GTB QV 49461 refurb

Good cars go quickly, congratulations. Hopefully you'll come back to the fold. Say, a 400 is a nice family car and good for the "project-minded" guy.

 

Just read this whole thread from the beginning, and was kind of shocked to see that at the end it went up for sale and is now sold. Anyway, you did amazing work on the car and it's absolutely stunning. There is a very lucky new owner out there.

 

Safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanks for the pedal pads!!!!

 

Thank you for all your help Jason, this is one terrific car! I couldn't be more pleased.

For those that were on the fence of whether or not to purchase this car I can only say, you missed out!! I'll be posting a separate thread. But here's a pic of her new resting place with her somewhat larger (on the outside) and younger sibling.
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Beautiful work on the car. If you're willing to share how you pulled off that awesome license frame, I'd be glad to know.

 

Since this thread presents such a comprehensive view of this particular car, I figured that as its new owner I would simply add relevant updates to this existing thread.

Since my ownership I've addressed a few things that needed some attention (all disclosed to me in the sale and common items that come up on these cars).

Initially the car would not pass emission here in AZ and smelled quite rich so I started with the and addressed the following:

Emmission Control
- Cold start circuit was dead due to a diode being installed backwards
- Lambda control was offline so got that back on
- updated O2 with 4 wire unit
- replaced throttle switch
- addressed loose wire connections
- removed all plugs from vacuum lines and reassemble according to factory diagram
- installed missing signal vacuum hose
- adjust fuel mixture
- Check and corrected warmup control regulator pressure
- replace overvoltage relay with updated unit

Ignition
-reseal front bank distributor drive and cover
- Rework spark plug wire retaining screws and renew extenders

Driveline
- Replace shift-shaft seals (looked to be original) and adjust linkage
- Replaced shifter bushings
- Replace needle bearing group for clutch housing gear
- Clutch adjustment

Brakes
- Replace rear brake pads and surface rotors
- reposition heat shield to proper distance away from e-brake

Misc
- Repair drivers side outside seat rail. Was missing guide bearings.
- Replace loose warning lights in dash with units purchased from F-chat member Sigmacars (great pieces)
- Sent clock to Palo Alto Speedo for refurb
- Re-aligned front bonnet for easier closing (gasket needed to be trimmed)
- fix door jamb switches
- adjust trunk latch cable tension


Other than that I drove the car at least 4 times per week from Jan-April and once a week until now.

 

So, a little update.

After many months of conversation with Marc, 49461 has made its way into my garage. It is everything I hoped it was and more. It's an incredible example and a testament to the meticulous care and attention that Jason and Marc bestowed upon it.

The car is as good as a stock 308 QV can be. However, I never wanted a totally stock 308 (remember my 328 GTB?). Consequently, I will be updating a couple of things on the car over the coming months and will continue this thread.

I'm not doing a lot. I want the car to look mostly stock. I'll probably just install some better shocks and springs, a new exhaust system, and maybe do some slight fiddling on the intake side for now. Maybe a few other things as opportunity presents itself. I'll post pics and document wherever possible as this thread is legendary to so many 3x8 owners.

 

Congratulations Sherp!

 

Beautiful car, plus really cool post to watch it change owners on fchat

 

Since I was on the fence about selling the car I'll admit that the only way I was letting it go was if it was picked up by someone exactly like Ryan. I turned down multiple, less knowledgeable potential buyers simply because I didn't want to see the work that had already been done...undone. I'm confident that it couldn't be in better hands and the entire process was a genuine pleasure.

Many may say "it's just a 308, what's the big deal", and while to a very small degree, the 308 series may signify the "entry-level" Ferrari it wasn't my first and yet it meant more to me than any other I've owned as I first decided that I would own a 308 GTB when I was 5 years old and saw one in person.

And as many know Ryan has other, far more significant examples of the marquee and yet still chose to be the steward for 49461 for the foreseeable future, and for that I'm grateful.

