Let's see all our 308

Dear Pat,

yes, you are right. Unlimited speed on all German Autobahn is a long time ago. Maybe on 70 % of the Autobahn speed is limited.
Highest speed was nearly 240 km/h, nice feeling in the 308 but very very loud and hot. The engine screams but runs great without any problems. The brakes are not the best if hot.
The owner of the 911 (car also from 1980) is a friend, sometimes we drive the cars together, the 308 is the better choice!!

Best regards,

AFire
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Absolutley fantastic pictures. Love the different color GTBs, love the GTB QVs, love the Hooters girls Charles, love Patpongs cars in giallo modena. I just love 308s! They are still one of my favorite Ferraris ever.

 

Is there no one with a 308 gt4 who could post a few pics?

 

sure!

Spasso, your engine bay rocks! I am embarassed after looking at your pics. You can eat off of it.

 

Great pictures Don,

Im just about to buy a red gt4 with tan interior and......factory sunroof!

Tell me......the engine block when it leaves the factory is a dull rough grey colour.....how does everyone get it a nice and shiny silver colour.....is it a lacquer or something?

 

It's that 'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' thing...................

 

This is an article I wrote about what I did to mine;


When I bought my 308 it was obvious the previous owners didn't know how to clean or detail the engine bay, or just didn't care. Upon purchase there were dark stains from gasoline and oil as well as a layer of dirt on everything.

As customary with every car I buy I put it on jack stands two feet off of the floor. I pulled the plug wires and blocked off the Spark plug wells with black rubber corks purchased at the hardware store. Bagged the plug wires and caps in plastic. Tape off the tops of the carbs with duct tape. Here is how it went from here.

1.Spray down the engine bay, engine, transaxle and rear hubs with Simple Green and let it soak overnight.

2.Spray off the Simple Green with a pressure washer or high powered spray, (as required).

3. Blow dry with compressed air.

4. Spray down the 'Rough Cast' aluminum with NAPA brand Aluminum Brightener, part number 765-1458. For use on all machine finished, open pore cast aluminum.. WEAR EYE PROTECTION AND A RESPIRATOR! The active ingredients are Hydrofluoric Acid and Sulfuric Acid. Follow the instructions. It sizzles when applied! DO NOT spray on polished aluminum like the timing covers. I sprayed the carbs down and it didn't seen to matter.

5. Hand scrub with brass bristle brushes as required to remove stains and corrosion.

6. Rinse with hot water and blow dry. Be sure to flush behind the timing covers to remove any particle matter from the belts and sprockets.
NOTE; I removed the rear timing cover to inspect cleanliness after flushing and all was well.

7. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 as required.

8. Buff the cam covers and any other accessible areas with a rotary wire wheel to bring up the shine. Use light pressure and control the direction to achieve consistency in the shine. You can use a drill motor and assortment of wire wheel buffers.

9. Wipe down and scrub everything with lacquer thinner, a clean wire brush and a rag.

10. Blow down with air.

11. Spray with high heat clear. Use Diamond Clear from Eastwood Restoration. It's good to 300 degrees. No Yellowing or cracking.

12. I also did the bottom of the engine, CV joints, rear spindle housings and the rear heat shield. There has been no deterioration in 2000 miles.

It's alot of work but clean up only requires a light misting and blow down before a drive or a show.
P.S. For the timing covers I used Mothers Mag Polish Cream.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

It has been brought to my attention by numerous sources that application of Simple Green to aluminum alloys is harmful to the finish of the alloy. Examples given included alloy wheels.

I personally have not had the experiences exchanged in the following link. I believe the reason for this is because I was using the Simple Green on aluminum alloys that were DIRTY, OILY AND CORRODED to begin with. I was also using the Simple Green on 'open pore' castings (NON-POLISHED). This may be the difference.See the link below,

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5074

Thanks to the input and advice of other Fcar owners I am hoping that nobody out there has had any bad results cleaning their engines using the method I have described.

My last thoughts on this is, find a part or hidden place on your car to try this method on. If you like the results, great, if not then hopefully there was no real harm done.


DJ

One last note; It has been nearly two years since I used this process on my engine and no corrosion or any other deterioration has taken place.
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Mama sita. That is one frigging clean engine. Mine would look close to that, but I have two very slow oil leaks that would make this effort useless.

