82 308 GTSi father/sons project

I first mentioned this project in the General Ferrari Discussion "How old were you when you bought your first Ferrari" forum. Several members asked that I start new thread, so here goes-

The idea began as for years I have wanted a project car for my boys and me to work on. I learned on old Jeeps and trucks with my dad, and I don't want my kids to grow up not knowing how to turn a wrench and work on an automobile. Our modern cars just don't allow for much beyond routine maintenance with oil, brakes, etc. We have talked about CJ-era Jeeps, '67-'69 Mustangs, C2 Corvettes, MGA's, Morgan's, etc., but when I researched and realized that a 308 was a reasonable car to work on myself, I was all in.

I lucked upon a great fellow F-chat'er and was able to buy a 1982 308 GTSi that he put a boat load of work into. It does still need a little love, but it will be a perfect rolling restoration project. The car was delivered the weekend before Thanksgiving and has been hiding in my shop since. We hid it from the kids until this morning. Now that they know about it, we can get to work!
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Our first steps will be to put my Quickjack together, fab Birdman-type fuse blocks (since he's not taking orders at the moment), and run some tests on the fuel system. We will be replacing the fuel lines that weren't previously changed before we get very far as well.

I'll do my best to update as we go. It will be a good place for me to keep things in order for my reference later as well.

Wish us luck!

 

Standing in his proper place behind the camera with a ****-eating grin

 

Interior is brand new and looks stunning. We'll replace the fuel lines that weren't recently replaced as well as change the timing belts. The previous owner had the injection system rebuilt, so that'll need to be put on as well. I'll send all 4 calipers to Utah to be rebuilt, then we'll be ready to go for a ride!

 

We fabricated and installed a set of birdman-style fuse blocks. Looks good (and works) so far. My 11 year-old was a huge help making the fuse blocks. I also ordered a set of fuse blocks from the man himself now that he's back in the game just in case. My originals actually look very good. I'll put them up for safe keeping.

The next step is to put the rebuilt injector system on and tackle the rest of the fuel system. We may as well replace the injectors while we're at it, so I ordered a set of those from Amazon. Also ordered a barb tool, injector puller, and a few other things from Verrell to make the job a little easier. The PO sent a set of Verrell's fuel lines with the car, so we'll get those done too.

Hardest part of this so far is doing it one job at a time. Since my kids are out for Christmas, all they want to do is work on the car. They don't like that dad has to go to work.

Can't wait for the next set of packages to arrive so we can get to work again.

 

We've spent the last month waiting on parts, realizing I hadn't ordered everything we need, and waiting on parts again. We've piddled with little things over that period of time, but nothing too exciting.

We now have enough stock to get going again. We made all new fuel lines from Unobtanium's braided lines. I was a bit skeptical about the no-crimp sleeves for the fuel lines, but they really do the trick. Now we need to put it all back on the car.

We also replaced the fuel injectors. I expected it to be a royal pain, but it actually went quite smoothly even though 2 of my injectors were braised to the bushings.

We also put new glass in the clock as the original lens was quite cloudy. The clock worked, but I could not change the time. We took the clock apart and found that the small gear that allows you to set the time was worn out so that the gear would spin freely on the set post. I took the gear to several local jewelers, but no one had a source for a similar gear. I also could not find an exact match on the internet. I found an instrument cluster from a Fiat 124 that included the clock for $80. The Fiat clock is nearly identical- the font on the clock face is different and the set knob has a different shape. The Fiat clock actually worked, too. I was able to cannibalize the entire set post including the set gear to get my original clock back in working order. The new glass looks spectacular, too.
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Wow. It's been a day or two since I added to the list of things we've done to the car. We have all of the fuel lines replaced now as well as the coolant lines. The short line from the water pump housing to the union under the plenum was no fun at all to get on. My big hands just don't fit in that tight little spot very well. I sheared off the nipple on the union while trying to replace it with the Hill Engineering stainless one. Thankfully drilling it most of the way out and re-tapping worked well and wasn't too big of a PITA.

My calipers came back from PMB this week. Wow. They look incredible.



The rears arrived a couple of days ahead of the front pair, so I didn't get a picture of all 4 before putting them on.

I replaced the soft brake lines on all four corners. The rear lines were kind of a pain, but wow. The front lines are a nightmare. There's just no room under that front fiberglass tub to get a wrench to turn. It took about 30 minutes each side with the help of an 11 year old pair of hands to get the lines replaced. I also had to readjust my E-brake cables. A little fiddly but not too bad.

Now I have brakes to bleed, oil to change, and a plenum and throttle body to install. Flush the fuel system and go for a ride (I hope)!!


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We have a few issues we are working through, but we've been for a couple of short rides. I must admit to an incredibly stupid thing today. Thankfully we were 1/4 mile from home when it happened.

While we work, I left the fiberglass inner liners out of the rear wheel wells. I also haven't put the air duct to the oil cooler on the drivers side. Just short of the house, I heard a horrible noise and there was steam everywhere. The coolant line had fallen down on the tire, and the tire just rubbed a hole in it. What a sticky green mess!

Thankfully no harm done. It's a 10 minute fix and a lesson learned. But boy did I feel dumb...