Introducting Our 1985 308 GTS Restoration Project

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Greetings. My spouse and I picked up 1985 308 GTS that was someone else’s sidelined restoration project. The car was a complete running car before restoration work was started so we’re optimistic that it will all come together, with the customary snags & surprises that accompany any car project, of course.

This is our first Ferrari, though we are no strangers to hands on automotive repair and engine out refreshes (mostly early 2000s Japanese imports). We have a well-equipped 1,900 sf hobby workshop garage with a lift on our property. We both have day jobs and other obligations, so we won’t be setting any speed records, but we are good about ultimately completing our projects.

The prior owner commissioned a down to bare metal repaint, but the project was sidelined before the car was fully reassembled and there are many boxes of uninstalled parts to go through. So some of our challenge will be reassembling a car we didn’t take apart. I have downloaded a workshop manual and a number of exploded diagrams, and have perused the parts interchange thread and other forum posts. I apologize in advance for the many questions and photo requests I anticipate on which fastener type goes where, engine hose routing, etc. Expertise and hints from others who’ve been “in the trenches” is appreciated!

The goal is to build a nice driver to enjoy the backroads, staying as true to the car as feasible with allowances for reliability and durability upgrades. If you’ve read this far, thank you and we’re happy to be here starting our Ferrari journey.

 

RE: the drivetrain - though I did not directly know the seller, a trustworthy mutual friend had driven the car prior to work being started and was able to vouch for it running pretty well at that time; did mention a sticky parking brake wanting to drag. Since it's all been removed anyhow, and I don't believe any restoration was completed on the drivetrain when the project was sidelined, I plan to operate under the assumption that it needs all the service and then some that Ferrari suggests on their Maintenance and Lubrication Chart, including whatever other things are prudent to replace based on failure likelihood & the fact that it's a 40 year old car. Which is where expertise from forum members is particularly handy, because If Part X is prone to degrading by a certain timeframe and easiest to get to with engine out or interior disassembled, or whatnot, I'd rather know about that and take care of Part X now.

Suspension-wise while sorting through the many boxes I was pleased to find refurbished control arms with fresh bushings, along with new Koni Classics shocks, already assembled with the springs. The tired looking original Konis were also in a box. AC and electronics are an unknown. The original brakes are in a box; fronts already have new rotors and calipers done. The project is definitely a discovery process of new parts that have been procured and/or replaced, and things that hadn't been gotten to yet.