The right person in the passenger seat.
Conversely, one could say the right person in the driver's seat. As far as track performance is concerned, proper driving lessons may be the single best upgrade. Though that may be a bit abstract to the question.
Best thing I ever did on my 308 was a complete replacement of all the ignition components (with OEM items, no electronics) as previously mentioned, and a dyno tune with an old Italian mechanic (seriously......) who knew multi-carb setups tweaking it for 3 straight days. Gained 50 RWHP alone, 20 from parts and 30 from his tuning expertise.......but it cost me $1,400 in labor and dyno time. The difference was like night and day.
Thanks Jeff, I'm ordering those on Monday. You might want to put this in the cross reference thread for others as well.
Upgrade the fuse block, followed by getting rid of the points and mechanical advance. The inexpensive Bosch dizzy cap, rotor and generic spark plugs wire is a bonus. Doug
When i got the car 8 years ago, ir ran poorly. Installed the Norwood, single distributor, magnetic pick up and msd 6al and blaster coil with msd wires and it ran well, no fussing with points in two distributors. bulletproof and consistent. But the biggest improvement was going from 7.5x14 with pirelle, "Energy" 205/70-14s to 360 wheels and goodyear ds g3 225/40-18 and 255/35-18s. The car was transformed to a quick cornering slot car. QA-1s, stiffer springs, poly bushings and 22mm f/r bars helped, but the biggie was the wheels and tires. Sound wise, getting rid of the 100lb thermal reactor and installing a flowmaster with twin resonator tips was a big help. But, you canot really feel the goodness of the original design without getting the car onto the track, sliding it through the corners, catching faster cars. Do it, you won't regret it, chris
Not something you want to do a lot of without that oil pan baffle. The better you are out there, the more you need it.
Replacing the sodium valves so you actually rev the thing without worrying that you're going to grenade the engine (QVs, of course, exempt).
Hmmm... As a recent newcomer to Ferrari ownership, I'm beginning to wish I'd read this thread first! So many recommending 16" rims - my car ('79 GTS on carbs) had the original 14" rims with XWX tyres on, all cracking on the sidewalls - a definite MOT failure! I deliberated over the 16" swap (similar price, including tyres to 4 new XWXs!) & consulted Bob Houghton (specialists in the UK) who said 'originality is everything'..... The steering was poor on the old tyres, but I followed BH's advice & (also, I like the period 'balloon tyre' look) so opted for 4 new XWX tyres (original style, tread pattern & profile but with modern compound) from Longstone Tyres. What a transformation! Like someone added pas! Low-speed steering is much lighter, car doesn't understeer any more & the steering response is exactly as I had hoped for with a mid-engined car. I'd still love to compare it on 16" though.... Now if I could just reduce the weightiness of the clutch......
Tire aspect ratio is often a matter of style rather than performance. 14" rims and tires may be lighter than 16" rims and tires and properly optimized tire pressures will keep the tread on the road. Noteworthy is that F1 uses 13" wheels with high aspect tires. If you like the look of 14" wheels, it's good you got those.
Hello Tommy, what do you think about the double belt modification for the earlier Quattrovalvole (Apr. 83'). Is it worth it? How much could cost a good kit? Do you recommend a Ferrari specialist or it is something a good mechanic can install with no major concern?
This is going to sound strange but you don't need it if you don't need it. What I mean is enough the single belt cars experienced multiple belt failures back in the day that Ferrari provided the dealers with this kit to go with two belts if they had a "problem" car come it. They all didn't do it, but still, it was frequent enough that Ferrari felt they had to address the issue. By somewhere in 85 they were all 2 belt cars. My car was one of the bad ones (Jan 84 build date). I threw 3 belts over about a 7 year period. I did some research and found out that I had an option but there is no such thing anymore as a "NOS kit sitting on a shelf". I had to source the parts from several salvage cars over a 3 or 4 month period to get everything I needed. That was back in about 04 and it has not let me down one single time since it was installed. So, it may be far more trouble than it is worth to hunt down the parts for your car - unless you have been having this problem with yours.
I have done many things to my '78 308 but the ones with the most impact cosmetically were the 16" wheels and stripping the vinyl from the targa top. Mechanically, putting Audi brakes on the front and adding the Accusump oil tank both made me feel better. The Ansa exhaust was already there is it hits both categories.
I'd say if the car currently drives well, and nothings broke and it's been maintained properly, And I know all you fat footed Ferrari owners will agree with me. I'd buy: (doesn't have to be so bright but you get the picture) Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'd be interested in how your Longstone XWXs wear, Ian. I heard reports of poor longevity on them. Let us know! I do like the look of the original tyre walls & treads.
Verell's magic thermostat bleeder? Needing 30 seconds to install, and a scoring an "Oh thank god" every time it's used, it's got about the best OTG:hassle ratio out there.
