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Going through my 308

Discussion in '308/328' started by mmrankin, Feb 5, 2005.

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  1. mmrankin

    mmrankin Rookie
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    Dec 9, 2004
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    Dallas, Texas
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    Mark M. Rankin
    #1 mmrankin, Feb 5, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Couple of questions for you good people on this board. I have a 1983 308 GTSi QV and hope to make some significant changes to the car. You see, I was recently in a 1991 348 and it was amazing. The handling, the sounds, the stability...

    Anyway, I love my little 308 and hope that I can make it perform a little better. You see, all the bushings in the suspension are shot and the shocks are probably original. It's got 45k ish miles on it, so I'm thinking it's about time to go to Nick's Forza and buy a suspension package. First questions: Do I need to upgrade the sway bars? Do newer wheels make any difference (288, 348, 355)?

    I've also taken the car to Tony Richards in Dallas. He's worked on my previous cars and has a great reputation in the Dallas market for Lotus/Ferrari service. He's got the engine out of the car and is re-building the starter, A/C and alternator. He's sending the cam covers and intake out to be powder-coated red. He's removed all the smog stuff, grinded the little hose connectors off and are welding the holes shut, put new plug wires, new belts, new plugs, new gasgets and done plenty of de-greasing. He's also doing the timing and raplacing the fuel hoses and filter. Next questions: What else should I do while the engine is out?

    The previous owner obviously did not take very good care of the car as is evident from the rather expensive garage bill. What I'm afraid of is that at the end of this, I'm not going to have a great Ferrari, but more like a pretty good Buick as this 308 drove a lot like my Mother's old Buick when I got it. My final question is after all this is done, will I notice a significant difference in ride and engine performance and will anything I do make it more like a 348 or should I just go ahead and buy a 348 or 355?

    I attached some pictures of the engine for grins.

    Thanks in advance!

    Mark Rankin
    1983 Ferrari 308 GTSi QV
    2002 BMW 330i
    2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10
    2004 BMW 745Li
    2001 Ford F-250 wife's car - come on, she's got to have one!
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  2. jfrazar

    jfrazar Karting
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    Jun 26, 2004
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    Savannah, GA
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    Joe Frazar
    #2 jfrazar, Feb 6, 2005
    Make sure that he replaces every oil seal on the motor. I would also take the time to inspect the clutch, water pump ect. Considering that you have stepped up to plate the and had the motor removed. I would also inspect the exhaust headers as well. I must say, that is one big grease ball of a motor you have there. Clean that thing up.
     
  3. mmrankin

    mmrankin Rookie
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    Dec 9, 2004
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    Mark M. Rankin
    #3 mmrankin, Feb 6, 2005
    Good advice. The "grease ball" used 3 gallons of Simple Green. I'll post after pics soon. Has anyone out there ever removed all the smog stuff from a 308? Was it worth it? I just shot an e-mail to Tony and asked him to also powder coat the headers. Good/bad idea?
     
  4. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
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    Montana, Oregon, Hawaii
    #4 Glassman, Feb 6, 2005
    I would be interested in purchasing your smog equipment if you want to sell it.
     
  5. enjoythemusic

    enjoythemusic F1 World Champ

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    Steven
    #5 enjoythemusic, Feb 6, 2005
    >>> First questions: Do I need to upgrade the sway bars? Do newer wheels make any difference (288, 348, 355)?<<<

    You can keep the stock sways/anti-roll.


    >>>Next questions: What else should I do while the engine is out?<<<

    Replace all fuel and oil lines. If stock, they may look good externally but i bet internally they may be shot. As you know, old hoses can cause fires :(


    The pics look... well... Agree with what others are suggesting. There is no reason why the car can't be very good... once rebuilt (and providing the previous owners did not trash the core parts (heads, etc).
     
  6. jimangle

    jimangle F1 Rookie

    Nov 5, 2003
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    James
    #6 jimangle, Feb 6, 2005
    I'm sure you giving the suspension an overhaul would be a dramatic improvement especially since you said the car handles softly.
    I have a 79, and it handles like a race car. I don't know what the previous owner did to it, but probably upgrading the bushings to poly would help.
     
  7. Jerrari

    Jerrari F1 Veteran

    Jul 24, 2001
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    Jerry Wiersma
    #7 Jerrari, Feb 6, 2005
    On my old 308 I upgraded my bushings to Energy Suspension brand (that I got from Auto Zone), went to electronic ignition w/ single dist., lowered the car 1" w/ shocks from QV London ([email protected]), had my shocks rebuilt at True Choice, added a TUBI exhaust and powder coated the a-arms, valve covers and air box. The result was a car that sounded, drove, handled and looked MUCH better than stock. BTW, don't powder coat the headers, it will not hold up! Send them to JET HOT Coatings and have the ceramic/aluminum coating put on them, it will last virtually forever w/o burning off, fading, dis-coloring, etc.
     
  8. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
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    #8 WILLIAM H, Feb 6, 2005
    Brembo has a new upgrade kit for the front brakes which would probably help, even though the 308 has the best stock brakes of any Ferrari Ive driven. Mike has a supercharger package which should make some serious hp if you want to go all out. For a cheap way to make hp I would recomend wrapping the air filter box & the hose that carries the air to the intake plenum in a heat reflective mat. This can be done easily w some scissors & some zip ties, You may have to get a grommet kit from the hardware store. Its a few hours work & will add hp that you can feel.
    Another alternative is painting the air filter box with heat reflective paint
    Good Luck
     
  9. Michael Collins

    Michael Collins Formula Junior

    Apr 6, 2004
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    Shanghai/Melbourne
    #9 Michael Collins, Feb 6, 2005
    The shocks should be adjustable, so you can make the ride harder. I set mine in the middle and it handles fine. I recall I had to install the front shocks upside down to be able to adjust them without to much work. That was five years ago never had a probvlem from the shocks.
     

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