rules and sometimes
12:50the two demand completely different
12:52things.
12:54The roll cage is the perfect example.
12:58On public roads, putting steel bars near
13:00the driver's head is strictly illegal
13:02because hitting your head against hard
13:04metal during a crash can cause fatal
13:06injuries.
13:08But on the track, [music] drivers heads
13:10are already protected by a helmet. So,
13:13race cars require a roll cage to keep
13:15the cabin from collapsing in a
13:17high-speed rollover.
13:20To keep the car street legal while
13:22making it safe for track days, Jeff
13:24finds a compromise.
13:27He removes [music] the rear seats and
13:29installs a half roll cage behind the
13:31driver, turning the Alpha from a
13:33four-seater into a two-seater.
13:40He also [music] fits safety belts, the
13:43one key requirement where road laws and
13:45racing [music] rules completely agree.
13:50Once Jeff knows where everything will
13:52sit, he can start wiring the car. To
13:55plan the loom, he uses a simple trick,
13:59rope.
14:00He runs it through the chassis exactly
14:02where each cable will go, then lays it
14:05flat on a table, turning a complex 3D
14:08system into a simple 2D guide.
14:16From there, Jeff can easily build the
14:19entire wiring loom. He places each
14:22cable, checks every connection, and only
14:25wraps everything once he knows it is
14:28right.
14:35What started as a mess of loose wires
14:38becomes one clean system, ready to slide
14:41into the car and plug straight into
14:43place.
14:50After a hard week of work, Jeff turns to
14:52some lighter fabrication.
14:58But even this calls for one [music] of
14:59his homebuilt solutions.
15:04The next thing I'm going to do is uh
15:06start smoothing this corner off. So uh
15:09let's start marking it out and cutting
15:11out the bit and I'll show you what I
15:12need to do from there on.
15:18All right. So, I've cut out my patch and
15:20um I've got piece here of just a patch
15:23sheet. But a flat sheet is not going to
15:27do the job. It's not going to look
15:28right. It's not going to be right. Um it
15:30needs to have a bit of a crown to it.
15:33Bending metal in two directions at once
15:36usually requires expensive workshop
15:38machinery. But Jeff solves the problem
15:41with a log and a nylon hammer.
15:49Once the new piece matches the car, Jeff
15:52welds it on and sands the edges flush.
15:57This clever garage trick saves [music]
15:59Jeff money and still delivers a
16:01professional result.
16:02>> All right. Well, that is starting to
16:04look nice and uh and smooth and uh doing
16:07the job that I wanted it to do. To turn
16:11this vehicle into a racing supercar,
16:13Jeff has modified the gigantic Ferrari
16:15[music] engine, fitted the Subaru
16:17gearbox, and modified the entire chassis
16:21just to make everything fit. But a car
16:24this powerful also needs a proper
16:25[music] exhaust system. The original
16:28only had one exit, but for 400 [music]
16:31horsepower, that is nowhere near enough.
16:34That is why Jeff needs to build a fully
16:36custom double exhaust system out of raw
16:39metal tubes.
16:41But space under the car is even tighter
16:44than it was in the engine bay. To fit
16:47this [music] bigger system, he decides
16:49to create an X-pipe design, gathering
16:52both tubes together in the middle of the
16:53car, which helps clear [music] some
16:55space in the narrower part of the
16:57chassis.
17:04He also installs two valved mufflers
17:06which [music] can be opened or closed as
17:08desired to control the amount of noise
17:11that the car produces.
17:22Right, I am really impressed with how
17:24these came out. So, that means I think
17:27the next thing I need to do is to
17:28actually add some exhaust tips in here.
17:30There's a couple of ways you can do uh
17:32nice square cuts on tube. You can you
17:36can get uh some tape and tape around it.
17:39The only issue I find with tape is that
17:41you might need to sort of realign it a
17:43couple of times to get it to go
17:45perfectly square all the way around the
17:46tube. I prefer the uh the cable tie.
17:50It's a simple little trick. You just
17:52stick it around around the tube. Get it
17:54nice and uh nice and tight. And that
17:56gives you a nice straight line. Use your
18:00texture, mark around and uh and get your
18:02mark. And then you can cut to the line.
18:19Another thing every car needs is doors,
18:21which need to be properly sealed against
18:23the body to keep the cabin temperature
18:26stable.
18:29The windows are just as important, and
18:32although their mechanism looks simple,
18:34one wrong move can turn dangerous fast.
