Best GT4 Educational Thread?

Search for our member robertgarven..

He has a very original GT4 he has long owned and cared for, and is also buying a brand new remanufactered 308GT4, that is almost completed.

His "new adventure" thread is like watching the Factory itself build one (well, ok...they are doing MUCH better than Ferrari did!)...

But his threads really paint an excellent picture of ownership of the model, IMO.

Our sponsor Bradan also did a bare metal respray on one..
You can search by thread originator, and find these pretty easily....

 

Welcome!!

Fill in your profile so others near you can offer help in the market, and joining FCA gets their Newsletter to your door.

I think the ads there, are usually some very well cared for cars!
Alan

 

Hi T6dPilot, I think I recognize your username from the Pelican Parts site? Before I bought my car I found this site to be useful in learning about all things 308. The link to Daves GT4 Overview is useful. Ferrari 308 Mondial parts and service
Cheers, John

 

The major mechanicals of the 308GT4 and later GTB/GTS are nearly identical. I think with any car of this age the key determinant of reliability is condition at the point of purchase. If you buy a car from a non-enthusiast that has had little use for the last decade (commonly what pops up on eBay) you can count on having to spend some time and attention on what I believe are the four systems that impact the frustration of ownership the most - ignition, fuel, coolant and brakes. Each has a starting point and an ending point and if you want relatively trouble free ownership you need to go to the start and clean, flush, renew and work your way to the end. You may not need to do these all at once but for instance, if you have a stuck caliper, you may as well start at the brake fluid reservoir and work you way down to the calipers as you can almost guarantee there is crud in the reservoir, master cylinder is probably in need of a rebuild, fluid is probably saturated and all four calipers likely need attention. Others may have more pointed advice.

 

I'm a recent new GT4 owner and mine is a '74 Series I. I'm not a big fan of the full width front grill so I prefer the Series I, but it is entirely down to personal taste.
I'm slowly finding my way around the car and getting to know its character.

Paul

 

Series 1 vs 2 doesn't matter all that much in regard to a 40 year old car. Where it does make a big difference is in California. Here, only 1975 and older cars are smog exempt, and therefore you can expect these cars to be more desirable.

 

Early cars had the Dino badging when new, simpler bumper systems.

Later cars, if you want a sunroof coupe!

The break in engine spec is in 1978.

Earlier, NON CAT, higher cam profiles.
Later, CATS required, and softer cams...

 

Unless you need to register the car in California buy the best car you can find regardless of spec.

 

+308

 

I bought S/N 10906 from the 3rd and 4th owners (mother and son). She bought the car at 61 in 1979 and the two of them owned the car for the next 27 years. I do all of my own maintenance and the car has been on many long (400+mile) trips without so much as a hiccup. Other than the funky ring nut tools, working on the Dino is fairly straightforward if a little convoluted at times. Cars next big evolution is a return to the original white - mother had the car painted black in 1980 - for which I am going to disassemble the car for the painter. I drive the car and enjoy it immensely. I have completely removed but kept the emission controls (the air pump bearings are beginning to growl) and I am upgrading the A/C with the RetroAir system for 308s. My wife and I pulled in the new coolant hose through the left rocker panel and the car runs a dual PerTronix ignition system and coils. Nothing has been too hard, the timing belts have been done twice, the shocks rebuilt (professionally by Koni), new suspension bushings, brakes, the list goes on... It is a Series 1 and virtually none of the factory upgrades were ever done to the car. Only the nose, tail and steering wheel badges were every changed. None of the mechanical mods/upgrades listed in Ferrari tech bulletins (see Birdman's website) were ever accomplished because - according to mother - she never had to take the car in for anything. It always ran fine.