Engine In timing belt change

It was designed to do exactly that. The ECU has a bayonet fitting for easy release. The hole in the firewall is designed to allow easy passage. Be careful and it will be fine.

Anything else is a hack job.

I drive the heck out of mine when it isn't raining or snowing. Hell. I take it to pick up take-out pizza or groceries.

Not trying to be a smart ass here, but if doing the repairs correctly scares you, and driving it seems to concern you, perhaps this isn't the car for you. These are not for everyone.

As I have said before, I love the 355. It aint for pansies.

 

Not that I would do this myself, especially on a road car, but what's the big deal with cutting a hole in the crossmember if you weld in a tube and appropriately reinforce the surrounding area with additional welded plates or channels?

I have a '69 Alfa Spider I've built as a race car, and we've welded reinforcements to sheetmetal that needed additional structural reinforcements, beyond seam welding. Like behind the steering box and the shock mounts among others. Commonplace, really, in the racing scene.

If I raced a 348 or 355 and were inclined to change belts every season or whatever, that wouldn't seem unreasonable.

 

Reread post 201.

People used to cut off big pieces of the 5/8 timing belt cover on 2 valve 308's to change the water pump without removing the A/C compressor and belt cover. We called them butchers too.

 

Did last major myself at home (I have a lift). Replaced: All belts , HE tensioner bearings, both hydraulic tensioners (one was totally frozen: grenading time!!) all cam seals and gaskets, checked timing with a degree wheel, spark plugs etc etc tell me how the F*** do you do all that with the engine in or how do you even check here's and there's to know everything's ok.

 

You know what is a more of a horror story than the one you described here? Someone doing a cambelt service with the engine in situ.

 

I believe barbarians would be a more accurate description.

 

There is nothing wrong with doing anything like that. The problem is the next owner will correctly assume if you did this you have likely taken other cheaper routes to fix anything that has gone wrong during your ownership.

If you do things correct your resale will be much better!

As for racing in a 348 or 355, when you are racing all the time you could likely take the engine out intue afternoon and get it back in for racing the next day. The more engine outs you do and the more oftain you do them the less misc other stuff comes up.

If I was changing belts every year I certainly would not rebuild alternators, waterpumos or get the injectors cleaned.

Once owning a ferrair and undrstanding the heat with in the engine bay can you only appreciate how well many things are engineered so they last 3 to 5 years. Maybe 7 maybe 10 but for many its 3 to 5.

 

Man, I need to find someone who can do this that fast. All I need are the belts/tensioners replaced.

 

A race car does not have its A/C lines, saves some time...
But it still is a 20 hour job if you are really fast.
Took me months by the way. But I did do the whole bunch of what could be done like Arturin above described