1981 308 GTSi help | FerrariChat

1981 308 GTSi help

Discussion in '308/328' started by bnthrdnthat, Oct 12, 2017.

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  1. bnthrdnthat

    bnthrdnthat Rookie

    Oct 12, 2017
    12
    cary,nc
    Full Name:
    Chuck Penfield
    Hi Guys. First of all forgive me as I am new to this fourm.

    I want to get some advice on a possible purchase. I have a friend of the family that has been storing his sisters 1981 308 GTSi outside under a cover for the past 6 yrs.She has since passed away. It has 16k on the odometer ( I know this can be wrong easily with these cars) . It ran when parked, but here are the list of issues.

    1)Needs tires
    2) silver dollar spot of rust on rear bottom of both doors.
    3) The cover that has been on the car has damaged the paint and there are cracks in the paint. small dent in rear driver quarter panel. I assume it needs a new paint job.
    4) Owner said the clutch is stuck

    I know that it would need belt and fuel service just from sitting.

    Asking price is $15k Interior looks good.

    I would enjoy bringing this back to life, but don't want to be underwater when done. Thoughts or advice?


    Thanks guys!
     
  2. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    Hi Chuck,


    Generally speaking, tires are a nominal expense. Even if they were perfect and new, you'd be replacing them some day. The issues with the rust, dents and paint would be addressed at one time. The clutch is another matter, of course.

    I suppose the first question would be, what sort of expense are you prepared for - or, not prepared for?

    What is your no-go area? $5K, $10K, $20K, more?

    Secondly, Would you be doing any work at all yourself, or sending to a shop?
     
    Claudia k likes this.
  3. f4udriver

    f4udriver Formula Junior

    Feb 1, 2012
    290
    Central Illinois
    Full Name:
    Mike G
    I can say I bought a 1981 308 Gtsi that was sitting in a garage for 12 years. Cost $13,000 to get it ready for the road. I spent another $3500 for suspension that was not 100% necessary. I still want to replace the interior leather but not that bad yet. My car had been repainted and the engine rebuilt sometime in the 90's. Always chasing leaks which has been the biggest problem. May have to pull the engine to finally get it stopped. I bought the car knowing I may have to part it out. Felt pretty good when the Ferrari shop that did the work tried to buy it from me.
     
  4. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 4, 2001
    35,278
    Birmingham, AL
    Full Name:
    Tommy
    Sometimes these can be a cool find. Every Ferrari doesn't have to be a concours restoration. Assuming the motor is sound (big if I know), Pay the 15K, bring it home, do a basic service, clean it, dab some red paint over the rust spots, polish it up and just enjoy the damn thing. Who cares?

    And I'm not kidding. Get it back on the road and just fix little things as time passes. It's nice to drive a Ferrari 308 and not worry about it sitting in the parking lot of a grocery store.
     
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  5. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 4, 2001
    35,278
    Birmingham, AL
    Full Name:
    Tommy
    Post some pictures. I love the 80-82 series the most.
     
  6. greyboxer

    greyboxer F1 World Champ

    Dec 8, 2004
    12,281
    South East
    Full Name:
    Jimmie
    Probably got TRX tires @ USD 500 each
     
  7. bnthrdnthat

    bnthrdnthat Rookie

    Oct 12, 2017
    12
    cary,nc
    Full Name:
    Chuck Penfield
    I am prepared to put whatever amount into it as long as it wouldn't go much over what it's worth....30-40k. I am mechanically inclined and comfortable with basic services. I like working on cars, but I think this would go to a specialist so I can show documentation to the next buyer. I'll post some pictures this evening. Thnaks!
     
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  8. Russ Gould

    Russ Gould Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 8, 2004
    1,073
    81/82 308 GTSi is the least desirable car in the 308 series ... due to emissions strangulation and the targa versions are discounted across the board. This example will be the bottom of that barrel due to neglect and lack of "history", even if you repaint it, which costs more than you would guess and will raise questions in the mind of any future buyer. You may not end up underwater but on the other hand you would definitely be ahead parting it out. Assuming you have time to deal with that.
     
