1979 308 gts coolant expansion tank question

Hey all,

I noticed a pinpoint leak at the top of my coolant expansion tank last week. It had blistered the paint. Presuming the tank is deteriorating from the inside out, I have been trying to source a replacement. The replacement units I have seen, however, have the lower port emerging horizontal from the unit while mine (and the one in the 1978 parts book) emerges from the bottom (see pics). I'm concerned these replacements will not have room to fit and reattach the hose. Has anyone encountered this issue before?

Thanks


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125 views and no replies? I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't know the answer to this!

 

How rusty is the inside of your tank? If it’s not bad I would remove it, clean it out then take it and have the pin hole fixed. Repaint and install.

 

Repair might be workable - heck you could JB Weld the pinhole from the inside and it will outlive you BUT typically when a tank of any kind has "a pinhole" there are several others that will soon appear. Examine it carefully before deciding whether to repair or replace. You may find areas of the tank that you can push a screwdriver through! Been there, done that!

 

Repair is difficult and a waste of time is my experience.

Best, Peter

 

The entire interior will be rusty with 1000 places just waiting to leak. It needs replacement.

 

Where are you sourcing that part? When I look up in my factory parts book for 78 I get PN 111742. When I look up on Maranello Classic 111742 which that parts book indicates, their picture is different than yours. They are all obviously reproduced. No NOS tanks exist and different sub contractors or different batches by the same subcontractor may be different.

Ferrari part 111742 - Header Tank | Maranello Classic Parts

 

I fitted a anodised ( black ) alloy tank when mine back in 2018 developed pin holes .
It has ballooned slightly, the downside of going down the alloy route . My cars a driver anyhow not a show car and with a GT 4 , 80 % of the tank is hidden . Just wanted a one stop shop . Was using , wearing the “ Hills engineering “ hat when deliberating .
I know it’s not a Hills part ( Superperformance actually) but back in the day at the factory , steel was all they had with inevitable corrosion with time .
If it’s ok to fit other parts with improvements like tensioner bearings ,then in my mind the expansion tank drops into that thinking .

Purists are welcome to differ .

 

Ditto here, but on a GT4: began repairing one pinhole, then the top, then re-built the top, then replaced the whole thing!

 

Thanks, Rifledriver! That looks like the ticket. My sites were Eurospares and FerrParts. I agree that the tank needs to be replaced.

 

Quit using 3rd rate parts suppliers.

 

FWIW those were sourced by Franco's European Sports Cars, not me

 

Dont use mechanics who exercise such poor judgement.

 

And now I remember why I stopped posting here when I got my first Ferraris 15 years ago. Thanks for the information.

 

I replaced mine for the same reason. Was a ***** to find the correct US-Spec tank for a 79... Everyone that arrived was a different style. Eventually found the right part... just make sure the supplier looks at yours, looks at theirs, and confirms it's the same style

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Since the official sources sell scrap metal like the current waterpumps and "genuine" tensioner bearings it's no good advice to avoid third party sellers in general. What would we do without the Hill Engineering bearings? They aren't available from official sources but from Eurospares and Superformance ... or Hill directly.
But maybe I am biased. Superformance -in the old Mike Elliott era though, when FerrariChat was something in the future- helped me through a problem on a late Saturday evening in 1997 via Fax and phone.
And I spent a nice day in 1998 with the guys from Eurospares, when they came over to pick up a friend's crashed Mondial Cab.
And not to forget. Eurospares started with parting out crashed cars. They were and still are the European equivalent of TRutlands. Therefore they are still address no.1 otherwise unavailable parts.
BREXIT was a shame and makes things much more complicated for us continental Europeans.

Best
Martin

 

Replacement it is! You guys just saved me so much headache. Now just need to find the correct fitment. Ferrarichat forever!
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