'79 308 restoration

Heres a couple of pics of my 79 undergoing a total restoration in my garage. Soon Ill be down to the frame and body with nothing left to unbolt then the paint comes off. Hopefully sometime in the summer or fall it will be completed and Ill have a 'new' 308 GTB. Ill be upgrading the engine and suspension while its apart and hopefully I wont have to touch it for a few years when the belts need being done.
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Newman, it's a sickness isn't it? Well, at least you got to drive it before and you can compare to after. Can you sleep at night now? LOL! Post more pics!

See how mine is coming along in the "Showroom" section.

 

That is awesome - I can't quite make out the color - Is that silver?

Make sure to posts lots of pictures - We love this stuff!

A local so cal guy is doing the same right now.

By the way, nice garage!

 

Paul, are you gonna keep it Silver? I personally love it, but I got a feeling you're gonna paint it red

 

I admire your effort. Keep up the good work. An effort like this is an inspiration for many
Philip

 

Man-o-man!! When you said you had it apart you weren't kiddin!!
Looks like one hell of a project but a good project.

I started to remove then engine in my car today, Should have it out tomorrow. Rebuild time.

 

Wow, this is cool. Paul, care to discuss some of the upgrades you have planned with the suspension and engine?

Dave

 

Hey Paul, I haven't heard from you on this board for a while... Now I know why!

Good luck with the project!

 

Ill post more pics later tonight and a bit larger. I plan to replace the valves with stainless ones like I should have when I rebuilt the engine 2 years ago and upgrade cams as well as more porting. Suspension will have eurathane bushings, fatter swaybars and a lower ride height.
The car is originally Grigio on red and its getting painted Argento. Currently its somewhere in between those two colors in a non-ferrari color. Ive ordered a Euro QV rear valance to replace the US quarter boxes and muffler cover to clean it up a bit at the back as well as Euro bumpers.

 

Paul
As you may know, the euro rear can take on a bit of a "grimace" (inverted smile) from the heat of the exhaust. Worth checking straightness on any you buy. I think the euro bumpers clean up the looks significantly and they also save 50 to 75 lbs at each end.
Good luck with the restoration. Good to see a job well done.
Philip

 

Thanks for the info on the panel. I sort of came up dry on a used one so I ordered it from Ferrari UK - new, along with door skins and a bunch of other odds and ends.

 

I thought I was just stupid for not recognizing the color.

I think your a stud for doing this project - I'm so envious - Sounds like fun!

 

Paul,

I, too, would like to follow your restoration so please post lots of pictures.

I think you'll be happy with the Euro QV rear valance. It will clean things up back there a great deal. I don't think you have to worry about the exhaust heat on the bumper as you're going to the Euro bumper which will not project out far enough to be affected. In effect, you'll have a standard Euro rear treatment which should do just fine. I would suggest lining the bottom of the fiberglass trunk panel just above the muffler with heat-resistant and reflective material. I did that with my '76 GTB when I noticed a small hole had developed in the fiberglass panel just above the muffler body at its hot spot. I noted that Ferrari had at least placed some insulation material in that double fiberglass-walled space. The lining material used was the same used in the engine compartment in the F40. It's secured to the panel with screws and is not visible unless you get down and look for it.

Have a happy and healthy new year, Paul,
Barry

 

Some close ups
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Ill post more pics later tonight. And yes, its a sickness.

 

My god Paul what an undertaking. I absolutely applaud your resolve to take something like this on. I will have a drink in your honor tonight!

 

Paul,
am curious if the replacement door skins are the later 84-85 QV type that were zinc treated? Or did you get the "glass" ones? We all know the propensity for these cars to rust...do you see any other visible areas of concern? And what measures are you taking to keep this scourge at bay? I'm curious, as I have seen a few 308's that were carefully prepped, and the damn rust bubbles came back! New door skins seems like a good move, but curious what is been done to the other areas, like rockers and lower fender areas.

 

Dave, I went with late production 328 skins with the removable door handle and Im welding in a 2X3" patch which Ill transfer from the original skin. The patch will be flush and require almost no filler. Cost was the reason for the 328 route vs a correct 308 skin as well as availability. Otherwise its the same but with zinc treatment. The rockers are perfect. The heels of the fenders are in need of some work but its no big deal and there is a chemical treatment you can apply that changes the properties of the metal preventing iron oxide converting it to zinc oxide. The doors wont be an issue rust wise, its the fender heels I have to make sure I properly repair. My biggest headach will be installing the one piece fiberglasss Euro QV rear valance.

 

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Sounds awesome, and that you are making sure to cover all the bases. The 328 door skins makes good sense, since they used an even better treatment on them than the 84-85 QV's, though you would hope all the replacement product is made to the same standard now....

Don't knock yourself out too much in the begining, but please try and keep us posted on your progress. I love to see these cars brought back to a high standard, since it happens so rarely what with the cost versus return...it really has to be done for the love and passion of it all.

 

Dave, Paul apparently couldn't sleep at night unless this was done, seems that there is alot of that going around in Ontario Canada! LOL

Paul, looks great! See you soon.

 

more pics I took for reference as I took the car apart. The wiring mess is my biggest concern. Plugs interchange with the wrong connectors and there are alot of single blade connectors instead of hardshell connectors found in domestic cars. I took alot of pics and drew alot of diagrams to put things back where they belong.
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