308 GT4 owners - what to look for?

Look at the bottom of the tubs on either side of the trunk.
Remove the door panels and look at the bottom inside of the door - make sure the drain holes are open.
Check the rear wheel well flanges - where the plastic wheel well connects to the fender.

That's all I can think of for now

 

Doug- Please fill in your profile.

I'm not sure where you are located, but issues like rust will be more of a problem on the east coast of the US vs the west coast. My car is a california car, and largely rust free, though I do have some bubbles on the corner of the front windshield.

First of all, get a mechanic to do a pre-purchase inspection. They will check the car out completely and help find some of those small details.

Check out the fuel and coolant hoses. If they haven't been changed in a while, then it needs to be done. Be especially careful of the hose that leads from the tank to the fuel filler. Cheap to repair (though access is a pain), but potential fire hazzard if left alone.

I think most of the issues with the 308's are similar with the GT4's, so if you are familiar with the 308, you should be fine. I think the key will be a good PPI.

Hope this helps.

Dom

 

I'd say shop it like it was any other 308. The only real differences are the specific areas of rust potential.

However, realize that these cars are older than the rest of the 308 series. So typical 308 maintenance areas need to be more critically looked at. Many/most of these cars haven't had hoses attended to. Beside the big fuel filler hose Dom alluded to, there are numerous other gas hoses that get neglected - such as the trio of short hoses on top of the RH gas tank. (Mine were all cracked and leaking badly.) Also, the long heater hose and perhaps the A/C hoses are probably in need of replacement.

Suspension bushings and shocks are often toast as well.

The other usual 308 issues tend to show up in spades because of the age of the car. Power windows, fuse box, steering gear, etc.

Just look at it with the reality that it's a 30 year old car that may have 30 years of accumulated maintenance needed to little items and go accordingly.

 

One thing you won't be able to see is the suspension corners. I mean the inner workings. Mine were completely toast! I had to replace almost everything in there and it is not cheap! I would also say to make sure it is all there, for example the light in the engine compartment, the lens alone is almost $100! Struts to hold up the engine lid and front bonnet, all these things add up to thousands, and it's not like you can run to your local autozone and pick up the parts.

 

Doug the windshield concerns me. I've heard that some of the aftermarket windshields don't fit quite right. Ferrari UK wants about $700BP for an OEM windshield. Locan quoted me $1200US for an aftermarket. If it is just a question of pulling the glass out and resealing it you gotta be real careful with it.

This is the quote I got from Ferrari of Ontario for the parts only for the corners

#101009 washer $21.26 Quantity 8 $170.08
#109905 spacer $134.63 Quantity 8 $1077.04
#100787 bushing $26.56 Quantity 8 $212.48


That's almost $1500 just for some washers and spacers for the corners! I got my parts from the UK with some other stuff, but it is still expensive! You still have to add on shocks, sway bar bushings, brake lines...

 

I'd do it, but it would be to make a track car for that price (keep my current GT4 as a collector piece).

My tank was intact and in good shape really. It was the flat sheetmetal of the chassis underneath it (and the opposite side of the car) that was severely corroded. Ferrari drilled drain holes, but they're useless. When I wash the car, I always have to towel-dry those areas.

Originally, U.S. cars had to have downward-pointing exhaust tips for emissions regulations. Looked awful with those little curvy pipes. Just one of the many items included in the face-lift updates of '75 cars included "dummy" exhaust tips to make them look more normal... But they still had holes on the bottom to meet the regs.

 

I have a friend who is looking for a gt4 in good original condition if anyone has any leads let me know. I told him to go to the CI as this year the featured car is Dino

 

DOUG!!! IF YOU DONT BUY IT pm ME OR POST. IM SERIOUS. michael in GA .

 

thank you!

 

thank you Doug, it was nice talking to you on the phone, happy hunting, i have not had any reply yet from the owner of the car. michael

 

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Um...I don't think so. A car that's really neglected will be needing a lot more than what you list. Brakes, exhaust, clutch, water pump, radiator, suspension...on and on. Every system will be suspect. You'll end up needing a complete restoration. Been there, done that with my Lotus except my parts are 1/4 the cost of yours, and my Europa is 1/10th as complicated. If a perfect Europa costs $15-20k to restore (it does) then a GT4 would be more in the $30k range at least. For that $ get a really nice Mondial.

Ken

 

SO WHAT??? I should prefer MUCH MORE a gt4 then a Mondial.........

Ciao,
Roel
www.dinogt4register.com
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VERY NICE!!! I love the red interiors(the silver exterior is non too shabby either)!!!!!


doug

 

I didn't mean to bash your choice of car; sorry. Some GT4 people choose the car thinking it will be cheap, which is why I mentioned the Mondial. I love GT4's too; but still, the better example you start with WILL save a lot of money over you doing major restoration on a more needy car.

Ken

 

This is a modification for the US market. European versions have straight exhaust tips.

 

Peter and Ad de Koster,

Did the 1975 308 GT4 have a thermal reactor type muffler?

Barry

 

Yes. A square boat anchor weighing 100 lbs.

Even California now exempts 1975 cars from smog checks. This means my 75GT4 mysteriously lost its boat anchor in the back.

 

Yes it does. For detailed questions like this, check chapter O in the workshop manual. You can download this manual from

http://ferrari.jenkins.org/books/

 

Yes, the original 75 GT4's only have the thermoreactor mufflers with no cats. BTW, here is my baby getting a facelift, at least another month of work here.

 

All, I finished restoring my 75 308 GT4 about two years ago. I did all of the work, motor, body work, paint, etc. I had the interior done. It will cost about $15k and a hugh amount of labor, depending on the body work needed. Mine was badly rusted, so I replaced all of the interior panels and replaced a lot of the lower parts of the outer panels.

Mine is now for sale (too many cars). You can see a photo on www.lsrpca.com in the ads section. I am going to post an ad here soon. I am asking $29k because it is totally restored and won many awards in local shows.

Burnell