330 GTC - new owner questions

First, congratulations for a fine acquisition.
Secondly, I'm quite sure Mr. Ottis & Co. are more than capable to provide you with any and all answers to your questions, probably more so than most here, but here are some of my offerings:
1. All stainless exhaust systems for all vintage application I've ever seen or heard seem to alter the sound, some quite dramatically...
2. Your personal preference should dictate this.
3. Your car may be equipped with a cigarette lighter not intended for actual removal. Consult your owners manual. (To fully enjoy and experience such vintage car, place the turned-off iPhone into glove box or your pocket and remove only in a case of real emergency.)
4. & 5. No experienced advise.
6. Spend the money required for (mostly useless) O.E.M.-type tools on mechanical services and improvements to make the actual car reliable (= enjoyable) and carry only useful tools and/or AAA premium card in case of real problems. Perhaps you could ask yourself a question, would you have been willing to pay more for your car if it had all the "O.E.M."-type tools, since the lack of them obviously didn't prevent you buying it.

 

Timo is correct in his comments, but a few additions:

1. Timo is correct,stainless will alter the tone and sound.

2. Most period correct mirror is the one found on Alfa Duetto Spiders and Daytona's. Readily available.

3. Timo is correct.

4. I have used "key-men" website with good results.

5. Door key should be VERY different from Neiman ignition key. You may need a locksmith to make a key from the lock itself. SAFE is probably the name of the original blank.

6. Purely your decision.

 

Gary Bobileff in San Diego can reproduce/restore your exhaust system to concours level.

 

Whatever you do, do not pull on the cigarette lighter, you will damage it. It is designed to have the cigarette inserted into the lighter and then you push down on the outer black plastic surround, this sends power to the lighter element. Once it is glowing red hot and your cigarette is lit, the black plastic surround pops back up with a click. You then remove your cigarette and puff away.

If you want we can install a separate power socket for your IPhone.

While the aftermarket stainless exhaust systems last longer, they do not sound the same as an Ansa exhaust. Some (Stebro) are very poorly made. The Timevalve stuff is good but expensive.

Brian Brown
Patrick Ottis Co.

 

I'm on my way out the door, but here's a "cut and paste" from the notes I've created as I've owned '66 GTC, #8995. I've had reasonable dealings with both of the key makers you referenced. However, my neighborhood key shop actually had a workable blank for a Ghibli I had some years ago, when "the experts" did not. Congrats and good luck. steve


KEYS: The ignition key is Neiman code 41122A corresponds to R61N. Correct blanks are:
Ilco #: R61N
Dominion #: H61VR
Taylor #: D67P
Curtis #: AA1
Silca #: NE9A
OEM #: Neiman


The door key is a Torino S.A.F.E code 2164 correct blanks are:
Ilco #: F91C2
Dominion #: SF1
Taylor #: F72Y
Curtis #: FT35
Silca #: AF4A
OEM #: Torino/SAFE

The trunk/glove box key is: Dominion 61E. I’m not sure about this key or lock combo, but: Correct blanks are:

Equivalent part numbers:
Ilco #: F66C
Dominion #: 61F
Taylor #: F66C
Curtis #: FT22
Silca #: AF2C
OEM #: SIPEA

 

I have also rebuilt/restored several systems in the past, but having not yet personally seen the quality of recent introductions of Ansa and other reproductions, can't say for certain if they render such efforts less cost effective in the future.

And if note/sound is not of importance, I think stainless exhaust is an excellent choice for owners who do not really intend to drive their cars much with potential benefit that by the time when rest of the car has eventually rotted away, one can still be proud of the exhaust system that has not

 

Congrats, great model, miss mine dearly.

Last week I was in the shop of René Richem near the Como lake and it is amazing what he has in his boxes, but he also makes reproduction ANSA exhausts. He might be worth contacting, also for your mirror.

PARTSCOLLECTORS RICAMBI CLASSIC FERRARI ANSA CARELLO LAMBORGHINI ALFA ROMEO

Onno
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@jazzyo, what do you mean by "he makes repro ansa exhaust"? or, is he a distibutor for ansa?

 

Regarding your Talbot mirror, I had a 1967 MG with its original aftermarket Talbot Berlin Jr, and it had a green dot, so what's on your car may well be correct.

