My Story - 46567 | FerrariChat

My Story - 46567

Discussion in '365 GT4 2+2/400/412' started by OttoB, Mar 22, 2015.

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  1. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #1 OttoB, Mar 22, 2015
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2015
    I would like to start off by saying that this thread will not be for everybody... I debated long and hard whether I would even do a story on my 1985 400i given that it is unlike 99% of all others out there - the reason being is that it is no longer powered by a V-12, and instead, an American made Chevrolet LT-1.

    This is the point where those who are interested in getting know more about the car and I, ought to continue reading. And for those who absolutely could care less or are very opinionated about the horrendous travesty, this is the point where I encourage you to stop reading this thread. I am fully cognizant and aware of the dilemma sure to cause debate amongst owners of Ferraris, but I do ask ahead of time not to chime in on this very topic just yet and instead, comment should you absolutely must, on the work undertaken for the past 1.5 years since I bought it. Which, as of today's date, I have yet to drive it 5 feet...

    So, here we go.

    I grew up around Porsches and the very first memory of Ferraris was in the movie Le Mans, which my brother and I watched quite a bit when we were very young back in the Dominican Republic. Even by then, I rooted for McQueen's character piloting the 917's and against the formidable red cars from the Scuderia. Not only did my father own a white 1973 911 Targa, but him being the country's director of motorsports for 10+ years (my entire childhood), I was exposed to mostly racing 911's in the island. Hence, my strong penchant for the machines out of Stuttgart.

    Of course, at some point or another, Magnum PI's 308 came into my radar, as well as the white TR from Miami Vice. Both shows echoed my then young penchant to emulate another old icon - James Bond - to wit, these fictional characters fought the good fight, dressed well, attracted the ladies, and drove b*tchin' rides (in no particular order)!

    On the racing side of things, I was already an F1 aficionado in the '80's and was onto the McLaren (Tag - Porsche) magic of Prost, Senna, and other notables - but certainly not on the Alboreto, Berger, Johansson side. So, the Ferrari marque never quite appealed to me until much later in life.

    I believe the very first time I saw a 400i was in the movie Rain Man in 1988. It struck a chord, me being 15 at the time, because it was elegant, classy and understated versus the very red and typically, very loud stablemates of the time. About 10 years or so later, I put to paper a list of dream cars and the Ferrari 400i (specifically, as a 5 speed) was in the list - which I still have, by the way! Ten years or so after that, I then first saw Chassis No. 46567.

    I started going to eBay Motors long ago simply for entertainment as a way to keep abreast of the vehicle market on my favorite marques. Always, and through today, only looking at pretty neat cars from old to newest, all in 1 website. Back in 2009, even though I had been practicing law for a number of years, I had a big school loan, a mortgage on a bachelor pad in Miami where I had been practicing since becoming a lawyer, as well as a big credit card debt. However, that had not stopped me from having owned an '81 BMW Alpina B7S in college (which replaced a '85 Maserati Biturbo), an '00 M Z3 Coupe, and my then daily driver, a '94 Jaguar XJS.

    The notion of seeing 46567, having the look of one of my dream cars, but with a reliable and cheap to maintain V8 hit me like a ton of bricks!!! The money being asked was a modest amount, but I simply did not have it and neither my parents nor my bank would loan me funds to purchase an almost 25 year old Ferrari, with a checkered title, and without its original engine! At the time, I was incredibly frustrated because it seemed as if 46567 had everything I wanted out of a Ferrari. However, I am glad that I did not purchase it then as for all the reasons above, as it was not the right timing.

    Fast forward to the summer of 2013 where my law practice had picked up and I found myself on a business trip away from my young family. What else to do back at the hotel room? Well, it was a no brainer to go on eBay for amusement, of course. Before I clicked on the link to Ferraris, for half a second, I chuckled and whispered to myself a "Yeah right..." as if I would really ever 'luck out' again in finding 46567 specifically. At this point in my life, I simultaneously owned a '91 911 Turbo for a few years as well as a '92 Mercedes 500E, both cars nicely modified - I also owned a '91 BMW 850 which had spent most of its time at the shop. I had known already for a long time the costs involved in maintaining older European luxury cars and hence, my ever so present reluctance in specifically not delving into Ferrari ownership, as the reputation preceded the marque as far as costs and/or maintenance were concerned.

