Where do the battery cover with no cutout go? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think the change may be as early as steel from fibreglass - cut-out is for the spare wheel bolt mount as I recall
Your pictures are not loading for me.. The early cars have a notch in the bottom, that does index to the spare tire hold down.
Guys, I know the cutout is for the spare mounting block and my 77 early steel car has one. My question is: where does the one with NO cutout go. On which model, euro, gt4 ????? Never saw one before.
NO cut until October 1977 (sparewheel compartement with zipper) WITH cut from Januar 1978 on (sparewheel compartement fiberglass without zipper and plastic washerbottle) GT4 has never had a batterycover, because the battery is out of the sparewheel compartement (it's behind the right frontlight)
I agree with greyboxer saying that the straight cover with no cut out is a glass car specification (and early steel with zip boot until oct77 for US and Dec77 for Euro). When the change from the strap to the spare tire hold down. The cut out stays until the end of 328 even if with ABS, it changed reference. There is no battery cover on a GT4, the battery is not at the same place in the car. Oups sorry for the double post, I was writing when 2281GT did post.
my early euro steel 308 ( 2/77) has one without a cutout. The later cars have a bolt to hold down the sparetire. This bolt goes into a small structure on the bottum of the compartment. This structure made the cutout in the coverplate neccesary. The early cars do not have this but use a belt to hold down the sparewheel. Not bolt, so no cutout in the plate. btw my sparewheel cover did not came with a zipper but with 6 pushbuttons
Thank you all for those answers. Now I know it's from a early 308. BUT...... My car is 22063 built july 77, has a zippered spare cover and HAS a spare hold down block. So I guess the transition dates may be a bit offset. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I apologies being confused this morning (Europe time), it is a little bit more complicated than that, and you put the finger on a good point that maybe US owner could help us. In Europe, early steel cars kept the strap until the end of the zipped boot. On US cars, it is hard to tell when the bolt appears to hold down the normal wheel requested by US law. I suspect even the US fiberglass cars hadn't any strap or if they have, that was too short to hold the wheel....(I have never seen any closed). In that case, the cut out battery cover could have been introduced at the end of the fiberglass cars. So, as it is very hard for us from overseas to have access to US cars (especially under their front boot...), maybe US owners can share what they have, there's plenty of US early steel here... Well, that will be an interesting thread to follow, then ! (BTW, st@ven, I would love to see a picture of the attachment of the push button zipper).
Well I should have checked my own car instead of the 308-328 site! My excuse is that it's a new car to me US Dec 1978 & it has the bolt holding down the wheel and therefore the moulding with a cut out. I actually knew it had a tie-down bolt, but didn't look beneath the wheel to see the compartment moulding.
That make sense about US cars. Thanks tripleblack. BigTex allready confirmed the early US cars had a spare holding block and notched battery cover. Thanks Allan.
I'll chime in. My car 76 steel 308GTB S/N 20589. Has zippered front bay and notched battery cover. Pictures attached. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
godabitibi, i just realize we have an owner here in France with a US car from the first batch of steel body. The car has the bolt as you can see so it is not lie to say that bolt nut comes with the change from fiberglass to steel. 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB I also noticed today, that US fiberglass cars do not have the aluminum handle just above the battery cover on which the strap is attached to hold the spare wheel. Can fiberglass owner confirm that ? I don't know why maybe it does not allow to put the wheel correctly ? That mean nothing hold the spare wheel ???
Thanks you all, I'm happy I asked because we are getting educated at the same time. I was asking because I bought a very nice condition original cover for my car but it has no cutout. I will have to modify it and make the cutout. BUT if it is a rare piece and someone would like it I would trade for an original notched one. Mine is on the shelf for a while and in no hurry to fit it to the car so if someone know who can use it let me know. IT'S NOT FOR SALE, but to trade.
This is exactly why and how we decided to built a website about the 3x8 models That's a very nice reaction, those cover are pretty rare. This Euro fiberglass for sale in NJ has the wrong battery cover, but I don't know the seller... ;-) http://showroom.auction123.com/topgear_imports_llc/inventory/11263/1976/Ferrari/00000000000000000.html?leadsource=Showroom|topgear_imports_llc
Well guys, I will throw out that my November 1976 production North American steel, had the cut out cover like my other two cars... \So earlier than the dates we are throwing out. #20405, earlier than the "first steel" in a lot of data sheets. Should have kept that one maybe.
Hi All, Restoring an early 308 GTB#21707, there happens to have no notch for the spare tire. Spare wheel well missing so have to find the correct wheel well. Any one has a picture of early wheel well and maybe the battery cover (no cut out?) . What wheels were on these? I have a cutout batt cover , and if still available willing to trade for non cutout ...