Can someone explain to me why an 84-85 QV is better than an 83 Qv spec car? I have previously read in various places that 83 QV's are not as good? But more recently (admittedly car dealer ad's) they where saying 83's where the pic of the bunch?
Not a complete list, but '84 was the beginning of serious rustproofing, and the elimination of the smog pump/dual cat system used on the '83 (in the United States). But I don't think the improvements were earthshakingly huge.
Let's hope not since I just bought a 1983QV! Plus I am hoping when I have Goth manufacture test pipes it will breathe better than the 84-85's because there are two!
And I believe the vertical pilar around the winshield are painted black on the 83, 84 and 85 are body color.
The 1984's no air pump (not a big deal) one cat (only a big deal if you install Hyperflows or a test pipe - you only have to buy one) 16 inch wheels (instead of metrics - a VERY big deal) rust proofing (began in Jan 84) that's about it
With regard to the emission equipment, I'd give the US '83 very slight negatives for the EGR system and having a cold start air valve (in addition to continous air injection system).
I own an '83, and know that my particular car was aftermarket rustproofed (as many were). The smog items mean nothing now, as they were removed here in Maryland due to law of age and Historic registration plates. My only "big deal", as with ALL pre-'84 Ferraris, is that the frame was not electrically discharged. That was started sometime in '84 during the new rustproofing dip. This means I have to constantly touch the metal of the car during the entire fuel-up in order to avoid a kinetic spark. No problem. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239396&highlight=kinetic+spark
I've never heard of this before. Does the owner's manual mention to touch the metal during refueling? Is this common knowledge?
at least in california (or other smog states) I'd much rather have an 84 or 85. The additional smog equipment on the 83 isn't trivial, clutters up the engine compartment, makes it harder to work on, uglier, etc. I hate that smog pump, and all that hard air injection tubing going all over the engine. The 84 and 85 have a fairly "modern," simple smog system. The 83 still had the system that was in use by most mfrs in the mid 70s, and phased out by most mfrs (BMW, Porsche, and the other "bigs" using Bosch CIS injection like in the 308) by 1980 or so.
Some think the '83 is the pick of the bunch. I hear that alot, too. IMHO, all 308s are individually unique.
ok i read the other thread, and still do not believe or agree with any of it. my GTB QV is an 83, titled as an 84, and i have never treated it any different from any of my other (many) cars when getting fuel. my car is euro and had the metric wheels and tires on it. it now has 16's, and i removed the shallow valance and installed the euro one. my injection system is non cat and non lamda. very easy to work on, which in my case means only checking the fuel pressures and running Seafoam cleaner in it now and then. Michael *44297* Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
According to Steve Cook's 308 Buyers Guide: "There are actually two versions of the Quattrovalvole (most commonly called simply "QV"). The 1983 was simply a four valve head bolted onto the standard three liter engine, while the 84 and 85 QVs received updated emissions equipment, Nikasil cylinder liners, and a factory claimed five additional horsepower."
+1. In spite of being a "production" car, I was surprised how the 308s/328s felt slightly different even among the same model year. Another case in point, my Euro QV also felt better than my US 328 (and they were both in very decent condition). Although I ended up and still currently have an 83 QV, I originally preferred an 84/85 QV just because of the rustproofing when I was looking. However, the Euro look and relative rarity in the US plus the car's overall condition won over strictly buying an 84/85 car. For one, smog is not an issue anymore where the car is driven. In fact, being a Euro car, mine didn't come with such equipment. Furthermore, the rustproofing advantage is diminished since this car is a dry day driver only for me anyway. I did chuckle a bit about the dealer's product positioning in the ad...
'83 GTS here, s/n 47435 I cleaned up my wheels this morning and looked: Ferrari 9" x 16" cast in relief. Car has been been rustproofed; aftermarket or not, no idea.
The 308 stock 16 inch wheels are 16x7 front and 16x8 rear. I could be wrong but I am quite sure that 83s have Nikasil liners. I remember seeing a QV engine on this site that had them and the poster said it was an 83. Can anyone verify this who has actually taken apart an 83 engine?
Mike/ Neon, You both say that your 84QVs were built in 83, but have rust proofing....??? I just bought an 84 built in Dec 83. The best I can tell from researching here the rust proofing started with cars manufactured in Jan 84. I assumed my car didn't have rust proofing until I saw your posts. How can I tell? It's not rusty, I guess that's a good indication huh? Thanks, Jason
