328 experts: factory suspension upgrade?

When was the factory suspension upgrade implemented for 328s?

I had always thought it started in the 1988.5 model year. I have a 1987 GTB, with an October 1986 build date (VIN 67255) that I just found out has the "late 328" suspension upgrades. What gives?

 

That's very surprising. Take a look at the parts diagram from the 328. Check out the two exploded views for front suspension for both before and after the changes (which did indeed occur during the 1988 model year production), comparing them to your car.

Are you absolutely positive you have the suspension changes?

 

Haven't seen for myself; car's still at the shop. This comes from my mechanic, who's been a Ferrari specialist for many years. (I assume he knows what he's talking about!) Apparently, the rear geometry is different too, and there are different size lug bolts???

I'm as skeptical as you are, though. Maybe a retrofit? Or was the 87 suspension different from the 86 somehow, but not a full "upgrade"?

 

It would have to be a retrofit or else he is speaking of the A-arm recall that early cars received.

Dave

 

Do you see rear sway bars. Mine has sway bars. Part of the 88.5 upgrade. JJ

 

ditto what Mike said about using the SPC illustrations to figure things out. Go to:

www.eurospares.co.uk

They show the "old" 328 suspension being used up to SN 76625 and the "new" 328 suspension starting with SN 76626.

 

I have an '87 and it has a rear sway bar. I also have a factory parts catalog which calls out this bar (stabilizer rod) P/N 108841 on pre SN 76625 cars, and stabilizer rod P/N 134226 starting with SN 76626 cars.

 

Thanks, guys. I will print the diagrams and take a look at the car when I get it back next week, and then report back.

Mechanic says that the only 328 with suspension identical to the 308 QV is the '86. Starting in '87, they changed and upgraded the suspension pieces (and they may have gone a step further with the 88.5?). I'm still a little skeptical, but willing to be convinced.

Carmine

 

If it does not have convex wheels, it does not have the newer suspension. The newer setup required the greater offset of the convex wheels. The early wheels are incompatitble with the newer suspension.

Dave

 

I thought that the wheels were designed to accomidate the optional ABS brakes??...

 

This is interesting to me. It's not really "held" that the 328 had two suspension "iterations" - just one major change (anti-dive front suspension geometry) in mid-1988.

There WAS a suspension recall in the early 86 models. This was fixed at the factory during production but early 86s with the flaw/recall would get additional bracing after the fact. This was a fairly minor update, not a huge change in the overall design or anything.

Looking over the parts manual, the most significant changes to the suspension I see occur in the front wishbones (A-arms, called "Levers" in the parts manual), front stabilizer bars, and rear "Hub Holders". Also, the front shock absorbers appear to be different. Finally, different part numbers for the rear wishbones and stabilizer bars are listed new vs. old, though they appear similar or identical for both types.

It appears that the easiest way to check for updated suspension by looking is to see whether or not your front top suspension a-arms have a large "hole" cut inside an otherwise flat metal plate (pre-change), or is there no plate at all (post-change)? This is purely based on the parts diagram and inspection of my own car - have not inspected suspension on an 89 car in person.

The image below shows the upper front wishbone from a pre-1988.5 suspension. Note the large hole in the center. The parts manual shows this looked very different for the updated suspension.

Send this picture to your mechanic and see if it matches your front upper wishbones.
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Nope, it's an old wives" tale. The ABS system did not require extra room. The only additional part at the wheel is a sensor mounted behind the rotor. The suspension update actually comes from Mondials and you will notice they had convex wheels from the getgo.

The factory parts catalog shows two suspension setups, up to #76625 and 76626 and up. There was no 1986 version that was identical to QV's. We know of at least two cars with early suspensions after 76626, but never heard of a pre 76626 car with late suspension.

Dave

 

So will the older style concave wheels fit the 89???

 

No, because the '89 has the updated suspension. Inside surfaces of the wheels will not clear the suspension. That's the whole purpose of the wheels bulging out.... to make room (not just to look different). I think it's a pity Ferrari were not able to somehow make new concave wheels of the same design (perhaps in 17 inch) that would clear the suspension components.

 

Wow, that's amazing - I never knew that! Well, my car definitely doesn't have the convex wheels, so I guess there's no way I have the "late 328" suspension.

My general question is still open, though, because my mechanic insists there is some difference between my suspension and the early 328 suspension. This statement is supported by the fact that my REAR Nick's Forza coilovers did not fit my car well at all (as raised in a different thread), and no one else has experienced this problem. I'm very curious about this and will keep digging. My car did have some accident damage to the rear an owner or two back, and I'm wondering if some of the "later" suspension components were swapped (either intentionally or accidentally) during the repair. A head scratcher all around.

 

Let us know when the mystery is solved.

Dave

 

Ok, guys - a quick update. I picked up the car yesterday. First of all, it looks fantastic with the new coil overs (i.e., lowered) and 17" Compomotives. I'll post pics soon.

I talked more with my mechanic (John) about the suspension questions. First, as we've already established, I most certainly do NOT have the "late" 328 upgrades. There is obviously no question about that. What I have instead is what John calls the "series 2" 328 suspension, which was introduced (he says) for the 1987 model year. He said that the 1986 328 has an identical suspension to the 1985 QV - the parts are interchangeable. Starting in the 1987 model year, they completely changed the suspension - new one-piece wheel bearings, different shocks, different mounting points for sway bars, etc. That is what I have. He did not have an '86 328 on hand for comparison.

So I guess I've narrowed down the question to this: can it be true that the suspension upgrades resulting from the 308 to 328 evolution were not implemented until the 1987 model year? Thoughts? Thanks!

 

So I get what your mechanic is saying. Either we as a community are completely unaware of this, or your mechanic is wrong. The parts diagram does not support the idea that there were two change phases in the evolution of the 328 suspension - just one change in mid-1988.

It's possible, but if this is the case, I will need to get my brain around the notion! It is certainly not the expert consensus that there was a Phase 1 (308 QV) Phase 2 (328 1987 to 88.5) and Phase 3 (328 1988.5 through 89) suspension.

I would start with something that can be verified specifically - maybe the wheel bearings?

Attached are:

1. 328 PRE-1988.5 Front Suspension Parts Diagram
2. 328 POST-1988.5 Front Suspension Parts Diagram
3. 308qv Front Suspension Parts Diagram
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This discussion sent me to my QV and 328 parts catalogs where I learned some interesting things. There are some parts that are the same including A arms and ball joints. The 328 springs are the same as QV GTB springs. QV GTS springs are different. However, the wheel assembly is radically different, the shocks and stabilizer bars are also new. We know that A arms were upgraded to beefier units early in the 87 model year. Evidently if you order new ones for a QV, you get the beefier, updated ones. I can scan and post illustrations if there is enough interest. However, other than updated A arms, there is no indication of any changes until 76626, so there are not 3 setups.

Dave

 

Thanks to all - especially Mike and Dave - for their insights. Mystery solved. Mechanics are fallible, and Nick's coil overs do not easily fit ANY 328s, even the "early" cars. There was only one upgrade to the 328's suspension in 1988.5. Everything is right with the world again!

 

Is that a Brake dust catcher on the QV???