What are the engine bay finishers?
Indeed, looks typical to me, not sure what missing in that picture. I must say the rusted bolts heads and weathered engine bay more generally gives me pause, but it may well be just cosmetic but would reflect a damp climate or outdoor storage. Such a contrast to the interior and exterior which presents more nicely. Given a repaint, and the weathered engine bay, the interior might be redyed, if done properly thats fine but one would be very careful using any leather cleaners or dressings.
Thank you all. The weathered engine bay has given me pause the entire time I have been looking at the car. I guess it was left out in the weather for a period of time. I would want to re-powdercoat the plenum and maybe the valve covers as well. The expansion tank has rust and must be taken care of as well. Rubber covers for the distributor caps too. It starts and runs well, I know that from stalling it out so many times from the clutch. I will go see it again next week and do a more thorough look-at. I am sure you guys remember buying your first Ferrari; how excited you were but at the same time wondering if you were doing the right thing. Always wanted a red Ferrari all my life. Maybe it is about to come true........ thank all of you for your help and expertise.
I wouldn't force a car to fit. Don't be in a hurry. The purchase really needs to feel right to you. Some questions that I would have - 1. What was done during the engine-out service (it sure looks grubby in the engine compartment)? Do they have any pictures or documentation of the engine-out service? 2. Why was it repainted? 3. What isn't working on the car (AC? rear windows? other electrical items?) 4. How are the brakes and suspension? Has there been any recent service on either? 5. What records do they have on the car? The interior and paint look great, but overall, I get an unloved vibe from the car. Unless the price was right, this one would most likely be a pass for me. Just be aware that you can get underwater fast on these cars. They'll cut you! Also, it may be worth connecting with Fchat member Scaledetails. I believe that he's in Georgia now. Stephane has most likely owned more Mondials than any other person on the planet. Nice guy. I'm sure that he would be happy to provide you with guidance on what to look out for. Plus, he probably has his pulse on a half dozen or so cars that might be for sale. Good luck! 2cam
I may be biased, my engine is pretty clean, and has been for the 15 years or so I have owned it. It is climate control indoor stored and not driven in the rain. But it looked pretty much as clean after I had bought it from a Swiss original owner. It is not unusual for some examples of these cars to be well looked after. But I suppose a soiled and weathered engine that runs well is better than a clean one that does not! It just surprises that someone puts money and time into an engine out service, but does not spend the relatively minor time to detail an engine bay, way easier to do with the engine out. Some sellers really don't do themselves any favours, but it is up to the market to decide whether to price this in or not. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That is interesting, I have never heard of or seen these before! Does look nice! Are these stock items and still available? I think these are on the coupe versions only though, I have no screw holes on my cab that these would affix to.
These are stock, pressed aluminium, anodized black, they do look nice. They seem to be present on the 3.2 and t as well: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
That is a very nice looking engine. I have never hesrd of engine bay finishers. The engine out included all seals, filters, fluid exchanges plugs, compression tests, etc. Ig did not include an engine bay or engine clean up, although if I did it it definately would.
I have confirmed no finishers on the cabriolets. But they do look quite nice, I guess a different structural tube frame configuration for the cabs.
Can you confirm the asking price on this one? Condition and price sometimes (but often do not) go together.
Can you tell me where to look in the engine bay for the clutch slave cylinder? Is the clutch master cylinder in the front close to the brake master? If I get a mondial, it will be one of the first cars I have had that I am so unfamiliar with.
https://www.eurospares.co.uk/parts/ferrari/mondial-32-qv-1987/transmission-pedals/clutch-and-controls-39098 You can watch all diagrams on eurospares.co.uk. There you find most answers on those questions.
You will not be able to inspect the clutch slave from looking in the engine bay. You need to go through the wheel well to see it, or through the engine access panel on the back shelf of the interior to bleed it (it is a hydraulic clutch actuator) tied into the brake line system. Access to the much of the Mondial engine is done through each wheel well, there is a fiberglass well liner to remove. The good news is a clutch can be changed from the left wheel well, and key belt service done through the right. Unlike eg. the Mondial t, there is no need for engine out service for most service requirements in a 3.2. Even the valve clearance check can be done engine in in a cab, although some shops prefer engine out for easier access in dealing with the various procedures. That is why I wonder what your shop did, as engine out for the things you have listed would not be the norm.
