Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Looking to buy a Ferrari

[Doug and Terri Anderson (dnt]

My 2¢
308s come in 2+2 configuration or 2 seaters.  Tops that come off (GTS 
[Spyder]) and tops that stay on (GTB [Berlietta]).  Black bumpers close to 
the body (Euro) and black bumpers sticking out - USofA, and bumpers the 
color of the car.

308's have interior switches that toggle and 328s have roundy rounds - a 
smoother interior.

The first GTS's had a nice little clock and oil temp gauge attached to the 
lower left corner of the dash.  Try peering at it and you go off the road. 
Later moved to a center console and easier to read.

If either the 308 or 328 windshield has been replaced did the black surround 
get put back correctly?  Most pop out at the corners.

308 carb cars have that quintessential BWaaaaaaaaa carb sound along with 
straight cut gears and lots of other nifty noise.  The injected cars have a 
nice shusssssssssssssss sound.

The 308 engines are flat crank that have their own very mechanical sounds - 
the standard Indy car switched to a flat crank to get .00001% more HP but it 
also sounds mor' betta.

Ferrari historically has built the carb cars, and some V-12s as two engines 
with a common crankshaft and case.  As it was pointed out, loose the 
ignition on one side and lots of unburned fuel goes down the pipe and if you 
have cats, ignites there.  There is a chance for a fire but mostly it will 
simply melt the substrate - which gives you the old potato in the exhaust 
pipe routine - you stop --- with a cat hot enough to light a nice cigar. 
Stop over some dry grass or trash and it is the gift that keeps on giving.

You drive/drove Jags - ok, you know what fuel, hot water and brake fluid 
smells like.  As in the cars of the Crown - smell any of that and stop. 
Carry a nice illegal halon fire exingusisher.
Remember to burp your car AND tighten the overflow tanks on some 308s. 
Coolant dumped on to hot headers can and does catch fire.  I know that for a 
fact.

The early stock cars have what looks like 12" wheels (really 14s) that one 
has a tough time getting some sexy good looking tires to fit - unless you go 
to Coker and at 350 per corner - or some horrendous Pebble Beach show car 
only price you may get the original Michelin 205/70 x 14 tires - otherwise 
they have been updated to the QV status with concave centers or for some 
328s - convex (for ABS - ?) which to my taste loose just a tad.

308 carbed, 308 injected (unless you know the provenance try to go for a 4 
valve - some of the 2 valve injected cars had piston ring - cylinder - what 
ever problems and though they were supposed all made good by the factory or 
dealers - who knows.

In any case - you seem to be a guy who knows how to disassemble, clean, 
repair and reassemble so NO car as you buy it will be fit for you.  You 
gotta tinker just a bit.  To that end - all 308s and 328s have fish line to 
raise and lower windows - the factory grease evaporates to hard pink soap 
and after a while your motor burns out.  Now you are faced with replacement 
or repair.  Working with needle like screws (Ferrari glues, pop rivets and 
screws everything together AFTER they assemble it - nice touch) so the doors 
will take you between 4 and 1000 hours to repair.

Watch your fingers when messing around with head light adjustments - 
disconnect battery.  Those things can take off and snip snip pieces of you 
faster than you can say "ow."

So that's it - great car - made between 3 and 5 a day.  Truly a hand made 
car - and in many respects - the mechanicals look like it.

Oh - I stayed away from carb talk and fuel line stuff - other than be sure 
to fuel injection hose.  The gas one could purchase in the 70s and 80s 
didn't kill rubber.  The new stuff does and since all new cars ARE fuel 
injected why make good braded hose any more - unless you get it from a 
specialty Ferrari shop.

Onward - George - I always liked the XK series Jag and enjoy watching them 
at the vintage auto races.

DOUG