1981 308 gtb

My '81 had over heating issues as well. I pulled the radiator and had it flushed and cord. This made a big difference. But with in a few years it started to heat up again.

I would agree with wildcat326 and jamaienza, replace all your hoses. They will fail you when you least expect it, and if not caught in time it can be costly.

One thing several other people have mentioned is the restoration process. You will need to decide if you want the car back to original condition, or updated. It all depends how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go, but also which hole. There are pros and cons with each. Its a lot like "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Are you fine with the suitable replacement material or do you demand the exact OEM replacement part? This forum with probably be your best source of information, tips, tricks, and processes. Don't be afraid to ask questions, we were all beginners at one point.

 

First of all many congratulations on getting the car and wanting to take on the project. As many have said working on these cars is no different than any other machine. The only difference is that mistakes and oversights are generally more expensive so it is wise to do your homework and F-Chat is a wonderful resource for that.

Because you want to own the car a long time my best advice is to plan one really big service and then tackle cosmetic items at a later date. The service is to ensure that car is safe and reliable to drive. Given how long it has been parked, whether it runs or not, the single most important thing you can do is replace EVERY PIECE of rubber you can! This includes, belts, hoses, and tires. Doing this piecemeal is asking for trouble and it should all be done in one go so that you have baseline knowledge of how old everything is. To do this taking the engine out will save you tons and tons of work while granting undreamed of levels of access. It only takes a day to remove the engine and you will thank yourself a thousand times over. ALWAYS remember the 'rule of 3' with a Ferrari: 3 or more tasks and remove the engine.

I am just finishing this exact process on my 308 (with the inclusion of a few other extras) and I just don't understand why people torture themselves by leaving the engine in. Best of luck.

 

Changing the oil is probably the last thing you need to do. You are going to have to steam wash the engine bay to keep dirt out of the engine when you work on it, drain all the fluids including the fuel, change all the rubber you can get to especially the belts, water hoses, fuel lines, brake and clutch seals and brake hoses, check and reset the valve clearances, free up the clutch, check the water pump for smoothness, repack the wheel bearings, replace all the filters, replace the ignition wires, replace the tires, replace the battery, and then you can refill the fluids including the a/c (and you will need to know whether it's still R12 or has been converted). That will keep you busy for a year. And I have probably missed some stuff.

 

Fear. Or "knowing what you don't know."

I think I'd have to have someone very experienced with a 308 to show me / help me do it, before I'd feel confident enough to try it myself for the first time... I wouldn't know how to disconnect (and hopefully reconnect) every component in the process.

 

Taking the engine out is VERY EASY and there are a number of how to's on the internet. The whole process is totally methodical. If you take your time, take lots of photos, and label everything you dis-connect, the whole job first time is 6-8 hours with two people. Once you have the engine on the ground you will be astounded as to the level access and how fast and easy most jobs become.

 

Once you have the engine out you can be pretty free to clean anything. Common sense of not blasting openings with a power washer apply however some Simple Green and WD40 will achieve astounding results. Stripping and re-plating to a concourse standard is a totally different ball of wax however last year my friend and I did a comprehensive engine out service and cleaning without re-plating a single part and the results were outstanding. Check out the thread here for information:

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/76-gtb-major-service-with-sodium-extraction.507926/

As for shopping at rockauto.com please note that that is generally not a good source. They list parts for ALL cars and all of their listings are generic and not proven. For a 308 there are some excellent US based sources in TRutlands and Ricambi America . Also Superformance in the UK is outstanding and offers great pricing and excellent vehicle specific knowledge. Google those places and you will see how comprehensive the Superformance (yes that is the correct spelling) Ferrari offerings are.

As far as parts go you will want to replace anything made of or resembling rubber. Hoses, seals, belts, etc. They are all available and you can pretty much replace every bit of rubber (except the tires) for a total parts bill of under $1k. Tires are another story but you will want to change those too. Doing all the rubber at once saves a ton of labor too because you do not re-do tasks.

 

If you are going to use Simple Green, get the aviation formula because it is safe for aluminum.

WD 40 is also a good grease cutter.

Get yourself a good set of cleaning brushes. I have used a nylon bristle brush to remove the heavy stuff. Cheap, nylon won’t scratch the aluminum and available in the grocery store. I also customize some brushes for cleaning, such as cutting off the bristles of a 1” paint brush so the bristles are about 3/4” long. The bristles are now stiff and you can really dig into tight spaces . As you start cleaning, you will see what you need and can collect or make some specialized brushes.

Scotch bright pads are also useful, but they will scratch and can easily remove plating if you are not careful.

I would also recommend that you purchase a self-contained parts washer. I got one from Harbor Freight and it saved a lot of time and kept all the greasy liquid in one place and out of my house sinks and dishwasher (dont laugh, it has been posted more than once on this board).

 

Engine out tutorial can be found at

birdman308.com

Lots of great How to articles there.

 

The belt replacement has more to do with age than miles. You really want to change it before ever starting the car again. If it breaks even with the engine idling it is a $10K + repair. Discussed to death and back here and the best way to make enemies here is to ask too many belt questions; kinda like talking about religion As I posted earlier, these cars are not complex but when you mess something up or something breaks, it is never a cheap exercise. Good preventative maintenance is the key to an affordable ownership experience.

