Fun on the Lift with My New Barchetta | FerrariChat

Fun on the Lift with My New Barchetta

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by strongx, Apr 17, 2012.

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  1. strongx

    strongx Karting

    Mar 20, 2009
    166
    Utah
    Full Name:
    Rock Thompson
    #1 strongx, Apr 17, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    When I get a car that’s new to me I have to look it over good and find what I’d like to fix, improve, modify or clean. So up on the lift it goes. I thought it might be interesting to some members to observe.

    My Barchetta spent its first four years in the possession of someone with a lot of toys and distractions and was rarely driven, covering only around 1,000 miles. Then it was sold and taken to California where it had a timing belt service and in this service new cam seals were required to stop oil leaks. Five years later the car had been driven more regularly and had another timing belt service. This time the cost was lower and there was no mention of leaks. The moral of this story is, as we all know, that the cars are better off if they are driven.

    When I got the car a few weeks ago it had a little over 6,000 miles and was in excellent shape, but did have the seemingly inevitable sticky interior. Now I’d heard about this, but had never really seen it. I thought that the tales I’d read about must be a bit exaggerated. But when I touched my finger to the mirror switch I discovered they’re not. I nearly had to enlist my other hand to help pull my finger free. I felt empathy for the unfortunate creatures that had perished in the La Brea tar pits. It looks like the de-sticky people will get a new customer.

    I checked all the fluids (except the gearbox) and even looked at the air filters (they looked like new) just to make sure they were in place. Then I checked the screws on the air intake manifolds. Air leaks here are a known problem and I saw why. Many of the screws were not very tight at all. The big engine makes big heat cycles and that can, over time, loosen things up. I would urge owners to check the torque on these screws regularly. On my car most of them tightened up when tried with a torque wrench.

    I have a car lift which I’ve modified and made some low profile screw adjustable lift pads for, to get under my lowered 993. With the Ferrari I had tried the recommended rubber blocks at the lift points, but I had a better idea. I made some aluminum blocks that fit in the U shaped lift point channels and attached some self-adhesive magnetic rubber strips to them. Now I just put them on the lift points and they hold themselves in place while I position the lift arms, screw the pads up and lift the car. These are how I lift the car if I need to take a wheel off.

    If the wheels don’t need to come off I have some wheel engaging adapters that I designed and made (it’s nice to have a 4-axis machining center). These are really wonderful. They leave the whole underside free and make removing the under trays a breeze. I can also store a car on them and the wheels are supported just like on a four post lift, which is better than leaving the suspension hanging for long periods.

    I took the under trays off and washed them. That’s kind of nuts and I’m usually not quite that dedicated to cleanliness, but I wanted to do something to my new car. I was glad to find no obvious leaks and everything was quite clean. I found a bit of oil on the alternator that may be from the A/C compressor, so I’ll have to watch that. I checked the power steering hoses which are sometimes a problem, but they were fine. Moving to the rear I checked the gearbox oil. Then I found a greasy, dirty mess on the hand brake pivot mechanism. I cleaned it up, then set the car down on jacks stands and took off the rear wheels.

    When engaging the hand brake the handle came up way too high. When I looked in the adjustment holes on the rear wheels I saw why. The brake shoe adjustment screws were fully turned in to the loosest possible position. This is how the factory would have installed them, then they should have been adjusted out until the shoes contacted the drum, then brought back in just a little until the wheel turned freely. But the factory didn’t do it and neither did the dealer or anyone else. It’s admittedly not a serious problem, just an annoyance, but things like that drive me nuts and it’s easy to adjust so I did.

    Putting the car back down on the ground I tackled another annoyance: The manual trunk release did not work. I gained access to it in the trunk and found the pull on the cable to the actuation lever was not very straight. There was so much subsequent friction where the cable entered the cable guide that you couldn’t pull hard enough to make it work. Once I figured that out I simply aligned the lever to straighten out the pull of the cable and it worked like a charm.

    One other thing I didn’t like was that the interior door locks were hard to engage and they usually didn’t stay locked, unlocking themselves after a couple of seconds. Thanks to F-chat I had read that instead of grease, Ferrari uses a glue that just takes a long time to set, in my case about ten years. I took the inside door handles out and removed the two levers that actuate the door and the lock. Sure enough, they were very gummy. I sprayed WD40 and worked them back and forth to dissolve the old so-called grease. Then I sprayed some motorcycle chain lube on the shafts because I thought that would penetrate inside. Lastly, I put some good grease on the shafts and levers and reassembled them. Success! Now they work easily and stay locked.

    That’s the extent of the needed fixes so far, which isn’t too bad for a ten year old car. Let’s hope that continues. The carbon fiber is in great shape except for the round seat back adjustment handles on the side of the seats and the gearshift knob, both of which have turned cloudy. The gearshift knob is cloudy over the horse; it’s remarkable pricey, so I’m not sure what I’ll do about that. The leather is beautiful. There’s so much of it and it’s black and exposed and Utah summers have lost of sun, so I’m tempted to slather it with SPF 50 sunscreen. Or better yet, maybe just have several nubile bikini-clad hotties sprawled all over the car to protect it. I guess I’ll have to try and find what leather conditioner has the most UV resistance.