    Anyhow, 15 seconds later into Ebay Motors, there it was - 46567 - for sale by the same owner who had bought it in 2009 from the dealership in Minnesota, and I knew right then and there, it would be mine.
     
  2. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #2 OttoB, Mar 22, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The very first call I made the following day was to my then mechanic, inquiring about the difficulties in installing an A/C on the car - a must in the hot weather climate in Florida. After being told it was not as complicated or expensive given that it already had a small block Chevrolet engine, I then pursued to get more information on the car as I prepared to bid on it to win.

    I pulled the following pictures either from the Ebay listing and/or got them from the owner. This car has been previously documented in this forum, but I felt that a fresh, new thread was in order since the 400i has gone through a substantial amount of work and it is my intention to document it in this one.
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  3. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #3 OttoB, Mar 22, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The reasons the car was being sold included the owner moving across the country to attend college, the difficulties he experienced in attempting to register the car where he lived - CA, as well as the high costs of maintenance, despite limited use from 2009-2013. There were no records available prior to his ownership, including details surrounding the engine swap. Being that both the BMW and the Porsche were at their respective shops then, I knew that I would inevitably have to paint the 400i upon ownership. After I won the auction, I arranged to have the car transported from CA to FL and these pictures are from both the truck driver (to depict the car's condition) as well as the seller.
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  4. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #4 OttoB, Mar 22, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Of course, I only told the wife I bought the car AFTER already purchasing it as I did not need a 4th car, and, hoping she would understand what I was selling her - that maintenance would be low in comparison to the other 3 cars I owned because of the engine swap. It was also my 3rd coupe, despite having a newborn son and an adolescent on her end from a previous relationship, but since the 400i was an automatic, she would be able to drive it. And, given that I had (and still do) a 70+ mile roundtrip to work every day, racking up mileage on this 'bastardized' car would not affect the value of it. Apparently, this worked although she's never actually seen the car!

    I anxiously awaited the arrival of my dream car - Ferrari 400i, Chassis No. 46567 - but, the fact I only took 1 picture of it on the day it was unloaded off the transport truck in late August 2013 is reflective of my then reaction - "What have I gotten myself into?!!?"... The car was complete, but everything, and I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, needed lots of attention. I honestly doubted whether it was more than what I had bargained for, but because it was already mine and, having thought about 46567 for so many years, there would be no turning back despite against ever so present reservations...
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  5. simsko

    simsko F1 Rookie

    Feb 5, 2012
    3,635
    At least put up pics of the blasphemous engine bay:D. At the end of the day, you are the owner and care taker of the car and you will be the one that will enjoy it (when it is up and running). What other people think is kind of irrelevant.

    Thanks for sharing the story.
     
  6. islerodreaming

    islerodreaming Formula 3

    Aug 11, 2007
    1,416
    Full Name:
    John - a proud Australian man
    Mate, I think that while most here like originality I reckon there are quite a few who want to see how this turns out. A lot have tried the conversion but I have yet to see one that has had serious miles put on it. I wish you the best of luck and lok forward to following your journey.

    John
     
  7. rrbnut

    rrbnut Formula Junior

    Jan 19, 2015
    264
    Carlsbad San Diego
    Full Name:
    Klaus Reichardt
    a good car story is always a good car story. Enjoy it.
     
  8. samsaprunoff

    samsaprunoff F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 8, 2004
    4,155
    Edmonton, AB Canada
    Full Name:
    Sam Saprunoff
    Good day OttB,

    I echo rrbnut has said! All the best with 46567 and please post more pics of your progress!

    Cheers,

    Sam
     
  9. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #9 OttoB, Mar 23, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I have 100's of pictures of the car since being purchased and especially since the work was commenced in order to attempt make 46567 as good as it can be. All the pictures that I will be downloading onto this thread will be in shown in the order they were taken, hence my reluctance to depict the 'blasphemous' engine as none had either been saved nor taken by me by this junction!

