First-time poster here. I'm excited to finally join the ranks! This Thursday Sept. 18, I'll be flying from San Diego up to Portland with a good friend who's a fellow FerrariChat member and owner of a beautiful 360. The plan is to buy my first Ferrari! I'm picking up a 1983 308 gts from another member on Friday morning. The plan is to embark on the ultimate road trip, with my friend and I driving the 308 all the way back down to sunny San Diego. As you can imagine, we're expecting a bit of an "experience" with a vintage Ferrari road trip. I’d like to do a bit of coastal driving maybe south of San Francisco, but we will surely do mostly I5 in the interest of time. While we're hoping for nothing but smooth sailing (and lots of music from the V8), I understand that we’ll be on a long road trip in a 42 year old Italian car. My friend and I both have years of experience working on older cars with mechanical fuel injection. However if anyone along the I-5 corridor between Portland and San Diego happens to be around and willing to lend a hand in the event we get stranded, we'd be incredibly grateful. Please feel free to PM me your contact info. Wish us luck on our journey! I'll be sure to post an update when we make it back home. Image Unavailable, Please Login
^^^ I will update this thread with our journey as it happens I'm the friend riding along and trying to figure out what small set of tools and parts to bring. Besides basic wrenches, and screwdrivers and pliers and such, this is what I'm thinking so far: -Voltmeter + long test leads and jumper wires -Fuses (I think it has upgraded aftermarket fuse box is there anything special to know about it?) -Zip ties -Duct tape -Safety wire -Coolant hose splice connectors multiple sizes -Fluids, water, oil, brake -Carb cleaner (to check for vacuum leaks and as a starting fluid) Image Unavailable, Please Login So I'm used to K-Jetronic, been messing with it my whole life on VW Rabbits and Sciroccos, how hard is it on this 308 to pop an injector out and check spray pattern and if it's working or leaking? Any other parts to bring that would be likely to fail? Something like a fuel pump relay or anything of that nature? Thanks! This is gonna be fun!
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/fuel-injector-removal-tool.630460/ Fuel injector removal tool. Easy to make.
Ahh thanks that is a bit more involved than the tool im used to with VWs. I just place this under the injector hex and pry up and the injector and rubber o-ring pop out together. You don't even disconnect the fuel line so you can then point the injector in a jar or whatever and test the spray pattern Image Unavailable, Please Login
Congrats and welcome to the club! You’ll really enjoy the 308. I love mine and it’s such a great experience driving it around. Looking forward to the pics! Life’s about the journey. Good on ya for making it a fun one! cheers Dave
No pressure on the guy selling the car…. Ironically, I drove it up from Cali so back she goes the way she came. - Dave
Make sure to plan extra time at each stop to allow for all the questions and comments. You will spend more time answering questions about the car than filling the tank. That will continue after the trip also.
Timing belt: Do you know if the timing belt and timing belt tensioner bearings have been recently changed? Bring one? Water-pump belt (maybe includes AC, but that is not important -- the water pump is) Car jack: the aluminum ones from Harbor Freight are quite nice Flashlight, reading glasses, and gloves (if you me, you definitely need the reading glasses and flashlight for up close repairs)
The car looks like it comes with the stock widow-maker style jack. Stopping at Harbor Freight for a small hydraulic jack might be a good idea if there's room. Flashlight and gloves are good, that's going on the list. Going over my racing/track day list now.. I'll also add Extinguisher Tire pressure gauge a few hose clamps
IF the car is in good mechanical condition it will be fine. I drove my 328 2700 miles from Las Vegas to the east coast 2 days after I saw it for the first time/bought it. The only thing it needed on the trip was fuel. The 328 has been more reliable (as in totally reliable/never an issue) than any of my wife's last three MBs purchased new and I suspect nobody would give a second thought about driving an MB from Portland to San Diego! Enjoy!
There's some good suggestions here but there's a few things to realize when taking a car like this on a long trip for the first time. You come to realize its not a modern car pretty quickly. Some things you wouldn't worry about driving for fun around San Diego become issues when you drive it cross country, particularly when for the first time. Like... It has no cup holders. I know that sounds silly but means you have to plan to have a drinking bottle or something for a long trip. If you stop for a coffee and want to keep moving, where do you put down the cup? Or you can get a between the seat holder (which I did). Then there's no ABS. You might say its not a big deal but if you have to make an emergency stop on a long trip at highway speeds and you aren't familiar with pre-ABS, you're in for a surprise. So keep your distances. There's no Waze or navigation. Yes, you can use your phone. But it chews up power and there's no USB. There's also no place to put your phone. And unless it has a more modern radio, there's no Bluetooth to give audio. Phone nav is useless. Most likely the radio itself sucks unless its been upgraded to have Bluetooth where you can stream to it (I use my Sirius XM app to stream to mine). Pack small. The boot isn't that big and it can get warm back there after a long period. And don't trust the fuel gauge level until you get some miles under it and experience. Lastly there some things that we take for granted until we need them. The headlights are not great. If you plan use them at night, don't expect modern illumination. The seat position isn't as comfortable as a modern car with very little adjustment. A long trip can get tiring. Check that the windshield wipers work and the rubber isn't cracked from 40 years of non-use. If you're stuck in a rainstorm or heavy fog, you're going to need them. And the defrosters aren't nearly as good as a modern car. And check the spare or have some kind of emergency repair because you may need it on old tires. Now, I'm not saying don't do it or anything like that. I'm saying if you do it, understand what you will get when you show up for the first time and have a plan. Good luck! Driving these are an adventure so let's hope its a happy memory.
