Introduction

[Giulia Superman]

Hello from Jefferson Oregon, My name is Bill Gillham, My son Don and I run a small Alfa Romeo Restoration Shop called Hooligan Racing LLC. We specialize in "Rust up Restorations" of '50 and '60s Giulietta and Giulia Sports cars. We try to finish 3 complete restorations a year. I have been driving and restoring Alfas for 36 years. I am a current Director of the Alfa Romeo Owners club, and a Past President.

My personal employment history is a balance of 4 nearly un-related professions. My Father was a commercial Fisherman, I fished with him on the North Pacific for Salmon and Tuna every summer season for 12 years starting when I was 14. Fishing kept me in cars, girls and school and mostly out of trouble until I graduated from Oregon State University in 1970 when I took a Job at West Albany High School teaching Fine Art. I tought for 33 years before retiring in 2003. I bought my first Alfa Spider in 1977, and had restored a number of them while I was teaching. When I retired I started Hooligan Racing LLC and started restoring other peoples cars. Throughout all that time I have also been a practicing Artist and illustrator, my works are included in several public and private collections and have appeared on the cover of the Alfa Owner and Sports Car Market Letter.

We are in the process of buying a reciprocating hammer to complete our metal shop. I built a Large English wheel 25 years ago and have been obtaining more fabrication tools since. We have a Pexto Jump shear, Jet box and pan break, a Pexto slip roll, Pexto bead roller, Jet bead roller, a highly modified HF beadroller, A Baleigh Power bead roll, 3 different throat depth Lancaster style shrinkers, a Lancaster stretcher, and a nice CP clone Planishing hammer.

The new reciprocating hammer should complete our shop and make our life easier after the initial learning curve. I also have an amazing collection of vintage Proto body hammers, which in my opinion are the best body hammers ever made.

We are now restoring Alfas that we would have parted out 30 years ago, It doesn't seem like the cars are getting better. Sheet metal shaping is becoming a larger part of what we do every day. I look forward to what I can learn from this site.
Ciao,
Bill Gillham
Jefferson Oregon

[Peter Tommasini]

HI Bill welcome to the forum...
In the past I've restored a couple of alfa's'' Duetto''.... They are just a beatiful car to restore
Peter

[uncle johnny]

Welcome bill

Sounds like you have a cool shop
Got any pics?
What brand of recip. Hammer are you getting?

[Joe Hartson]

Bill, welcome and thanks for the nice introduction. Hope you enjoy the site and find it helpful. Thanks for joining us. Post some pictures of your project, we love pictures.

[HEATNBEAT]

Hi Bill and welcome !

[Giulia Superman]

Don and SS.jpg

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Picture 4.jpgI am buying one of the Desert Hybrids machines, that is already completed, from a Street Rod Shop in Wisconsin. I have also ordered some of Desert Hybrids P max tooling. My Planishing hammer is a Gitzit CP Clone. (I got one of the first ones), I like it a lot, it is what got me interested in purchasing a reciprocating hammer, I have been looking for a while, trying not to take on building one (I don't have time for that kind of project right now).

Pictures of some of our finished restorations.
Ciao,
Bill Gillham

[Einar_S]

Welcome Bill!

It's nice to see that these fine cars are being rebuilt even if in bad shape.
Myself, I have a Giulia Spider that as you say probably would be parted out some years ago. Some awful bodywork done to it. But as someone said: it is better with bad repair done to it than having been crushed. I try to do it right now.

[Giulia Superman]

50.jpgI'll post a picture of a couple of my tools, the Big English wheel is one I built 25 years ago, we just updated it a bit with a new rack for the anvil wheels. While we were redesigning, we mounted my shrinker and stretcher on the frame, (they are removable if I need the space. Behind it is my Baleigh 36" bead roller with a beefed up frame, I hated the flimsy frame it came with, plus I wanted it on casters. The pellets are for the heat in my shop. My Pellet stove keeps the place nice, warm and dry.
I love this forum!
Ciao,
Bill Gillham

[Giulia Superman]

My new P-Max Hammer arrived yesterday. We immediately took the guards off and painted them to make it ours. Next I need to construct a fence and a holder for my tooling. Then the fun of finding out what it will do, (or what I can do with it more correctly).

Yesterday we also modified my Shrinker stretcher mount on the English wheel so that we can work longer pieces without interference.
Ciao,
Bill Gillham

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