18:44M
18:49>> Jeff's finger gets trapped and he cannot
18:52reach the switch, so he has to
18:54improvise.
18:55He grabs a screwdriver and tries to pry
18:58the window up just enough to get his
19:00finger out.
19:10>> Ow!
19:12I crushed my finger. Look at the dent
19:16[laughter] in that. Ouch. [snorts] One
19:18door down. Let's go and do the other
19:20side. Hopefully now I have a bit more of
19:21an idea of how to set this all up. It
19:24should go a bit quicker.
19:30Now we actually have a uh a window on
19:32this side that winds all the way down
19:36and all the way up.
19:42Jeff also upgrades the rear windows. The
19:45Alpha's original [music] mechanism was
19:47manual, but he converts it to electric
19:49operation.
19:52A simple change that makes the car feel
19:55much more modern.
19:58After 2 and 1/2 years of cutting,
20:00welding, [music] and grinding, Jeff
20:02reaches the biggest milestone of the
20:04entire project. The Alpha's chassis is
20:08complete.
20:09For the first time, the car is one solid
20:12body, ready for the step that will make
20:15all that hidden work visible, paint.
20:19But before the color can go on, the
20:22surface has to be [music] perfect. Every
20:25panel gap and tiny imperfection has to
20:28be filled, smoothed, and sanded by hand.
20:32After years of metal work, these weeks
20:35feel endless, but the hard work is done.
20:38And the paint is finally about to go on.
20:41[music]
20:42For the finished car, Jeff has chosen
20:45one of the most iconic colors in
20:47automotive history.
20:49But paint does not start with color.
20:52Before that, Jeff has to build the
20:54layers that will seal the body, protect
20:56the metal, and [music] prepare the
20:58surface for real driving.
21:02He starts with gray epoxy primer, which
21:05acts as a waterproof barrier, keeping
21:07moisture away from the bare metal and
21:09preventing new rust from forming
21:11underneath the paint.
21:15Then he moves to the seams. These are
21:18the places where panels meet, and if
21:20they are left exposed, water can creep
21:23inside and sit there for years. So Jeff
21:26applies seam sealer, closing those gaps
21:29before they can become future weak
21:31points.
21:34Under the car and in the areas most
21:36exposed to the road, he adds stone
21:39guard, a thicker coating that protects
21:41the body [music] from gravel, dirt, and
21:44small impacts thrown up by the tires.
21:48Once the shell is protected, Jeff
21:50smooths out the remaining imperfections
21:52with body filler and high-fill [music]
21:54primer, sanding everything back until
21:56the panels are perfectly flat.
22:00Jeff handles every stage himself [music]
22:02in his own garage, taking on work that
22:05would normally be split between several
22:07specialists.
22:09It makes [music] the process far slower,
22:11sometimes leaving weeks between coats,
22:14but it also gives him complete control
22:16over how the car [music] comes together.
22:21As soon as the final layer dries, the
22:23car is ready [music] for the moment Jeff
22:25has been working toward for years, the
22:27color.
22:32From the beginning, Jeff knew he wanted
22:34the alpha to stand out wherever he took
22:36it. White, black, [music] and gray were
22:40too ordinary, and red was too common
22:42among classic Alfa Romeo cars. So, he
22:46chose something much harder [music] to
22:48ignore.
22:52This is Gio Fly, Ferrari's iconic
22:56yellow.
22:58It gives [music] the car its own
22:59identity while also tying the finished
23:02build back to the engine at its heart.
23:05>> So, the shell is painted. It has been
23:08two and a half years to get to this
23:10stage and it is looking so nice, so
23:13straight.
23:15>> To sharpen that look even further,
23:17[music] Jeff masks the panels and sprays
23:20two thick silver stripes over the
23:22yellow.
23:31On top of the color, a clear coat mixed
23:33with hardener gives the paint its gloss
23:36and depth while also protecting the
23:38finish from sunlight, UV damage, and
23:41everyday use.
23:47But after all this time working on the
23:50car, Jeff knows there is no such thing
23:52as too much protection.
23:55The stone guard protects the underside
23:57and hidden areas from road debris.
24:01But on a powerful car like this, the
24:03tires can throw stones straight into the
24:06arches, flares, nose, and bonnet,
24:09damaging the finish almost immediately.
24:13So Jeff applies paint protection film to
24:15the most exposed areas.
