Ferrari Mailing List: Rick's l_o_n_g Testarossa story...

[Rick Lindsay (rolindsay]

Hi Fiends,

Deep asked that I post an update on the Testarossa that I bought from Ric 
Rainbolt, who bought it from Deep, who bought it from, well, I don't know who.  
Anyway, I now own the car.  It keeps my 308GTB company.  Here's the story.  Its 
long and full of pictures.  Delete now if you're bored or get a fresh cup of 
coffee, or two, and read on...

A few months ago I decided to change my employment to part-time in preparation 
for retirement next spring.  Call it easing in to full retirement.  And with 
that in mind, I contacted Phil Tegtmeier in search of a project.  

I had been eying a Series II E-Type Phil had on his site.  Unfortunately, 
before we could come to an agreement on price, the owner fell back in love with 
his car.  It went off the market.  I don't know if its still unavailable.  I 
like E-Types.  After that we found a really cool Lancia but it sold before I 
could even make an offer.  Those of you who know me will know that like Phil, I 
have a soft spot in my heart (read:head) for Lancias.  Anyway, the Lancia was 
gone.  The quest went cold.

A little later I was chatting with Ric Rainbolt about a friend's Mondial T, and 
casually asked if he still had the Testarossa that he and Deep and traded back 
and forth.  Ric answered yes and I asked for a price, as is, but delivered to 
Houston.  Ric went into a dissertation about the history of the car.  Rather 
than discussing the ownership trail, he described the problems the car had 
presented.  

The car had suffered a damaged cylinder but I don't know why.  I only know that 
the piston and sleeve was replaced.  Ric shared a few pictures of the repairs 
he did.  Here's how it started with the drive line being removed from the car.  
(Pictures by-lines: Ric Rainbolt, Rui Gigante, Rick Lindsay)

http://www.aubard.us/TR/P0000281.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/P0000282.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/P0000284.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/P0000285.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/P0000293.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/P0000294.JPG

Ric soon had the car apart.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/p0000302.jpg

Ric then rebuilt the engine and did a FANTASTIC job - as expected.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/mvc-648x.jpg

http://www.aubard.us/TR/mvc-670x.jpg

Unfortunately, something in the twin Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection was hinky 
and the car did not run right.  Specifically, the idle speed was uneven 
(searching) and often died upon coming to a stop.  Nothing they did could 
resolve the problem.  Eventually Ric replaced the Bosch units and installed an 
aftermarket electronic fuel injection.  That transplant made the car run 
reliably but Ric never got around to tuning the EFI to the car.  I suspect that 
frustration intervened and the car set untouched for years.

After I contacted Ric again and after we agreed upon a price, Ric decided to 
make the car run again on the EFI.  Unfortunately, that didn't go well.  
Ferraris do NOT like to sit unused.  I agreed to buy the car 'as is' and with 
the EFI removed.  The Bosch parts were in a box in the boot. That's where the 
deal stood.  I paid Ric, he delivered the car.

As luck would have it, the car arrived on a rainy Saturday afternoon.  The 
driver maneuvered the trailer with precision most of us could only imagine.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0734.JPG

With the trailer beautifully in place, a stoop-backed, gray haired old man 
watched the progress.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0735.JPG

My driveway dips away from the garage, which is good for drainage but a bit of 
a challenge for for unloading Ferraris.  The driver had a winch and pulled the 
car back to the rear of the trailer.  The rear floor of the trailer tilts down 
making for easier unloading.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0737.JPG

A honkin-big neighbor and the driver pushed the car out of the truck while I 
managed the brakes.

There's a gap in the photo record here but the work continued.  One of my first 
hurtles to overcome was to install new fuel injectors.  Ric had modified the 
inlet runners to accept electric injectors.  I had to retrofit the assembly to 
use Bosch mechanical injectors.  Here's the assembly that did the trick.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0742.JPG

Here's a look at a used but cleaned up injector trial fitted into the inlet 
runner.  The new injectors were on order but had not yet arrived.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0749.JPG

Viewed from the under-side you can see the tip of the test injector is properly 
aligned.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0750.JPG

With the car in the garage and the fuel injector retrofit problem solved, I 
moved back to the engine room - camera in hand.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0751.JPG

Ric removed the internal working components from the Bosch air metering 
assemblies, using them only as 'ducts'.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0752.JPG

Fortunately, none of the linkage was modified.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0753.JPG

Here's another look.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0754.JPG

The cold start injectors were not used in Ric EFI system so the ports on the 
plenums were blanked off.  For my retrofit, Ric included a hand-full of cold 
start injectors, some from this car and some left over from his 308GTSi turbo 
modification.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0755.JPG

My next quest was to clean and rebuild the the Bosch air metering system.  Once 
reinstalled and aligned the air gap around the air dam was checked (and 
photographed).

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0756.JPG

I then stored all the rebuilt FI parts back in a cardboard box while working on 
other things.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0758.JPG

I moved back to the workbench and rebuilt the fuel distributors.  This is where 
I started.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0759.JPG

I then moved back to the engine room and reinstalled the air chambers.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0760.JPG

Things went back together with new gaskets (thanks Ric!).

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0761.JPG

Here's a look at the engine with the air metering mechanisms reinstalled.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0762.JPG

And a little closer look.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0763.JPG

The weekend was over.   Later in the work-week, I moved back to the bench to 
build the new harness for the cold start injectors.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0764.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0765.JPG

And installed, just for the camera.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0767.JPG

The next step was to install the newly rebuilt fuel distributors, along with 
the injector lines.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0769.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0770.JPG

Here's a look with the inlet runners and plumbing installed.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0771.JPG

Vacuum throttle bypass units installed.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0773.JPG

And control pressure regulators installed.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0774.JPG

Here's a look down the 1-6 bank, now with the injectors installed.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0775.JPG

The new injectors arrived!

