In Defense of the 348

I totally agree! My Spider was the my first Ferrari, and like you, it was the one that was in my price range -ish. Kind of funny, when I started looking, I went to a local dealer to look at 360s. I was back in their warehouse which was full of cars and I was looking at a 360 Spider they had, then out of the corner of my eye I saw they had a 348TS and I plainly remember turning my head toward that car and telling the girl who was helping me "That's the one I want!". I just love the angles and wedge shape of the older Ferraris. I also wanted something that was mechanically simple...and the 348 definitely fits the bill in that category.

I found mine private party months later and it has been a great car so far. I have owned it for a little over a year and a half. I just had to take it in for the dreaded engine out service and ended up having to put in a new right side radiator. But that's ok since I knew that time was coming.

I have to concur that I get so many looks and stares and thumbs up from people when I'm driving the car! People love it and nobody knows it's 23 years old. I went to a car show one time and was driving out and heard a guy say "Oooohhhh...Testarossssssaaa"....and I just smiled and kept driving!

 

My wife purchased my 348 spyder and gave it to me for my 69th birthday(my fav number). I had a couple of red Ferrari's at the time and really had my eyes set for s fly yellow 348 spyder. As you know fly yellow spyders are not exactly the most common 348's.

That was in 2013, and I have had no trouble what so ever. I just completed a major service. After checking all the blogs and utubes and gathering all the information and then processing I decided to not drop the motor. We removed the fuel tank(due to the rubber fuel pump boots failing). The belts, idlers, water pump, cam seals, guides, all were replaced. We also did all hoses, valve cover gaskets, clutch , rear wheels bearings, drive shaft boots.

I purchased all parts from Daniel specifying genuine Ferrari parts. spending the effort and time why go cheapo on parts. I did purchase the new and improved replacement water pump. It was actually rather easy to accomplish this work, from the front end with the gas tank removed. Tank was out in less that 45 minutes. There is a lot of room to get up close and personal with the timing parts and pieces while the tank is out.

All in all the complete job took 15 hours of actual hands on time. Now for a couple of disclaimers, 1st I have a complete automotive service center with hoists and all of the things needed do accomplish the work. I also have master technicians on my staff. The tech that did the work spends his days working on Subaru turbos and WRX's so he knows his way around high performance engines with 4 cam set ups.

Now finished it runs and drive excellently and I'm glad I decided to do this before our summer weather, so I can enjoy my spyder. I have enjoyed my 348 more that any other Ferrari I have owned. I specifically wanted the 348 because it does not have all of the electronic nonsense, no power steering, no f1 b/s. Lets face it guys, the 348 is the last of an era, the last real mans Ferrari.

Long live our 348 fraternity,

brasscarguy

 

Awesome post, Howard. Agree 348% with your sentiments regarding the 348-- it is the last *V8* car that feels like a Real Ferrari. The 348 and the TR series are special because they represent Ferrari's best efforts in old school technology before they began chasing the technology hare under Luca. The "newest" Ferrari I lust after is a 512TR to park next to the 348 in order to enjoy a proper '90s strake fest.

Love your entire post because I've been wondering if it would be possible to do exactly what you did. I'd like to do one super-comprehensive Major Service, replacing/upgrading the internal timing & oil pump drives, the water pump and T-belt tensioners with Hill components, etc, etc, etc. Full meal deal, no corners cut. Cam timing set to the nth degree. Everything! And then maintain it by pulling the tank, bisecting the T-belt down its length, slipping the new T-belt halfway on (thus retaining cam timing exactly), cutting off the back half of the T-belt, pushing the new one home, setting tension, and calling it a day. Makes valve adjustment a but more difficult but as little as I drive my car having to use a bucket depression tool would be a minor concession since most valve clearances shouldn't need adjustment.

I've seen some pretty credible claims that this is not uncommon in the UK, but several people here have said it's impossible. So it's great to read your account!

I'm assuming you addressed your fuel pump issue at the same time. Would love to hear the details.

