I am now the owner of F106AS29293 (Black '79 GTS), Let the fun (project) begin

Well I did it. I have purchased my first Ferrari. Just got back from Florida last night and the car will be at my friend's house in Greensboro for the next couple months getting sorted out. Still waiting to get some pictures, but to hold people over below is a link to the ebay listing of the car.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1979-Ferrari-Classic-Black-308-GTS-Convertible_W0QQitemZ300347589921QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item45ee1c8521&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

The good news. Cosmetically the car is what the seller made it out to be. The original US bumpers are pretty beat up. The body is in very good condition, the car was painted in 2002 and shows some signs of rust repair (the car was in NJ for some of it's life). The interior is in very condition as well. The upper part of the black carpeting along the fire wall has faded a bit, there is a tear over the gauge cluster part of an otherwise straight dash, door panels and seats look like a sub 30k mile car should.

The bad news. As soon as we got in the car we were met with the unmistakable smell of burning plastic. Immediately I had a feeling that there had been a recent 'event' involving the infamous fuse box. Through my best hound dog impersonation we were able to trace the smell to the aforementioned fuse box. The event probably had happened earlier in the morning when the seller took the car out as the smell was that fresh.

Obviously there was a lot electrical issues; windows would only go down about an inch, wipers would not work, relay under the dash was clicking on and off, no reverse lights or flashers, ect, and most importantly an engine miss. In disconnecting the spark plug leads we found that #1 was not firing (we did not check the bank closest to the fire wall). The engine revved freely though, and it sounded like it had good compression. The car has not been driven more than 300-400 miles since the seller bought the car two years ago. So we were not able to determine if this was a spark issue, possibly related to the fuse box mishap, or a fuel issue with carbs that have been sitting unused for a while. The car also had little to no brakes, the seller knew of this issue and made me aware of it before I came down to see the vehicle. In the notes from the records of the previous owner (which were extensive) there has been ongoing 'weeping' in one of the rear calipers where the emergency brake arm meets with the caliper. Probably due to the limited use a lot of air has been built up in the system.

The good news is that the electrical problems had caught the seller off guard. The seller is a good guy, took personal responsibility for the neglect of the car, and more than anything wanted to right by the transaction so we were able to renegotiate on the price. The seller also through in an extra set of 14" wheels and tires with the transaction.

So first thing I need to do is to buy a Birdman fusebox. After that we will sit down and reassess where the car is at that point and start sorting.

Have to run back home to Wilmington NC, but more to come......................

 

Didn't have a chance to identify the steering wheel. It appears to be a more modern aftermarket piece. Honestly I wouldn't mind trading it for a more period correct Momo. Not sure about the antenna.

 

Yup, appears to be the later style seat. Not sure if a couple made their way onto late '79 cars, or if they are non-original? The doors panel also seem to be sans the door pockets.

The car was up in Amelia Island. So not too far from you.

 

Just got some pics............
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Well Birdman's fuse box is on order. Fingers crossed as to whether the new box will solve a majority, if not all, of the electrical gremlins.............

 

Not sure where everybody has extrapolated this $14,500 purchase price from? If you see the ebay ad the auction ended with no purchase. I contacted the seller and we agreed on a 'buy it now' price above and beyond the original auction price if everything checked out as stated in the listing and by the seller over the phone once I got down.

Obviously there was a bevvy of more issues with the car once I got down there. So the price was renegotiated at that point. Lets just say that the final price will remain a secret between the seller and I ;-).

Yes, the price I paid for the car was very reasonable, but as everyone is already aware that there is no such thing as 'cheap' Ferrari. Though I am pleased with the aesthetic condition of the car, I took on a project. As simple as that. A project Ferrari is not for somebody that is not familiar with a wrench, I do believe that the difficulty of working on a Ferrari is a bit of a myth though. Even if I were to only pay $12,000 for the car and I were to take it to the local Ferrari shop to put back right with a blank check I could easily still end up upside down on the car, without touching the paint or interior of the car.

As somebody on this thread has already stated that half the fun of a project, if not more, is the journey getting the car to where you want it. I don't want this thread to encourage everybody to go out and buy the cheapest car that they can find. The intent of this thread is to chronicle the journey, the ups the downs, the trials and tribulations, of this project. It wouldn't hurt if some experts would be willing to chime in from time to time when I run into a 'hang up' as well ;-)

 

Thanks Birdman! I sure hope that it does. After reading all the glowing reviews I have a good feeling it will. The fusebox swap will be the first thing I will do to the car. No need spending a couple days chasing all the little gremlins when there might be one quick fix for a majority of them. I will reassess everything at that point. I will post the updates once completed.

Aesthetically the bumpers are the worst aspect of the car. The front bumper does have some rust under the turn signal and the entire bumper is a bit wavy. The rear bumper has a crack going down the side. I am contemplating gong with the 'Euro' style bumper conversion. Not only would it tidy up the overall condition of the car's exterior, but it would also tighten the lines of the car as well. Shedding a couple hundred pounds does not hurt either. Anybody have any recommendations where to get the most bang for the buck 'Euro' style bumpers?