24:18It is expensive, difficult to fit, and
24:21the car would look slightly cleaner
24:22without it, but the protection is worth
24:25it.
24:28Once it is on, the film is almost
24:30invisible, but it means the paint is
24:33finally ready for the road.
24:43With the paintwork finished, Jeff can
24:45start installing the parts for good.
24:47Beginning inside the cabin with the
24:49insulation,
24:50>> the first thing I'm going to tackle now
24:51is to get in here and start trying to
24:53tuck it up in the firewall and get a
24:56reasonable coverage of this stuff uh to
24:58the Ford edge just to try and keep some
25:00of that uh V8 Ferrari heat out of the uh
25:03interior.
25:05>> At only 62 in wide and 52 in high, the
25:09Alpha's driver compartment is extremely
25:11tight. Without proper insulation, heat
25:15from the engine would quickly build up
25:16around [music] the cabin, turning it
25:18into an oven within minutes.
25:21All right. Well, that is actually a lot
25:24more time than I expected, but it's it's
25:27all completely covered now. I have the
25:29entire interior covered. Bunch of bits
25:31and pieces to uh still go obviously on
25:33this car before it's on the road, but uh
25:35the sound eding part is looking good.
25:39>> Next goes the wiring loom. Thanks to the
25:43map Jeff made months earlier, every
25:45cable already has a route. So now he
25:48only has to feed the loom into place and
25:50connect each end where it belongs.
25:55This goes in smoothly, but the
25:57customuilt fuel tank needs more
25:59attention. Starting with a leak test.
26:02>> All right, I've gone around and I've
26:03plugged all the holes in the tank. I've
26:05put the uh the cover back on and I
26:08actually got one of the Race Works
26:10pressure testing kits. So, I can
26:12actually sort of put a bit of air
26:14pressure into the tank and see if slash
26:17where we leak.
26:20>> The method is simple, but it works
26:22perfectly.
26:23Jeff pumps compressed air into the tank,
26:26then coats the outside with soapy water.
26:30If there is a leak, the escaping air
26:32creates bubbles on the surface, showing
26:34him exactly where the metal needs to be
26:36marked, welded, and fixed.
26:52This race fuel cell is specially
26:54designed for very fast cars.
26:57It has special foam inside to hold the
27:00fuel steady during hard breaking and
27:02fast corners, keeping it around the
27:04point where the engine draws from so it
27:07never gets starved of fuel.
27:12All right. So, I've reassembled the fuel
27:13tank. So, let's put it in the car.
27:26Ah, that looks good. I'm really happy
27:28with that.
27:32He also seals the oil tank properly,
27:35closing one more problem before the car
27:37can come back together. But for Jeff,
27:40the real reward is waiting at the front
27:42of the build. After months of preparing
27:45[music] everything around it, he can
27:47finally turn back to the engine and get
27:49it ready to become part of the car for
27:52good. Well, here is the Ferrari engine
27:55looking very sad and covered in dust
27:57that's been sitting in a corner of the
27:59workshop for quite a while now, and it's
28:02time to actually start freshening it up.
28:08As Jeff cleans and disassembles the
28:10engine, it starts to reveal what makes
28:13it special.
28:15This engine came from a Ferrari 360
28:17Moderna, but at its core is an
28:20engineering idea born in some of the
28:22most powerful racing cars ever built.
28:25Formula 1 cars.
28:30Most engines have four valves in each
28:32cylinder, two to let air in and two to
28:35push exhaust gases out. But from 1989
28:39into [music] the mid 1990s, Scooteria
28:42Ferrari developed engines with a fifth
28:44valve, giving each cylinder three
28:46openings to breathe in.
28:49More air means a stronger burn, giving
28:52the engine more power and higher revs.
29:00Like many ideas born in Formula 1, that
29:03technology eventually reached road cars.
29:06And now it sits at the heart of Jeff's
29:08Alpha build.
29:16But getting the engine ready is not just
29:18about cleaning and reassembling it.
29:21The original headers are a huge metal
29:23assembly built for a [music] Ferrari,
29:26not for the tight front end of an Alpha.
29:29Once the engine is in position, there is
29:31barely any space left around it.
29:34Other standard headers will not fit, and
29:37paying someone to build a custom set
29:39would cost time and money Jeff does not
29:42want to lose.
29:44So, he does what this entire build has
29:46forced him to do again and again. He
29:49makes them himself.
