308 GTS/B heater blower mounts are junk

Looks like a solid fix, my worn out 308 had no issues with the blower motor housings at all, not even a crack. Has your car been hit in the past?

 

My car has never been hit and both blowers are laying on their sides on the bottom pan. Laying there since about 1987.

When I open up the front area this spring, a mount similar to what is pictured will be fabricated.

Doug

 

That's a very cool fix - nice job Chris! I bet there are loads of 308s with this same problem. I'll be checking mine tomorrow sometime....

Thanks!

 

I did the exact same thing on mine; mounts had broken on both motors.

Used some Q-bond to glue the small parts back and used same to glue the re-inforced parts on. The Q-bond also allowed to build up the area behind the brackets a little more. Solid as a rock.

Funny, mine also had a white and a black impellor. Do all of them?

 

Yes they have one black one white blade because the fans are mirror images of each other and turn opposite directions. Probably to help ID left from right fan on the assembly line.

I notice the cars with broken mounts so far are from hotter climates, probably makes the plastic brittle. Mine has been in Canada since new and its anything but hot up here most of the time.

 

I fixed mine the same way. I little overkill on my screws.

Aaron
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Understatement of the year, nice fabrication though.

 

Very nice Aaron. Did you happen to make any extras?

 

Wow--nice job! I had the same issue with my old '85 308 . I just bolted 2 metal tabs onto mine to hold them in place. I gotta say, your set-up is super! Maybe you should make a few sets and sell them

 

I did not make extras, but if there is enough interest I can see about getting some made.

Aaron

 

me too.....
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I used tie wraps.

 

Nice touch.

 

At the risk of getting flamed to death, im going to say that although there are some pretty solid repairs done here, the approach taken is to avoid fixing it right by replacing the part. Its things like this (and tie wraps) that depress the value of 308's. 308 owners dont or wont fix them properly so a potential buyer down the road is left with a selection of 308s littered with personal touches and Macgyver type repairs. I didnt check availability of the housings and I bet they are not $40 each but im sure there are some in stock either new or used. Like I said about mine, they were perfect and if they were broken I would have replaced them like any other part that breaks from age or use. I proved that a properly repaired 308 is worth big money (relatively speaking) so if you guys want your 308 retain its value (or increase in value) you're going to have to spend money on it, sad but true.

Flame away!

 

almost $300 per side.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-Parts-308-L-H-Heater-Fan-OEM-NOS-60091709_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem1dbb16e5fQQitemZ7980805727QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

* Mine look identical to yours, except I painted them flat black to be less noticeable., I didn't want to leave the problem to the next owner, by just replacing them. Mine, like yours, should be a permanent fix. I'm glad to see similar solutions by other owners. It's like the fuseblocks, just replacing them, doesn't solve the problem.

 

It really depends on how you define fix. It seems to me that the original part was poorly designed. And that just replacing it will leave it broken again in the future. Thus still leaving a future owner with the exact same cost. I have fixed it in such a way that it should not need to be fixed again. However, it is now not original and has been "southern engineered" (I live in Texas, I can say that. )

If they have redesigned that part I would be willing to spend the money to fix it. Otherwise I think its just a waste.

Aaron

 

I think if the plastic part lasted almost 30 years a replacement will do the same. Mine lasted 30+ years and continues onto the next owner. Speaking as a buyer that doesnt mind spending to get an excellent example, I would pass on any 308 that had that type of approach to repairs even if its better than OEM. I know im talking to a brick wall here because im preaching to the DIYer's that see my perspective as wrong and I understand that but I know im not alone in my thinking (maybe alone in voicing it here though). As crappy as the OEM door pin switches are for example, I paid up to get the correct looking ones rather than the NAPA special. Its the details that can make the difference between being able to sell the car or not in most cases.

 

+1

To each his own...I guess. If something is better then it is better, regardless if it is OEM or not. I'm an engineer and if there is a better solution than stock then I will definitely consider it...sorry Enzo.

 

Reading this thread (and others), I thought, "Nah... mine are OK"...

Well, I took a torch (AKA 'flashlight') and had a look through the louvers behind the headlights and, lo and behold, both of the heater blowers were buggered!

Had a think about this and tried a couple of variations before the final mod. Here's what I did:

1. Epoxy'd original shards (tabs that broke off) back together
2. Shaped metal support bits with 5mm holes drilled, aligned with original mounting holes, drilled additional holes in plastic.
3. Shaped one washer to fit the location that was somewhat constricted on the inside (wanted more than just a bolt head on the inside)
4. Cut Al material which would act to filter out bugs/debris
5. Assembled as pictured...

Comments/Tips:

- I wanted something that could be easily put back to original (so simply remove two bolts in each blower, take all the bits off, and you've only got two holes to plug)
- Thought the extra filtration at the blower inlet would be a good idea...
- In disassembling the blower housing, there are 6 clips that need to be removed: Try wedging a small eyeglass repair screwdriver (which I typically use for everything but glasses!) in the under-side of the clip from one side and it will ease out without damage to the plastic.
- The photos were taken before I tightened everything up. I plan to remove the original washers that were there that the mounting screws went through as they are too thick.

Best,

John.
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+1

 

I need these! Both blowers working great. One is lying on it's side on the floor pan. Did anyone make a tracing/pattern of the fab'd piece. I suppose I could draw one up but didn't to reinvent the wheel. I even already have the rivets and rivet gun ready to go.

Beautifully done.