The 308 dream, realized

Maybe But I'll take ramps, chocks and jacks as far as I can go.

 

Thank you, Wade.

 

Thank you, and yes...those scraps of wood don't last long under the bonnet. I didn't get conked on the head, but I did hold it up with my head while installing the first strut You're right. I really don't tire of driving the car. Even at 6'3", I find it really comfortable for any trip. The driving position in this car is great for me. I'm really happy with those Stabilus struts. Very kind to the bonnet. Enjoy the car yourself, and congratulations

 

Thanks for the ongoing tips, guys. I found a nice price on a good 36mm at AutoZone. They also had a good set of left-hand twist bits, which I'll go to work with tomorrow morning.

 

It was a good day under the wheel well. Fortunately the sun was on me all afternoon, cold day here. I decided to take my time with the belt job and just check everything as I go. Not rushing it makes for a good start to engine and chassis education. Among today's tasks:

A few bumps with the left-hand drill and the sheared bleeder screw stub popped out, with the washer. Once I had it clear, it was good to see coolant flowing again. New screw and washer went in (thanks Ricambi).

The intake boot was torn and mummified in electrical tape. A new boot and clamps are on the way. I'm performing a plastic zip-tie exorcism on the car.

Pulled the evap hoses from the canister, to make way for the a/c hoses. They look like original factory hoses and clamps. Let's just say they acted like 26 y.o. factory hoses and clamps. I love my needle-nose ViseGrips all over again. New hoses are going in and clamps will be positioned so that a human being can remove them next time. Phillips heads are making way for nutdriver-ready clamps.

The air box clamp will also be repositioned, for access by human beings.

Upon removing the a/c tensioner assembly, the bearing felt pretty rough. Wade, this was the squeak. I'll get a new bearing in there as well, when it's time to put the belt back on. A/C compressor bracket mounting nuts were only finger-tight. Only a matter of time before the thing fell off. The loose compressor may have hammered the tensioner bearing due to belt misalignment, etc.

After about 45 min, I managed to uncover the front bank timing belt. It was good to finally see first-hand the thing that strikes fear into the hearts of new Ferrari owners everywhere. Once you're in there, not so scary. Everything's pretty clean, but a lot of corrosion on the tensioner bearing face. It will be good to get those Hills in there. Fortunately for me, the last mechanic only put in 2-3 of the belt shield bolts. I'll be putting a few more in on the way out.

Another important find....while under the car, taking my time to look everything over, I discovered the right inboard CV boot torn open. Hey, at least I have the next project now Between the CV and brakes, I've got my Winter dialed in.

On to tomorrow. As I finish this, I'll try to post some tips and notes (my two cents) for 308 QV owners...tools, etc.
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And the rest of today's shots. Apologies for the crappy phone photos.
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I'll keep putting photos up as I work my way through the car. Cleanup tasks continue. Baldwin and K&N filtration, new caps from Superformance, a new air intake boot and clamps from T. Rutlands and I'm starting to install the new front bonnet foam from Grainger. I'm also sealing up the slight leak at the crossover pipe and taking care of spot rust throughout the engine bay and chassis (radiator brackets, oil cooler brackets and lines, etc.). I also tracked down a stock shift knob from a fellow FChatter....yes, I like the original, and it doesn't dig into my leg in 1st.

After installing new SKF water pump idler bearings from T. Rutlands (they'd reached the end of their days and had started screaming like a banshee at around 3k), I took the car out for a drive. The temp gauge shot up pretty quickly, so I found a side street to park on. She puked some coolant out the overflow tube and quickly cooled down. I carefully returned to the house, with another in-between stop, managing to keep the gauge in a safe place. Stayed up that night to determine that the thermostatic switch on the radiator is on its way out, so the fans had failed to power on. I have bypassed the switch and looped the wires over the a/c hoses, until I can pick up a new one. Getting ready to drain down the cooling system, so I'll wait to do it then. With the fans bypassed, an expansion tank refill and a couple of good bleed cycles, she's running cool at all speeds.
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Also found a great eBay deal on a nice Snap-On 3/8" torque wrench, to fill a big gap in my tool arsenal. More to come.
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Sure, I'm going to pick up the digital AllTrade unit on Amazon. Great price and features...and I can share it around with friends.

