Looks great Russ. Which horns will you be using? I see in this picture you have the originals. In a other shot you had those cool stacks.
Will try different combos for drivability and on the dyno. I also have a set of Kermit short stacks which I may try as well. Since I opened up the air scoop to blow directly across the top of the engine, it's tempting to just braze some wire mesh on top of the tall stacks and go 'al fresco', but I probably not the best idea for a driver.
Great post. I'm starting to tinker around with my 308 but am a little wary of tampering with the carbs just yet. I have a question, though. My car runs a bit rich and gets pretty poor economy. Would clearing out the air box help?
I would be careful about clearing the airbox; I did it and regret it. The noise although lovely (at first) is really loud and after an hour or so you will wish you had left the padding in. If its running rich you have another problem so I would check the carbs out first, when were the carbs last rebuilt/tuned, ignition timing, etc.. Buy an old airbox and do it to that and keep the other - you might need it Cheers Nick
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I do realize I have some issues with the carbs (and other parts of the car). I'm having fun with it this summer and sending it in for some major work after the driving season is over. This mod looks fairly quick and easy and might be something I would do anyway. My car is a later carb'd model ('79) and, from what I read on this thread, has less padding than the earlier cars. Perhaps the sound difference wouldn't be to bad. Of course, any other +/- experiences from others that have cleared their boxes would be welcome.
Mine's a 78 Dino, I'm telling you its LOUD!! however if yours is left hand drive then it won't be so bad - but for a passemgerr with the window open
I gutted my '79 and find it is not too offensive at any speed or rev range. It sounds closer to a Cosworth DFV now than ever!!! But that's just me...
Loud? If I wanted a carbed 308 to sound like a Honda, I wouldnt have bought a carbed 308. My step daughter rode in the car only once. I purposely drove sedately for several miles until I got out onto the main highway. I turned left and pulled easy through first and into second a ways, then floored it and ran it up hard through third. She still talks about that Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde thing, how the car suddenly became "angry". I wouldnt put that packing back if my life depended on it. It was never intended to be there.
Haha point taken! If I go through with it I guess I'll keep some ear plugs handy in the passenger door pouch
Hi Estaban I could come over with my GT4? It is a Euro, no extra anything except fun Passenger gets all the good noises. Once you get your carbs off I can help with that as well. Gerrit http://dino308gt4.com
Hey Gerrit, great to hear from you! You are always welcome over. It would be fun! I'm on holidays too so my schedule is very flexible.
Just a quick note to show what my airbox finally evolved into. In addition to removing the stock square filter element and using a K&N cone, the flexible coupling (a known flow resistor) was removed and the steel snoot extended. This placed the cone into the direct airflow from the side vent. Proof was in the pudding: the dyno numbers were higher with the airbox on, I believe due to increased velocity of the charged air. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks - the Ferrari V8 is an intrinsically pretty engine. We all really have a elegant work of art in our cars.
Hi Paul, A BIG +1 My wife wears ear plugs on long drives. When i took the car out on the track, both driving instructors said that the car really sounded good, (pulling from 5000- 7000 rpm, sliding through all the turns). YES - Let it rip. As was often said in the 60's, "If it is too loud, you are too old...." Put the pedal Down. ENZO would have loved it, chris
The second car had no muffler installed when I bought it, and I could not resist the urge to fire it up with open headers. WOW! Thats the only word that really describes it. Its was VERY LOUD, but OMG did it sound gorgeous. I would love to hear it with glass packs and resonator tips, but I think it would still be far to loud to be legal. There is a fine line between joy and annoyance.
As nice as it may sound, one does not want to draw attention from the police. I do not want them going over my car with a fine tooth comb. chris
where I live he local outlaw motorcycles are easily 10 time louder than any race car (except top fuel) that i have ever heard and the local police never seem to stop them. I always shift to 3-4-5 or let off the gas as I pass
So last weekend I pulled out my dremel and attacked the airbox. Man, it was a bigger job than I expected but, after resorting to a hammer and chisel a few times, I got all that crud out. The car sounds great now! More importantly, my tach needle seems just a bit 'lighter' and more willing to rev. Rather than reinstall the stock air filter, I found a K&N filter from an old Healey of mine (for SU carbs) fit nicely in the snout. Sorry, no pics. The next day I went for a short holiday. 400 miles round trip and the car never ran better. I definitely recommend this mod!
The airbox shouldnt have any bearing on fuel economy if your jetted for it. If your over rich, then you may see improvement with more avialable airflow, but its still shooting in the dark, you really need to know better where your mixture is at. You should really pull out all the jets and measure them so have some idea where to go. Dont just go by what they are marked either, some have been drilled larger. Hans was getting horrible fuel economy with his, 8-10 mpg IIRC, and once he got the jetting sorted out the fuel economy jusmped into the low to mid 20's. Thats what mine does and so have a few others. Thats why I always believed the EPA Nazi's went the wrong way. Burning twice the fuel to get half the ppm is backwards thinking. Cars today are getting horrific fuel economy when you take it all into consideration. Our daughters 07 VW with a 1.8 liter can barely muster 27 highway, and is in the upper teens to low 20's in town. My 308 does almost that good. If the 308 engine was cut in half, down to a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder, the fuel economy would surprise a good many people while still providing generally good performance. Especially if the transfer gears ratio were modified to reduce the cars top end speed. Would be an interesting experiment eh? Just need to find a block with a hole out the back side, lol.
Unless I am the person that put the jets in originally, I never re-use jets - I always go with new. A bit obsessive, but I know what it really is.
"If the 308 engine was cut in half, down to a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder, the fuel economy would surprise a good many people while still providing generally good performance." Try a FIAT 124 spyder 1438cc engine. With a few exceptions, block material, cylinder head design, etc., they are pretty much the same. I believe Rocchi designed both of them. My 1969 was a pretty good little race car.