BERTONE: thanks! Yup, I saw your other post on your possible purchase. The best of luck to you.

 

It takes some dedication to go through that process.....i take my hat off to you though, i wish there were more enthusiasts around like you!

 

Start your own legacy with your future GT4, help bring up the standards of GT4 ownership from where it stands right now. As you have seen with your own eyes, the WHY's and HOW's of the poor priced GT4 used market. Condition, condition, condition.

Crap condition = crap selling price.

Fix yours up and enjoy it. They are not expensive to own and drive regularly.

 

Mine has the Italian patented anti-corrsion dispensing system also, (oil leaks). Cleaning up the engine not only makes it look better but makes it easier to monitor the location and severity of each leak. Very important!

Every once in a while I mist a little Simple Green on the bottom of the engine, let it sit for 10 minutes and rinse it off with the hose (hot water).

Clean as can be, no dirt, no grease, no black goo up to my elbows when I have to work on the car. I only do this once or twice a year and it is ready for show.

So even if you do have leaks it is not useless to clean up your engine. It's an advantage.

 

I fully agree with the benefits, no doubt about it. I believe my leaks are from the front exhaust cam seal, the one that hangs over the alternator, been a tough one to conquer. Slight leakage between the block and the tranny casing. Everyone fights with that one. NO ONE likes to work on a greasy oily car including myself.

 

By the way, I have a spot in my heart for GT4's. They have their own panache and I was actually considering one when I found my GTS. I especially like them in boxer trim.

I have gottem many positive comments on my clean engine bay. Once done it is very easy to keep it that way.

 

I think 308's will always be a head turner, and some day will escalate in price.
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Everybody has seen this, my '75 308 GT4:
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Dear "Spasso",

absolute fantastic work !!!!

Regards,

AFire

 

Don, your car looks magnificent with those rims! I'd been thinking GT4 or Mondial but your pic and Peter's angled photo of his black one push me closer to the GT4. Those are some nice angles. The car has a handsome side-profile and the tail lights are pleasing to my eye.

Spasso, your birds could eat off your engine bay and not get sick! I'm inspired, but HF mixed with H2SO4 does worry me though!

 

The combination came "as mixed" in the NAPA product.

The only reason I used it was to get the corrosion, gas and oil stains out of the rough-cast pieces. Otherwise, not required.

The toughest part was scraping the rat nests from between the carburetors.

 

For those unaware, Peter drove that black/boxer GT4 from Vancouver, British Columbia all the way to the Concours in Monterey and back last month. Ironically the support vehicle was the one to break down.

I believe Peter mentioned the round trip was about 2800 miles.................

 

They are 8mm Taylor Spiro-Pro Racing wires. I found them here; www.summitracing.com .
The part number for the wires is TAY-73251
The part number for the wire separators is TAY-42720

They also come in Black, Yellow, Purple and Blue.


TAY-73251
$56.39
Engineered to work with today's sophisticated ignitions.

Universal, V8, red, 90 degree plug boots, Spiro-Pro wire set

This Taylor Spiro-Pro wire set is the finest high performance street and race wires. They have maximum firepower without radio interference, provide up to 10 times less resistance than standard resistor core wire, and are a must for electronic ignitions, on-board computers, stereos, and pit radios. 100 percent silicone inner and outer jacket provides heat protection up to 600 degrees F. This set of Taylor Spiro-Pro wires features low profile silicone boots with grips, and double spring locking spark plug terminals.

Sold as a set.

Vendor Taylor Cable Products, Inc.
Product Line Taylor Spiro-Pro Universal Spark Plug Wire Sets
Material Silicone
Finish Red
Diameter 8 mm


TAY-42720
$14.39
The cool way to protect your plug wires.

Red: 7-8mm, clamp-style wire separators


Organize and protect your spark plug wires from engine heat with these Taylor wire separators. Made from tough nylon, these Taylor wire separators can withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees and come in red to dress up your engine compartment. This set includes two 4-wire, two 3-wire, and two 2-wire separators.

Sold in sets.

Vendor Taylor Cable Products, Inc.
Product Line Taylor Ignition Wire Separators
Material Nylon
Finish Red



DJ

 

It took me 4 long days.

If I was in the business about 2,000.00 USD.

It is not a very fun job.

 

You can have mine. I hate it. Always have. I have a US in storage and I am finally going to paint it and swap them out next week.