Fantastical!! I'm finding the fun things about these cars and the community around them is mods that enhance and improve the cars are not viewed upon negatively as I thought they would be. I don't plan on judged shows and enjoy driving mine. 99% of people out there are just thrilled to see a 308. I've never gotten a "Hey, that's not the correct (whatever) for that car!" It's always just been smiles and thumbs up. I am doing some mods on my 84 US 308 and "Euroizing" it along with a few other things that may not be factory, but improve safety/looks/driveability. Good on ya! Enjoy it and have fun!!!! Cheers Dave
I'm with you there Dave! My car isn't a rare dry-sump GTB or a vetroresina, so I'm going to enjoy it for what it is & do a few things that I enjoy. Even that incredible blue 308 that Barkaways restored isn't exactly as it left the factory (although I believe it's factory correct). I'll be showing mine a little, but at small local shows where they won't know what's correct & what's not. Lol! Interestingly, different car groups have wildly different views about how their cars should be restored. None are as anal as the Corvette NCRS guys! I did that, and enjoyed it, but am enjoying a much more relaxed group here. I haven't met any in-person yet (I'm in a very rural area) but I look forward to going to some events. And it won't bother me one bit that I "only" have a 308, or that it's not 100% factory correct.
Hey, beautiful restoration! I have a 79 as well. Where did you source your Euro bumper? (I just bought one (reproduction) and am not happy with the quality of the part.)
The front bumper is a factory part that I bought from a guy in Europe. The rear one is from Superformance. The factory part is a better quality.
She finally came home! But it will only be here for a few days, and then will be whisked away to Newman Automotive for an engine-out rebuild. Image Unavailable, Please Login
And now it's my turn! The car arrived Monday missing a few pieces but it runs and drives. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mechanically the car is mostly original and in need of attention. We'll go through the suspension, upgrade the rack to fast ratio internals and go through the engine. Stock exhaust, muffler alone is 45lbs. One converter is broken up inside. Suspension bushings past their best before date. Plastic cam gears will also be replaced. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
They don't look as dirty when they're installed. We noticed the weld on the drop gear cover but it looks like a well done repair and no leaks. Not a big deal and its the matching cover to the bellhousing. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lack of coolant flushes, lots of corrosion, stuck parts and plugged holes. The heads were stuck but the jack plate pulled them off. Bearings were nice, the front upper main at the two o'clock position was polished (metal to metal) from the upward pull of the a/c belt tension. The cylinders showed use but nothing unusual. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login These blocks always clean up nice. Wanted to degrease it now we'll pull the sleeves out and the head studs. The studs are soaking now. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
8.2lb savings of rotating mass going to the 360 crank, thats a big deal. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login The 360 rods I had to weigh differently because they wouldn't trigger the scale at 7lbs. So a total of 12.2lbs reduction in crank / rod mass. I'll compare the pistons once I have the new ones in my hand. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Prepping parts for machining and we removed the loose heat shielding from the manifolds. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