    I’ve ordered an outdoor car cover so I can actually take it somewhere and leave it overnight. At some point I’ll install upgraded coolant hoses, since I think it probably has the originals. And eventually a gold connector kit, if it’s available for the 550. I’ve read about its expected mythical appearance for years, but haven’t actually seen it listed as ready to order. I’ll de-sticky the interior as time and ambition permits. But I’m tempted to make my own billet aluminum interior door handles. I think they’d be pretty sweet and with clear anodizing would look great and add some contrast to the black interior while tying in with the seat belt holes in the racing seats and the few other aluminum-looking bits. While I had the handles out I measured them and modeled them up in my CAD system.

    I like the various colors on a car to make sense and relate to each other. As such, the red calipers are out of place. Maybe next winter I’ll have them painted yellow or black.

    It is quite a car. I am totally in love with the Barchetta. But if I had needed a more practical vehicle, i.e. one with a top, I would absolutely have gotten a 550 or a 575. They seem to me like the biggest bargain around.
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  2. LARRYH

    LARRYH F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2011
    9,677
    virginia usa
    Thanks for the pictures .. I love your car . I just bought (about 4 months ago ) a 2001 550 and it has all the options including the carbon fiber . I really like the Barchetta and thought about getting that instead . I know you will have fun with it......
    larry
     
  3. dadams73

    dadams73 Formula Junior

    Feb 19, 2012
    675
    Ocean City NJ
    Full Name:
    Dean
    Rock,
    Great post and pictures. The giallo barchetta is beautiful. Kudos to you for creating your own parts and lift systems!
     
  4. drake123

    drake123 Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 22, 2012
    181
    Pa
    Full Name:
    Drake
    Rock, Very ingenious arm/wheel adapters for your lift. I'm going to check if I can make something similar for my Rotary lift. Thanks for the pics. Drake
     
  5. wbklink

    wbklink F1 Rookie

    Sep 2, 2009
    3,420
    Los Angeles
    Full Name:
    Bill Karp
    Great car !

    Enjoy it, like you said they the more miles the better they run.

    I have 40k on my 550 and she is just perfect !

    cheers,

    Bill
     
  6. G. Pepper

    G. Pepper Three Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 15, 2012
    38,402
    Texas/Colorado
    Full Name:
    George Pepper
    I am deeply envious of your garage and fabrication facilities. Very cool. My traditional two-car garage is lame by comparison. I don't like yellow on the 550/575, but man is it ever perfect for the Barchetta. Absolutely captivating.

    I have the red calipers and Barchetta wheels on my 456M, and they look perfect there because the car is Rosso Corsa, but I agree that they look out of place on your yellow car. I wonder what the original buyer was thinking. Anyway, I think your car is a perfect candidate for the 19" 575M composite wheels and larger drilled Brembo brake kit. You could get yellow calipers that way and not have to, "ruin" the factory red ones: They could find a home on another's 456, 550, or 575, or you could keep them in case the next owner wanted to return to a stock look.

    Cheers,

    George
     
  7. Trabots

    Trabots Formula Junior

    May 15, 2011
    500
    Perth, West Aust
    Full Name:
    Willy Stobart
    I guarantee they aren't perfect. I challenge any one of you with 'perfect' Maranellos to remove one of the over the axle sections of the exhaust system, unfold the tabs holding the heat shielding in place and say your exhaust is not an abomination for a car with the racing history of Ferrari behind it and one which costs so much. Those of you who are happy with your fabulous sounding V12 exhaling through pinched pipes are the same as the non-surfer dude who goes to the beach with a surf board tied to the roof of his car.

    Pics were posted in the 'exhaust pipe diameter' thread post 25 end of March, but then everyone saw these already without a single response, as if to say 'we don't want to know'........................
     
  8. roadracer311

    roadracer311 Formula 3

    May 6, 2009
    2,398
    San Francisco
    Full Name:
    Paul
    Beautiful adapters, and beautiful car.
     
  9. strongx

    strongx Karting

    Mar 20, 2009
    166
    Utah
    Full Name:
    Rock Thompson
    I'd like to do that, actually. It sounds just like me to start out thinking I'd like yellow calipers and end up buying new wheels, new tires and a big brake kit. It reminds me of how I came to have room for this car in the first place. I started out wanting to get our attached garage more organized, so I was planning on buying one of those cheap plastic storage sheds to put garden tools in. Then the shed got bigger and got nicer. Then (I'm still not sure how) it suddenly morphed into a separate detached 2 1/2 car garage, costing about 100 times more than the original shed idea. Good thing I have an understanding wife...

    So where does one buy 19" 575M modular wheels? And how much would my 18" modulars be worth if I sold them?
     
  10. wbklink

    wbklink F1 Rookie

    Sep 2, 2009
    3,420
    Los Angeles
    Full Name:
    Bill Karp
    So where does one buy 19" 575M modular wheels? And how much would my 18" modulars be worth if I sold them?[/QUOTE]

    A used set just sold on ebay for $5600, I don't know what the dealer price would be.

