1990 Mondial t Salvage Rebuild and Retitling Experience

In September 2011, I purchased a salvage 1990 Mondial t. I then rebuilt it at home. It is now back on the road. In this thread, I will document my rebuild and retitling experience. This car actually first appeared in the Ferrarichat thread "2000 456 looks a lot like a Mondial T." To get started, here is a pic of the original car at the dealer.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

3 more pics of the original car. The dealer specializes in rebuidable salvage. He allowed me to drive it around the lot. I stopped when the radiator got warm and started to leak. That was the first time ever that I drove a Ferrari! The interior finish and smell, the gear shift knob, and the Veglia Borletti gauges, all reminded me of the 1969 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe I had driven back in the 70s and 80s.

The dealer shipped the Mondial t to the Boston area within a few days. A couple of weeks later, the dealer mailed me the Insurance Appraisal Report from the insurance company that had turned the car into salvage. It is imperative to obtain the Insurance Appraisal Report. In Massachusetts, this report is mandatory for the salvage inspection. In Massachusetts, one does not need to be a dealer or have any type of license to repair your own salvage vehicle and then bring it in for a salvage inspection. I recommend taking photos before and during a salvage rebuild, including photos of your garage and equipment. Then, when it comes time for the inspection, they can clearly see that you are an individual doing the work and not a business.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I then proceeded to disassemble the front at home. This was straightforward but time consuming. I took my time, kept all parts in labelled baggies, and made diagrams of the wiring. Taking it apart, one could see the hand-built manner in which it was assembled. I found two or three original rivets off their mark! It would be better than new when I would put it back together!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I obtained a used front hood, used front panel, and used front left headlamp assembly (without motor) from G.T. Car Parts. The original left headlamp motor was still operational. The right front fender had only a few small localized deformations so I decided to repair it with metal bumping. The left front fender had a major deformation in the front, but the remaining part was intact. I decided to repair the left front fender with metal bumping, some MIG welding, and oxy-acetylene shrinking techniques. This turned out to be the longest single part of the project. In retrospect, I should have probably just got another fender! The used front hood and used front panel also required some minor metal bumping themselves. I protected the serial numbers during the work.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I then built up a mockup of the front end on a table to fit together my original parts with those from G.T. Car Parts. That way, I could be sure that all would fit together later on the Mondial's frame (well, at least in theory!). The mockup also enabled me to precisely shape the contour of the left front fender to that of the hood. I did final contour shaping using lead.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Pics of front end prior to reassembly. Front wheel tub repairs with fiberglass. Painted tub. Reinstallation of tub.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Reinstallation of wiring, tub, and radiator. Minor damage to wiring harness was repaired. Radiator was recored locally. Original lower fiberglass panel. Repaired lower panel and refinished front panel. Beginning of reinstallation of hood and fenders. For my electrical reconnections, I started to use Stabilant that I had learnt about on Ferrarichat.

When you buy any major parts for a salvage rebuild, make sure you get receipts that include the VIN of the donor vehicle. These receipts are needed at the salvage inspection. In Massachusetts, the salvage inspection is essentially a check for stolen parts. For used air bags, you even need a copy of the title of the donor vehicle.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I installed an AC high port near the front AC radiator to later enable easier AC servicing. This was my own idea. I was not sure if there is a high port in the engine area, but even if there is, then it is not readily accessible without a lift. So I thought it would be a good idea to have an easily accessible high port for when I later work to get the AC running. The AC system was, conveniently, at zero pressure when I got the car.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I repaired a mechanical problem with the wiper mechanism. I replaced the old washer fluid tubing with standard vinyl tubing that I found on ebay. I could not find new Ferrari tubing. The black louvered cover was not easy to get off. I took my time and worked at it bit by bit. I was afraid of causing a crack in the windshield. It was easier to put back in after the old adhesive/rubber was cleaned up.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Refitting of fenders, panel, and hood. Localized prep and priming. I then decided to just do a localized patch and retouch paint job on the front to be able to get the car on the road as soon as possible. I will refinish and repaint the whole front properly later on, or maybe even the entire car later.

The headlamps were aimed later. Surprisingly, the original bulbs survived the crash and I did not have to buy any new ones! I continued to use Stabilant for reconnections. I replaced a non-working relay related to the headlamp motor system which solved a 'strange behavior' problem. The Bosch relays can be found easily. I put in new lift supports for the front hood and also the rear trunk. Stabilus supports, readily available from e.g. RockAuto, are an exact replacement.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I then repaired the front bumper. There were a few dents and small cracks.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I obtained a new front right lower fog light assembly from Ricambi. It was new and fully functional, but there was a broken plastic part inside. I know how I can fix it later on eventually.

By the way, there is presently a burned Mondial t at A1 Auto Parts in Casselman, Ontario, near Ottawa, that has a good front end with intact fog lamp assemblies. I happened to be in that area recently and had a look at it to get some some minor parts off of it.

 

My AC low port, already previously converted to the new refrigerant standard, is near the compressor and easily accessible after just jacking up the right rear end a bit.

 

Then I reinstalled the bumper, lights, grilles, and underside panel.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I installed a Halon type of fire extinguisher in the cabin and a Firecharger foam system for the engine compartment. I routed the tubing to both sides of the engine. It was easy to route the tubes through the grommet for the wiring harnesses at the upper left corner inside the trunk. I put the 'fire' handle behind the left rear wheel.

After a couple of weeks, I realized I had a hot-start starting problem. I then put in an auxiliary relay to energize the starter (after I learnt about this solution from Ferrarichat). However, I tapped into the starting circuit at connector #40208 in the Ferrari wiring diagrams. It is in the left side of the trunk. The connector has only one white jumper, the other vacant connectors presumably being there for Valeo. This enables one to get at the starter circuit further 'upstream' than at the starter motor. One can also then conveniently locate the relay in the trunk near the other relays in the trunk.

I also put in direct wiring if I wanted to directly 'spark' the starter manually as a last resort, see baggy in pic (I also learnt about this solution from Ferrarichat). But I also put in a 30 amp fuse in series with the auxiliary relay in case the relay fails in a closed position and there might be some kind of short in the starter assembly.

However, there still remains the potential pitfall that if the relay should fail in a closed position, then the starter could come on when one is driving or even at rest. To solve this remote but potentially serious problem, I plan to install two relays in parallel, with the starter sides in series. That way, 2 relays would have to fail in a closed position simultaneously before the starter side would be energized. One could even use 3 relays to feel even safer! But that topic is for another thread later.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The salvage inspection procedure was relatively straightforward. You pay the fee in advance at an RMV office. I went to the inspection site in Bridgewater, MA, a few days before to see how the system works. I then rented a flatbed by the hour to take it to the site. We went there early, well before opening time, to get in line. I heard that some people even come as early as 4 or 5 am. You line up outside on the public street. Then you are let in 1 or 2 at a time into the police yard, where you can unload, and then the inspection garage. You give them a folder with your application, Insurance Appraisal Report, hardcopy of receipts, and (optional) photos. The inspection by the police officers was formal but cordial. Near the end, the inspection evolved into a Ferrari discussion! Then you get a pass or fail and they return the signed/stamped application back to you. They keep all the other documents, so make copies for yourself ahead of time. I passed the inspection and then drove out of the inspection garage back to the flatbed in the police yard. I would now be a Ferrari driver! Then I got my insurance lined up with Grundy's and got my plates at RMV. A few days later, I got my inspection sticker for the car. There is no emission test for 1990.

In summary, if you have done all your homework, the inspection process is relatively straightforward. But I heard that they don't like to see poorly finished work.