#54845 Major(ish) Service

Post-Op Thoughts:

- You cannot have too many shop towels or nitrile gloves.
- You'll see many Fchat threads that advise pulling the engine to do a service this extensive. While not required, it certainly would have made certain things easier. So if you have access to a hoist, consider pulling it. The time it takes will be saved in other ways... for example, it will probably take 3 minutes to install the front valve cover & gaskets, instead of 30.
- Ancient Ferrari factory service data (WSM) is better than nothing, but also use common sense as well. Especially when it comes to torque values.
- There's something very reassuring and satisfying about seeing all 4 cam marks perfectly aligned.
- Take pics of EVERYTHING before you take it off the car. It's no fun trying to remember if a particular stud uses a standard nut, nylock, or acorn. Individually bag and label every single component's fasteners. Stay organized.
- Carefully consider replacing fasteners vs reusing the old ones.
- Every time you have to order parts, it adds 4-5 days to the repair. In that downtime, you'll lose the "fresh" memory of what/how/why you were doing something. This adds time to reassembly and increases the potential for errors. Try to order all the parts at once, if you can. Also, I'd rather pay $60 for a part I can receive on Friday vs a $35 part I'll get in 3 weeks.
- This is the second time I've changed the timing belts. This part of the process went much faster than the first time.
- I have more tools now than I did then. I think everything was easier as a result.
- Find a good machine shop, hydraulic shop, and finishing stop in your area. Make some good relationships. They'll save you from a lot of crises. They'll save you money, too.
- Don't keep working when you're tired, frustrated, or want to curse and throw things. Call it a day and take a long hot shower.
- Subscribe to Fchat. It's cheap, and the knowledge you can get here is worth a small donation to keep this site running for the next generation to learn from. I could absolutely not have done this without the info I've learned from previous threads detailing others' experiences and methods.

Epilogue:

Anyone who's read my various threads on repairs may have noticed my annoyance for some things I've seen under the hood; repairs that looked oddly unfinished or haphazardly done. As fate would have it, the Tech who serviced the car (prior to my ownership) and did much of that work saw this thread and reached out to me.

We had a long, pleasant, and informative phone call. He was quite apologetic that I've had to address these issues myself. I'll not share the specifics on why many things were done so... in the manner that they were. While a spectacular and exciting tale, I was asked to keep the details private and I will respect that request. I will say, however, that I now see why these issues (such as the over-abundance of orange RTV) were present. Suffice to say: unfortunate, but also understandable to me.

(I've also learned why my steering seems to lack precision, and know how to correct it without throwing parts at it hoping for the best.)

So - to the previous Tech - we're good.