Hi All, I took a wonderfully long, morning drive with my 5-year-old boy in the GT4 this morning. We set out around mid-late morning (0930-1000) and headed up into the Santa Cruz Mountains, south/west of San Jose. As we got further into the woods, the shade and cool, coastal air made for a great windows down, sunroof open experience for us both. However, on the ride back home to San Jose, stuck behind some slow (and slower) vehicles, the 1200 sun up in the sky made for a pretty uncomfortable ride home with the outside temps climbing into the 80s. Looking over at my little guy, I could see he was just getting punished by the sun, so I closed the sunroof to no avail. It would seem that the greenhouse of the GT4 is designed such that, no matter where the sun is located in the sky, it WILL find its way onto your arms/face. My car is A/C equipped from the factory, but age has rendered it essentially worthless. My questions are 2-fold: 1) Can a 308 A/C system be (cost effectively) upgraded/improved such that windows could be rolled up and the cabin temp would be lower than outside temp (assuming outside temps in the 70s to 80s F? I don't drive the car in 90s+)? 2) I know it seems a faux pas on these emerging "classics", but has anyone ever gone the window tinting route - even lightly so - especially across the top of the mammoth windshield, to improve glare/temperature/comfort? Thanks in advance for your suggestions...
I am planning on following the path of a good friend that recently did a UV tint on the front windshield of his 328 GTS. It's barely noticeable, but he says it makes a huge difference in comfort. I suspect it also does a lot to preserve the wear and tear on his dash. I have a 308 GT4, and agree that the huge greenhouse makes it extremely uncomfortable in the summer sun (especially here in Texas).
My Mondial QV was the same way, especially in the afternoon in Texas. I did quite a bit of work on the A/C, but it was still barely adequate above 90 degrees. You might consider this system or similar: Ferrari Air Conditioning and Compressor Kits | RetroAir, Inc. Good luck, Jerry
I hesitate to use window tinting because of the reduced visibility at night. I have tinted windows on my minivan, which I drive much more than the Ferrari, but I have to roll down the windows while parking or in parking lots at night, so I can see the pedestrians, etc. I can see car lights on the street easy enough, but I'm always worried that I can't see people, bicycles, or a parked car beside me or behind me at night. Best regards, Jerry
Numerous AC upgrade threads - I believe the GT4 is a better system than the GTS/B anyway. Refill your system with Propane (Hychill), and put a relay on the fan for the high setting - 2 of the best, and simplest upgrades possible. 3M makes a product that is virtually invisible, but blocks a lot of infra red. I'm planning to put in on my windscreen too - completely illegal, but only if you get caught
The U/V tinting I'm referring to is somewhat a misnomer. It's a film that blocks Ultraviolet rays but does not darken the window, and it sure cuts down on the interior heat. Similar to a U/V filter for your camera lens. Rgds, Mark
I am not sure. I think the tinting was a factory option, or maybe just a dealer install, but I don't think so. I bought the van new off of the new car lot, and therefore, I didn't order the options. The front doors have less tinting than the rear side windows that are really dark, especially at night. Jerry
A light transmitting rate (LTR) of 70% for front windshield and 44% for others are the legal figures here. You can get 99% UV and high IR block but still attaining 70% LTR with proper products I think. It helps to reduce heat a lot and night visibility is not that bad unless you have very limited street lights.
I'm the guy mentioned by NoGoSlow above, who recently tinted my glass, including my windshield. The car is a nero/grigio 1988.5 328 GTS with a Saratoga top. I'd just upgraded my a/c to a modern rotary compressor, all new hoses, an upgraded evaporator blower and upgraded condenser, with all new hoses and refrigerant 134A, so everything is maxed out for the new greener refrigerant. Problem is, the a/c is marginal at best, here in the >100 degree summer heat. So, I tinted all of my glass with LLumar Formula One films. On the windshield, I used the film only to block radiant energy, to help out with the air conditioning, and here in Texas, this is completely legal. Of course, the tint is barely detectable in terms of color (darkness), but it blocks the majority of radiant energy. (>60% IIRC) I don't recall the specs, but I can tell you that now, in blazing sun, my black leather dashboard doesn't even get warm to the touch. The tinting made a HUGE difference in my air conditioning load, to the point where I commute in this black car even in August in Austin, Texas. I had mine done by Sunbusters, Window Tinting Limited, here in Austin. However, I understand that the LLumar products are available nationwide. BTW, I can tell you that there is zero noticeable difference in visibility with the film, compared to my bare glass windshield, except that there is slightly less glare. One downside is that I can no longer use the GoPro suction cup mount on the inside of the windshield, because it would damage the film :-(... They can also tint your sunroof, if it's glass. My Saratoga top is Lexan, which has a TCE differential too great for the film to stay put over thermal cycles. But they do glass sunroofs all the time, for just your situation. I should also mention that the film is easily removed whenever you care to be concours correct, and the Sunbusters guarantee I got includes them replacing the film in the future even if I damage it myself. Good luck!