Oh, and kudos to you on your choice of brides! Having your wife buy you a 348 for your 69th birthday is one of the only things I can think of that's cooler than the 348 itself. We should all be so lucky. Enjoy it in good health!

 

Great post. I am taking delivery of a 1994 348 spider this afternoon. It drives and sounds wonderful.

 

I'm glad you love your 348 which is all that matters, but I fear if you posted the thread in the 308/328 section you might get a different response then from the 348/355 community.
Enjoy you car. It does look beautiful.

 

Troll alert!!!

 

Haha !! I actually have a soft spot for the 348 (but a hard spot for my 328) !!

 

The main reason I did the tank out major engine service was the problem with ethanol fuel destroying the rubber boots surrounding the fuel pumps. Daniel has synthetic boots to replace the factory boots and the new ones are not affected by ethanol. It turns out that my boots were beginning to come unglued. I'm glad I replaced the boots. If you read about the down stream issues with the boots coming apart and clogging up fuel filters and injectors, this was a no brainer.

With the tank out the front end service was a snap. Lots of room and ease of completing the work. Now for an inside trick, because the bottom of the 348 is so flat and smooth, my tech decided to try a novel approach to doing the front service.

Now don't laugh but this worked very nicely and allowed the tech to work smart not hard. He used a workout bench to lay on then lowered the 348 down to a very comfortable working height. His arms did not get tired and this position allowed him total access and gave him lots of arm strength to complete the job. Like I said don't laugh just try it if you have a hoist. Now I must offer a disclaimer and a bit of sage advice. If you decide to use this process, make sure you have not just had a fight with your wife or g/f maybe not a good idea to have her lower the car,

Just sayin,

brasscarguy

 

I’ve had my euro 348 in country now for almost a year and not once has it been filled up with Ethanol-containing gasoline.

I’m lucky that I live four miles from a station that specializes in ethanol-free gas.

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I have owned a 1957, 1963 Split window, 1966 427/425 Corvette. 1967 Jaguar XKE. A 1964 Pontiac GTO, 1964 1/2 Mustang, and at least two dozen other cars,
My 348 has been the greatest and most reliable that I have ever owned.
This car is Bullet Proof !

 

More great stuff, Howard. Thanks!! Your tech is a bright guy-- I can see that working very well.

 

Yes, after a couple of try's, I did finally pick the right wife. She is the consummate car girl. For a wedding present I gave her my Subaru Service Center. She has increased the gross and opened more Service Centers. she loves to work.

She also loves loud and fast, for her 60th b/day I found an old beater 1966 Shelby Cobra which she loves, for her 64th b/day I found 1969 442 convertible. Add a couple of Ferrari's and that pretty much keeps her happy. My job is to make sure all cars are at the ready for her to use. Not a bad job.

just sayin'

brasscarguy

 

Man, I've seen people get absolutely skewered on this site for posting how they did their belt service without dropping the engine.

 

Same here. But that was the old FChat-- this is the new, kinder, gentler FChat.

Bwahahaha!

I've seen several people say it can't be done and I've frankly wondered. I don't think it's a great idea in a lot of cases, but here the OP is a pro and he had a very skilled tech turning the wrenches.

It does seem like a good solution for an engine that has already had everything imaginable addressed during the previous major. If you've already sorted everything and have already fitted a trick water pump and Hill tensioners, welded the cog fences, etc, then dropping the tank to change the belt for insurance purposes every few years doesn't seem like a bad idea to me, as long as you can retain the original cam timing.

Just cool to see people who truly know what they're doing challenge conventional wisdom. I'm like Enzo in the old days-- I'd prefer to let others take the risks of breaking new ground while I concentrate on perfecting known good techniques, but somebody has to push the boundaries. In this case it was someone with lots of experience, so the interbebular objections carry less weight.

But you make a great point-- there was a time when that post would have elicited a ton of debate. Maybe there is more kindness and gentleness in our little corner of FChat than there used to be...

 

I've always thought the cross member was in the way of the crank pulley bolt.