400i input please.

What does $20K buy you for a 400 service? What are your shop rates there in Texas?

Thanks,

Joe

 

Are they all 3 speed autos? Did they ever up that to a 4 speed?

 

Why settle? I just bought a 400 engine for my 308

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170171



come-on, jump in, the water's fine

 

Well a new exhaust will run you 4 to 6 grand. Distributor cap runs, depending on availibility, $250 to $900. Front suspension well over 2g's. and on and on.

20 grand? Easy to spend on a 400i.

 

You know, it's kind of funny, but a 400i was considered a "big" car in its day but just put it side by side with a 456, a 612, even the 599GTB and you will find that all of those cars absolutely dwarf the 400i in size and weight. Of course, they have quite a bit more horsepower than the 400i's 310hp, but it is quite amazing to see how much cars in general, even Ferraris, have gained in size and weight over the past 20 years. Heck, the 400i seems tiny even compared to a Toyota Camry!

Maybe its because, in the U.S. at least, the trend toward "supersizing" everything has led to "supersized" people too, and I don't mean height!

Just one of those observations about how things and perceptions change over the years!

John

 

Yikes. Please tell me you are not talking $4K for a muffler and some "test pipes"?! $2K for a front suspension? Are we talking all new parts here?! (A-arms, roll bars, bushings, spindles, etc?) Man, I may have to rethink that second Ferrari idea!

 

A muffler for my '84 QV is $6200 at the dealer. Just the muffler in a box, not installed, no pipes, no dounuts, just the muffler in a box.

 

Get out? Really?! Good thing I don't go to the dealer then.

 

I haven't had the pleasure yet, but I can tell you that it probably doesn't matter who you buy it from. There is a lot of metal on the car running from front to back a long way on both sides of the 400i, and the stock setup has two sets of mufflers on each side in the middle (I think) plus a resonator in the back near the tail pipes. As long as you are going to do it, may as well make it stainless and the $$$$ mount up quickly!

When I brought my 400i home in 1998, I needed to have two actual cats added in order to pass CT emissions. Amerispec (Dick Fritz) did a great job of putting on two new high efficiency cats in the middle sections, plus a set of "track test pipes" to replace those sections, all for about $1,900, which really just covered the middle sections.

John

 

So it has four mufflers?! Plus resonators?

Wow, I am thinking rip all that out and just put two cans at the ends.

 

that was 7 years ago, it's probably more now. I had a fire and the chrome tips were burned, so new muffler on the estimate. I took the money, spend $20 or $30 on SS tip from JC Whitney and made them fit and bought a supercharger and EFI with the waht was left over

 

No, a stock 400i has 6 mufflers plus 2 resonators for a total of EIGHT.

 

Dumb question. Why? Trying to make the car ultra quiet and that was the only way to do it back then? Do most people just pull all that stuff off now and go with one set of mufflers at the back?

 

Here is a parts diagram of the factory system:
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Actually, even WITH eight mufflers the car is still loud at sustained high speeds. I have been in a car with straight pipes replacing the six center section mufflers and it sounded really mean at idle, but was unbearable at prolonged highway speeds. Stick with the stock set up for best results.

A

 

Thanks. I was just wondering about reducing the weight and complexity with all those mufflers. Just curious if anyone replaced it all with a set of the two customs at the rear.

 

+1 on the stock set-up! 400s have always been coined 'the gentleman's Ferrari', so loud is not apropos....Plus you can slip thru the cracks w/this car--doesn't attract huge attention like Boxers and the like, and a loud exhaust note is only going to shout out 'look, here I am' (unless that's what you want). Stock Ansa system complete from T.Rutlands @ $3950. + donuts & install, S.S. Larini or comparable around $6K, Tubi $10K+. S.S/ headers from Larini @$3k+, Tubi $5K+. Some figures may have changed since I last checked 9 mo. or so ago.

 

To the daily drivers:

I'm STILL entertaining the idea of throwing all practicality out of the door and buy a 400 as a daily driver, to complement my GT4.

How do 400's hold up against rust?? I wouldn't want mine to rust away on salted roads and all. It is after all a 1970's Italian car. These generally have a well-earned reputation for turning into brownish iron oxide very happily.

Thanks!

Hans

 

Well, I can't speak to the earlier cars, but the later cars (and I don't know exactly when the cut off was) have "zincrox" rust proofing that seems VERY effective. I have put my 1984 Series II 400i (#049773) through two complete winters, including tons of NE salt and snow, and it show zilch, zero, nada in the way of rust. Often sits out in the rain as well - no leaks, no rust - no worries.

A

 

look at the size difference between the s class!!!
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HI, mines an 1983 400i auto, I have been using it as a daily driver for most of this year. No rust is showing at all. I live in england by the sea so if it is prone to rust it would be showing it!! Also I think the two banks of exhaust dry out the car if its used regularly and suppresses the rust. Also I have been looking at rust prevention measures which include an electronic Gizmo that polarises the car to repel rust - but I dont think adding electronic wizadry to a Ferrari is a good idea though.

Andrew

 

And just look at how tight that 400 rear end is,...no puffdaddy here!

 

Some photos
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I appreciate all of the advice from everyone but as I had stated earlier I'm not going to let the price be the deciding factor in my first Ferrari and will purchase what I truelly desire which is a 308GTS. Thank's again for everyone's advice and experience's I appreciate them.

I hope everyone is having a great day,
Gregg

 

[opinion]

F spider, lose those scuderia shields. They are WAYYYYY too big for the car. Otherwise, looks nice. 5-speed or auto?

[/opinion]