The '14 EVO seems to have UV block on the windscreen. You can't see any tint, but the reduction in sun glare is immediately noticeable -- especially when I went from the EVO VIII to the EVO X. I don't have to use my sunglasses driving the EVO, but I need them in the 328. So I'm thinking of having UV tinting done on the 328. (If I can get it to start. )
Happy to share the info on my 'upgraded evaporator blower': It's the unit sold by RetroAir in Dallas, where I dealt with Rock Browning, who was perhaps the most helpful and cooperative guy I've EVER dealt with in automotive circles. RetroAir sells a Ferrari 308 Upgrade kit, which consists of all the parts to update your entire system - compressor, mounting bracket, condenser, blower fan, hoses, etc. ... Rock was willing to sell me only the parts I needed (my 328 condenser is different than the one for the 308, and I didn't want to mount the 308 one in front of my radiator). One part was the upgraded evaporator blower and installation kit. This blower has larger motor and squirrel cages, yet mounts to the original housing, with the excellent bracketry/reinforcing plate provided in the kit. I don't know how much more air it moves, but I'd speculate I have maybe 40% more air flow now, which means more air turnover in the cabin, and better cooling. One note: I did have to really squeeze the evaporator assembly back in under the dash, because the sheer size of this new blower is greater than the original, but it fit fine, and in the end, I'm thrilled with the results. The evaporator assembly rebuild allowed me to remove the rest of the disintegrating open cell foam rubber condensation screen, crumbled pieces of which were occasionally blowing out of the dash onto me while I was driving. I replaced that with a spun polyester screen I designed and fabricated by sandwiching the filter media between two layers of stainless steel hardware mesh from McMaster. This is a much more free-flowing setup than the original foam, and still catches all the condensed water droplets that blow off of the evaporator core, so it keeps me from getting sprinkled with cold water while driving. In the first pic below, you can see the screen assembly, and in the upper right pic, you can see it installed on the evaporator core. In the background, you can see the old blower motor and fans. In the lower left pic, you see the evaporator installed into the housing before I closed it up, and in the lower right pic, you can see the new motor/fan assembly, mounted to the evaporator housing. My relationship with RetroAir is just as a very satisfied customer, but I can highly recommend their products and Rock Browning's service. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
We used Llumar Air Blue 80 tint on all windows of our 72 Corvette because we wanted to maintain a factory look and not get roasted by the sun. You have to really look to see that it is there. It helped tremendously, so much so we even added it to our Yukon's windshield. Eventually it will be on all of our cars.
Retro-Air blower assembly looks great. I was interested in their kit but since it is for a 308, I didn't want to buy it. I never thought about asking if they could "part out" the kit for a 328 - great info, thanks! Also great info re Llumar tint! The AC on my 328 works pretty well compared to when I bought the car though it's still marginal on hot days. I did a lot of work on the system which included changing to propane refrigerant (Duracool). I can get vent temps into the high 30's but the air volume has always been the big issue. Sounds like the Retro Air blower/tint may be the ticket! Great series of posts for those of us who REQUIRE decent AC! How much "dash disassembly" is required to remove the evaporator?
On the OEM setup, what held the foam in place against the evaporator fins, adhesive around the edge? I don't see any way to reliably renew the foam without removing/splitting the evaporator housing. The access via the top vent /bottom vent is insufficient for me to insert new foam and have it stay in place against the evaporator.
There's lots of threads on this topic. Lots. On tinting, read your state laws on what is & isn't allowed.
Well...re laws, the law says you can't exceed the speed limit but I'd bet money there are at least a couple of routine scofflaws here ! OTOH, as the Bobby Fuller Four pointed out, "I fought the law and the law won!" So be careful...
Of course, it was the Bobby Fuller Four rendering that made the song popular, but I have always thought that it was first sung by "Sonny Curtis and the crickets" in 1959? Rgds
GO to the tech thread and read my post on upgrading the AC. I sourced my own parts as the retro upgrade was not an option when I did mine, but it's basically the same set up. DO NOT fill your system with propane. Do the RetroAir upgrade and use R134. The up rated blower, condenser, and compressor will give you plenty of cold air.
The UV filter you are talking about is called a "Cold Mirror" in the optics business because it reflects ultraviolet wavelengths and transmits the visible wavelengths with little attenuation in the visible spectrum. This is in contrast to a "Hot Mirror" that reflects the infrared wavelengths and transmits the visible. The ultimate filter for this application would be what's called a "bandpass filter" that would transmit the visible and reflect the UV AND infrared on either side of the wavelength spectrum. Sorry to be such a geek...
