1981 308 gtb

furmano.

The dealer will be in warranty booklet, but the only place, to my knowledge the Code is stamped, is in the original Nieman blanks.
Then you need the Book, to come up with the Cut Sequence that matched that Code..

(I used to do it, on Pontiacs)

The disassembly process I discuss simply lets the locksmith rearrange the "springs and followers", which look like little roof tops, into a new position.
In my case they actually saved the cylinder (which had enlarged by the rocking key cut) by shortening the springs and lengthening the roof tops.

"This lock must be out of some old, foreign car?"
"Yes sir, a FIAT!"

 

Oh, never get the engine wet, the spark plug wells will fill with water!
Why pull the engine now?
Maybe it's fine...

Just brush it off with a toothbrush, using Simple Green, and check the fuel lines.
If they are leaking (mice bite them for some reason) you will see and smell it immediately!!

Keep fire extinguisher close and only run it long enough to see!
My money says your fuel distributor diaphragm is stuck or shot (where all the fuel lines are), but, maybe not.

You want to make sure the fuel pump is working.
The new fuels are very hard on all these components, where the rubber is not rated for our 10% ethanol gas

 

Our sponsor Ricambi America will be far more useful!

Also, Algar Ferrari Parts is very good, and the older TRutlands in Georgoa.
HTH

 

Ferrari finally said, for the V8s:

"New belts every three years"
Amen

Mainly from the heat off the catalytic exhaust.
Originally, the 308 motors were:
"Inspect the belts every 15K miles, and change them at 52000 miles.

But that assuming a car in daily use.
The 3 years standard more fits the way these cars sit around all the time.

The belts actually have a date code, you can decipher that and tell how old they are!

 

Those that have sat so long are probably set into a shape of the pulleys, so again I would not run the motor long, if at all.

Tensioner bearings are replaced every time the belts are, also.,

 

Circling WAY back to the overheating issue:
As they note above make sure there Is no air in the loop.

But many older owners have found the rubber hoses are dissolving inside and the bits clog the radiator right up!
So go take it to the funky old Shop across town for opening and cleaning!

That, and a new water pump if the old one is leaking at all, it has a weep hole on the shaft housing.
But don't buy one, get seals and bearings from Algar and rebuild it.

These cars are no longer "swap for new parts" or you will be n the Poor House.

 

Hahahah love this. Thank you! [emoji1430]


-Claudia k

 

I had three early cars, they were all a PITA!
But, I kept one, and the others I sold are getting full restorations......

Just turned loose to early, but I have this steady habit, calling eating food......

I never did find the key set I lost, moving, and a Body Shop did me the favor of breaking the hand cut one off, flush in the dash!
So keep people like that away from your car!

Never close the hood, without checking the prop rod, as early one have a locking mechanism, and they bend your hood in half!
I have a couple of spares......

 

Where are you?

I can give you the closest trusted shop, based upon that.
Lots of good independents out there.

 

Just for the record: some dealers wrote the code inside the warranty booklet, but manually; in France, the original, historic importer, Pozzi, was doing this. The code for the keys of my '89 328 GTB has been manually written cleanly in the warranty booklet. Simple, and convenient.
Rgds

 

I have done this job before and I can now do it without any hesitation from memory. But I have not posted much in this thread because suggestions tend to be general in terms and Claudia probably benefits more from specific detailed instructions. I don't know Claudia and her experience level so anything I post may be condescending to her. I would offer some personal assistance but Claudia has declined to tell us where she is located. I do know Russ and he is very knowledgeable on the 3x8 series. He also has a lot of experience with working on large Ferrari projects and that is what Claudia is embarking on. What Russ said has a lot of wisdom in it.

As for this project, Claudia, perhaps you should start a new thread on each specific task to keep the focus on that task. It also keeps the pages to a manageable number. Reading through 1000 posts to see who has suggested what is probably not easy to do. Start with ... Lost my key, how do I get the car started?

 

Hi Claudia!

Welcome to 308 ownership and to the group Lots of super knowledgeable folks here with lots of experience. We got our car a few years ago and all I can add is to go slow and double check your steps and research. These cars are a little more difficult to work on than say comparable German cars, but in the end not bad. They are a bit more fragile and more expensive if they do go wrong. We reached out locally and talked to a few good mechanics and found a great shop we really like. The learning curve is a little steep at first, but you'll gain knowledge quickly. Have fun with it, do your research and circle back. It is all totally worth it in the end!

Good luck!

Franny

 

Hi, thank you for your kind words. I have had the key situation taken care of. I’m in Orange County. I did not decline to expose my location just being cautious. I have been contemplating pulling out the engine and as for right now, I’m not going to. I am however going to lift the car and get completely under, replace all hoses, flush the system fully, repair and replace damn near everything. There will be jobs that I am not naive to the fact I will need to have professionally done, as I do not own all machines. How ever I am slowly and surely tackling each job one by one. The negative comments about my lack of knowledge is unacceptable and completely uncalled for in anyone’s thread. If you have nothing nice to say kindly keep them to yourself. We are all adults here and I am fully aware of what I’m getting myself into when this vehicle was passed down. Simply by asking generic questions is not a lack of knowledge but just a need to confirm and have a thorough understanding. That’s where I stand on his remark. Now, to circle back to my post. I love the feed back I have been getting from multiple people and I will be posting as I go along. Currently in law school so aside from that, this is a slow process for me as I am doing it on my days off. Which is not much. How ever, it is coming along and I am learning this car as I go. Just as I did with all my other cars I’ve previously worked on.


