Question for those with FCA Concorso judging experience.

I have judged the 328 class with the IAC/PFA at an FCA national meet.

Those incorrect hoses would be a -2 point deduction based on our guidelines.

 

Fire extinguisher should not translate into a point deduction unless the installation of such was so poor as to detract from the general appearance of the interior. Regional concours often times have a shortage of experienced judges that result in inaccurate decisions.

FCA National guidelines attached.

http://www.fca2016.org/repository/Documents/National%20Concours%20Judging%20Guidelines%2012%202015.pdf

 

Despite the mechanical advantages of braided lines they will be a points deduction in a concours as well as being a negative influence when trying to sell the car. Especially with the increase of interest in these cars deviations from original are generally not well looked upon and more than one buyer will run for the hills the moment they see an engine bay shot like the one you posted.

Regarding the concours judging be aware that you can judge a car 10 times and each time different things will be caught. Lots of times people get a certain score and then correct the deductions hoping for a Platinum or better and are sorrily disappointed when their car falls short or scores equal to or worse in a future concours.

 

A big negative for most buyers. If I was inspecting the car for a buyer the hood would be closed and the car put back in the lot. No need to put a client in a car that has been owned or serviced by Timmy the Hotrodder.

Platinum score has risen to 97 points.

 

As someone who likes to drive their cars, but spent years showing cars at concours events in the past, I believe it is an upgrade to see the Aeroquip type braided lines in a car. The same for Brake lines which deflect and therefore improve brake pedal feel and performance as well. Seems like I may be in the minority here, but my suggestion to you is leave it the way it is and let the potential buyer decide. If you get a lot of negative feedback because of the hoses and feel it is lowering the marketability of the car, change them. Me personally, I would prefer your car as it is!

 

Agree.

If you invest in a car and want to enjoy driving it, then safety and reliability is important. If you have (or could source) all the original hoses and lines in pristine condition (stored separately), the message to a prospective buyer is that the car is currently set up with the former in mind, but can be returned to original state should it be desired. No apologies needed and yes, I would buy it like it is were I currently in the market... My logic is that you have not just taken care of the regular maintenance, but have gone a step further to ensure that the engine will run well. This is somewhat different than building a hot rod...

 

Except that 99% of the time your logic is wrong and is why the market as a whole rejects it. It does not indicate someone who went a step further, it indicates someone who placed form over substance. The metal braided hose lends no, none, nada improvement over more traditional, more available, less expensive and correct hoses. They are used in an application like this for their bling value and nothing more. They are the engine bay equivalent of putting polished spinners on the car.

Like it or not, with rising values 308 and 328 are being looked at differently in the market place and that look values originality.

 

If your brake pedal actually feels night and day different because you changed to a braided line, it wasn't because you changed to a braided line.

 

Rather harsh...

With all due respect 'Rifledriver', what I actually wrote was, "...have gone a step further to ensure that the engine will run well." This statement assumed that the hoses improved performance and reliability (as I think has been said elsewhere). From your comments, this is clearly not the case which is indeed a 'game changer', however I stand by my original logic in doing some reversible things to improve reliability/safety.

As a comment, you and I are in total agreement on keeping these cars as original as possible and I do detest 'bling'...

 

Steel braided hose has a need and purpose. In this application it is being used to replace vacuum, coolant, breather and air induction hose that have no need for such material. It also has rainbow colored aluminum covers over the hose clamps to hide them, and similar rainbow colored anodized crank breather pipe with odd looking fittings all straight out of the bargain pages in the back of a tuner catalog. None of it fits the character of a Ferrari and is a cosmetic negative.

The market being what it is on these cars just will not support those kind of modifications any more then than the Miss America contest will reward a contestant for showing up in cheap hooker make up.

 

I was going to ask if that is actually Aeroquip lines or the cosmetic slipovers with beauty trim.

Big difference.

Agree the braid does not "get you anything" on these lines.

 

Leave my cheap hookers out of this.....

Not so cheap, after a couple of days.

 

I'm with Brian in this....What is it about 308s that some owners think they have to "improve things"....oftentimes, they ruin, and bastardize the car with trinkets that either look cheap or do not fit the era in which the car was made...Please people, keep it original..
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I agree. However, there might be a lot of things that can be changed on these cars to make them mechanically "better" but at the end of the day they are not going got be original; and originality is what they are looking one these judging shows.

 

I would change them back to original cloth braid. These belong on a '68 Camaro (had them on mine) and not a 308. If I bought your car, the first thing I would do is have them replaced. Of course after I negotiated a cheaper selling price for those being there.

I also have a fire extinguisher installed on a bracket made of billet aluminum I purchased from a fellow Fchatter that attaches to the rails of the passenger seat. I never thought that would be a point deduction. I guess I will remove it when it comes to show time.

 

originality rules the day
when you start messing with the factory look, buyers ask.....what else has been changed?

 

I think the only original braided line on the car are the hoses from and to the oil cooler but having to say that, I don't mind having the steel braided hose for my brake lines.

 

Because of the 2016 change on. Platino minimum point score you are now at least 4 points away.