 

Thank you...and I agree, it is a blast. Every weekend, she's a little more polished and mechanically sound. I've got projects galore, through the remainder of the winter. Looking forward to some heavy cleaning of the underside, getting brake pads on, getting the SRI fuel hose kit installed and switches cleaned and tuned up. As for the thermal switch, I did clean up the contacts. I think it's just worn out. I found some NAPA numbers for a good one with a switch point around 180. I'll give that one a try.

 

Today's work. Found the coolant leak at the front driver's side. A minor job to get a new piece of hose in there. It's right at the connection to the core. Also found the Spal blower on the driver's side has seized up. I haven't needed it, but will pick one up from SuperFormance. The passenger's side heater core and blower are ok. Pulling the bad hose and the filters first thing in the morning. It would also be great to get that Clifford unit out of the way. I'm going to add it to my to-do list.

The blackish goo all over the duct work is overspray from an aftermarket "rustproofing" years ago.
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Today's work, part 2. Currently playing "Name That Bracket" after finding one lying in the front valance on the passenger's side. Hitting my parts manual to track it down. While I had the car jacked up, I gave the Cromodoras a much-needed scrubbing. They're back to beautiful now, the paint is in great condition.
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Part 3. New water pump idler bearings went in (thank you, T. Rutlands)....silence is golden. New water pump belt (Gates PolyFlex 7M630) and alternator belt (ContiTech AXM10 x 800) went on and new bolts (from Fastenal in Charlotte) with a shot of anti-seize finished it up. I had a hard time finding the AXM10 x 800, but tracked a couple down on eBay. I'm going to cross reference the specs with Gates or Dayco for a long-term supplier.
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Thank you!

 

I'm only guessing, as I have an invoice from a Ferrari shop in about '93, with a charge for "rustproofing". It was originally a Pennsylvania car, so maybe he went for extra insurance?

Some of it got on the inside barrels of the wheels in places as well.

 

I found the source of my under-fender coolant geyser. The hose had been rubbing on the air diverter mechanism for a long time. It finally became thin enough to burst with last weekend's momentary pressure increase/overheat. The new hose went in about an inch longer, to push it away from the air lever and cable. It was also wrapped to prevent any possible abrasion back in the compartment. A new supply-side hose also went in, with some Goodyear EZ Coils to make the turns, rather than the original folding-over of the hose (ack). Everything was sealed up and wrapped where rubbing might happen. I also opened up both boxes, vacuumed out the customary decomposed filter foam and garbage in there and cut/fitted new filter media. As expected, there was rotted foam EVERYWHERE in the heater valve compartment. Both cores looked good, but I did take some time with a good plastic knife to straighten out the bent fins on the driver's side.

A good friend then worked the DEF levers for me while I adjusted and checked the diverters. The detents and stop pins on both were bone-dry, so they both got a good dose of Lithium grease. Working smoothly and not jamming now. When the new blowers go in, I think that I'll wrap the intakes in screening to keep the road debris from coming up the pipe or battering the fan vanes. I pulled a cigarette butt out of the driver's side box

I'll top the system off and bleed it tomorrow. It's good to have her repaired and reassembled.
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Sunday "staying in from the snow" projects. A new rear defogger switch knob. Corrected the sag in the center console and readjusted the ashtray cover. Everything's very straight now and moves freely. In a while, the clock will go to Nick for restoration.
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It runs, but there is significant sticking of the hands/mechanism. I do have a crystal that I bought from Crowndog, it's a beauty. Putting that on this weekend, but will eventually have Nick clean up/lubricate the movement and take care of any gear wear.

Thank you very much, John