31 Mar Spanner Works: Lorenzo Farella

A regular feature by senior workshop technician JP du Plessis outlining the activities of FMM’s workshop personnel who are responsible for repairing, renovating, refurbishing and restoring the museum’s large and varied collection of vehicles. This month, JP reports on Lorenzo Farella having to stay calm while overcoming an Aston’s seizure…

FMM’s 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT needs no introduction, as Mike Monk has already written an extensive article about the car in the Ap22 newsletter. The story can be downloaded at: https://www.fmm.co.za/collection-in-action-aston-martin-db4-gt/. In addition, Iain Tyrrell, British engineer and classic car restorer of YouTube fame, carried out a tune-up of the car for his YouTube site. Logon to https://www.fmm.co.za/tyrrell-time-2/ to view the story.

However, for this month’s edition of Spanner Works, FMM Workshop Manager Lorenzo Farella took it upon himself to replace and refurbish a few overdue coolant system items. It was a project that required some patience, a trait not typically associated with Italian mechanics…

The job started after a planned, routine drive was halted by what seemed like the fan belt slipping. The car started, but Lorenzo smelled rubber. Upon closer inspection, it was found that the fan belt was indeed slipping, but that it was due to a seized water pump. Once back at the workshop, Lorenzo removed the water pump and coolant hoses – there are a quite a few and of various sizes. He sent the water pump in to be refurbished, while he went shopping to find quality replacement silicone hoses for the perished rubber originals. While the coolant system was apart, the radiator was also removed and flushed properly.

Once the water pump returned from refurbishment, Lorenzo started the process of refitting it and working out which new hose went where. Once everything was in place, connected and clamped, Lorenzo added fresh coolant and ran the car to bleed out any air locks in the system. Happy with temperatures and fluid levels, he took the DB4 GT for a drive on the estate. All went well and Lorenzo returned happy – his debts were settled before his birthday on the Ides of March!

The Aston Martin DB4 GT is currently on view in Hall D.