    You might want to keep your wheels because they are OEM and if you ever want to sell the car ?

    As for the worth of the Barchetta wheels....there are new sets selling for 5k .

    I have Barchetta wheels on my 550 and love them.

    cheers,

    Bill
     
  11. G. Pepper

    G. Pepper Three Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 15, 2012
    38,402
    Texas/Colorado
    Full Name:
    George Pepper
    #11 G. Pepper, Apr 19, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Here's a link to a thread with pix, and a link to the mother thread.

    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=360756

    There's a vendor there offering quotes on the brake kit.

    These would look AMAZING on your ride.

    Cheers,

    george
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  12. Condor Man

    Condor Man F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 8, 2006
    4,938
    Los Angeles
    Awesome lift!!

    And beautiful car!
     
  13. rviani

    rviani Karting

    Jun 22, 2005
    81
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Ron Viani
    I REALLY LIKE the wheel adaptors you fabricated - two questions:

    1) what kind of two post lift is it?

    2) Can you provide some detail on the design of the adaptors?

    I have a four post lift and need to add another but have been considering possibly adding a two post. Since the lift will be used for storage as well as service / maintainance My concern is storage of a car with the weight off the wheels. The adaptors you designed seem to solve both problems.

    Appriciate any info. you can provide.

    Ron
     
  14. G. Pepper

    G. Pepper Three Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 15, 2012
    38,402
    Texas/Colorado
    Full Name:
    George Pepper
    BTW Rock, if you decide to do the 19" wheel/big brake upgrade, I'll buy your stock brakes - rotors and calipers - from you. Yes, they are the same size and color as the brakes on my 456M, but they are drilled, whereas the 456's are not. My Barchetta wheels have grown on me so much, I don't plan to get the bigger brakes, but I may try the 19" modulars with the stock brakes.

    If you decide to sell the Barchetta wheels, I'd be interested in those too. I have multiple wheel sets for my motorcycles, so I might as well do the same thing for my Ferrari.

    Cheers,

    George
     
  15. strongx

    strongx Karting

    Mar 20, 2009
    166
    Utah
    Full Name:
    Rock Thompson
    Sure, glad to give details. I love to get technical, so here is perhaps more than you want to know:

    I have a Mohawk System 1. In principal the adaptors could fit on many brands of lifts. The important thing is that the top and bottom plates sandwich and hold the forks and the forks have to be a certain thickness to be strong enough. The distance between the top and bottom plates is 2", which is also the thickness of my lift arms. If the arms were thinner the extra space could be made up with a spacer. If the arms were thicker then it wouldn't work without a substantial redesign.

    The adaptors are made from 6061-T6. This alloy is forgiving and not brittle. The angle on the forks where the tires contact was chosen so that all my car's tires contact the flat of the angle and not on an edge. This is so that long term storage will not indent the tires. There is no welding. Instead, the forks fit in recessed pockets in the top and bottom plates and then are bolted. This makes a very strong joint. The forks have nylon bolts in the bottom (with cut down heads) so they slide easily on my floor without scraping my nice epoxy.

    The adaptors result in a twisting motion on the lift arms. For this reason I would lower the capacity of my lift by 40 or 50%. This is not a problem because the derated capacity is still much more than my cars weigh. I'd have to lift a truck to be over capacity and I couldn't do that anyway because my lift arms won't reach far enough for the adaptors to reach the wheelbase on a truck.

    When the adaptor forks are loaded with a car they slope down about 3 degrees or a little more. Most of this is due to the rocking of the inner lift arm inside the outer lift arm and only a small part is because of flex in the adaptors. The slope is not a problem; in fact it moves the load away from the fork ends and actually increases capacity because it lessens the leverage.

    They are easy to place and I use them unless I need to remove a wheel. Even if I do need to take a wheel off, I usually leave the adaptors on the wheels that don't need to be removed and then use a conventional lift pad on the corner where the wheel needs to come off.

    Now that I've used them a lot I would only make one change. The fork ends need a nice, big chamfer. I've hit my head on the corner a couple of times and it hurts like a ... well, let's just say it hurts.
     
  16. strongx

    strongx Karting

    Mar 20, 2009
    166
    Utah
    Full Name:
    Rock Thompson
    That's an awesome offer. I'll keep it in mind. I'm trying to decide how much to spend and if I really need bigger brakes. I would I suppose if I tracked it, but I have another car that I track (a 993) and the Barchetta is so nice, not to mention more expensive if it breaks, that I'm not sure if it will ever see the track. Still, it would be nice...
     
  17. 74dino246gts

    74dino246gts Karting

    Aug 6, 2004
    126
    Northern California
    Strongx, I sent you a PM.
     
  18. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 19, 2008
    39,176
    Clarksville, Tennessee
    Full Name:
    Terry H Phillips
    If you do decide to upgrade wheels and brakes on your Barchetta, I would recommend keeping the original brakes and 18" modulars. She will likely be worth more with all the OEM parts on her than she will with upgraded parts if you ever part with her. Relatively rare Ferrari (448 plus some prototypes), so worth keeping the ability to make her original.
     

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