Question about 308 front frame design....

Question

Do all the 308s, from 1976 all the way through the QV years (-1985) share the same front box sub-frame design?

I'm talking about the section at the nose which houses the radiator--A/C condensor--bumper mounts..etc.. This section is about 2 feet deep-3 feet tall.

Do all the radiators across all 308 model years mount vertically? I would assume so, since the same radiator is interchangeable throughout all 308/328s...


I ask because my 1977 308 has a crunched lower front end. I was forced off the road at about 30 mph and ran over a concrete curb! The brunt of the impact was at the lower left radiator corner. The radiator was folded back, and all that front box-frame section is twisted beyond repair. The lower left a-arm front mount fork got slammed too, but there's only a slight bend to the a-arm. The valance was shattered, obviously. Steering rack seems OK, but the steering wheel is out of whack. Visual inspection of the left upright looks OK. Tie rods look straight...

Miraculously, the bumper and front clip seem OK.. There's some slight buckling at the leading edge, and the bonnet has a crease, but should be re-usable.

Cut to the chase: I've located a QV front end that can be parted out, and I need to know if that subframe will fit my 1977 model. Somebody told me that the design changed over the 308 model years; even the radiator was tilted in later years. I always thought they were all vertical. I do believe the fan mounts may be different, but that doesn't matter, because I'll re-do my custom Hayden fans again (directly mounted to the radiator).

The plan is to weld just that front section to my main frame, which is straight.

Any advice/info is appreciated..


Regards,
Greg in Houston

 

Thanks Matteo..

My car is a 1977, and the donor car is a 1985 QV.

Can anybody confirm that the front box frames will interchange?

Greg

 

Thanks Andrew...

Greg

 

I've logged in to owners.ferrari.com, parts pages, but for the life of me I cannot locate any 308 body frame diagrams...

Can anybody provide a direct link?

Thanks,
Greg
1977 308 GTB USA

 

Thanks Newman, good info..


Greg