29:59As the moment of truth gets closer, Jeff
30:02checks the engine one last time.
30:05Every bolt has to be tight, and every
30:08part has to be exactly where it belongs.
30:11Because once the engine drops into the
30:13bay, even a small problem will be much
30:15harder to reach.
30:30All the measuring Jeff has done over the
30:32past three years finally pays off.
30:36>> And it's in. That was a mission.
30:40Wow.
30:42Every major component fits exactly where
30:44it needs to inside the engine bay.
30:49The same happens with the clutch,
30:51adapter plate, and gearbox, which all
30:53bolt to the engine without a fight.
30:57It's a big win. But Jeff knows none of
31:00this matters if the car doesn't start.
31:05That final test, though, we'll still
31:07have to wait for a few more months.
31:10Before Jeff can even think about
31:12starting the engine, every system has to
31:14be secured, connected, and checked
31:17properly.
31:18In a build this complex, one loose part
31:21or bad connection can damage components,
31:24destroy the engine, or undo years of
31:26work in a matter of seconds.
31:31But building a car is not only about
31:34welding metal and fitting mechanical
31:36parts. Now Jeff turns to a completely
31:39different material, leather.
31:43And as always, he does [music] not
31:45choose the easy option. He uses quuyo,
31:48an Italian leather closely associated
31:51with Ferrari cabins.
31:55He also adds [music] charcoal Ferrari
31:57leather into the quio base, creating a
32:00Daytona style pattern inspired by
32:03classic Ferrari interiors.
32:08This is not just about covering the
32:10seats. It is Jeff carrying the Ferrari
32:13influence beyond the engine bay and into
32:16the entire character of the car.
32:19Jeff has already proved he can shape
32:22metal, solve mechanical problems, and
32:24build parts most people would never
32:26attempt. But a full car build reaches
32:29much further than that. And now it takes
32:32him into something completely new. I've
32:34never put tint on a car before, but I
32:36know the first thing I need to do is get
32:39this stuff nice and clean. The tint is a
32:42thin protective film applied to the
32:44glass.
32:46It reflects 99.9%
32:48[music] of UV rays, which helps stop the
32:51sun from fading and drying out the
32:53leather and carpets.
32:55Without it, these materials would age
32:58faster, lose color, and crack [music]
33:00over time.
33:15One in. That went in. Not too Not too
33:19badly. Let's see how the back one goes.
33:29The moment [music] Jeff has been working
33:30toward is getting closer. Starting the
33:33Ferrari engine for the first time.
33:36Before that [music] can happen, he still
33:38has a few final checks to make, like
33:40inspecting the oil tank one [music] last
33:42time.
33:45But as he lifts the car, one simple
33:48mistake is about to turn a routine check
33:51into a serious problem.
34:00No, no, no, no, no,
34:06no, no, no, no, no, no.
34:10You see where the car is? And you see
34:12that there's a beam over the top.
34:16And I actually lifted the car up into
34:20the beam and creased the roof.
34:25After all that work,
34:30I am really, really frustrated.
34:35Jeff decides to keep the mark as a
34:37reminder of the work behind the build.
34:40He also makes sure the same mistake
34:42cannot happen again and keeps pushing
34:44the build forward.
34:52That momentum carries into the exterior
34:54details that will define how the car is
34:56seen.
34:58The lights and front design pieces shape
35:01the alpha's face and make the painted
35:03[music] body feel complete.
35:17For the front grills, Jeff turns to 3D
35:20printing using a strong impactresistant
35:23material that can [music] survive
35:24stones, debris, and small hits at the
35:27front of the car.
35:37For one final detail, Jeff adds one of
35:39[music] the most striking features of
35:41the build, a glass panel in the bonnet
35:44positioned so the engine remains visible
35:46even when the car is closed.
35:59Through this glass, the Ferrari logo
36:02sits right at the center of the view,
36:04making the car's secret impossible to
36:06miss. [music]
36:11At last, the exterior is finished,
36:15but one question still hangs over the
36:17entire build. Will the Ferrari engine
36:20actually start?
36:23To get an answer, Jeff has to go [music]
36:25back to the systems that were left
36:26unfinished.
36:29He starts at the rear, installing
36:31[music] the battery in the trunk beside
36:33the fuel tank and connecting it into the
36:35wiring he built earlier.
36:39This is the first real [music] test of
36:40the electrical system. If the loom is
36:43right, the car should begin responding.