-Claudia k

 

Orange County


-Claudia k

 

Well the good news is, Southern California is probably the country's richest concentration of tech expertise and mechanical/bodywork talent because of the hot rod culture and exotic car population out there. I think smg2 is out your way, and any number of Ferrari specialist shops when you decide you need to outsource anything.

When I first bought my car, I could scarcely tell an alternator from a water pump, and - looking back at my old f-chat posts - it showed. If you want to truly learn your car, there are few better ways to do it than taking it apart (provided you understand that mistakes will be expensive). I see some veteran posters here trying to be constructive and coming across as negative. Others just being negative. It's a voluntary forum; no one is required to read or participate in your thread, but some people always want to chime in with condescension anyway. Ignore it. You own a Ferrari. Someday you'll be an expert in repairing it, and when that day comes, you'll be blasting up the PCH with a smile on your face. Bodywork is always difficult and expensive on these cars because of their sculptural lines and lack of flat surfaces and right angles. That which makes them so beautiful also makes them hard to repair. But take tons of photographs during deconstruction and consult f-chat and birdman308's tutorials when you get stuck, and you should be okay. The key is knowing your limits and being able to recognize when you need an expert, beyond which - mystique aside - these cars are built with Fiat parts and the same metric nuts and bolts as Peugots and Volvos. Pick up the wrench, place it upon the bolt head, apply torque (gently). The "exotic" part is figuring out how to reach into some of these cramped spaces Don't get intimidated.

 

Peugeots; not Peugots, Justin...(the pronounciation could not be the same without the "e"). Of which Enzo Ferrari was very fond. And which were often designed by Pininfarina, such as the beautiful 504 Cabriolet; pity that 504 Cabriolet is such an incredible rust bucket, otherwise I would have one!
Sorry for the French aside...

Rgds

 

Hahaha - so true.

 

Orange County, hell, I was just there 2 weeks ago. My dad still lives there but he won't be passing down any Ferrari to me. I just passed him my Lexus.

Orange County happens to be the home of the largest congregation of Ferrari stooges in the country. We have an extremely deep technical knowledge on older Ferrari. We have some very talented DIY mechanics, welders, tinkerers, racers, and a few hangers on. I bet that if you throw out some beers, a few of them will show up at your garage and have that engine out on a Saturday. They will even bring an engine hoist. Somebody probably has the tools that you need if you every need them. Come to think of it, who has my drop gear socket?

Good luck Claudia. If you need help, ask and you shall receive.

 

I think there is more than that. I can name few more things:

1. Which way to tilt the engine to get it out of the car
2. Whether exhaust headers need to be removed or not, and therefore gas tank.
3. How to replace that very long heater hose and brake vacuum hose
4. Whether the boom on your engine hoist is long enough for this job
5. How to access the timing belts and what components to remove first
6. AC compressor in, out, connected, disconnect, and how to get to those funky bolts
7. Engine lid in or out for valve adjustment
8. Why do they have the shift rod goes all the way through the oil pan?
9. how to adjust the clutch cable, early or late model
10. Drop gears nuts
11. 4 pronged sockets
12. plastic cam pulleys, replace or not
13. Do or don't cam timing.

and a lot more. Yes, it is just a car, but it is a special car.

 

Note that I suggested seeking an expert and/or f-chat & birdman tutorials when you encounter difficulty. My point wasn't that it's "just like every other car" or easy, in terms of technical challenge, but that it's still a machine assembled and disassembled with (mostly) regular tools. People build it up into this mythic animal, and no one but a Maranello-trained master mechanic should be touching it without custom unicorn-horn tools. Yeah, it's challenging to work on, expensive to f up, and brutal on your knuckles, but there are an awful lot of people trying to dissuade her from giving it a go, and I think it's a good learning experience. You find out pretty quickly if you're in over your head.

 

Hahahaha that would be amazing if some would come just for beers. I’ve have a whole fridge for them. I have reached out to a couple of shops, but beers is the last thing they want haha


-Claudia k

 

Thank you! I’m definitely going to give it a good solid go.


-Claudia k

 

We did something like this for our 356. We had a big BBQ with ribs and such and had a bunch of folks over. We the engine out, a new clutch fitted, transmission mounts and the engine back in that day. Everyone had a great time and it was a fun event! Franny

 

Beer, tritips, pirogie, a pie, is all it takes....

 

Claudia, it sounds like you'll do just fine. There are some experts who still hang around here. Listen to them and avoid cutting corners with stupid stuff.

My only word of caution is, the cost of restoration will probably be higher than the final value of the car. That's just the way it is.

-F