    Having moved to WPB the preceding year and not knowing my way around auto repair shops, I endured a very costly and long lesson as to whom you should choose to work on your cars. So, having this one shop located less than 10 minutes from the house, on the way back from my office commute, the guy working through 10pm and all day Saturdays, plus very reasonably priced, for me it was what I thought at the time, a good place to have the cars worked on.

    Being that the 911 had only been cared for at 1 place since its purchase 5 years ago this week, this mechanic never touched that car. But alas, I mistakenly allowed him to work on both my then awesome '92 MB 500E as well as the '91 BMW 850. When I bought the 400i, I had it delivered directly to him so we could fix it up and try to make it roadworthy, since I knew he worked on american drivetrains regularly.

    As to the car itself, some of the positives included having unexpectedly come with a brand new, beautiful set of front turn signals. For the most part, there wasn't anything really missing from the car. The engine turned on and it looked devoid of any prior accident damage and hopefully, escaping rust as none seemed apparent. I was not in any temptation to drive the car down the street without registration nor insurance, and I was not going to proceed with doing those until the car would be completed to my satisfaction.

    On the negatives, well - that's why this thread will be comprehensive as this car has been essentially re-engineered. My first order of business was to determine what parts needed to be ordered so as to replace the missing ones, or those that I would not be able to live with because they were in such poor condition. Below, are the first pics I then took in order to compile a list of parts to hunt down, aside from the faded front hood badge as well as the missing cavillino on the rear passenger side taillight section.

    The list also included: center a/c vent, bezel holder for center gauges, miscellaneous switches, glove box mechanism, rear a/c vents, knobs, plastic light cover, door handle and window seals, etc.
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  10. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #10 OttoB, Mar 23, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The very first time I saw this particular 400 below, I was in lust mostly because of the wheels. I didn't really care for the color nor the Porsche sourced mirrors, but the way it sat and those wheels having a nice inner lip, without too little or too much, made me keep the pictures saved on my computer for many years.

    I had to figure out quickly what direction I wanted to take with the car. I didn't know it then, but the car wasn't originally black. I, however, was fine in having it repainted that color. As to the interior, you can already tell that it was red from the factory, along with red carpeting but at some point, someone painted the leather (rather poorly at that) black. My silver M Z3 coupe had beautiful bright red leather interior and my friend's bought from new '00 550 Maranello also had a striking red interior. But, with use and wear, the red inevitably fades to pink and then becomes very hard to match. I could not, however, have a black car in Florida with a black interior. So, I did the very best next thing. I ordered a complete new set of carpets and floor mats from Ricambi in the Netherlands in black, but opted to have the seats and door panels redone in light beige.

    As to the wheels for 46567, that was a mission and a half...
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  11. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #11 OttoB, Mar 23, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    What I had and what I wanted from the car could not be any farther apart... My dream car was a vision in my head but my goodness, this undertaking was going to be time consuming and require a lot of patience as well as perseverance. Below are pics of the car on a rare occasion it found itself outside the shop, and to those curious out there, what the engine looked like then - a very dirty hot mess with all sorts of surprises, including a free and already installed kill switch from a boat because the car had an unknown and un-diagnosed battery drain.
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  12. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #12 OttoB, Mar 24, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The pictures below illustrate the state of the interior and it was obvious that everything needed to be replaced. If you look at the youtube video that the seller made available, like I did, none of these issues are readily apparent. However, with red leather that had been dyed black, and severely cracked along the way plus the headliner issues, I got a very reasonable quote from the mechanic's cousin to do the interior. I paid half up front in cash and never saw the guy or my money again...
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  13. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #13 OttoB, Mar 24, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Adding to the list of parts to purchase included some new fog lamps up front, as well as rear tail light lenses and rear fog lamps. Once the decision to paint the car was taken, it made no sense to keep all original 6 rear lenses on the car when I had new turn signals for the front of the car. I did not want to take the chance and restore the original rear tail light lenses, so those are available for sale, as are both front and rear fog lamps.

