https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/1995-ferrari-f355-competizione.522784/page-8 Even the Competizione now turned Challenge car was fitted with a standard bumper in prototype form, which sort of makes sense as it was not a challenge car. But it did supposedly have lighter than standard weight composite doors. Probably similar to the 348 GT Competizione.
Been working on my car going through some detailing vids… (Off topic)… no idea how this guy got the rear emblem off the deck without removing the mesh. Secondly, what is this GTS, which appears to be fairly standard, doing with a challenge front bumper?? You can see the front grille is short and the bumper slightly wider.
It's been a while but I believe I used a small 90 deg pick to work the retainers off. That emblem now is only held on by double sided tape, which I think came with/on the emblem but I'm not sure.
Aside from this car having a nice parking spot in a climate controlled building, I have neglected her for a few years. Took on finishing a 69 Charger project, realizing the engine was a slug after driving it, rebuilding that engine and converting it to efi. Ok, done. (other than it getting smashed on my way home). Then did a mini restoration on a 96 C4S. Done. All this took longer than usual, mostly due to part delays. So, on to the matter at hand. My F355 is long overdue for an engine out and also has original headers. Step one is remove the engine and build new headers. Haven't decided yet how much further I'll go with it this round. As for the headers, I think for the most part the original design is very nice. I intend to make some changes in an effort to improve efficiency but also accept I may not achieve that. First observation, confirmed with the help of Dave Rocks (and I think posted initially ages ago by Mitch Alsup?), is the exhaust port terminates at an upward angle rather than perpendicular to the exhaust manifold mating surface of the cylinder head. SO, I thought it would be better to correct that at the flange as a continuation of the port instead of jogging it over and up through a straight plunged flange. (if that makes sense) Fabio Fiammenghi was kind enough to work with me on this and design/machine the flanges. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
That looks fantastic. Hope you can do a run of those flanges for the rest of us if they make power. Sure seems like they would help scavenging.
Nothing really significant but needed a table/fixture to drop the drivetrain of course. Had a table I've used for many years, last on my all iron Hemi Charger so why not adapt it to the F355. Removed the top from the table and built a part to adapt it to the F355 cradle. Used 1 inch steel square tube, 1/8" steel plate for gusseting and the "U" parts that engage the subframe. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Fixture. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
So, I wanted a titanium exhaust but I don't like the million pie cut look or bullet mufflers connected together look. My idea was to take a pair of C5 Z06 mufflers which are factory titanium and cut them up/rebuild into what I need. Made a foot long hole saw to core them out as I didn't want to disturb the externals spot welds. Started cutting everything up into pieces I need and hollowed out most of the remaining muffler internals with an air saw. Redrilled the -blank- side muffler end caps how I wanted them. Had to buy a few bends, inlet flanges and straight tube but the C5 mufflers will provide the majority of the materials. Muffler case size and inlet/outlet tube diameters happened to be perfect. I'll be able to use the 2-bolt flanges that they came with as well. I think I will have enough to do a titanium y-pipe as well. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have no experience working with titanium but liking it so far! Taking me forever mostly from cleaning everything. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Internal configuration is done. Now on to final assembly/welding/finishing. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I am curious on why you bring in the V-entrance to the muffler in what looks like 2½" tube and then neck it down to 2" at the flange ?? I would have thought that staying at full diameter all the way to the flange would be the way to go.
Well it goes from single 2.5" at the flange that connects to the bypass valve to the dual 2.5" merge for the exhaust gas to change direction and then reduced afterwords. No reason to keep it at dual 2.5" all the way to the tips as it's only a single 2.5" feeding it. (The dual tubing after being reduced is the same internal area as the single tube feeding it) The Capristo for example is a simple "T" intersection of the 2.5inlet to what appears to be a straight internal 2" pipe. Works yes but kind of just hits a wall before being forced in either direction. I thought the way I did it would be a less torturous path as exhaust doesn't like turning corners, I tried to make the corner easier.
This is awesome. I've been thinking of doing something similar using components from Ticon but they don't have a body quite big enough to fit 3 pipes on each side. Can't wait to see (or more to the point, hear) this finished. It's surprising no one makes a ti exhaust for the 355.
1 company in Japan makes a titanium muffler for the 355. There should also be a titanium pipe-only exhaust on Ebay. Kline currently makes a muffler in Inconel. With enough demand, Tubi should be able to produce a muffler in titanium or Inconel. They produced a titanium muffler for the Scud and also produce Inconel headers for the 360/F430. With 5 orders, they were willing to produce 355 headers in Inconel as well.
Thanks! Much appreciated. Going to be a while before I can hear it as the drivetrain is ready to drop out. Header build is next.
Design would be same as their current offering. Just material change. They are selling Inconel headers for 360/430 in $6000-6500 range. I’d say muffler would be around the same. Barely any weight savings on the manifolds though. Kline’s SS muffler weighs 16 kg. Their inconel version weighs 12 kgs. That’s a 25% weight saving from SS to Inconel 625. A typical Tubi SS muffler weighs 27 lbs. Expect an Inconel version to weigh approx. 20 lbs.