On my old cars I check the mileage on refills and reset the trip odometer. That way I know about how far I can go as a backup for the gage. Good luck this sounds like a fun trip!
I have many miles in 308 / 328's going from Pittsburgh PA to Atlanta Ga. back and forth over the years. its about 840 miles ish... ( New Castle Pa was the real destination ) I never failed to make the trip and never had any issues - other than hitting the carcass of a dead dear in the middle of the road - long story - I think the main issues you are likely to find on a long trip is: 1. Overheating - the 308 does not like to sit in traffic for a long time ... while moving its ok, but traffic jams not good. So plan accordingly around LA 2. electrics - usually its the electrics - fuel pump fuse and relay are weak spots on the 308 and 328. check for any brown spots on the fuse board connectors and bring some inline fuses if you have to jumper the contacts on the fuse board. - relays are pretty easy, 3 Electrics that are loose in the FI system - under the trunk there are two panels that house the injection modules... they have some relays that can work their way lose - Protection relay I think is one of them, as it hangs upside down. 4. Vacuum leaks - the K J cars are prone to leaks as the hoses heat up over the day... not a major issue but more annoying as the symptom can be hard to track. If you are used to Kjet... not a worry - AAV under the plenum tank can get stuck as well... 5. No Ac... it gets hot in there... as the foot wells are not well insulated, there are several points where the radiator air leaks directly into the cabin... In the right conditions the 308 is super fun to drive... and is just a rewarding car in general... but its not really ideal for modern traffic. On the highway it does great... other than traffic jams... also in wet conditions be ready for leaking top, leaks around the windshield, and DO NOT go into any semi deep water... even if its just up around the bottom of the wheel... the brake balance union is cast iron and will rust quickly and start to send wacky signals etc... once its rusted ... its a change out and a PITA to get to it. If you have a deep front spoiler... slow in and out of all transitions.. at the steepest angle you can manage... mine used to hit everything... and always looked terrible. ... I was always fixing cracks etc...
Very good points. I owned 2 308's (many years ago) and I decided to get a 328 this time mainly for these issues of city driving / traffic and other factors that make them more reliable. I'm not saying a 308 is a "bad car" but it does have its limitations that you need to understand. Again, these are 1) not modern cars and 2) over 40 years old. Sometimes we forget that.
Thanks for all the tips. I'm loving the community already. These are some really well thought out responses. Thanks for taking the time. A fire extinguisher is a good call. Always a good idea in an older car. A 1980 Porsche 924 was my daily for years (still have it and drive it), so I'm familiar with lack of cupholders and modern interior/electronic features. I'll have to remind myself regularly to keep an eye on the temp gauge. Looking forward to the adventure.
"Again, these are 1) not modern cars and 2) over 40 years old. Sometimes we forget that." Yeah, reminds me of when I did a lot of marine mechanic work/repair and still remember a guy who had 35 year old 53 ft Hatteras that he had owned for two years. He was complaining that in his second year of ownership he had to buy a new hot water heater. He bitched about the "parts quality" of the boat and NEVER seemed to understand that the original water heater that was trouble free for 30+ years was actually a pretty darned good hot water heater!! Things wear out!!! And some things wear out faster when they are NOT used!
Only thing to add is that caltrans has ongoing construction that's making a mess of traffic around the sepulveda pass.. Plan accordingly https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-7/district-7-projects/d7-405-repave-project
"Noise cancelling headphones (potentially - depending on which exhaust is installed)" I used them on my cross-country 328 trips with the STOCK exhaust!!
Yes, totally agree. the 328 is better at handling modern traffic. The radiator and cooling issue is probably the biggest issue in the 308. Its usually not a problem as you are moving but once you stand still its just keeps going up. There are tons of threads here on how to deal with it, I would make this a #1 priority as a new owner...I think the right thing to do is: Rebuild the radiator and add more cooling rows in side the rad. Increase the capacity if possible Install modern larger fans - with some ducting ... keep them running when its hot. Upgrade the water pump impeller with the more modern design - I think Nicks Forza has them... worth the expense. Flush and clean out the system, Bleed it appropriately.. this needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing... Check all the hoses are tight and not swollen... pin hole leaks are not un common. I wish I had know about this when I bought my first Ferrari back in the early 90's... it was a lot of hard learning ....
