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Ferrari Chat Saves My Life...

Discussion in '206/246' started by MRONY, May 26, 2007.

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  1. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #1 MRONY, May 26, 2007
    I got my new tires and put them on Thursday over at a local shop. The old rubber was incredibly dry and brittle, and the beads on a few just disintegrated coming off the rims. These things were IED's, and it never would have occurred to me to check them out if I hadn't read about old rubber here. FC most likely saved at least my car, and possibly my life.

    As for the new XWX's they feel great -- hard to believe the car could feel any better than it did before, but it does. Cornering is even crisper. They also look spectacular. I put a little Griot's tire dressing on them, and they're absolutely perfect. On the old rubber it absorbed into the dried out sidewalls and looked splotchy. Form and function.

    A really heart-felt "Thanks."
     
  2. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #2 Crawler, May 26, 2007
    Glad to hear all is well. I'll let you buy me a scotch if I'm even in NYC.

    Dan
     
  3. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #3 MRONY, May 26, 2007
    Just let me know!
     
  4. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #4 Crawler, May 26, 2007
    Let's see some pics of the car with the new tires when you get a chance...
     
  5. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #5 MRONY, May 26, 2007
    Inlaws visiting
     
  6. celestialcoop

    celestialcoop Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 20, 2006
    715
    Full Name:
    Coop
    #6 celestialcoop, May 26, 2007
    Mike O.
    'right decision to go with new tires!
    You've dodged your first bullet, but you still have some research to do & some other safety issues to address. You know the routine: Inspect for disintegrating or rigid fuel hoses (incl the filler pipe & tank cross-over connectors & vent tubes), seeping/leaking carbs (check for fuel puddles in the valley of the engine under the intake adaptor/manifold), temperamental/unreliable/unsafe electrics (fuse boxes, connectors, ignition switch, ammeter), spongy or blistered water hoses or & restricted radiator (carefully feel for cool spots when engine's at operating temp), fragile exhaust valves, lazy or erratic brakes (soft pedal or abrupt pull), and so-on and so-on. Keep in mind that a lot of problems are insidious or just age-related (like the tires). This is especially true on low-mileage cars. When you make up The List, continue to place a high priority on the have-to-do items, then you can play with the nice-to-do stuff (your bella machinna likely will have a very short 'nice-...' list).
    Now that you are a believer, here's a strong suggestion: Take a crash course in DINO. It's informative & fun & easy! Here's how: Set aside the time (ASAP) to read everything in this Dino forum. Go to the bottom of the 206/246 home-page and find the "Display Options" section, then click on the "From The" block and select "Beginning." That'll show you all of the 206/246 discussions back to 11-30-03! Then commence to study. It'll take you a fair amount of time, but you'll enjoy the read and save countless hours & a lotta money, plus avoid some serious aggrevation. And, as you have already noted, the safety-related info will save your butt, big time!
    When you are all up to speed, pop over to the 308/328/Mondial forum and check out the related discussions. The info is frequently applicable to our cars. Of course, you probably already know this.
    Read On! Good Stuff!
    Cheers,
    Coop
     
  7. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #7 MRONY, May 26, 2007
    Before the car got shipped out to me, I paid a mechanic out west (Juan Villereal of Grand Prix Motors in Campbell, Ca.) to go over the whole car and do exactly what you recommended... any hoses, belts, cables... anything that needed replacing or servicing or looked like it might soon! I split the $4k bill with the seller (water pump, rebuilt dinoplex...). I think he did a great job, but then he didn't mention the old tires -- probably saw lots of tread and figured they were fine. So far, the car runs beautifully (except finicky hot starts) and with the new rubber, it's just singing. When it was up on the lift for the tires, I had a look with the mechanic at the brakes and suspension, and he asked me when the frame off resto was done. I asked him to guess, and he said "last two years?" Answer: Never. Made me feel good, but then, he's probably trying to be my new friend!

    I can not imagine anything more interesting than reading all the posts here, What a good idea! I have been searching out the little things that occur to me, but why not get some knowledge for free before it's do or die? Awesome suggestion.
     
  8. dm_n_stuff

    dm_n_stuff Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2003
    43,721
    26.806311,-81.755805
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    Dave M.
    #8 dm_n_stuff, May 26, 2007
    Mike.

    still fighing the warm start problem??

    I'm wondering was the car driven much the last 2-3 years? If not, I have a theory, if it was, then I might still have a theory. But, before I make an ass of myself I'd like to know.

    1. Still a problem?
    2. How much driving last couple years?
    3. How much driving last 12 months?

    I'll wait for oyur answers before I jump off a cliff with the solution.