36:46>> And now we turn this on. You can see
36:49that uh my gauges turn on. And then if I
36:52go through and
36:54and it cranks. The moment has come to
36:56fill the car with fuel and hear the
36:58Ferrari engine roar for the first time
37:01in years.
37:02>> All right, we're going to try it again.
37:05Let's just see.
37:18>> Oh, that was making coughs.
37:23Jeff checks for leaks, then gets back in
37:25the driver's seat, ready to see if the
37:28engine will finally come to life.
37:32Try again.
37:41>> Oh, that sounds good.
37:46>> But that first rush of joy does not last
37:48long.
37:53What is that?
37:58>> Something doesn't sound good.
38:03Something sounds bad.
38:06Something sounds very bad.
38:16A loose metal box slipped into the wrong
38:18place and smashed into one of the
38:20engine's most delicate moving parts,
38:23tearing it apart while the engine was
38:25running.
38:36I think I may have actually killed the
38:39engine.
38:42Jeff now has to find out how far the
38:44damage went. He checks the engine piece
38:47by piece, expecting the worst until he
38:50discovers that the left timing belt is
38:52the only part that has been damaged.
38:58That is still terrifying. If the belt is
39:01cut completely while everything is
39:03running, the pistons smash into the
39:05valves and destroy the engine from the
39:08inside.
39:12But somehow he has been incredibly
39:15lucky.
39:16>> I cannot believe what I am seeing. But
39:20you can see here uh this is the right
39:23hand side of the engine. The side that
39:25is still good and uh the belt is still
39:28perfect. And this side is the same.
39:32These are the top. They're facing each
39:33other. Like it hasn't gone out of time.
39:36That little bit of belt, that little
39:38bit, that precious little bit of belt
39:41has done what it's supposed to do and
39:44it's kept kept the engine in time
39:48exactly where it's supposed to be.
39:50[sighs] All is not lost. I
39:54I think I've I've I've got to buy a new
39:57belt and that's about it. Some more
39:59coolant and put it back together.
40:03Oh, Jeff replaces it with a new Ferrari
40:06timing belt because this is not a part
40:08he can improvise. It has to be the exact
40:11[music] piece this engine requires, and
40:14the tension has to be perfect. Ferrari
40:17even has an app that checks it through
40:19sound frequencies, listening [music] to
40:21the belt like a musical note to confirm
40:24it is tight enough before Jeff can turn
40:26the engine on again.
40:32>> [sighs and gasps]
40:33>> Oh, I think I've just dodged the biggest
40:36bullet ever.
40:40Yes,
40:51WE ARE RUNNING. IT WORKS. I DIDN'T kill
40:53it. Yes. [laughter]
40:58Woo!
41:00After four years of work, the Alpha body
41:03and the Ferrari engine finally become
41:05one machine. And Jeff carries that idea
41:09into the badges.
41:11Instead of choosing between Alfa Romeo
41:13and Ferrari, he designs his own emblem,
41:16blending both into a single mark.
41:24These details do not just finish the
41:26exterior. They explained the whole
41:28project. An alpha body, a Ferrari
41:31[music] heart, and one custom identity
41:34built around both.
41:45But Jeff still has one final hurdle
41:47before he can truly call the Alpha
41:49finished. For 4 years, every major
41:52modification has been shaped around
41:54Australian road laws. Now, an engineer
41:57has to inspect the completed car and
42:00decide whether all of that work is safe
42:02enough for the road.
42:06If it fails, Jeff could be forced to
42:08change parts of a build he has already
42:11spent years perfecting.
42:37after a demanding inspection. The alpha
42:40passes.
42:48After registration, it receives its new
42:51license plate. For the first time, Jeff
42:54is legally allowed to drive the car he
42:56built with his own hands on the open
42:59road.
43:04Throughout [music] the build, Jeff kept
43:06learning as the project pushed him into
43:09new territory.
43:14One challenge led into another until he
43:17was taking on [music] work that would
43:18normally require an entire team.
43:22He wanted to build the car his way. And
43:25he wanted [music] to do it himself. So,
43:27every problem, every decision, and every
43:30solution stayed with him from start to
43:33finish.
43:36Now, he finally [music] gets to enjoy
43:37the result.
43:47There are other alphas and there are
43:49other Ferraris,
43:51but there is only one car like this and
43:55only one man who built

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