308GTB 1977 VIN 22795

I'm glad to see that 22795 is still alive and kicking, albeit a long way from home. I owned this car in the 1994-1998 timeframe (roughly speaking, not sure of the exact dates at this point) while living in Austin, TX. I put roughly 30K miles on it during that time. Curious how many are on the odometer now?

The person I bought it from was one of the founders of a (then) well-known computer game developer in the Austin area. The person I eventually sold it to was a nuclear weapons technician at Los Alamos, of all things. Maybe you'll get some of his handiwork with your new submarines.

Some random recollections --

- The exterior was always Rosso Corsa with tan seats. I don't remember if the original carpeting was red or black, though. I had it repainted due to some rust issues in the door skin, and also had the seats reupholstered.

- The engine louvers were always black, as far as I'm aware (and I could have sworn they were anodized rather than simply painted that color.)

- The front markers were always rectangular, as they are now.

- I put quite a few upgrades into the car, including the single-distributor MSD conversion, the 16" QV wheels, and a rotary (York) A/C compressor that replaced the OEM piston-type compressor. I also installed a stainless-steel Borla exhaust which it seems is no longer present. The FCA sticker in the window is mine. Not responsible for the tacky Scuderia shields, though.

- The car had complete tools, books, and service records when I sold it, for what that's worth.

- It used about one quart of oil per 600 miles, with no significant changes in consumption while I owned it.

And some unsolicited advice --

- Given the extent of the work you're putting into it, I'd assume that every rubber fuel line is being replaced, right? If not, it could be a serious mistake, maybe a fatal one. That includes the main line from the fuel filler.

- Mind the release button on the strut when closing the front trunk lid. It's easy to miss, and will ruin your whole day if you try to close the lid without pressing it.

- No need to pay for parking, you can simply drive underneath most barrier gates in this car. Pro tip: put the radio antenna down first.

Enjoy!

 

By the way, feel free to email me at john (at) miles.io if you have any questions related to the above. I don't check in here very often, and the email address associated with my user ID is long gone.

 

Fantastic journey! Can’t wait to see the progress and the finished product. Mum was from Perth and have fond memories of the area. Have relatives living there as well. Cheers!

 

Good to see this 308 getting back into the proper shape it deserves, I miss driving that car.

 

Ronn Daniels with two NNs like that?

I can take a look around...was this car at JRVs, Will???

 

It was back in 2003, I remember the red carpeting & the MSD ignition system JRV worked on. I used to have photos of it when it was up for sale but lost them due to the KLEZ virus.

 

Hello from Pismo Beach California, we also enjoy our Great White Sharks. But, we still go in the water. ( ha ha) Love the 1977 308. ❤️

 

Looks really nice. First thing I notice is that the rain drip rails around the side windows should be black, generally a satin finish. And, of course, the inset body channel on each side of the car should be a similar satin black. Personally, I used a satin black vinyl tape, approx 5/8 inch wide if I remember correctly, which gave a nice, consistent look to the body line. My car being gloss black, however, may make the strip less of an issue than on a red car. Still think the tape is the way to go, however, for the sharpness and uniformity achieved vs. masking and spraying. The newer generations of vinyl graphics tape are durable and long lasting, and if needing to be redone, would be far easier than having to remask and repaint. Not sure of the year of your car, but believe the lower rocker panel area should also be black, as well as the underside of the area after the rear wheel arch. I'm sure there are other areas I have missed. On some cars, depending on year, the front bonnet is vented across the front edge, and those vents are black. Other F-chatters will chime in who are much more knowledgeable about this than I am. Keep the progress going.

 

Nick,

'77's had body colored front vents originally. So. if you are looking for "originality", they should be red.

I changed mine back in the 80's to black and like it better.

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Yup. Same here.

The black front end louvres now match the color of the other black louvres - those over the engine and the rear quarter window louvres. Makes the whole car look much more cohesive.

In fact, taking one step back and thinking about it all objectively for a bit, in lieu of my sentences above, why might they have made these fronts uniquely body colored in the first place?

DM

 

I never liked them black, even throughout the QV series

 

It is a stunner. You must be so excited!
Your now dating the prom queen!