  9. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 4, 2001
    35,278
    Birmingham, AL
    Full Name:
    Tommy

    The asking prices for the 2Vi have been 10% -15% more than the QV's lately and I don't understand why. This has never been the case, as far as I can remember, ever.

    Have any idea why?
     
  10. Formula Uno

    Formula Uno F1 Veteran

    Oct 8, 2008
    6,659
    New York City
    I would be worried about how much is rusted, rotted, dried-out, etc because it has been sitting under a cover all that time but like others have said here, if you're willing to sink some money into it you can have a great car....mine isn't in concurs (who cares?) condition either.

    I bet that he isn't firm on his asking price either and just wants to get rid of the car so you can possibly get it even cheaper.

    I would pay a Ferrari specialist to look at it and go from there.

    Sounds like you have a great opportunity
     
    Claudia k likes this.
  11. Brian A

    Brian A F1 Rookie

    Dec 21, 2012
    3,079
    SanFrancisco BayArea
    Full Name:
    1983 US 308 GTS QV
    You will be paying a tremendous amount for that documentation. It is questionable as to whether that cost will provide sufficient benefit.

    Many repairs and maintenance activities on these cars are very labor intensive; parts cost are usually a small fraction of total cost. The best example is the infamous timing belt replacement. If you enjoy doing mechanical work yourself, you can save a tremendous amount of money. Careful documentation of your work will give it credibility.

    If you start working on the car, it will start to feel like working on a plain old car; no need to be a factory trained sorcerer to do good work. The drivetrain configuration is unusual (transverse mid-engine with transaxle) but with time it starts to look quite familiar and the intimidation factor drops substantially.
     
  12. ME308

    ME308 Formula 3

    Nov 5, 2003
    1,542
    Munich, Germany
    Full Name:
    Michael

    buy it ! :cool:

    15K is a steal - even for a project

    plan 20K and 500 hours of your time to get it back on the road, try to do as much as you can yourself and document each step with pictures
    (use the specialst for things you can not or dare not do yourself)

    plan on keeping the car ... working on this car can be a real pita sometimes but it can also be very satisfying and rewarding
     
    dflett likes this.
  13. sidtx

    sidtx F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Feb 9, 2014
    4,454
    Frisco, Tx
    Full Name:
    Sid
    I don't have a 308, but I have a Mondial QV Coupe (same drivetrain as the 308/328). I'd like to echo the comment by "Brian A" above, in that if you are mechanically inclined, these cars are not that hard to work on. In fact, they are rather simplistic and in most cases you should be able to do the majority of the work yourself. I've had my QV coupe for 3 years now, and we (me and my adult son) do all the maintenance and restoration work ourselves. It's mostly very straight-forward.

    Brian A is correct, you don't need to be a sorcerer or even speak (cuss) in Italian to work on these. A little Italian sweet-talking may occasionally help!

    And one other word of advice - don't go to Ferrari for parts. There's several good vendors to get parts from. Also, check/ google the part number of what you want replaced -- there are many parts that have been used in other cars (Fiats, Mercedes, BMWs, etc.) where you can find the part much cheaper. Fuel injectors, cold start valve, alternator, window motors (for me the sunroof motor and cable), switches, etc. Some stuff you can even find in junk/pic-n-pull yards. Here's 2 examples: 1) my alternator quit. Called Ferrari - they wanted $2K for a replacement. Pulled it out and noticed it was a Bosch. Had a local generator shop rebuild it for me for $110. 2) My sunroof motor was dead. Called Ferrari - $1K for the motor and $1500 for the cable. Did some research and found that the motor and cable are the exact same units used in the Porsche 924/944. Went to a local pic-n-pull yard and got one (motor and cable) for $40.

    To sum it up - these cars are fairly easy and fun to work on. Give it a shot. If you get in trouble, there's lots of help and information here on F-Chat.