 

I remember your initial post before your purchase of the GTC and how there were a number of posters who opined that these cars (? can be) as reliable as new, modern cars. The implication was that great maintenance prevents nearly all issues, and to a degree this is correct. There were several pages of posts that addressed these issues, so I decided to withhold my drivel. However, no matter how well one maintains these old cars, some problems, many of great potential significance, can arise. And, as you experienced, a certain amount of luck is always welcome.

Some 4-5 years ago, I was just entering the freeway near my house, driving my Kirkham bodied Cobra replica. As I shifted from 2nd to 3rd, the shifter handle broke off the shifter mechanism, right into my hands! The car was in neutral, and fortunately, I was in the far right lane not having had time get over (see what I mean about some luck involved?!). I had no control over the car, only coasting in the right lane, out of any gear. Luckily, I had enough power to crest the hill and coast down to the next exit, where I was able to cross all three lanes to take a right hand exit on to the street where I lived 15 years earlier! The car stopped just in front of my old house!! The owner, to whom I'd sold the house was home, and let me come in to call my wife who dutifully showed up with a pair of locking (she has always called them "lucky") pliers. I was able to grab a broken piece of shifter and get the car into first gear and drove home at 7 mph. Repairing this required the front seats and console to come out of the car to access the broken shifter which only cost $15 to gusset at a local welder.

When I was first year resident we learned "that it's always better to be lucky than good".

steve

 

shift linage issue reminds of an item to check, is the condition of the throttle cable at the ball swage ( end stop ) which drops into a fork at the carb linkage... the cable flexes at the swage, after many years of flex breaking the cable strands until all are totally severed... the break is hidden by linkage and cannot readily seen until removed... a length of twine saved my day... by luck I found some twin in the trunk, hooked the twine to the linkage and lead it back to the driver's window, where I could manage the throttle by hand and limp to the repair shop... great image of a nice car being driven by twine from the driver's window :=)

 

Cheesy, that story is just too funny, but poignant. None of these cars are perfect, even a one, that's for sure. Another thing to check, and of course Patrick will do this, is the master and slave cylinders for the clutch. Luckily, mine failed at work and I was able to work on it in the parking lot to effect a temporary stay of execution until I got it home to replace the whole system. There are a thousand war stories to tell, and all worth hearing over a good Bordeaux or glass of Port. s

 

And you can add to the list 2 other things to check on; ask Patrick about the shock mounts both front and rear. There have been age/use related failures of both. Both had been repaired long ago on my former car. Probably all cars have been fixed by now, but always good to know…. There may still be some diagrams re the front mounts on Tom Yangs 330 website.

 

Yep, that's another good point (pun intended). I had mine welded,as well. s

 

He makes reproductions.

From what I understand, ANSA is no more.


Onno

 

Certainly my experience. Once I had my 365BB and my 330GTC properly sorted, they never let me down.

But one needs to drive them. Properly. And often. It certainly looks like you will do that. Enjoy!


Onno

 

Ansa is back, apparently reopened by a former employee. I learned about this from a thread on Tom Yang's site, have not used them personally: Classiche Exhaust LLC - Catalogue

 

In reference to properly sorted vintage cars, even if the subject is completely restored, it doesn't mean it's going to be "trouble-free" without continued and proper maintenance.

For example, although not a Ferrari, but still relatively rare (only 300 originally made and perhaps less than 50 still existing), quite collectible and revered almost 60 year old vintage car valued at several 100K's I'm currently sorting for the current owner who purchased it about 4 years ago in "..with only less than 10(!) miles since full, body-off restoration..." condition.
The comprehensive and total "body-off" restoration was performed about 15 years ago on a what appear to have been very, very nice subject (Actually, the current owner had/missed a chance to purchase this exact same car about 25 years ago before its aforementioned restoration and according to him, it was nice enough that he would've not commissioned such undertaking).
The restoration, although quite impressive, good enough to earn few of "best of shows" (including recent one at international mark specific clubs annual event) and perhaps rendering the car to be considered, if not THE, at least one of the best examples of its kind in the world, appear to have not been quite "sorted" in the end, possibly due to mind-set of "well, we're not going to drive it much anyway" or something similar, resorting accumulation of only few miles and lots of deferred maintenance subsequent to it sitting in static display in a private collection.
I've been sorting (+ documenting) all these (numerous) deferred maintenance and other issues, many quite surprising, for many months and $$'s now, but were getting closer...

 

Door keys is easy. Remove the tumblers and any key shop can make you keys. You'll have to pull the door cards and carefully remove the hardware but it's easy to do. I don't know about the ferrari but my old benz had codes stamped on tumbler. I still had to pull them to find the code though