On the road again - Robb's Ferrari Adventures | Page 4 | FerrariChat

On the road again - Robb's Ferrari Adventures

Discussion in '348/355' started by Robb, Jan 12, 2016.

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  1. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #76 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  2. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #77 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  3. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #78 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  4. Drock28

    Drock28 Formula 3

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    #79 Drock28, Jan 16, 2016
    fantastic overview of Fabspeed's header building process.
    feel even better with the set I recently purchased!

    what did you decide for installation?
    straight on, or with coating or blankets?
     
  5. 355dreamer

    355dreamer F1 World Champ
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    #80 355dreamer, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2016
    :)
     
  6. SoCal1

    SoCal1 F1 Veteran
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    #81 SoCal1, Jan 16, 2016
    Any pics of the inside of the merge collector?
     
  7. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #82 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
  8. SoCal1

    SoCal1 F1 Veteran
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    #83 SoCal1, Jan 16, 2016
  9. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #84 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    I feel good trusting the heat numbers that Fabspeed recorded and Joe Fabiani's recommendations - so I opted not to use any ceramic coating. Fabspeed does not think coating or blankets are essential. Many prior buyers here have reported no issues without these needed.

    I DID opt to buy the blankets to go with their heat shields to protect the alternator and A/c compressor since I just repaired that whole system here for the heat of AZ... :D

    Robb


     
  10. Drock28

    Drock28 Formula 3

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    #85 Drock28, Jan 16, 2016
    ok so you did buy their header blankets?
     
  11. tr512

    tr512 Formula 3

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    #86 tr512, Jan 16, 2016
    Some owe Fabspeed an apology..sure looks like they build their headers in house from what i can see.I had 80k km or 50k miles on my Fabspeed headers with no problems and there still on the car.
     
  12. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #87 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Yes, I bought the header blankets and felt good about that decision. The blankets and the headers together were still half the price of tubi's and I liked the warranty from Fabspeed.

    Good stuff indeed.

    Robb

     
  13. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #88 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    I hadn't seen anyone visit the shop in the past or document the process. I am thankful that Fabspeed allowed me to see (and share) a day in the life of their place, just like my visit to Schedoni or on my other travels. It inspires confidence in the fabricators out there and further saddens me as to the quality of Ferrari OEM exhaust system components looking at them side by side. Just compare the 360 carbon fiber air box with an OEM unit inside - it looks like a work of art vs an erector set... I can't speak to the previous back in forth between forum members and Fabspeed here at Ferrarichat. That seems to be in the past.

    I know that I am happy with my purchase, and long-term preventative health of my F355. Fabspeed support most major sports car models so there is bound to be differences in the way they design systems and figure out how to build them.

    In my observation, or estimation, the 2.7 headers for my 1995 were 100% designed in PA, 70% of the fabrication work was contracted to a source outside the US in Germany or Taiwan ROC. I'm not too worried which with the global market place across all industries. That left 30% production work remaining on my headers that I oversaw and enjoyed in their facility. Hope that makes sense.

    I am most excited to not have to worry about any lurking issues (that do occur with OEM headers) and can just enjoy my car. The last items on my list will be replacing the radiators at some point like Cuneo did with heavy duty units from Saldana. Maybe I can visit their factory on another trip.

    http://saldanaracingproducts.com

    Robb



     
  14. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #89 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  15. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #90 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    But before I get to the header install this weekend, I wanted to share my experience with my steering wheel selection.

    I opted to remove the airbag 375mm OEM steering wheel to go with a smaller unit. You may have seen that in a previous thread. I went with an OMP Alcantara suede steering wheel that was 330mm. It was an easy install with a hub adapter from Daniel at Ricambi (made by Hill Engineering.)

    The quality was first rate and the Alcantara was the right amount of soft and very well made.

    The size was great, but I did not anticipate that my height at almost 6'-1" even with the max rise on the column would still make it very hard (impossible) to see the tops of the tach and speedo.

    Here is the wheel and gauges from my normal eye view...

    Robb
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  16. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #91 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Closeup without ducking...

    You see, anyone over 5'9" is likely to find this unacceptable if you like seeing the full gauges...

    Robb
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  17. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #92 Robb, Jan 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    So I ordered a Momo 350mm Alcantara wheel.

    The size was good and I could now see full gauges. :)

    I got the feeling this Alcantara material would wear faster than that on the OMP. And I missed the yellow center line... But such is life. OMP made some others in 350mm but their shape and my stars did not align. The wheel style I liked was only available as a smaller wheel.

    But I liked the momo just fine. Similar to the wheel on my 328. Bolted right up on the same hub. The OMP will be hitting eBay or the classifieds...

    I keep all my OEM parts in a box for posterity and reversibility.

    So I highly recommend the momo at 350mm

    Robb
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  18. cf355

    cf355 F1 Rookie

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    #93 cf355, Jan 17, 2016
    thanks for sharing :)
     
  19. Robb

    Robb Moderator
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    #94 Robb, Jan 17, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  20. cf355

    cf355 F1 Rookie

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    #95 cf355, Jan 17, 2016
    & looks sweet with the yellow pnt :)
     
  21. F355Bob

    F355Bob Formula 3

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    #96 F355Bob, Jan 17, 2016
    Their blankets are the best for killing radiant heat. I had them for years on my headers and headers remained perfect. The components around the headers are vastly cooler.
     
  22. cf355

    cf355 F1 Rookie

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    #97 cf355, Jan 17, 2016
    have you thermally scanned the blankets to see just how cool they run?
     
  23. F355Bob

    F355Bob Formula 3

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    #98 F355Bob, Jan 17, 2016
    Nope. You can feel the difference. You place your hand close to the blanket and feel ithere is much less radiant heat. I've touched it by accident when it was hot and it was hot don't get me wrong, but I did not burn my hand. If it was a bare header, I would have burned myself. Not scientific but if you saw the blanket, the material and the thickness of it, it would be pretty apparent.
     
  24. cf355

    cf355 F1 Rookie

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    #99 cf355, Jan 17, 2016
    for sure.....touch a header and your skins instantly charred white.
     
  25. 308 GTB

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    #100 308 GTB, Jan 17, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Life need not be cruel. There's always yellow tape...

    .
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