    It appears as if 46567 came with factory yellow fog lamps, which for me, were not aesthetically pleasing and I preferred replacing them with regular clear new ones. I shopped around and although challenging to source this shape and size since its no longer the 'in-style' compared to the contemporary options, PIAA came to the rescue and I bought them brand new on the cheap!

    The OEM yellow ones are available for sale, by the way, along with other miscellaneous parts such as the rear seatbelts, which I found looking too disheveled for my taste and have been replaced with some other vehicle's ones...

    Additional parts bought included a new alternator, A/C compressor, and replacement horn. PM me if you're interested in the parts mentioned above as they have not been listed for sale as of yet, but will be at some point along with parts.
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  14. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #14 OttoB, Mar 24, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    When it comes to wheels, I prefer looking for options on what OEM offers on the vehicle, although admittedly not always. This could be explained during my adolescence, perhaps, when for many years I built several 1/24 scale models of different types of cars, and they all came with spare parts (including wheels). I would begin painting the bodies a different color from how they came, adding small real wires into the batteries, swapping out tires and different sized wheels, I would also sometimes cut magazine advertisement logos and glue them as sponsors to my creations. In other words, a stock model of a car was not in my vocabulary then nor has apparently much changed since.

    I inquired in this forum as to wheel options because even the smallest cars nowadays have 17 inch rubber. If 2 Fiat 500's (of the new kind which have 17inch offerings) parked one behind the other is longer than our beloved 400's, then it wouldn't be by much. When these cars were designed in the 1970's, 15 inch wheels was a popular choice across several vehicle manufacturers besides Ferrari. All of us at some point or another have seen an older car that looks nice because of different wheels, but far more often, I find it, that the opposite is true and an older car looks considerably worse because of the unattractive or unsuitable wheels - or too low of a profile.

    Everyone mostly suggested to replace the 15's OEM with replica 16's, TR fronts, or? I went on eBay and wasn't too successful because once someone hears that you own a Ferrari, the prices automatically triple! These are some of the pictures I gathered but, eventually, someone turned me to Image Wheels UK, as the manufacturers of the wheels on the silver one I posted above.

    A few emails later, some measurements (and then some more), and I ordered 17x8.5's and 17x9.5's. Below is a stock photo of the model wheel off their website.
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  15. bundas

    bundas F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Dec 31, 2005
    7,090
    lexington ky usa
    Full Name:
    mitchell barnes
    I went through crooked shops and crooked sellers. good thing I have a unlimited budget or I would have given up on the first car. I purchased three 400's in one week in 2007. still trying to get all the issues solved. down to the last bits now. the last thing on one car is the stalk assy. I am having it rebuild now. old broken plastic with lots of cracks.
     
  16. bjwhite

    bjwhite F1 Rookie

    Mar 17, 2006
    4,672
    Seattle, WA
    Full Name:
    Brian White
    That stock wheel photo looks nothing like the pictured cars with the wheels. Wrong picture attached?
     
  17. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    The last picture of the wheels is the stock photo from the Image UK wheels website and closely resemble the wheels off the silver 400i from a previous post above which I grew very fond off upon first glance. They're both 5 spoke, have bolts surrounding the spokes, and have a stepped lip, something absent in many wheels but 'a must' for me! I managed to get the cavallino decal from overseas in order to replace the Image UK logo and once all completed, my black 400i should look similar to the silver one above.

    The other pics I posted of the Mondial and 512 came from a vendor who offered wheels for various ferrari models. Having never made a set for a 400 before, he sent me a photoshopped pic of a 400 with his wheels and an astronomical estimate as well. Obviously, I passed on those and the others he was trying to sell.
     
  18. Arvid

    Arvid Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    May 28, 2012
    668
    Norway
    Full Name:
    Arvid Andersson
    It would be much appreciated for those of us interested in wheel options (maybe just me...) if you posted the selected ET for the 8,5 and 9,5.

    I'm one of those trolling around with the thought on optional wheels for my 400GT and my preferences on the stance and appearance are much the same as yours OttoB.

    Thanks,
    Arvid
     
  19. Ak Jim

    Ak Jim F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 23, 2007
    8,428
    North Pole AK
    How about 16" or 17" with splines.
     
