Looked at a 97 Spyder, Flabbergasted!

Personally I favor cars that are in need of service. That way you can get it done under your supervision and know its done and done right to your specs. A pile of paper can at times just be a pile of paper. Was there not just a thread around here where some guy just changed his oil or gearbox oil and was convinced it was far older than the paperwork/records that come with the car stated it was. Pretty easy to fudge some papers and state that things were done when they were not IMO

 

I'm more bumfuzzled than flabbergasted.

 

Is the car in question in the Islands? If so, I can't imagine that there are too many there and its history should be fairly well known.

 

I might add, for you folks who have not changed your timing belts, bending the valves is not a good time. Having been there and done that, a belt change is cheap insurance.

 

I'm totally in agreement with you on the above. But there is a flip side as well. I personally know a guy who bought a 355 that was 7 years from the last belt change. He thought he would enjoy it for a month before he took it in (even had scheduled the apt). While idling at a traffic light, it sheared several teeth off the belt on one bank, and the expected result...

In fact the belts rarely ever "snap" they just shear teeth off. Whenever I visit the local independent Ferrari service center around here, he seems to always have a couple neglected 308s or Mondials with engine damage from belt failures...he seems to average a couple a year.

 

I think I can remember your thread when you asked about a bottom end rebuild because of a snapped belt.
I also remember people was asking you how many miles your belt had and to give more details of the disaster, but if I recall correctly you did not answer. Will you tell us now how many miles did your let go, or even if it was something else?
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/501946-rebuilding-bottom-end-advice-wanted.html

 

26000 miles roughly. However, I suspect possible shenanigans with the odometer reading given the condition inside the engine, although Ferrari's are typically low mileage and much evidence points to it not being tampered with, other evidence suggests that a history of tampering is likely. I am sure that I will never be 100% sure in either case.

Result of the damage 13 bent valves and a broken propshaft.

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Thanks for that, I hope your all up and running again

 

Actually still a work in progress for a number of reasons, but should be back on the road soon enough.

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Where is the car located?

 

Absolutely! Best of luck on your search.

 

Mark, any idea of the chronological age of the belt?

 

First year of F1 is 1997. And I'd personally avoid them only because of the pump scarcity. With all the extra stuff on the 355 compared to the 348, I'd leave F1's alone to avoid another maintenance item. Spiders are iffy to me as well due to the auto top. I'd probably not care if converted to manual operation, as my 348 Spider was. You learn to live with it. But to each his/her own.

 

Why someone would even think this matters for an old exotic is beyond me. There's a reason why most cars depreciate.


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I will see if I can find a date code on the belt, I still have it.

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Please stop with your silly "F1 pump" scarcity crap. Sorry to be so harsh but this stuff is an internet rumor. What's next $20,000 F1 system repairs?

1. The 360 pump can be purchased new for less than $500. Those that have not switched to the 360 pump can do so with the Hill kit from Ricambi + the pump.

2. The F1 system in the 355 is the most basic F1 system on the planet and uses the EXACT SAME transmission as the 6 speed.

This constant BS on the internet about the F1 system by people who have no ****ing idea about it is crazy. Please stop it.

Not meant top turn this into an F1 / 6 speed thread. But wrong information posted as fact needs to be exposed.

Carry on...

 

+1
I've even posted you don't even need the hill kit anymore..just the 360 pump motor and some hoses.This set up was on a car that i bought i could not believe that they did it without the hill kit.The prime time is about 2 sec.
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I still would not buy an F1.

 

I would..F1 or nothing..lol

 

Ya know. That's fine. I wouldn't buy a 308 or a yellow car. But that is based on my personal preferences.

My beef is with internet idiots running around telling people how expensive, bad, failure prone F1 cars are when they have no ****ing idea what they are talking about. Do they have more bits to go wrong? Sure. So what? All are replaceable pieces just like the rest of the car.

It is also a rare option on the 355. It was the very first production car available with direct drop-in technology from Formula 1 racing. It's pretty cool stuff.

To post publicly the pumps are "scarce" is not only uneducated and irresponsible, it is a lie.

 

That is actually a better hook-up than the Hill kit I put in. But alas, I didn't see that in time

BTW, what braided hose size did you use for the pressure side & banjo fitting?

 

Ferrari did not invent this nor were they the first , they just gave it a catchy name . A manual transmission operated by a hydraulic system was pioneered by citroen , 40 or 50 years before ferrari .
Imho , its just one more thing to break on a car with sketchy quality in other areas to begin with.
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