Another new 355 Onwer

Hello Everyone,
Wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself, I’m Andrew, a new 355 Berlinetta owner; I had been looking for a little while, and I found the model / configuration that I really wanted: OBD1, manual shift, red/tan, Berlinetta (with valve guides and headers issues addressed)
This is my first Ferrari, I’m coming from the Alfa world, I’ve got a ‘73 Spider and a ‘69 1750gtv (wonderful cars by the way). I’ve done my fair share of engine/transmission rebuilding and tuning, suspension repair and tuning on these cars so no stranger to car repair and maintenance.
I found a pretty clean 355, although it did/does need quite a bit routine maintenance to get things up to par, Needless to say, I’ve been busy these last weeks. The car covered around 500 miles in the 2 years before I got it, and in the last 2 months I’ve put 2000 miles on it.
So far, I’ve replaced the brake discs/pads, clutch disc, CV boots, cat converters (I’m in California) and I have a shock actuator being repaired by captainZ at the moment. It is actually a bit of a long list, but at least none of these repairs have been bank account drainers (I’ve done all the work myself), and I’ve really enjoyed getting my hands dirty and seeing how this wonderful machine is put together. Being a bit of a petrol-head, I also feel much better having verified myself that all the nuts and bolts and tight (or present!) before I go off on a long trip or take a car to the track. Was quite surprised how many nuts and bolts were loose or missing, to be honest. Luckily it was never anything critical.
I also took it to F+M Motorsport in Santa Monica to have a trained eye (Giuseppe) go over the car to let me know if there was any issues with the car that I did not see. Giuseppe is a very nice guy by the way and seems very honest.
Still working through a few things, I suspect that my right side fan is not working, but perhaps have not had it hot enough (it is triggered on oil temp? if so, where approximately should the oil temp gauge be when the fan comes on?)
I have managed a road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to Santa Cruz, the car was an absolute dream to drive. The planets aligned and I even got open stretches of road in some optimum spots near Big Sur I was also pleasantly surprise at how comfortable the car is to drive around in
I am in Los Angeles, so if there are other members that are interested in weekends drives in the Santa Monica mountains, PM me, I am usually up for it!
Cheers,
Andrew
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@lotusk
Haha, well not really in the same league performance wise, plus the 355 has 25 years on my gtv, so it is in a different ball park altogether. The 355 is truly an amazing car, perfect combo (to my taste) of modern performance and old school feel (shifting a 355 for example). The Alfas are of course 100% old school (Weber carbs burbling on downshifts..)
But I can say that a 95 F355 and a 69 euro 1750gtv are two of the finest examples of cars of their respective eras.

 

@355dreamer
I got it here on the chat classifieds a few months ago!

 

Thanks very much all for the kind words. Indeed I am putting in lots of hours to get everything sorted on this 355, I really don't like having "outstanding" issues on a car while I'm driving it. Alfas don't react well to being used when not in tip top shape, and I certainly don't expect a Ferrari to be any different!

 

Thanks again everyone for the kind words!
@fullmonty (Mel) and flat_plane_eddie (eddie) for sure let's get together in the new year for a morning spin through the canyons. I'll send a PM to set something up in January. And congrats to you to eddie on your new ride as well!
Regarding the fan, I had a look at it when I was doing the CV boot, and it doesn't look like the fan has turned for quite some time, so will troubleshoot what the problem actually is perhaps this weekend, time permitting.
cheers,
Andrew

 

Thought that I would update my thread as it has been quite a while!
I did get the radiator fan sorted, the positive wire had broken at the connector, so it was relatively quick repair. It works as it should now. I've been going through the list of little niggley items getting all of them sorted out. Fortunately these have all been very minor and not very costly (other than my time, but this is what I enjoy)
Now that I have had the chance to get more miles under my belt, I am even more impressed with this car. The sound, the balance, what a fantastic experience.
The biggest problem that I have is trying to keep the mileage low! (joking....sort of) I am exercising as much restraint as I possibly can, and I've put on over 6000 miles in this first year of ownership....that is already starting to rival some of the super low mileage cars out there!
Every mile in the drivers seat has been a real treat, and it has been great meeting some of the "stooges" in the LA area (and beyond), great group of folks.
I've been studying all engine out service threads lately, as I will be gearing up for this probably in the fall.
Here are a few photos:
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