The forum runs on a shared set of technical and behavioral standards. From torque specs and wiring practices to how we document a restoration, these are the rules of engagement that keep advice reliable and threads readable.
History & Milestones
What started as a local meetup for three friends rebuilding a 1967 Lotus Cortina is now a home for thousands of restorers, racers, and tinkerers. The journey wasn't a straight line — it was full of seized engines, late nights, and hard-won knowledge that we now share openly.
2009 – The First Shed Session
The forum's seed was planted when a blown head gasket on a Mk1 Escort turned into a weekend teardown. We documented every mistake on a grainy digital camera, and the thread that followed drew a handful of strangers who had the same problem. That first conversation set the tone: no question is too basic, no fix too hacky to share.
2014 – The Track Day Manifesto
After years of static advice, a group of members organized the first community track day at a local circuit. The event exposed a gap: people had built fast cars but didn't know how to drive them smoothly. We started publishing simple geometry checks and brake cooling guides, which became the backbone of our technical library.
2018 – The Restoration Logs Arrive
Members began posting full restoration logs — from bare shells to running cars. These weren't polished builds; they included the rust found behind the rear quarter panel, the wrong brake caliper that didn't fit, and the part number that saved a three-week wait. This shift turned the forum into a living archive of real-world fixes.
2022 – Rally Navigation & Safety First
A new wave of members brought amateur rally navigation into focus. We added dedicated sections for pace notes, intercom setups, and roll-cage installation. More importantly, we standardized safety checklists for private garages — because a car on jack stands deserves the same respect as one at speed.
2025 – The Community Takes the Wheel
Today, the forum runs on contributions from seasoned engine builders, weekend racers, and first-time restorers. The most popular threads aren't the ones with the fastest lap times — they're the ones where someone admits they snapped a bolt and asks for the best way to extract it. That honesty keeps the advice practical and the community tight.
The Next Chapter
We're working on better tools for documenting builds, a structured guide for new track-day drivers, and regional meetups that go beyond the screen. The goal stays the same: help you keep your project moving forward, whether it's a daily driver or a vintage racer waiting for its next race.
The People Behind the Forum
The Bernie Camarri community is guided by a core group of enthusiasts who have spent decades in garages, on pit lanes, and at the wheel of vintage race cars. Their expertise shapes the technical threads and safety standards discussed here.
Lead Technical Moderator
Dale spent a decade as a race mechanic for a privateer GT team before turning to full-time restoration work. He moderates the engine tuning threads and has rebuilt over forty carbureted and EFI-converted motors for vintage racers.
Expertise
Carburetor jetting, EFI conversion, dyno testing, cylinder head porting
Track Day Setup Advisor
Mara has been setting up street-legal track cars for weekend events since the early 2000s. She writes the suspension geometry guides and regularly hosts alignment clinics at local circuit days, focusing on camber curves and damper tuning for mixed-use cars.
Expertise
Camber/toe setup, ride height optimization, corner weighting, damper selection
Garage Safety Coordinator
Tomas came to the forum through amateur rally navigation and now oversees the brake upgrade and workshop safety checklists. He has tested pad compounds across multiple platforms and compiles the garage tool reviews that members rely on before buying equipment.
Expertise
Brake pad compounds, rotor metallurgy, fluid specs, workshop tool evaluation
40+
Restoration project logs documented by the core team
120
Garage tool reviews published with hands-on testing notes
25
Track day setup clinics held at regional circuits since 2019
Project Milestones
The standards that guide this community were shaped through years of real builds, late-night dyno sessions, and honest technical debates. Here is the timeline of how Bernie Camarri Forum took shape.
A single discussion about rebuilding a Weber carburetor for a 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV sparked the original forum. What started as a question from one restorer became the foundation of our technical archive.
After dozens of requests from members preparing their first circuit event, we published a structured guide covering safety inspections, helmet requirements, and beginner-friendly tracks. It remains one of the most-read resources on the site.
Members began sharing full build diaries, from bare shells to race-ready machines. The forum introduced a dedicated section for project logs, complete with photo documentation and budget breakdowns, creating a valuable reference for future restorations.
A dedicated section for hands-on reviews of jacks, welders, torque wrenches, and diagnostic gear. Every review follows a strict testing protocol, so members trust the recommendations before spending money in their own garages.
Partnering with experienced co-drivers, we introduced amateur rally navigation sessions covering pace notes, tulip diagrams, and time control procedures. The workshops now run before every local rally season.