Dino 246 GTS purchase? | FerrariChat

Dino 246 GTS purchase?

Discussion in '206/246' started by andybm3, Feb 22, 2004.

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  1. andybm3

    andybm3 Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 12, 2003
    237
    USA
    Full Name:
    Andy
    Thinking about adding a Dino GTS to the collection, have always liked the car. Any things I should be aware of? or pay particular attention to? any help appreciated.
     
  2. solly

    solly Formula 3

    Jun 2, 2001
    1,148
    Westchester NY
    Full Name:
    Dr. Steven S.
    I bought one 3 years ago, and it's my favorite Ferrari. Huge fun great sound. Some general things to beware of:

    1) These cars were not treated against rust. Check literally EVERY body part for rust, filler, bubbling, Bondo, etc. Take a good magnet along. Specific areas: Door sills, where windshield meets front bonnet, wheel arches.
    Most good 246's will have already undergone at least one respray by now. hopefully it was taken down to bare metal beforehand. The bonnet (and sometimes the doors) are alloy, so they should be ok.

    2) The motor is bulletproof provided it has always been well maintained. Service records are a must. If they were taken care of they are great. If they were neglected they are a headache. specifically: do compression check on all cylinders with leakdown. Check play in timing chain (it's adjustable). Carbs tens to go out of sync and run rough, but they are easy to synchronize. They may need a rebuild.

    3) The gear synchros are usually worn by now, and it won't go into 2nd until the oil heats up. This is perfectly normal.

    4) They all drip oil. Drip, not flow. Again, pretty normal. It should not smoke for more than 30-60 seconds after startup.

    5) Make sure you get the books and COMPLETE tool set. Many sellers love to keep these. Over $4,000 for the books and tools if you didn't get them and plan on going to a concourse (from personal experience).

    2 excellent books: "Ferrari Dino" by Anthony Curtis-general info. And "Ferrari Dino 246, 308 and 328" by Alan Henry-has a section on buying tips.

    Get a PPI, Get the best one you can afford, and you will avoid major headaches. While they may be baby Ferraris, the maintenance costs are pure Ferrari. (headlight switch-$800).

    Hope you get one, they are a blast.
     
  3. Ira Schwartz

    Ira Schwartz Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    May 20, 2003
    1,961
    Brooklandville, MD
    Full Name:
    Ira Schwartz
    Check the history of any car you're considering with Denny Schue at www.dinoregister.com . This is especially true if you're looking for a "chairs & flares" example, as many cars that have flared fenders now didn't when they left the factory!
     
  4. Steve B

    Steve B Formula Junior

    Dec 23, 2003
    521
    Naperville
    Full Name:
    Steven L. Biagini
    One thing that should be noted about the Dino engine is the tendency after 20 years or so for valves to drop. It happened to me personally and necessitated a $23,000 engine rebuild. I am also aware of several other cases. Maybe this is just the risk of buying an older car, but my Ferrari mechanic tells me that the Dino and early 308s are known for weak valves. If you can find one that has already had the rebulild done, you are one step ahead.

    However, I can say that it is a fantastic car with great handling, sound, styling and adequate power. Probably the most fun I've had with any Ferrari.
     
  5. stratos

    stratos Formula Junior

    Dec 9, 2003
    639
    Switzerland
    Valves MUST be changed, especially the sodium-filled exhaust ones, for solid items. It's a good idea to go oversize too. Otherwise this is a damn solid engine and has one of the greatest Ferrari sounds ever.

    If you're not concerned about 100% originality you might consider fitting Weber IDF, instead of the DCNF originally fitted, as these latter have a tendecy of fuel starvation on left turns.

    These engines can be tuned to 250-270bhp with awesome torque and sound if you can get your hands on a REAL specialist.

    Definitely go for it if the car is in order.
     
  6. tx246

    tx246 F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 4, 2003
    6,467
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Shawn
    one other place to check for rust is in the rear valance. it has no protection and picks up debris from the tires. the cams also need to be adjusted around every three thousand miles to prevent wear. i would also look for any "ferrari" indicators placed on the car. many of these have been attatched haphazardly over the years. i can't think of a single horse attatched in the manner i have seen the factory attatch them.

    as for tools and books, toolkits are rare and hard to find. plan on spending around $4k for the tool kit/jack bag alone. be careful, the later cars had a different tool kit and the most frequent kits seen on the market are from earlier cars. the books are fairly difficult to put together if lost. sure the owners manual can be had for around $100 (+/-) and a parts book can be found for around $200, but it is all the other books that make it difficult to complete an incomplete set. i just bought an immaculate complete books set for over $3k. the warranty cards are car specific, so if you don't have it, your not going to get it unless a miracle occurs. key fobs are an ever more rare item. expect to spend around $600, if you can find one.

    also look at the wheels. only the flaired cars came with campy wheels. the cromodora's were standard.

    when you say you want to add one to your collection, what are yopu going to use it for.if you are looking for a show car, you will look for different things thanif you wanted a driver. i am all for originality, but that won't cut it (much to my dismay, although it looks as this may change in the coming years) in the show car scene.
     

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