After 4 years of dreaming and looking, I finally pulled the trigger: 1981 308 GTB. Its in great shape and I can't wait to drive it some more. It was on ebay a few weeks ago and didn't sell. The previous owner only lived less that 10 miles from me, so I watched it very carefully. After a few weeks of negotiations, we settled on a price and I picked it up. What a wonderful drive home! The only problem I have with the car is the fact that I am way too tall for it (6'6"). I have studied some of the previous post about this problem and am sure that I can resolve it. First, I am going to try and move the steering column a little to the left. Second, I am going to try and find a spare shift lever so that I can bend it to the right a little bit. Does anyone know if I'll have to heat it to bend it? Anybody have a spare one they want to sell me? Thanks for all the help. I'm hoping to learn a lot more here so I can start contributing and not just ask questions. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It looks beautiful and I'm sure you will work out your issues with the advice you recieve here. Wait until you take it out for a good run....you'll be in heaven! BTW, You can now join me in laughing at the stupid comments some post here on how sluggish the 2 valve 308's are! Mine is a 1980 GTSI.
Wow, that is so beautiful it is like I'm seeing a 308 for the first time. I could stare at those pictures for a long time.
There are steering wheel spacers for these cars. Can't remember where right off hand. I had a 2 inch spacer for mine that I let go with the car when I sold it. A must for any one with long legs. The spacer will allow you to run the seat all the way back, straighten your legs and still be able to reach the wheel. It also helps get your right knee off of the shifter. I've done the same with my TR and it's just about perfect for me. I'm sure somebody here will remember where to get a spacer.
Pelican Parts has a 1.25" spacer: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/MISC/POR_MISC_mowhel_pg23.htm
Congrats man! A great looking car... you will not regret the purchase. I have an '85 GTS that I picked up about two and a half years ago. I have enjoyed every minute of ownership. The only down side is the driving season is too short here in New England, and having spent a lot of time in Indy for business, I know it is true there too. Enjoy the car before it comes off the road for the winter.
Congratulations!!! After four years of looking and dreaming, you deserve it. The car looks awesome! Enjoy it because ownership in the 308/328 series is something that stays with you for the rest of your life! ENJOY!!
Love the color! GTB's are so beautiful! Drive and enjoy! And of course...Welcome to the Familia!!! Cheers!
Check Hill Engineering. That is where I got the 2 inch spacer for the TR. I think it's the same bolt pattern as the 308. I bought the 50mm spacer, 'SWS02B'. http://www.hillengineering.co.uk/catalog/steering-wheel-spacers-c-15.html?osCsid=5a0439e504c61825434d1acbe8b24ff9. The 25mm spacer didn't cut it.
I don't understand how the steering wheel adapter helps. I don't have any problem reaching the steering wheel when the seat is all the way back. My problem is that there is not enough distance between the side of the steering wheel and the shifter: my knee gets stuck between them. How does the adapter help that?
The farther towards you that you can get the steering wheel, the more you can put your knees towards the wheel and away from the shifter.
It helps get your right knee off of the shifter by moving the rim of the wheel aft, allowing you to close your legs. IIRC the early 308's had a pretty big steering wheel, mine had a smaller diameter wheel (from a 328 or TR?) This will give you even more room but it will increase steering effort at low speeds (parking lots). It didn't bother me though. Call T.Rutlands, http://www.trutlands.com/ about buying a shift lever out of a wrecked 308. You have a good idea to custom bend your own. You can not only give it a bend away from your leg but you could add a bend aft for easier reach. Buy a rusty one that needs chroming . It would be cheap and you wouldn't be destroying a good salvage piece. Throw some heat on it, bend it and chrome it.
Very good. I have an 80 GTBi. Yours looks like its had the front bumper mod and clear/amber turn lens installed. The rear bumper looks stock but its an easy mod if you want to do it yourself. Spend some quality time just going over the car real good. Spend more time on here doing searches and you'll learn a lot. Resist the temptation to do work on it right away and just enjoy driving it. A lot of us 2v guys on here have spare parts and willing to share. Sorry, but I don't have a shifter. Everybody loves how the Berlinetta's look. Good luck. Joe
Whoo Hooo! Another Indiana owner! Make sure to post in the N. Central section if you haven't already! Welcome and Congrats. JIM '74 308GT4 Ft. Wayne
And an advantage over the QV's: When one of your belts fails, you only have to replace 8 valves! (Unlike my QV, he sobs)
Hey there!! Welcome to the 308 brotherhood!! I look forward to seeing more photos and stories about your drives. PDG
Very nice! She looks great. If you're looking for more headroom, one trick you might try is to take out the seat sliders and mount the seat directly to the floor (in the fully back position). That'll give you about an extra 1.5 inches of head room. Save the sliders so you can reinstall them if you ever sell the car.
Welcome to the club, i know you'll work around a few small glitches, i did and i'm pretty much the opposite. I'm 5'10'',230lbs with a 28'' inseam.My problem is i need the seat all they way back just to get in,then i can't reach the pedals! When i slide the seat forward to reach the pedals the wheel is in my face!So, i put some 1/4'' washers under the rear seat bolts to sit me more upright and spaced the wheel 1'' closer and down as far as i could.Now i'm reasonably comfortable and when i'm tooling down some Carolina back road i don't notice it,i just enjoy feel and response of the car. Enjoy your new car,she's a beauty! B.
