Dino DIY - Refreshing my 1973 246 GTS

Now that all the bolts are out, there will still be a bit of tension in the mounting. You can rotate the whole A-arm and pull but I found some light tapping with my rubber mallet was required to remove the A-arm. Once free, note its location then replace all bolts in their exact location.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Using two 19mm wrench&sockets, remove the bolts that retain the lower A-arm bushing mounts. Tap lightly with a rubber mallet and separate it from the car's U-bolts
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The Driver's side suspension has now been removed, repeat for the Passenger's side.
Once the Passenger's side torsion bar mount has been removed, it can be pulled through the suspeniosn area and removed from the Dino.

So far, the tasks have not been complicated - just turning wrenches and removing parts.
See how easy a DIY can be!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Now that the front suspension is off and the tie rods are exposed, the steering rack can be removed.

NOTE: Examine the inner tie rod ends for tightness.
Many people are familiar with the outer tie rod end where it connects to the front control arms, but the inboard tie rod ends are just as important and often overlooked. The Inner Tie Rod ends are inside those large rubber bellows and allow the arms to rotate downwards to control steering. With the outter tie rod end disconnected grab it and rotate the whole steering arm to a new position and let go of it - if the arm stays in that new position and does not fall down then they are tight enough to be considered good. If a control arm flops downward and requires assistance to be held in an up position then it is warn and is no good (or at least needs adjusting)
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Before the steering rack can be removed, the steering link shaft must be loosened and pulled away from the rack to allow space for the whole rack to be pulled back from the chassis. The steering link shaft is a rod with splined ends to connect on both ends with securing clamps. On the upper end it connects to the steering U-joint and the bottom end it attaches to the steering rack stub.

Find the upper clamp in the spare tire compartment area by the brake booster and clutch cable. Remove this top clamp first by pulling the cotter pin from the castle nut and use two 11mm wrenches to loosen the clamping nuts. Spread the cfamp collar to allow the shaft to have upward play when you do the next step, removing the bottom clamp to free the shaft
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Using two 11mm wrenches unfasten the lower clamp and remove the retaining bolt and nut
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

With the retaining bolt removed, spread the collar with a chisel or screwdriver to allow the shaft to be moved away from the steering rack stub
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The only thing holding the steering rack on are two mounting clamps, one on the driver's side and one on then passenger's side. Remove both and the steering rack is free, pull it out through one side
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Once the suspension is off of the front it looks like this.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The 16 suspension-to-body frame bushings are tack welded onto each A-arm (generally) in two spots. These have to be cleaned up then cut out for their removal, a process which can take some trial and error. Some come out easier than others.
Note the condition of the rubber, visible at the edges.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The bushes are not required to be saved BUT the front spacers must be re-used or replaced, so be sure to retain them.

Once all the parts have been gathered, I sent them out to be powder coated in gloss black. Local shop "Powder Visions" does a great job and they came back so shiney that it tempoarily blinds me and I miss the photo focus of two of the A-arms and only show six in the photo.


Total cost for powdercoating: $200 USD
..., but I told them it was for a FIAT!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

My steering rack had a torn boot, which could mean it needed a lot more than that so I started looking around for a specialist and stumbled onto a fellow club member (jh355) who owns his own medical engineering and manufacturing company. He has such a great passion for his Ferrari's and Bentley's that he's put a great amount of time and labor into them to investigate and diagnosing the issues of refurbishing. He has created some special tooling and performance processes for rebuilding them. One of his specialties are steering racks and he did an absolutely fantastic job. Highly recommend his craft.

His opinion is that steering racks are one of the most critical components of Ferraris but are often overlooked.
Read his exact words in post #7 onward:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=192248

I asked and he gave me permission to print his contact info:
STEERING RACK REBUILD: [email protected]
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Took some time out to finish the new home's garage. Removed the 2x4 shelves and bought a really nice quad set of Griot's stackable storage cabinets (each shelf within can hold 400 lbs), followed up with three Griots tool cabinets and a 12 foot wide 1.75" thick butcher block work benchtop. Way expensive but well worth it for being organized and able to find ANY tool when you need it. Each of the 21 tool drawers have big space for edge labels. Painted the walls semi-gloss, acid etched the floor then painted with epoxy and trimmed out the edge with black molding.

Gary R turned me onto the longitudinally ribbed vinyl mats as a GREAT way to keep the floor clean. Found teh best place for these mats at American Garage Floor:
http://www.americangaragefloor.com/blt-garage-floor-ribbed.php

Invited over a bunch of friends and "Il Maestro" Sig. Carlo Durante who kept opening the tool drawers, smiling and voicing his approval "I like!"
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

With the steering rack rebuilt it is now time to address the steering rack mounts. These are important because they are a main contributer to driving feedback isolation.

They have bushes pressed into a cylindrical hole that was drilled only to a set depth resulting in a hole that does not go all the way through the half-moon shaped clamp making them rather difficult to remove. The other end has a reduced diameter meaning that when you try and push them out you can only push the inner "race". A hydraulic press only forces the inner part of the bush and some of the vulcanized rubber leaving the outer metal diameter still firmly embedded in the steering rack mount.

The photo shows the mount with the old bushing still inside and a new Superformance bushing adjacent to it. I want the old one out and the new one installed.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I was stumped at this point and wanted to avoid damaging the interior wall of the mount so I called a friend, John H, who has some great equipment for his business; half a dozen Haas brand six axis CNC, numerically controlled, milling machines. When I told him the problem he said, "sounds fun, come on over!"

He stopped his production line to lathe up a "pushing shaft" tool of the correct diameter to remove the inner portiion of the bushing, then set the mounting clamp in the CNC machine and precisely drilled out the outer bushing. Once the old was out, he pressed the new bushing in chasing it all the way down with a sized dowel tool he made. Last two photos show completed assembly with pushing dowel tools in rear, right. If he doesn't have a tool to do something, he just makes one!

Now I'm ready to go and Dino #05702 will be steering tight now.

Thank you John H. !
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Who me?
Thanks
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I'm at a crossroads and may go deeper than originally planned (..and to think this all started with a hung up left brake caliper)
Seeing Chanptc and OMGjon's projects make it look so rewarding and compelling.

The real kicker is that I'm having a difficult time finding a paint shop that can do it. The local shops are either booked up for years or have not ever done one before. I've found one a long ways away that has done platinum level workon Dinos and is decently priced, but the distance makes it tough.

After seeing many Dinos with paint bubbling at the edge where the flying buttress exterior meets the rear quarter panel, I think this area needs special attention of brazing.