  20. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #21 OttoB, Mar 26, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The mechanic I thought was practical having worked on my cars was not so much... Despite his cousin completely ripping me off, the mechanic essentially did "work" eventually as if to make up and/or pay for the 50% deposit of the new interior that I never saw or received for the 400i.

    However, this guy was also way over his head with my BMW 850 and it was always a story as to why he couldn't get around to doing the work necessary to get it roadworthy. Through him, we did a complete tear down of the engine, replacing all seals and miscellaneous parts, replacing the tranny, the driveshaft, several interior and exterior parts, etc. Then, he recommended that I have a friend of his paint the car - which the guy did and then blew the engine when he returned to 'us'! So, after that painter went to jail for other reasons right around the same time, I ended up having to rebuild the engine a 2nd time! (and then a 3rd at a subsequent, 'reputable' BMW shop - that's another story). That poor BMW was there from May 2013 to April 2014, and then another 6 months at the subsequent shop.

    As to any work done on the Ferrari from August 2013 until February 2014, I think it really only boiled down to finding out the source of the battery drain, which was a faulty headlamp motor. He sent it out to get it rebuilt at a place that refurbished alternators and the tally was something like $60.00 because that shop had no idea it came off a Ferrari.

    In the meantime, I did end up receiving the wheels from Image. When Arvid above asked me for the specs, I had to go through another computer to search 2013 emails and locate the emails for the order, which were several in fact. The truth is that I never calculated the offsets because Image UK does so many wheels for so many different types of cars, that they custom make each set for each order on each car. What they ask you to do is to provide them the measurements off a diagram in their website, which I did - and I also actually sent them pictures of the actual measurements with a digital scale for all areas they needed so as to confirm the actual measurements.

    Below is a picture of this very same diagram, as well as the picture of the delivered wheel(s) which took approximately 10 weeks to arrive. I provided them the following measurements, while also specifying that I wanted a 8.5 wheel up front and a 9.5 wheel in the back, all 17's, and that the accompanying rubber was anticipated at 235 and 255, respectively:

    Front wheel:

    B is 5.118 inches
    C is 4.409 inches
    D is .787 inches

    Rear wheel:

    B is 5.511 inches
    C is 5 inches
    D is .787 inches
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  21. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #22 OttoB, Mar 26, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    The only other 'breakthrough' during the car's first stint at that crap shop, and I'm using that term very lightly, was the disappointment of getting the entirely new black carpeting set for the interior as well as the floor mats from Ricambi-AutoMobilia out of the Netherlands.

    The floor mats were okay but the carpeting missed the boat by a long shot in that their measurements were way off, and they didn't bother including a pair of the side carpeting along the door sill for one side of the car! I, of course, emailed them 2-3 times and they never once responded. I even saved the email to them as a pdf so they could never complain of never having received my email - not cool at all. I had to have a local make a pair of the carpeting that was missing, so as to have uniformity on both sides, and they also had to re-do a pair of the piece on the first picture which goes around the transmission tunnel on the side, since the one they sent was crap, as you can tell from 46567's original red piece right behind it.
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  22. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #23 OttoB, Mar 26, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I deliberately revived an old post this week that I originated back in August of 2013, shortly after purchasing my car, so as to at least let other forum members know that despite my car being powered by an LT-1 engine, that I do have some okay cars besides the Ferrari (titled Post Pics of Your Other Cars). The recent pictures I added show how both the Porsche and the BMW have gone through a considerable transformation of sorts - mechanically and cosmetically - both took 1.5 years + and not fully sorted yet, but I'm persisting through!

    When the individual who worked on my 911's hand-formed the 934 type flairs finished that project after taking 2 months on them (fastidious retentiveness on his end and I couldn't have been happier nor more impressed), I told him about the bad luck I had with the Ferrari at the crap shop. I respected this individual greatly at that junction and several dozen pictures of the skill and craftsmanship can be found at a build post I did on my car at Pelican Parts under this very same username.

