348 Major Complete and Shout Out to Ferrari of Alberta

Afternoon Folks, Just completed a Major Service on my 348. When I started down this road, I was more than comfortable pulling and re-installing the engine however I was a bit nervous about the process associated with setting the cam timing (given the downside if it was not done correctly).

To address my concern, I dropped by our local Ferrari deanship, Ferrari of Alberta, and asked if they were willing to do the guts of the major, if I removed the engine and delivered it to them to complete the more complicated technical scope. I was pleasantly surprised that they had no reservations and were happy to complete the more technical work and leave the engine removal and re-installation to me. They gave me a firm quote which included competitive prices on the required parts. This reduced the cost of the major to about 35% of what it would have likely cost if I had just had dropped the car of and had the work done turnkey.

Also, the folks at the dealership were very pleasant and helpful throughout. The welcomed me dropping by the shop to see the internal work being completed. Frankly, I think they were happy to have a customer that likes to get his hands dirty and show an interest in the technical side of their work.

So a shout out to Ferrari of Alberta including Rahim, Edwin, and in particular, Mark (who did all of the work on my engine).

As far as the work at my end....it went well with few hiccups. The most frustrating part was the PITA A/C compressor. I elected to leave the A/C circuit intact so had to disconnect and thread the compressor out of the engine frame as I separated the body from the engine. And what was even worse was reinstalling the compressor and all of the associated brackets/belts and electrical connection. It was like completing a valve job through the exhaust!!! One hint for future DIY'rs.....ensure your fix the compressor electrical pigtail in a location where it cannot get caught in the compressor belt BEFORE you bolt up the engine frame to the firewall!!!

Once I had everything buttoned up, turned the ingestion on to charge the fuel filters, and fired it up.....first try.

Overall a very satisfying experience and again, a huge thanks to Mark and Ferrari of Alberta.

Cheers
Steve

 

All in, about $3000 US $

 

No, they charged CDN $, but I converted to US $ as I expect most folks reading this forum are located in the US.