308 QV engine rebuild

In my opinion the mods you can make are largely limited by the stock mechanical fuel system. How stock do want the engine to look/remain? You can increase the compression and maybe change the crank stroke and a few other tricks. But if you want real horsepower improvements, you will need to go to a programmable EFI and then you can do almost anything (turbo!). No need to do any valve mods for unleaded fuel, it is compatible now.. But I am sure you will need new valve guides at 115k miles.
I am sure some others will pipe in as well.
Good luck.

 

Maybe just increase the displacement to a 3.2 and chase the 328 engine specs by changing whatever would turn it into a 328 engine. It will-look stock and give you a bit more umph.

 

There's very little if anything you can do to a QV/328 to increase its output without spending serious money. At 115K you would reasonably expect yours to be down on power a little, but unless its drinking oil etc then probably not that much.

First thing I would do is get it compression and leakdown tested to get an idea as to how much wear there might be. If the compression is good and even across all 8 then in the absence of any other known issues I'd probably leave well alone. If it needs a rebuild then that plus a service of the injection & ignition systems might yield a surprising amount.

If you decide to build a serious motor then as always don't put the cart before the horse...sort out the suspension & brakes first!

Options to add more power: EFI & programable ignition will add a bit and improve fuel consumption no end. Either Nick's Forza setup or throttle bodies if you can find a manifold. Either one will run to thousands.

After that its those plus head work & if you have a ton of cash spare then you can go as far as a 360 crank & new pistons for a truckload of extra power. Good five figure sums needed to achieve that though.

...or there is forced induction,

Its all been done (but usually at significant cost). There are plenty of threads about different engine configs.

FWIW I looked at most options available to increase power output on my 328 but in the end decided to leave well alone and enjoy the thing for what it is. If it needed a rebuild I would almost certainly leave it bone stock.

 

ferrariowner mentioned it already in post #2, but no valve work needed for unleaded, the stock QV engine is already designed for unleaded fuel. Evans waterless coolant does not need any specific changes, either, just follow the procedure to drain as much of the old antifreeze as possible, run the prep fluid through, then you're good to go.

 

I've read quite a bit on this, and have yet to determine the benefit of switching to waterless coolant.

 

+1

 

Just to officially put this lead question to bed... my '85 QV

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Is this something like nitrogen filled tyres ?

Best from Germany
Martin

 

A set of high compression pistons and a set of Euro camshafts and a pair of a Euro Digiplex boxes,
You should have something close to 275 HP and if you want to go a little further, maybe a port and
Polish heads should be enough for a starter.

 

Wow! I didn't know that there were heads being made in Poland!

 

Really not?

https://pl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCA_Poland

 

No, it's very real - and highly recommended by Nick's Forza Ferrari.

Here's the Evans Waterless Coolant website: https://www.evanscoolant.com/

Here's the explanation from Nick about the advantages and benefits: https://www.nicksforzaferrari.net/evans-coolant.html

Water is an excellent fluid for cooling as long as it remains in a liquid state, but when water turns to steam it has virtually no capacity for heat transfer. Evans waterless coolant is a superior fluid for transferring heat in engines because it remains in a liquid state until above 375°F—well above the operating temperature of an engine.
Within an engine cooling system, the hottest surfaces are those adjacent to the combustion chamber, specifically the cylinder liners and cylinder head. These hot spots cause water to vaporize, preventing efficient cooling and causing loss of performance and unnecessary engine damage. When the coolant fails in this way the engine becomes even hotter, causing more hot spots and more steam.

Evans waterless coolants will not boil around these engine hotspots, maintaining efficient cooling performance even when the engine is put under extreme conditions. When water turns to steam it pressurizes the cooling system, putting stress on hoses and other components. The significantly higher boiling point of Evans coolants means significantly less pressure than water, resulting in a less stressed cooling system.

Water contains oxygen, which causes corrosion and also allows electrolytic activity which further damages engine metals. Evans waterless coolants eliminate corrosion and electrolytic activity, significantly increasing the life of the engine & also making it much easier to dissasemble Ferrari engines if needing a rebuild due to the lack of electrolosis caused by the Evans Coolant. Do your mechanic a favor, install Evans Coolant. I have been persoanlly been using it in all my cars since 2001, you should too!​

 

Evans boils at a higher temp, but it's less effective than standard 50/50 glycol for heat transfer. So the coolant isn't boiling, but the heat is also not leaving the engine as quickly.

Under proper pressure, 50/50 boils around 260F (and with a functioning water pump, isn't hanging around static in the engine.)

I respect Nick's opinion, but I feel that if your coolant is boiling at standard running temp, then you have far greater problems than not using waterless coolant.

 

It is also more viscous than regular coolant.

https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/cooling/cool_123.htm

 

I love the "water contains oxygen" bit

 

Ironic, considering the main ingredient in Evans is C2H6O2.

 

What put me off waterless coolant was that apparently it's flammable. I'd rather my engine overheated than the car burned out.

 

A recommendation from a source many of us hold in high regard.

If the coolant has turned to steam, it has changed the volume of the coolant significantly enough to open the pressure relief valve in the expansion tank cap causing a discharge of coolant. A test for the sufficiency of the boiling point of any coolant is whether it causes a large discharge from the expansion tank. Most coolants are sufficient.

Engine designers must ensure there is sufficient coolant circulation to provide sufficient cooling to those localized hot spots. A clean engine has no problem. A poorly maintained cooling system could certainly have oxide deposits which could gravely reduce the engine's cooling capacity. At that point, a coolant with the highest available heat transfer capacity will help the most.

The maximum pressure of the cooling system is set by the pressure rating of the expansion tank cap, typically 1.1 bar (16 psi). The characteristics of the liquid coolant do not affect this.

The biggest source of oxygen in the 3x8 system could be a dangling vent style expansion tank cap, which is the incorrect type for the 3x8. If the system ingests air every heat/cool cycle, oxygen will be introduced into the system. If the coolant cannot absorb the air, then no oxygen will be absorbed either. Most coolants have significant anti-corrosion additives.

Wbo?

 

It shouldn’t be no more flammable than the gasoline which you have more of in your car than the waterless coolant.

 

Yeah but it's two lots of hoses to develop leaks and the cooling system has a lot of hoses and clamps.

 

Try pouring 50% water & ethylene glycol on a hot header and let me know what you see : - ).

 

Pure ethylene glycol will flash. But 50/50? I believe you'll see a pool of warm coolant on the floor.

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