The engine out was done for the dealer, I do not know if that makes a difference or not. All seals (cam, distributor, etc.) and all belts were replaced as well. I hope $37, 000 is not too much for the car; I will take a much closer look this week for rust and corrosion and to see if I can find why it was repainted.
Is the rubber for the B Pillar (I think that is what it is called) difficult to find? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ron Frohock on this Board has remanufactured replacements, they are available if he has done a production run. They are a complex casting of rubber and metal, he is a legendary Mondial man for taking on the remanufacturing project. The bottom tends to hit the convertible frame when the top is folded down, and this damages the rubber piece. The dealers used to make a low cost rubber piece that would stick on, haven't seen them available in many years though. Is the roof in ok shape, I presume had been replaced at some point. The OEM roof would have a small ferrari logo like on the windows branded into the plastic window, the replacements would not have that. I see what looks like the OEM steering wheel in the back seat, looks wron, but great to have the original available even if it needs restoration. A new OEM wheel if you could find one or reconditioned to as new would probably go for $2,500+, they also fit on the Testarossa. The steering wheel on there now actually looks ok, some of the more modern styles look tacky on these classic Ferrari's. Also good to see the leather tonneau cover is available. The leather ones do shrink (mine is the same cloth as the roof fabric), so you might want to lower the roof and see if it snaps on. The tennax fasteners can wear out, and if you drove the car at highway speeds without the tonneau the wind flapping the convertible stack would probably damage the roof or the plastic window.
Thank you again for your help. I have heard how difficult it can be to get the top down. I have watched the U Tube videos of top operation. The top was replaced last year, so it is not original. It does come with the leather cover and the original steering wheel. It has new tires. I am going to carefully take a magnet to the body today to see if bondo was used anywhere before it was repainted. I confirmed that it does have an aftermarket exhaust, but I do not know what kind. It sounds very good. I feel like you guys on FerriChat are like friends down the street. Thank you again for your help.
While you're checking out everything that's been mentioned previously, be sure to pay attention to the rear quarter window operation. They can be challenging to repair if they're not working. Don't be afraid to walk away from the car if it doesn't feel right. There are others out there. Good luck! 2cam
Thank you. I spent two hours yesterday checking the car thoroughly. The things not working were the fog lights, the outer headlights and the drivers side window. A cold start took five revolutions then start. I videoed, but video is too big to post. It does not have metric tires, so it must not have OEM wheels. It has been converted to 134a freon and blows cold. The dealer is fixing the window and lights. Question- these can be considered money pits. Is it because of the cost of parts, or that they break so often? Thanks guys.
No the cars don't break in the way you think of a 60s British sports car. The parts are expensive and if the cars aren't maintained things can deteriorate particularly electrical harnesses connections that type of thing. Also consumable items nobody ever does for example headlights tail lights, various sensors etc. Those things are typically designed with the service life of about 10 years. Everybody waits for things to break before they fix them. So then you come across a car and it has all kinds of issues mainly because it just wasn't maintained. Maintaining a car and fixing things when it breaks are two different things. I replaced just about everything in my car simply because it was old from fuel pumps to water heater pump, every sensor (there are many) every relay every fuse every hose etc because again all 30 something years old. If you do the work yourself and cross reference parts most parts are Bosch anyhow they're really not that bad and no worse than any other car to diy really. Take it to a indie shop for every fart and sneeze and you're going to run up a huge bill. Do most of it yourself and you'll be surprised how cheap it is. Sent using FerrariChat.com mobile app
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/fog-light-problem.503326/#post-1442 The fog lights are probably ok, the attached thread explains how they work. Not sure about the outer headlights, that would be the high beams so pushing the stalk forward when the lights are in the up position and low beams on should work. Could be a relay needs replacing. The window is probably just surface corrosion on the switch contacts. Contact cleaner and actuation 50 times or so would clean up the contacts. The prior post about dealing with the small stuff on a 30 year old car is bang on. The r134 conversion is good. Overall it sounds like a car with some important services done, and many small projects to bring it to a high standard. If you can do basic things yourself, it can work out fine. Eg. The cost of replacing old relays which are just plug and play items, is small if you proactively do it yourself, compared to a shop trying to diagnose out an electrical fault, which will often just end up being a relay or switch.
^Great responses above. As a FYI, those are OEM wheels. I don't believe that a replica of the convex wheel has been made... 2cam