Enjoy her and thanks in advance for sharing any and all info regarding her progress.

 

Congrats Ryan! Glad to see this finally happen.

Now we'll be even more dangerous with our 308 plans.

 

Haha! Absolutely. Jason and Marc really maxed out the car as stock but you and I both know that some of the stock parts are just too heavy and old. There is some serious weight loss to be gained with some key parts and things like a stainless steel exhaust and aluminum radiator look pretty nice too. However, there are so many things I would not change. The interior is nicer than just about any 3x8 interior I've seen, as is the engine bay. Also, these stock wheels look great on the car. Marc had them painted again in the correct color. There are just so many small touches that are so well done, thanks to these two.

It is a great starting point from which to make some nice under-the-skin improvements that would make for a neat hot rod 308 that looks mostly stock but has the added edge to the driving experience.

 

Congrats Ryan. Love the 308 QV. And Jason if you're reading this thanks for your help with my rear deck restoration. I don't think I could have done it without your help.

-F

 

Thanks, Furman.

By the way, even though Marc didn't post pics, he did an insane amount of mechanical work to the car during his ownership. He did a hyper comprehensive major with all kind of new parts. New injectors, distributors, lines, on and on and on. He's the kind of owner anyone would love to buy a car from.

 

A little update:

I have been dialing in the car. I installed the ADDCO swaybars and a Wilbers suspension.

The car is totally transformed into a backroads monster with those two things. It's a lot like my old 328 GTB with the Ohlins suspension but with more "flat" handling. The car is now very responsive to steering input and really handles properly. I have to say that the quality of the Wilbers parts way exceeded my expectations. They are very comparable to my Ohlins in quality but with a couple of big pluses over those. They also dropped my car by about 20mm so now the wheel gap to the fenders is much less like a 4x4 now. I would recommend them to any 308 owner. I did have to modify the ADCCO bars like everyone else has (spacers on the back and trim the soft settings off the front) and I'm adding some bar clamps to help keep them perfectly centered but overall they are a big improvement.

I also put some small Hill Engineering spacers that I had from my 328 (13mm rear and 11mm front) and now the wheels sit perfectly in the fenders.

I also changed the exhaust to a Nuvolari set up. It definitely sounds like a Ferrari now. I'll post sound clips when I get a chance.

Here is a pic of the car currently.
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Here's one of the wheels in the fenders so you can see the ride height and the stance.
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Jason, instead of the wheel spacer, you should have put a wider tires otherwise you still have the same amount of rubber on the ground, you just moved it out. But it sure does looks good though, good job.

 

You don't want a tire that is too wide for the wheel.

Wheel spacers are a good way to change the balance.

 

Yes, but it throws off the geometry or alignment. Plus I was told by some pro racer that no spacer is always better than with spacer.

 

Jason doesn't own the car any more. He sold it a couple of years ago.

I don't want the wider tires. I did that on my 328 and it wasn't a very good upgrade. The steering got heavier and it didn't help the handling characteristics in the way I wanted. Also, these cars weren't made for stickier tires, either by compound or width. The spacers are minimal (13mm and 11mm) and is just right on these. Most 308 guys do 15mm on the rear but I didn't want to go that much.

 

Hi All,
I just wanted to add an update to this amazing thread. I’m proud to say that I am the brand new owner of the 49461 GTB. I picked the car up yesterday afternoon and wanted to upload a few pics of the car I took after I brought it back to its new home. As you can imagine, I was stoked when I searched the VIN on FChat and found this thread while I was negotiating the purchase of 49461. Just want to say a big thank you to Jason for detailing his restoration of the car on this thread. Also thank you to Marc and Ryan for taking such great care of the car during their ownership. Also thanks to the other owners since then. The car has been kept in great shape. I’m looking forward to continuing the proper stewardship of this amazing GTB during my ownership. I’m also happy to report that tool roll, jack roll, and all the documentation is still with the car.
Thanks,
Mario