Hi All, Finally got one, and will pick up in a couple of weeks! A QV for price of a V6 Camry. Will definitely have a lot of questions for the community here. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1983-ferrari-mondial-qv-coupe/ Planning on driving it from Colorado (within walking distance of Scuderia Rampante) to Seattle 1300 miles. What should I do before the road trip? Anything for SR to fix (got 2 weeks) / check / top off? Also these are older TRX tires, treads are good, but is there an age concern? Anything else to QV ownership that's different than Alfa Romeo ownership (1981 GTV6, 1985 GTV6, 1993 Spider)?
Hearty congratulations! When was last 30K done? Check battery condition Check water pump/fuel pump Check suspension bushings Check for leaks Check all switches/toggles/buttons Make sure you have jumper cables Replace the tires, keep the old ones for future shows - but assume the tires are shot. Safty First!
Three things that will ruin your Ferrari experience: a fuel fire, brake failure, and a belt failure. Next worst thing, a cooling hose blowing up (under the plenum, not something you want to try to fix on the side of the road). So get those things checked and take a fire extinguisher, some duct tape, and a jug of coolant with you. Running out of fuel not fun either, so be sure to ask the prior owner where on the fuel dial E really is. And you might also want to be aware that adjacent states don't necessarily recognize each other's trip permits. You may need one for each of the states you will be crossing. Frankly, it's wiser to call the transporter. The chances of there being a knowledgeable F car mechanic along the route when you need him are zero. And get insurance today, either way.
If it were me, I would call Dave Helms and book it to be checked. The seller can probably get it there for you if it is that close. That way, you will know what it needs and that it is road worthy when you do drive it home. And Dave may be able to get done some of what it needs depending on what he sees. Congrats on the purchase!! Regards, Jerry
Congratulations, looks like a great example, with all the important service items already done around 2015 according to the ad. For the long trip the fact that all fuel and coolant hoses have been replaced is particularly important. As long as you have a fresh battery (or get one of the light weight lithium battery booster packs for the trip, good to have one anyway), the trip should be fine, mechanically. Take a look to confirm you could access the battery terminals for a boost, not all big cables can fit readily with the battery posts on the back side of the battery as it is kind of tucked under the body frame. I would note that if I am correct in one of the pictures on BAT there is a DOT date code 1400 on the tire, that means the 14th week of year 2000. That's an 18 year old tire. The DOT says change tires after 10 years, regardless of mileage. Given the hotter climates the car was in, I suspect the tire would be likely to fail on a long high speed journey. Ok for short around town trips, but even then the braking grip will be very poor, tires harden and get brittle from age, heat, ozone and can be seriously unsafe. New TRX are expensive, but I would myself not make the trip on the old tires. At the least look at the tires closely for any signs of cracking in the sidewalls, tire dressing might make them harder to spot. Any even hairline cracks, and they are not good for the highways.
Congrats again Kevin! I would also put new tires on right away. Regarding pick up, I'd ask Helms to do have one of his guys take it out and shake it down s bit, then do quick inspection to make sure all the new hoses and belts are looking good before heading off on a long drive. Other than that, go for it. I'm envious of your road trip, personally! Oh, new battery and/or booster pack is a must for any road trip. +1 on that.
Thanks folks for all the tire advice. Looked it up, yeah, very old. Neither of seller or I realized / occurred to us tire age vs tread. Seller is nice enough to spit cost of new tires. However, due to time of year, we will end up shipping it most likely. Especially looking at the route from CO to WA, likely to have snow. So trying uship.com for now. Anyone else have advice on shipping? Also since TRX tires, anyone have experience getting them from Corker?
Strongly recommend asking Dave Helms do some testing. His team is VERY up-to-date regarding Mondials. I just received my 83 QV from him and drove it ten hours over two days. Flawless performance. This is a partial list of what was wrong - EVERYTHING! The car is as Dave and I want it - it looks like a 34 year old car; but is completely refurbished and enhanced underneath. Fuse box and hot wires management SRI set-up, suspension, brakes, exhaust, clutch, fuel system, new gas tanks, windows, SRI cam gear coating, engine out SRI analysis, headlight improvements, odometer, heads off restoration (tube squeeze silicone "gaskets" discovered, etc., etc. As I said, Dave is really up to date regarding Mondials. Let him look it over. If not I think you will wish you had! J
Clutch slave cilinder failed twice in 10yrs of Mondi ownership So that is definitely a thing to check There is the ALfa 75 option that is more reliable Also replace brake fluid
Seller is an extremely nice guy ... he has no obligation to pay for anything. Regarding clutch slave, yes they seem to fail regularly. But not catastrophically, they seep for a long time. The only direct equivalent comes off a Lancia (Thema I believe) and even then you have to save your old actuator rod. You can also talk to Guido about just replacing the seals, but the bellows are not obtainable as a separate part unless someone has cracked that code. Good bellows are necessary for seal longevity.
Kevin, For shipping, Intercity is the best. Really not much more money in my experience. You will have one team drive it to you enclosed the whole way. Mention Fchat for a discount.
