does anyone have any first-hand experience with scorpion friendly shops in california?
I'm in a position where captial is outweighing time but I really want to see this go to the endzone.
I can't recall where you are in CA, but on the Central Coast, my go-to would be Chris Obert in Santa Cruz. He'll be very familiar with Scorpions and really knows what he's doing. You can reach out to him on this forum or his FiatPlus.com website.
In So Cal, Mark Allison at Allison's Automotive in Upland was hit or miss in my experience. Did OK with my 124, but I subsequently had a very frustrating experience with an 850 Coupe and so did a friend with his 124. I heard Mark closed his repair shop and focuses on selling parts now.
Another option in So Cal is Fast Cars Ltd. in Redondo Beach. This is a Ferrari specialist and I don't have first-hand experience, but I know they work on lots of "odd ball" and one-off cars and I'm sure are more than capable with a Scorpion. I'm also sure the shop rate is eye-watering, but if there's not too much left to do, it may be worth it just to get the car finished.
The last place you could try is Benny at John's Alfa Romance in Los Angeles. Benny is a great guy, does great work and had a very affordable shop rate last I was there with my old Alfa Milano Verde around 2017. He'll sometimes take on non-Alfa projects, but you'll have to call and ask. He's owned several Fiats and the like and will tell you honestly if the Scorpion is something he'd be able and willing to work on. It's worth the phone call.
Hope others might have better options for you. The struggle of finding capable shops is real these days.