Is this a record?

Maybe it's just me, but along with John's observations (which I fully agree with), I tend to judge a shop by the shop conditions. If a shop is a train wreck, it does not give me confidence in the care the work will receive. if you don't care about a tidy shop, do you really care about the work?

And, I'd bet they had the cam covers powder coated which is not proper.

 

Pretty obvious this shop never saw Fchat or they'd know how to drop the engine the right way.

Fingers crossed for you and the car after this is over.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

The photos provide tremendous information to F-Chat members. The photos do show an inexperienced mechanic with F cars. On the positive side, you do have metal timing covers instead of fragile plastic seen in the later cars. It may be wise to have another (experienced) mechanic check the belt, tensioner bearings, and pads. Best of luck.

 

Well...those were my initial thoughts too. But we still have not seen the final bill. Perhaps there was a main seal leak detected? Maybe engine mounts? Maybe the shop has no space to keep a car around for 4 months+ and no chassis wheels so bolts the subass on to roll the car around in the shop as space is needed? With a couple pics you can certainly suspect cluelessness but there could also be very valid reasons.

Jokingly...LOL in 308's our big concern is smacking the back window during engine in and outs. See if you got a new back window. Maybe that's why it took 4 months sourcing a back window. We also don't know what the valve covers looked like before the service. So tough to blame on the shop until we know. OTOH maybe shop does read Fchat because... aren't Ernie's covers powder coated like that?

I say don't worry. If the car runs well and does not leak all sins will be forgiven. It is pretty hard to screw up a 348 and if it is screwed up there are a 1000 Fchaters who can fix it. I bet any number of the Fchat braintrust could get the OP to do the major himself with harbor freight tools and Facetime!

 

You need to have this area checked by an experienced mechanic.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Yes, the pictures have me wondering if thy took all that stuff off the engine so they could pull it from the top. Looking at my 355 it certainly looks like a possibility.

Have we just discovered another way to do an engine out without the need for a lift? Maybe they are smarter than they look?

 

No. Much more work. We could start talking about gas tank removal majors again. These cars have been design to drop the engine out the bottom. It's the most efficient way.

 

I would remove a zero from that 1000. I see 100, but 1000 Fchat who can drop a 348 engine is optimistic. During our normal Stooge gathering where 20-30 of us gearheads show up, I can see five that would take on an engine drop and full 348 service. Next time we should do a poll.

And Harbor Freight tools? Do they even have a degree wheel?

 

It is not so crazy of a concept if taken to it's logical conclusion. I know this 348 IMSA racecar where the sub assembly is welded to the chassis and the transmission cross support is cut and sleeved to be bolt in and out. The whole engine with gearbox can them be pulled from the top. Rear rollcage main hoop supports are welded back toward the shock towers. All this is done to stiffen the 348 wet noodle chassis and make it a better developed race car. There are seconds of lap time to be found in the chassis just by making the chassis stiff enough so that you can predict and allow the suspension to do what it is designed to do and negate the chassis itself as an unpredictable spring.

 

Oh come on Mitchel. Fchat is like 40,000 strong. There are a lot of very capable wrenches on this forum. They challenge the pros all the time and the pros have mostly left. I still respect them but fixing cars as you and I both know is not rocket science.

You or I could print a degree wheel on paper off the internet and glue it onto a piece of cardboard and get the job done!

 

It is not just you. The way a shop, in any industry, is kept tells a lot about the capabilities and expectations of the staff.

 

After looking at the photos of the work that the shop has performed on your 348 it is obvious that whoever is doing the repair work has never done this service before and has no business in working on Ferraris.
In addition to the incorrect method of engine removal for the service and the glossy red paint on the cam covers instead of red wrinkle finish, there are other incorrect repairs that indicate that they don't know what they are doing.
The spark plug wires were originally routed along the tops of the cam covers, retained by plastic clips that are pressed into holes in the cam covers. This keeps them away from the heat coming off of the exhaust headers. The shop that did your service did not reinstall these clips (in fact you can see where they painted over the remains of one of the clip ends still in the hole in the cam cover), and they have routed the ignition wires directly over the heat of the exhaust headers.
Originally Ferrari applied silicone sealant at the ends of the cam cover gaskets were they meet the end cap gaskets at the rear of the cylinder heads. A little bead of silicone will alway squeeze out when the covers are tightened up. Some mechanics just leave it there, I wipe it off smooth, but there will still be evidence of sealant. In the photo of the rear of the right cylinder head I can see that there was no sealant applied at all at these joints. This is going to be the source of oil leakage in the future.
When I the lack of attention to detail in the little things like this, it makes me very suspicious regarding the really important things like correct valve clearances, cam timing, belt tension, etc.
Unfortunately my gut feeling is that the car will probably run, but you are going to have problems related to the service in the future and will have to have part or all of it redone.
Sorry for the bad news.

 

I did notice that your mechanic appears to be researching the Internet looking for answers. He might even stumble into this thread and have his feelings hurt!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Kind of like going out to a place to eat which does not appear to be very clean. You're probably going to be less impressed (horrified?) if you visit the kitchen. I think another thing to look for is good/proper/sufficient lighting whether a kitchen, a garage or a machine shop. It's kind of a starting point for doing good work, good inspections and good cleaning.

 

I am not defending the shop nor do I know who the shop is but people are making a lot of assumptions and accusations based on a couple of snap shots.

When I'm in the heat of battle ripping a car apart my shop is a mess and it's because I'm working hard. A shop is always eat off the floor spotless when they have no business or a guy who's job is just to clean the shop. Do you have to have a janitor to fix a car?

And OMG! maybe paint and texture master DaveRocks can tell us an easily available "right" red paint but ME? I must be a terrible mechanic because I use wrinkle red VHT out of spray can!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

So do I.

 

Sorry, but this is a well lite, clean shop

A bit more full these days as this was when we first moved in
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

An organized shop is an efficient shop. If you don't keep a tidy shop, you won't likely keep the customer car tidy either. Of course a work area will get a bit disturbed during work, but the rest of the shop should not look like a **** hole

Sadly, in the US, the only option is VHT (that I've been able to find). VHT is a decent product, however, the color (red) just does not match the Ferrari red.

I've brought some samples in from Europe a few months ago and just have not had time to try them yet..

 

I had the engine on my Porsche rebuilt at a local Indy shop. Brought the car to them in January and did not get it back until August. All along they were delaying and working on other people's cars doing general maintenance (ie: brakes, bearings, etc). End result? Car left me stranded 1000 miles from home when timing belt broke. They fixed but only after I had to pay to get the car home. Timing belt broke 2 more times after that. Last time had the dealer take a look and it turned out they improperly spaced a tensionor. Cost me $5000 at the dealer that the Indy shop would not cover. Then a few months later the car developed rod knock. Has sat on my lift ever since - approx 10 years now. Still disgusts me when I look at the car. I feel your pain. For what it's worth, the shop looked like a disorganized pig stye.

 

If you ever decide to get rid of that troubled stepchild please let me know. 👍

 

So paint with VHT to get the wrinkle effect then lightly over spray with base coat (flat) of correct color.

 

Some do just that.

 

Is it just Me, or is anyone else being reminded of the Porsche 356 Speedster in "Doc Hollywood", where the yokel mechanic finally gets the car back together and hands a box of bits back to Michael J Fox saying something along the lines of:

"There are always some extra parts left over when I do repairs!"
Image Unavailable, Please Login