Sorry for my radio silence again… As I already announced, I am in my learning process about mechanical things, restoration and revision. One of the jobs I also have to do is to make sure some car parts are delivered at special workshops for modifications or specialized work. This is one very interesting thing to do, because I get to see so many great places where real craftsmanship is delivered. So for now I will send a series of POTWs about workshops that are specialized in a specific field.

The first workshop I visited was Nuyts, located near Antwerp. They are an engine overhaul/repair company and have some very impressive and monstrous machinery! Their workshops looked just great and I was lucky enough to get a tour around the premises. They showed me some very special engines they are now working on, like a Delage, a Bugatti T37 and a Rally, to name a few. They are specialized in the manufacture of new crankshafts and conrods, allowing older engines to be modified to full flow oil lubrication with oil filter. It was very nice to see how the old crankshaft compared to the new one. Even engine tuning is something they do. Some car owners want just that bit more power and rumpus, whilst others prefer reliability. Nuyts can provide it all!

Just take a look at the workshop below and note the huge line-boring machine! The last pics are of a metal plating company – yes they still exist! This was also a most interesting place to visit, as usual a bit dirty but great to see how the process of metal plating works with all those basins full of chemicals. It was a place where you’d never expect to find a Ferrari hidden in the back!

Written by Rosemarijn Atalante Veenenbos