The 308 dream, realized

Thanks, all of you. I'm glad that so many of you have enjoyed the story, it was big fun to write it all up. Many great memories in just a couple of days, which will remain with me for a long time.

 

indeed we will!

 

Thank you, and I am glad to hear that, Rob. For me, the long trip made the experience more special. You'll have a great time. Keep us posted.

 

Good point, Patrick...I had to get myself back here to be available for work, etc., or I would have hung around down south a bit longer. As I get ready for road trips in the coming months, I'll be sure to get the word out. Great Idea. Thanks also for the filter info. I will check into UFI. How are K&N? They're readily available at AutoZone here.

 

I drove over and met Wade and his wife this morning. Great guy and a really nice shop. I'm looking forward to having him work on the 308. I have much to learn from him.

 

Classic I was fueling up today near Landis. A school bus went by on the highway, with a middle-school kid hanging out the window yelling "nice Ferrari!".

 

Ha! Thank you, Mark.

 

Rainy day today, so a nice evening for the garage. My K&N air filter came in, so that went in. New German-made Stabilus engine bonnet support struts (Rock Auto part SACHS #SG237001) also went on, with a good cleaning of the mounting brackets and pins. The struts are terrific, as they do not slam the bonnet up or rise uncontrollably, as I've read some others do. The bonnet now comes up with the gentlest help and once up, stays put. Beats the piece of wooden trim stock that I'd been using to keep the lid up

I've started giving everything made of metal a good cleaning with WD-40, so that leaks will be easier to detect and for cosmetics. There's a good supply of sand on top of the engine, cam covers, etc., so I'm going to spend quality time in there this weekend with a fine-tipped shop vac nozzle. Once the sand is out, metal cleaning will continue. Someone seems to have sheared the head off of the thermostat housing's bleeder screw and left it that way.....nice. At least now I know where that ever-faint aroma of coolant originates as she warms up. Fortunately, the car has run cool in spite of the slow leak. Since new timing belts and tensioner bearings are going in and I'm pulling the cooling pipe anyway, I'll get that stub removed. Where oil and coolant are concerned (other than at the bleeder), the engine is as tight as a drum. It will be good to pull that housing, make the repair and get a new gasket and nuts in there. There is a light corrosion on many parts, due to a lot of time in the salt air. Little by little, I'll work my way through them.

There is some corrosion happening on the expansion tank, so I'll pull that and take it to the radiator shop for cleaning and painting. Wherever I find zip ties, they're going to go, in favor of clamps...as will all rusty clamps.

A new set of Dayco/Ferrari timing belts and Hill Engineering bearings are sitting on my kitchen counter (thank you Ricambi), so I'm looking forward to getting that work done. I really want to set a "baseline" for maintenance, eliminating the big unknowns. Following the belts and bearings will be engine and gearbox oil changes and a complete hose check-out for the cooling and fuel systems (including the heater circuits, filters and such). The hose kits from Superformance look like a good value. Electrical is now 100%.

Anyway, I'm enjoying digging into the mechanicals like I knew that I would. By the way, don't jump on me for the evil, reviled FRAM either....the Baldwins are on the way After good research into how Baldwins are built, I also ordered some for my Honda.

Onward and upward, loving this car....
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And the rest of today's photos.....
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A random thought. In the cargo bay/boot, there are carpeted covers that protect the tail light wiring (and go over the fiberglass shell there). The left one is missing....does anyone know who might sell them?

 

That's good to know about the hoses. I'd be glad to cut them from longer stock, once I look up the I/D. Is the Helms kit those silicone tricked-out hoses that I saw?

As for the mesh, I'm going to check later. That clamp can sure do damage if you don't swing it over. I've seen the "Euro" two-piece mesh out there, but not the QV/US "U-shaped" mesh. Whatever I do find out, I'll pass it on. It would be cool to eventually just get a big sheet of it and cut a new one.

An unrelated question, did I read correctly that the QV's crank balancer bolt is 37mm?

 

36 MM



Wade[/QUOTE]

Thanks very much.

 

Thank you...definitely. I will track one down tomorrow, on my day off. I need to invest in a good quality torque wrench as well. Picking up a couple of left-hand drill bits, to take care of that bleeder screw. Being brass, it will hopefully back right out. It's loose enough to be leaking, "so I have that going for me, which is nice"

 

Yep