For no other reason that perverse curiosity could a 355 gearbox be fitted to a 348 ?
I think I read that Challenge 348s were fitted with 355 6 speeds. ? Pretty much anything can be done if you want it.
Yes it can but there are modifications needed. Correct fuel tank with notch in it for the shift rod. Access hole in the crossbrace needs to be cut for the shift rod. The 6 speed shifter assembly. Alternator needs to be relocated. Supports on the bottom rear of the subframe need to be installed for the gearbox. Line for the coolant heat exchanger going to the gearbox. And a few other things need to be done. But yeah, it can and has been done.
And what a fantastic world would it be if I could put the 6 speed shift AND the 355 engine in my 348.. oh that 355 sound is intoxicating!! ...not that my 348 is a horrible sound also but a bit more power isn't necessarily a bad thing! Heck.. I would love to squeeze a V12 in there if I could!
Thanks Ernie, If I ever blow the gearbox in my 348 I will definitely be looking at the 6 speed route. Now I know who to call
There are also bolt holes that need to be tapped because Ferrari put them in a different location on the 355 vs the 348. Possibly even the bottom engine sump cover from a F129. The headers will need to be routed over the half shafts. Maybe even need to reroute the oil return lines from the oil tank also. And a few other things I don't remember off the top of my head. In a nut shell, it is not a straight bolt on, plenty of modifications that need to happen. But, can and has been done.
Many thanks to 'Ernie' for the info. I think this idea can be put in the "something to do when all other crazy ideas have been exhausted box".
It's a pain in the ass to do, but a worthwhile mod. I was set on doing it until my 355 gearbox got burnt/stolen.
If you were going to hypothetical go with another engine an aluminum twin turbo charged Chevrolet is a great option. I wonder what it would be like to drive a 348/355 with 750hp and over 500lbs of torque. Actually I wonder what it would feel like to drive my 355 with any torque lol. I often toy with the idea for fun. I even found a guy that build an adapter plate and some one that could do the wiring. Motor mounts and plumbing would be a snap...custom headers would be expensive though...I would love to see someone do this. I saw pics of a360 with a big block in it.
Why stop there???? Put a GE jet engine in it out of a Boeing 747, and then have the rocket boosters from the space shuttle on the side for 1/4 mile runs from a dig.
Man way to crush a guys dreams you took his completely innocent and completely mechanically doable musings and took them to fantasy land in a hurry. I can only guess you are a purist and would of course be against any kind of Frankenstein car. But some people are not. It could be a good combo for some, beautify Italian styling and worry free reliablity of a GM LSX engine. I'll tell one thing, I can get a ridiculous amount of power and torque from an LS3 for a 10th th cost of just a stock rebuild on a 355 engine. I was just looking at buying a Lamborghini gallardo at a repo auction. The drivtrain was at a shop and the guy never or couldn't pay for the work then let the car get repoed but all they got was the body with no drive train. It sold cheap and if I would here bought it I was planning to drop an LS3 and porsche transaxel. Would have been a sweet ride to me. Ernie i know I'd never convince you of the possibilities and I'm not try to I'm just saying some people have a different view of how the world goes around and it's all good brother.
Ernie a purist?????? You're guessing wrong. That's an insult to purists everywhere. He's probably got a pair of J72's in his garage just waiting for his engine to explode. How 'bout it Ernie???? You going thrust on us?
LOL, I see. I just thought since he was going overly sarcastic that he was seriously bagging on the engine transplant ideas, but maybe jet and rocket power really are his Frankenstein. I was just making a "to each his own" comment, Not trying To harass or argue with anyone. Way too much of that going on around here lately.
If you knew Ernie's car, the concept of purist would have choked you. Shoot I almost gagged on my own spit after reading this. I was looking at the 355 trans swap and it doesn't look too complicated, but it would be expensive. First you need to buy an affordable 355 transmission. Hmm, not likely. Then you need the shifter parts, again affordable. I think you can work around the gas tank though. It would take some fabrication. My preliminary budget came in at about $5K. I can do a lot more with that money so it will have to wait. As for getting the whole car, well, yeah that's a point. The whole idea of modding a 348 is to approximate the performance without the complexity of that car/engine. At least to me. And yet, it still has to come in under the replacement cost of a decent 355. That's the balancing part for me. Hey, if I can build a better 355 out of a 348 but it costs me $80K to do it, what was the point? Might as well buy a nice 355 and modify it. Also invest in some gel at that point.
Hahahahahaha! He doesn't know me very well well does he. Have a look in my garage profile, and after you have read the list of modifications I have made to my 348, I think it will be quite clear I am anything but a "purist". So why the over sarcasm? I only know a handful of Ferrari owners that have the balls to actually do the crazy mods. Most of the talk is nothing more than bench racing. If you are going to do it, well then DO IT. Don't just talk hypothetically about it, DO IT, and take plenty of pics while you are at it so the rest of us can see. You wanna stuff a Chevy into your 348 then DO IT, and tells us about it after you have successfully shoe horned it in. All this "what if you did this" or, "why not try that" or, "you could just do this" talk gets old. DO IT already. I don't know what ever happened to a couple of these projects but here are two for example. 1) You thought I was making up the jet engine thing? Well run a search of the archives for testaroaster. This guy was fitting a turbine out of a helicopter (iirc) into his Testarossa, complete with PICS! 2) Former fchatter Mark decided he was gonna stuff a V12 into the back of his 308. He had TONS of pics of all the magnificent reengineering he was doing to make to work. Sadly he left Fchat and I have no idea if he ever finished it. So enough of the "you can just put a big block bla bla bla in it". DO IT already, and show us how it's done.
Awesome. I'd say we are on the same wave length on many things then. I'm the guy who will do it if the situation presents itself. I used to restore late 60s early 70s muscle cars and caught a lot of flack for modifying and modernizing them. It's not like I was pulling apart numbers matching 69 Z28 Camaros. I just used base or v6 cars for the basis or a total basket case and still some people could not agree with it. But I had a customer base that wanted them and half were consigned to build so I ignored the haters. Honestly in this day and age why would you want a carbureted engine in your car? If I'm going to build you a muscle car its going to be tubular everything, coil overs or air ride, disc brakes, modern fuel injected power train, and custom modern interior usually with airbags and all. I've been away from it for a while but I think I'm going to take on another build soon. I've got a guy asking for a v10 Viper powered 71 Challenger which is something I would like to build so I'll probably do it for him pretty cheap on the labor. Sorry ran off on a tangent.
Now, I'm not really into the "stuff a Chevy engine into a Ferarri" camp, BUT if I were to do it, and its a REALLY big IF, I might look at the Ford 32 valve V-8, just because. How about a Coyote engine? Now I have to go back to the budget board and see what it might take to do this. Got me thinking...
Got a few of these wackos at our hobby shop, I call it brain diarrhea LOL The torture never stops Almost forgot, yes thats a 355 gearbox being used as a mock up so wanted to stay "on topic" here . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
THAT IS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!! If you wanna put an F40 body on that drop me a pm. And no I'm not being funny.
