Resurrecting the rare takes a different attitude. Alfa Romeo only imported about 300 of this special model of Milano/75, dubbed "Verde" to the USA. This car sat in storage for years after the transmission became locked up and was considered a prohibitively expensive repair. Upon acquisition from the previous owner,Johnnydismantled the transmission and found that only a small part, generic to several more common Alfa gearboxes, had failed and he fixed it for only $56 in readily available parts and a day of labor. The car's hibernation over the past decade had taken it's toll on several other aspects of the car that needed to be remedied before it could go back on the road.  The suspension bushings were all dry and cracked, the timing belt was not to be trusted, and the fuel system needed to be entirely refreshed from the tank to the injectors. The interior also needed some functional retrofit love, as the plastic recipe Alfa used in the 80's didn't end up being durable at all, allowing things like the door handles about 45 minutes to live in full functionality before breaking off in the hands of the original owner. It sounded like a lot of work, butJohnnysaid it'd be a lot less work and a lot less money in the long run to just do all of this at once versus the traditional approach of just fixing what's broken when it fails or almost fails, which made sense. He called it a mechanical and functional restoration.  AfterJohnnywas done with it, the car was driven across the country at least a couple of times and competed in some fun events. It was probably more reliable than when it left the factory and I didn't pay that much for the car in the condition it was in becauseJohnnyfound a really good, off-market deal for me. When it was done, I was really happy with the investment and had a car that was an absolute blast to drive. It had way more grunt than I thought it would and had just kind of this, forgotten pheonix, angry-orphaned-underdog-unleashed, rocky mountain rage-fest vibe to it and I loved it. It begged to be driven, and it got lots of attention."

—Dearth Verde, 1988 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde

When people talk about powertrains and platforms that don't seem to die easily, the Ford heavy duty F-Series can be up near the top of the list depending on the engine, year, etc. While some of the more modern diesels seem to go through a college degree's worth of repairs in a given oil change interval and are really a complete disgrace to modern engineering and manufacturing, the original Navistar 7.3L is one of those truly legendary, old-world, all-mechanical diesels that really keep performing without needing much help. It's not as badass as a 12v Cummins, but then again, nothing is as badass as a 12v Cummins.Johnnyflew to rural Florida to pick up The Brick after being tipped off by a friend who's equally, if not more obsessed with scanning classified ads for cool deals. He changed the fluids, replaced the fuel pump, freshened up a few small things while hanging out at said friend's house for a few days and drove the rig all the way back to Idaho Springs without skipping a beat. It was originally purchased by the US Army and sent to Germany. When it came back to the States as Surplus, it was repainted red from the original OD Green and used as a civilian ambulance for a number of years on the fresh coast. Ambulances are cool platforms to start with. The boxes are stout and constructed from 2" square, 0.125 wall aluminum tubing to meet Federal rollover standards. Stay tuned to our current builds section for updates on this cool project that we strive to get to in between building rigs for customers.

In 1988,Johnnywas brought home from the hospital in a 1984 BMW 533i, so the bond he has with rad era BMWs started pretty early.  They're phenomenal cars, designed with pride during a time when Europeans bought one car and maintained it so it would last many decades in regular service. What does that mean? They're infinitely repairable, meaning you can take the whole car apart and put it back together without running into the lazy encumbrances many modern cars face from being designed with the intention of making it just as far as their own demise. Plastic clips that were only designed to go together once, over-computerization of basic amenities, complex interior controls and packaging that makes even the simplest repair a downright nightmare are all things that will keep modern cars from living another life like this E28. The responsibility the German engineers took in designing something that should never become trash is truly admirable, shown further in the iterative design approaches applied to sequential generations of these cars. Much of the time, drivelines from newer cars were designed to bolt up to components from earlier cars, giving owners the opportunity to upgrade their cars with the latest and greatest engine tech, performance and emissions standards. This particular car had been parked for 10 years when it was acquired. Everything was there, the car was beautiful, but it needed a thorough refresh. Every piece of old rubber on the undercarriage was replaced with new OEM parts and Bilstein HD shocks were added. The powertrain benefited from new seals, a tuneup and a full fuel system restoration with new injectors, pumps and a refurbished fuel tank. All rubber lines were replaced with proper, OEM-spec hoses. The radiator and coolant passages were flushed to remove any ferrous deposits that may have acquired over the years.  An all-new brake system was fitted and the driveshaft was replaced. Aircraft landing lights were added in place of the stock high beams and the body was treated with rust inhibiting oil to fight the corrosion that daily driven cars are more prone to than garage queens. After the initial refresh, the car experienced needs for only minor repairs and basic maintenance. It was daily driven after that, performing without issue on track days, transcontinental adventure trips, long commutes and road rallies. It is an extremely reliable car and a true example of Rocky Mountain Retrofit's mechanical restoration service in action.