    The reason I mention this is because 46567 came into the right hands with this person, Michel, and you will be witnessing firsthand his incredible talent, creativity, perseverance, and resourcefulness to make my car what is still currently, slowly becoming an impressive car as a result of a few hundred hours spent by Michel on it. Below are pics of the car as it left the crap shop in February of 2014 with the new 4 wheels + carpets, and towards its current digs in Broward County - within proximity of my office. My life changed that day and I couldn't have been any happier as the real work on the car will start at the next post!
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  23. Arvid

    Arvid Formula Junior
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    May 28, 2012
    668
    Norway
    Full Name:
    Arvid Andersson
    #24 Arvid, Mar 27, 2015
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2015
    Nice to hear that you found a trustworthy mechanic. That is one of those things that makes you sleep better. I am my own mechanic on all my cars and that may be why I lie awake pondering so much :)

    Thanks for the wheel specs. Really appreciate it. Makes it so much easier when the wheel search begins. Are you sure about the 8.5" and 9.5" ? When I add up B+C I get 9.5" and 10.5"....? Deleting 1 inch of rim lip I get 8.5" and 9.5" but that still leaves you with a rear wheel with total width of 10.5". Seems kinda BIG...

    Good luck with Your project. I'll be watching and contribute if I can.

    BTW : The pictured silver 400iA with the Image Wheels now reside in Norway.

    Arvid
     
  24. OttoB

    OttoB Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2013
    699
    Palm Beach, FL
    #25 OttoB, Mar 27, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    There are so many different directions Michel went, once given free reign to take on the re-doing of the car? I honestly struggled in coming up with a name for this thread because, even though I live 5 mins. away from both the Breakers and Mar-a-Lago, I am not in the same realm as other cats here who actually restore, restore their cars to better than new. Without being disrespectful to those who are in that social economic level - locally or globally- May God Bless you but I have had to work for everything I ever achieved - as I am absolutely certain you did as well - but its taken me a long(er) time and I still have eons to go but I'm in no hurries as I am consistent and hard working... As to 46567, I believe I have re-engineered my car to be (humbly and optimistically) better than new, or better than some of what's out there... But I digress.

    The pictures will tell the story of what Michel tackled first. Arvid, now you know I had no ET offset info on the wheels because Image does it for each customer on each order. My memory tells me that the correct measurement of the width of any wheel is actually in between the inner and outer borders - but when combined with the actual borders, then wheels are typically 1 inch wider. So, although I asked for 8.5 and 9.5 sized wheels, they very well may arrived wider (as specified and ordered) but I honestly looked at all emails to Image, and the sizes I included in the previous post reflect the only measurements I submitted to Image. Although you are getting ahead of me Arvid, I also did manage to install a full-on, brand new coilover suspension so that I could address the ride height of the car as I pleased...

    The pictures below depict the car with the wheels on, but we had clearance problems. Michel being the mad genius he is, coupled with the Midas touch, was able to make the wheels work by making glorious, amazing wheel spacers to push out the wheels onto the wheel wells just right, and actually allow the fronts to turn. Until somebody tells/shows me otherwise, no one else has been able to fit this much "meat" in one of our cars. I know by the amount of views that some of you are looking at this post and are very tempted to chime in - I know this and believe me, that I am fully aware of it - but I only ask that you please continue to be respectful of my first post on this thread and only contribute to it, versus snickering about "who gives a sh*t about how wide my wheels are in comparison to everybody else's"... Listen, I can be one of those individuals as well but I choose not to - just go along with "My Story - 46567" - and I'm certain that at some point, I will charm, impress, relieve, shock, and/or leave some folks out here very opinionated. I never built this car to sell it (nor do I ever intend to), or to impress anyone, or to brag - it has taken a life of its own and I'm just here to show how the heck I'm still dealing with the project on a daily basis - coming on past 1.5 years. More than anything, happy as can be that Michel shows the very same enthusiasm and dedication today as he did in February of 2014, if not more so now because there is an end in sight somewhere.

    As of the pics below, however, the 400i has changed drastically and its been lowered to my taste, but again, the pics will tell the story. The last picture is the only showing the wheels with the spacers after they were installed and for the most part going forward, the majority of the images posted will show specific areas worked, as opposed to the body of the car. I just hope I can recall all the challenges and difficulties encompassed early on.
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