    Sid
     
  14. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    I think the biggest challenge and expense - for me, at least - would be the bodywork. A lot of the mechanical work I or my son could ourselves... if there's a tutorial, a youtube vid, or some common sense available (and a parts source) - it's just hours in the garage. But paint and panel repair ... that's a wallet-killing proposition for me.
     
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  15. 2dinos

    2dinos F1 Rookie

    Jan 13, 2007
    2,772
    A stuck clutch may not be a big deal. Typically, moisture and minor surface rust on the pp or f-wheel can make it stick. Sometimes you can step on the clutch and move the disc thru the opening and free it. Worst case- you do a clutch job. Relatively easy and well documented.

    The 2vi is a fantastic car. These specific models have consistently held the fastest times at the Virginia city hill climb of all the 308s except a GT4 which one year edged out a gtsi by ~1/2 second. The gearing is a little shorter which gives strong 'out of the hole' performance so long as the motor is well tuned. And for these, it's simply fresh ignition parts and filters to make them scoot. Also, there's a following for these as the hood doesn't have another grill and looks less hi tech and more classic. The shift mechanism has needle bearings as opposed to a bushing, and the lever is longer. This makes the throw longer from gear to gear, but easy enough to adapt to. I agree that if you love Ferrari's, go for it and you'll never look back w regret how you got a fantastic car for a great price. If it's only the price swaying you, I've seen owners get upset over any one of many things a 40 year old car can have problems with.

    Just my humble opinion. But this and $4 will get you a cup of coffee. .
     
  16. bnthrdnthat

    bnthrdnthat Rookie

    Oct 12, 2017
    12
    cary,nc
    Full Name:
    Chuck Penfield
    Claudia k likes this.
  17. bnthrdnthat

    bnthrdnthat Rookie

    Oct 12, 2017
    12
    cary,nc
    Full Name:
    Chuck Penfield
  18. bnthrdnthat

    bnthrdnthat Rookie

    Oct 12, 2017
    12
    cary,nc
    Full Name:
    Chuck Penfield
  19. bnthrdnthat

    bnthrdnthat Rookie

    Oct 12, 2017
    12
    cary,nc
    Full Name:
    Chuck Penfield
  20. bnthrdnthat

    bnthrdnthat Rookie

    Oct 12, 2017
    12
    cary,nc
    Full Name:
    Chuck Penfield
  21. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 4, 2001
    35,278
    Birmingham, AL
    Full Name:
    Tommy
    The speedometer is correct for this car
     
  22. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 4, 2001
    35,278
    Birmingham, AL
    Full Name:
    Tommy
    Headliner looks fantastic.

    Give him the 15 and drag it home
     
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  23. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
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    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    Headliner and latches are better than mine. I agree with Tommy... write the check.
     
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  24. wildcat326

    wildcat326 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 10, 2012
    1,777
    Chicago, IL
    Full Name:
    Justin
    Clutch is not a bad DIY task ($700 in parts); there's a full step-by-step illustrated tutorial available online. Ditto the belts, but otherwise those can be $3500-5000 depending if you have a tech just change the belts or pull the cam covers to check valve adjustment, too. Another $700-900 in parts, as I recall, depending of you replace the water pump and reseal the cam covers. A top-notch body shop will prob run you $20-25k for full respray and bodywork. It's worth more than you estimate after all the fixes; $15k is what parts salvagers pay for 308s that have been crashed and burned. Accept victory, write the check.
     
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  25. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    I think if you're able to do the work yourself... perhaps even pull the engine out with the help of a friend or two (to make this process easier, but not required), you're talking about $2-3K worth of parts and a few weeks - assuming there's no serious problem under the hood. After that, look into the brakes, suspension, and tire refresh... maybe another $2K, but we're still under $20K.

    And you'll have a lovely car to enjoy.... drive if for awhile. If you decide it's a keeper, decide if you want to invest in the body restoration. If not, I bet you'll be able to sell it for what you have invested in it.
     
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