    DM
     
  9. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #9 Crawler, May 26, 2007
    Yes, because you know that there will be any number of us ready to tear you apart before you hit the ground. ;)
     
  10. celestialcoop

    celestialcoop Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 20, 2006
    715
    Full Name:
    Coop
    #10 celestialcoop, May 26, 2007
    OK, Mike O!
    'glad to hear you planned ahead.
    However, as you become more familiar with your Dino, you'll be more inclined to discover the stuff that Juan didn't have time to notice. Case in point, the tires. As you said, he may have figured that they were good to go, based on appearance. Of course, tires are a frequent topic on F-Chat. Not too long ago, decoding the stamped data on the sidewalls of pre/post-2000 tires was discussed. Well, I broke the code on my 'like-new' (they don't appear to have many miles on 'em) Michelin MXV4s. Damn. They are approaching their sixth year!
    As with tires, brake hoses can fool you. I've experienced that first hand. When I bought my first Ferrari, a 330 GTC, the brakes seemed a bit over-boosted & sensitive. On normal application of brakes, stopping was fairly uneventful. However, a panic stop proved to be just THAT! A heavy dose of uneven brake pressure yielded a severe yaw to the right & a near-miss with the curb. To make a long story short, my externally clean & flexible front hoses were collapsing internally, especially on the left hose. Moral of this story: If you don't know how old they are, replace all of the brake hoses & flush the system.
    'trust you had a nice day with family,
    Coop
     
  11. synchro

    synchro F1 Veteran

    Feb 14, 2005
    9,294
    CHNDLR
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    Scott
    #11 synchro, May 27, 2007
    Ddi you get these from Coker?
    What is the year date indicated on the sidewall of the new tires?
     
  12. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #12 MRONY, May 27, 2007
    Tell me again exactly where you locate the date code? There are about a million numbers on the side of the tires, and I'm getting too old to bend over -- all the blood rushes to my head! Is it after the DOT #?
     
  13. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #13 MRONY, May 27, 2007
    The car was driven almost not at all for about the past 6 or 7 years. The owner, a neurosurgeon out in S. Cal. didn't have the time to drive it, but had a mechanic (he said when I spoke to him) go over the car and drive it about 50 miles every year to be sure that when & if he drove it himself it would be safe. No shortage of funds on the Doctor's part. That mechanic bought the car from him last year quite reasonably, and I got it from the dealer he flipped it to for a nice profit. Good job if you can get it. I also spoke to the Doc's mech. who said everything the doc said was pretty accurate, but he thought a lot of the hoses ought to be replaced, and that got done.

    Of course, for all I know the car sat in a dusty garage 100 yards from the pacific ocean and rotted, or got driven 100 miles a day, and the odometer flipped over to say 12,000 instead of 112,000! So far, it drives like a dream (300 miles so far), brakes strong and straight, and the only issues are hot starts, left benders fuel starvation, and oil drips that appear to be mostly from the bolt heads, though the oil that hits the floor (about 10 or 12 drips a day) is pretty grimy, while what's in the case looks clean as can be (it was changed 300 miles/4 weeks ago).

    And, oh yeah, it could use a paint job!
     
  14. synchro

    synchro F1 Veteran

    Feb 14, 2005
    9,294
    CHNDLR
    Full Name:
    Scott
    #14 synchro, May 27, 2007
  15. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #15 MRONY, May 27, 2007
    3 tires are coded DOT FHT9 A5H X 4106, which I take to mean they were made in the 41st week of 2006.

    2 tires only say DOT FHT9 A5H. Oddly, these two tires are also missing the "Made in France" stamp. They also have a code "CZ 1591 20-2427" unlike the other three which read "BM 432 20-247"

    They all say "89W E2 025502"

    Any translations here?
     
  16. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #16 MRONY, May 27, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  17. Webby

    Webby F1 Veteran

    Sep 12, 2004
    6,821
    #17 Webby, May 27, 2007
    looks perfect to me :D I like the Mustang too
     
  18. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #18 MRONY, May 27, 2007
    My wife rides horses, I drive them. Easier on the back.
     
  19. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #19 Crawler, May 27, 2007
    Damn!!! Looks great. Will the NY authorities look the other way if you "lost" the front license plate?
     
  20. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #20 MRONY, May 27, 2007
    I drove without it for a couple of weeks, but cops around here are usually just looking for any excuse to write a ticket or two. I put it on this weekend because Memorial Day is a big one for spot checks on inspections, reg's etc. I'll probably take it off again... after all that adapter for the wider screw holes in front is REALLY hard to find!

    I was thinking about sticking the old California "Historic Vehicle" plate on the front -- less ugly. Could make some lame-o excuse if stopped...
     
  21. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #21 Crawler, May 27, 2007
    Makes me realize how lucky we are here in S. Carolina. No front license plate required.
     
  22. MRONY

    MRONY Formula Junior

    Mar 17, 2007
    707
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Mike O.
    #22 MRONY, May 28, 2007
    I took the car out for the first time on the 3-lane Highway -- now that I feel confident about the tires. Got up to 125 (not saying kph or mph for legal reasons!) and had plenty of tach left but too much traffic to find open space. 5th gear feels long and deep. Little Dino likes speed, felt like it could cruise there all day long. Could be my imagination, but it seemed to be running even better after a chance to stretch. It hurt to come in. This car could ruin my family life. All I want to do is drive it.
     
  23. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #23 Crawler, May 28, 2007
    I know what you mean. 80 mph in a Dino feels like 45 or 50 in an ordinary car. It probably was running better after the run. They like to be exercised!
     

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