I know this has been addressed, and I have searched the archives many times; however I am just wondering if there were any new solutions. My 87 328GTS has the standard aluminum self creasing hood...so I have a crease where the strut is mounted to the bonnet. It's not terrible, but it is visible. I know that there are ways for bodyshops to repair this, and of course there's always the option of purchasing a new hood for $1700. Are there any other options? Does anyone make a paintable fiberglass or carbon fiber hood for it? Is there a kit available to rebuild it or anything?
I would think that repairing it is the least expensive option. Just make sure you replace the strut with the later gas assist version (about $38) and this will prevent further bending.
I sent you a private e-mail about carbon fiber 328 hoods. I think it's a sound option in this case. thanks, -Chris
Dave, Is this new stut a Ferrari part or aftermarket? Could you pass along any info on the item? Thanks again, Rick
The later year 328s came with a gas strut instead of the mechanical strut with the pushbutton release. You can find the Ferrari P/N at the ferrari.uk web site that's accessed via www.owners.ferrari.com.
As Verell said, it is available from Ferrari UK. This was used from mid 1988 through 1989. Any Ferrari parts house will know what you need. Sorry, I am out of town or I would get the part number off it. BTW, there are threads on this....this strut is made by Sachs, and if you don't need the horsy printed on it, can probably be obtained from cheaper sources....again, there was a thread on this a few months ago.
Dave, Thanks for the response. Guess I overlooked Verells' response! Poor chatting on my part!!!. Regards, Rick
Re: the hood itself, I obtained a new 308QV hood from Ferrari UK last Summer for approx $350 US dollars. For another approx $200 it was FedX'd to my door the next day! ( I too got the rediculous quotes from dealers) During my search for a hood, I did come across a used 328 hood at Forza Motorsports -- <www.forza.weblobby.com>. I believe Peter said that it was in good shape. Other places to check would be George Evans and T Ruland--they had used hoods also. Good luck!
I believe the hood for 1700 he was ref. to is the one listed on EBAY. It has been listed on there many times. I assume it is the same one listed over and over. If I am right, I guess there have been no takers. After seeing that a new hood from UK was 350, I might check it out because I also have the same problem. It's not really bad but you can see it.
Okay, I haven't posted pictures before, so bear with me in case these don't turn out. The picture from my 328 parts manual shows two possible struts; one shown on the left of the drawing, and the other shown on the right side. These both appear to be self-supporting (hydraulic?) supports, and look like the one on my '89 328. In case the text is too small to read, here's the relevant information: The one on the left side of the picture is identified as follows: Item 6: Part No. 60118007, with description "Support - Until exhaustion" The one on the right side of the picture is identified as follows: Item 36: Part No. 62380500, with description "Support - After exhaustion 60118007" I hope this is helpful.
Okay, I'm learning about posting pictures. My original uploads were omitted because they were too large. I resized them to fit, so let's hope this one works.
Only the one that fits on the right is the gas strut. The one that fits on the left has the locking detent ball. They are interchangeable, so get the one on the right, and fit it on the left...no problem. BTW, there are previous threads where people worry that the resistance of the gas strut might bend the hood. I think this is WAY over blown, and not something to be concerned about. It would require a deliberate action to bend the hood with the gas strut, even when mounted on the left side, IMO. Dave
I agree, It's all FUD by people who never tried it. My '82 Euro 308 QV came with a gas strut when I bought it. It took me a long time to figure out why people were talking about bending hoods due to the strut not going down. The gas strut feels just about right & there's no hint of the hood flexing going down.
I did see that one...but it's 1070 GBP from Ferrari Uk - That is about $1750 plus shipping. Mine isn't too bad, I may just get it repaired.
Regarding the concern about the gas strut bending the hood on pre-'89 models, my discussions with two knowledgable people indicated that this is not a problem, and the gas strut is retrofitted to pre-'89s quite frequently. One person is the owner and chief mechanic of an independent Ferrari-only service facility, and the other is the former owner of a Ferrari dealership, now owner of an independent exotics dealership. On that basis, I'd feel pretty comfortable giving it a try.
Or, you can do what some of us have done to make sure it doesn't crease if someone isn't careful... this is especially important on 308s where you have to push in a button before you try to close the hood... if you don't, the hood will bend for sure. I did this just today, after seeing something like it in a different thread. I just used 1/2" aluminum bar 1/8" thick from the hardware store (Lowes). Makes a HUGE difference in how stable the hood feels when open. Total cost including the screws: $5 Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have an '89 328 and have replaced the gas strut that was previously the same gas strut. My hood has a slight raise in it that would indicate a slight bend at the most superior mounting point of the shock. It is on the passengers side only. The panel fit, therefore, is a bit high at the midline(front drivers to passenger side) due to this. Doesn't seem that it is due to an accident or a problem when shutting the front "bonnet". Why then? Previous owner had no answer except that the nature of the shock and lightweight aluminum leads to this naturally over time. Maybe true. Thoughts? Maybe a carbon fiber hood is a better solution(obviously not technologically possible in 1989) as it can't bend(at least I don't think it can). I'd be interested in being PM'ed regarding this. It bugs me that my car has this issue but I figured that on a 46K car it wouldn't make sense to change this. I assume from previous posts that the '89 never came with a shock that needed a button pressed to close, therefore that is not the cause of the bend. Jeff
These are the pics of what I did. Polished the aluminium and used pop rivets to attach. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I tried installing the later 328 gas strut on my car that had the latching strut but it will not work. At about the last inch or half inch of travel (closing the hood) it the resistance goes way up. It simply will not close (maybe will close with serious brute force). Has anybody done this mod. without any problem? Erich
Yeah, much better photos, and I think yours was my inspiration! But I made it a little longer, and used countersunk metal screws. I didn't want to put pop rivets there without being able to use washers behind them. I've considered coating it all with black texturized paint to match and use black anodized screws, but I think I like the look of the aluminum there, and it's an EXTRA reminder to put the release button before trying to close the hood.