The birdman tutorial is excellent and will show what you need to do and the tools required to pull the engine. An engine crane is required and you can rent one or buy one pretty cheap. 2 people one day is plenty to take the engine out. When taking the engine out get a big box of ziplock bags, keep nuts and bolts together with assemblies, and label as much as you can.

Two things you MUST keep in mind:

1. You cannot take too many photos
2. Don't ever believe that you will remember where something goes; come re-assembly you will not. Label, photograph, and organize as much as possible.

 

Claudia, Where are you located? It might be easier to recommend someone to do the heavy lifting if they were close to you.

 

You need two people and can hopefully rent an engine hoist to take out the motor. Someone else beat me to it, but - yes - the comprehensive tutorial is illustrated on birdman308.com.

As far as cleaning products, was not a fan of simple green. As a first step, I'd wash all dusty-dirt-type surfaces with a solution of warm water and Dawn (or comparable) dish soap. PB Blaster or WD-40 will work very well to cut through heavy grease/oil crud. I think the best trick I once learned from an aircraft guy (all their stuff is aluminum, like our blocks) is foaming Scrubbing Bubbles spray. Works like a dream for final cleaning if you let it soak for a minute. For anything that can't be removed by the above, there's always brake cleaner, but that's pretty nasty stuff.

One last trick for the cam covers, clutch bell housing, and top differential housing cover: Many folks will paint or sandblast these because they're rough in surface texture and it's very hard to clean dirt out of their pores. Problem is, they weren't covered in paint from the factory, and blasting them makes them smooth, which also isn't a correct finish, if you care about such things. I found that a focused soaking with etching magnesium wheel cleaner brought them back to OEM color without having to alter the texture or appearance. That stuff is not advisable to use elsewhere.

 

I hear what you guys were saying, but personally I wouldn't pull the engine unless absolutely necessary. Would change the belts/ bearings, all the fuel lines, put in fresh fuel and fire that Puppy. See what I have and make a plan for second phase. 2cts

 

From the questions you are asking you are way over your head. You will need to find/hire somebody who knows something about 308s to help you; or at a minimum somebody who is a mechanic. If you make a mistake it can cost you thousands of dollars (for example, with the valve timing; or something as simple as cross threading a spark plug.)

 

Claudia, there is a thread titled "328 videos" in the "Ferrari discussion" forum, it shows a belt service been performed on a 328. Although different from your two valve engine, most of it is very similar. Might be a good idea just to view it and get a feel for what's involved. You can do this!

 

And "Olio Cambio" does not mean oil change; it means gearbox oil. Which is introduced via a long tube from above into the opening on the vertical wall of the gearbox, for which you will need a metric allen key I forget which size. Or under pressure from below. You need to replace the copper washers on both the gearbox oil and motor oil drain plugs when you change the oil. And don't drop the little washers or nuts into the intake manifold when you remove the plenum to get at the rubber hoses that you must replace. If you do you are in doo doo.

 

Simplest solution before you start each piece of your project, is to read prior threads on the subject, i.e. removing Plentum- changing fuel lines - gearbox oil change, etc. then before each project, post here and ask that experienced guys how they go about it. DONT BE IN A HURRY. You'll be fine.

 

Claudia, where are you located?

And I don't think you have to replace the tumblers and the ignition for a new key. That sounds like WAY too much work.

Maybe Ricambi America or one of the other Ferrari part sellers have blanks for the 308i and I believe there is a way to get the profile. Maybe through Ferrari SpA?

I don't know, is there key/lock info in the Owner's Manual?

-F

 

Well if condescending was what you were aiming for, you nailed it.

 

Condescending is the furthest thing I took from Russ' post. A lot of people have offered some very sound advice in an effort to save this young lady the loss of time and money in her project. There can be little doubt that from the questions asked the OP is currently lacking some basic fundamental knowledge on these cars thereby having her over her head. Yes it can all be learned with time and I have no doubts that she is capable of learning but what Russ is saying is that the 'learning' should come under the first hand tutelage of someone with more experience particularly with how expensive mistakes are on these cars. You can ask all the questions and get all the advice you want there is no substitute for wrench time. It would be foolish to encourage anyone otherwise and I believe that Russ did this in his post in a respectful manner without blowing sunshine.

To that point I will concur with Russ that the OP should really seek out the help of someone with experience to personally guide her. Any money or beer it costs you will be very well paid in the long run and enthusiasts in this hobby are generally quite generous with their time.

 

Ok calm down!
(and welcome, to the OP)

The missing ignition key is indeed a problem, I have had a locksmith "feel" his way into the lock, rocking back and forth against spring pressure to mark the blank and file cut a new key, but it is not advisable.

Firstly, keep looking for the lost one!
If you know the importing dealer (look in Warranty Booklet???) it is even worth a call to see what they have, but don't expect much.

Long story short, as some have mentioned, you may carefully remove the lock cylinder (and steering lock column rod, it all comes out at once!) and THEN, any good lock and safe company can scatter it all out, and build a key to fit. That is what I had to do, after the locksmith "rocked the blank". That process is hugely hard on the whole cylinder, it was explained to me.

That Part, the cylinder/switch/lock rod is long out of supply, so please be careful with my instruction!!
It was about $2,400.00USD when you cound buy it.