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0777.JPG

Close-up views of a new injector installed and ready for connection.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0776.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0779.JPG

And here's a look at the 1-6 bank with the injectors installed and connected.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0780.JPG

Close-up.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0782.JPG

Here's a look with both banks plumbed.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0783.JPG

I then installed the plenums.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0784.JPG

With all the plumbing together, I installed bypass jumpers in place of the 
relays, only to discover a leak.  I then tighten the banjo bolt - and twisted 
it off.  Only after driving all over town, I finally found a replacement banjo 
bolt at a local exotic car repair shop.

http://www.aubard.us/TR/HPIM0785.JPG

Once I replaced the bolt, I realized that the leak was coming from the control 
pressure port where some PO (before Ric) had installed a fiber washer in place 
of a copper crush washer.  Once replaced, everything sealed up nicely.

Jump forward a week or two of other business.  My first road test was about 2 
miles.  At one point on that massive journey, the car began smoking badly - 
black smoke - then the smoke quit.  I was thinking fuel pressure problems.  If 
the pressure is running low on one or both banks, caused by a bad pump (or two) 
or a bad pressure regulator (or two) in a fuel distributor, the adjustments
I've made would have partially compensated.  Then if the pressure returned 
momentarily, the car would running WAY rich until the pressure dropped again.  
That could be the source of the 'black smoke episode'.   ...and NONE of this 
was true.  It turned out to be just old fuel.

>From what little I drove, I noticed a few things: Clutch is fine.  Gearbox is 
>smooth as silk, even into 2nd gear.  Suspension felt great
but I have little reference as to what defines 'bad'.  Brakes took a lot of 
foot pressure, almost as if the booster was failing.  Stopped
okay.  It just took more effort than I was expecting.  Perhaps it was just new 
pads not fully bedded in - which turned out to be the case.  The car now stops 
perfectly.

Back to the engine: When I put the car back together it started okay but had 
terrible trouble accelerating off of idle.  That test was done before resetting 
any of the linkage other than a quick static eye-ball set-up.  At 800 rpm the 
idle speed oscillated, just as Ric described and as I had the whole air 
cleaning system off, I could watch the 7-12 air dam oscillate up and down about 
1-2mm.  The 1-6 dam didn't move.  My first thought was a vacuum leak but then I 
realized that I was seeing instability in METERED air, not
leaking air.  Still, I rechecked every joint for leaks, and found none.  By the 
way, while idling in this condition, it also did one of
those black smoke puffing sessions then cleared up.  At the time, I put it down 
to settled oils and such after setting for years.  I believe that to be true.

A week or so later I pulled the plenums again and reset all of the linkage.  
The 7-12 bank's linkage was off by a lot.  The butterfly was
opened even when the idle screw was backed away from the stop!  That's when I 
realized that the workshop manual made the assumption that the off-idle 
throttle position screws were preset.  They were not and that was what was 
holding the throttle open AND what was causing the lower plenum depression and 
the greater air flow on the 7-12 bank.

I started the static adjustment procedure all over again after finding that 
problem.  I first made sure the linkage links were the same, as per manual.  
Then backed the idle screws all the way off, allowing the throttles to close 
completely - except of course, they didn't.  I then adjusted the off-idle 
throttle position screws such that each butterfly completely closed but didn't 
press into the throttle body hard enough to cause wear.  I then adjusted the 
idle screws until they just touched the stops, detected by both feeling the 
butterflies as I rocked the screws and observing light between the screw and 
the stop.  I then ran each idle screw in one-half turn.  This became the 
minimum throttle or safety setting.  I then closed the brass needle valves on 
to their stops and reassembled everything.

The car started right up and idled at about 800 rpm.  It wouldn't accelerate 
off of idle while cold without dying.  Again, I suspect
that it is leaning out as soon as the air flushed in, with the fuel not keeping 
up.  Of course, I didn't know that then.  I used the brass needle valves to 
increase the idle speed to 1000 rpm, rotating both valves by the same amount.  
The idle settled in at 1000 rpm, as per the manual and was stable - but still 
wouldn't advance off of idle without a fight.

While I had the plenums off I also removed the AAVs and tested them.  They 
performed perfectly.  They started open by a couple of mm and closed completely 
after 10 minutes of power applied to the heaters.  13.8v at 300mA, for what its 
worth.  A bench power supply is a wonderful thing.

I let the car warm up at idle to operating temperature.  Well, to a normal 
indication on the coolant temp.  The oil temp did not move.  I
suspected a bad gauge/sender until I remembered that it is a dry-sump system.  
Later after the 2 mile drive, the gauge registered a little heat.  When warm, 
the car is almost drivable, except for that black smoke episode.  I don't have 
the equipment to set the CO level and balance it from bank to bank, but a local 
shop does and they're excited to see the car.

Earlier that week, Monday it was, I ordered a K-Jetronic pressure test set up 
kit.  I figured I was not in a very big hurry so I used 'Free'
shipping via Amazon.  Anyway, it came from Dallas in ONE day!  That weekend I 
will connected the gauge to the system and started making some measurements for 
hard data.  The instrument connects between the fuel distributor and the 
control pressure regulator, on the input side of the regulator.  It has a gauge 
and a shut-off valve allowing the gauge to read system pressure with the valve 
closed and control pressure with it open.  I'll measured both banks and 
compared the results.  The full regulated system
pressure tells me that the pumps and regulators in the distributors are working 
properly and the open system tells me that there are
o problems in the CPRs.  Not a trivial slug of hard data for $115.

In between the engine episodes, which couldn't be too often because of that 
old-fuel-stink you may know too well, I worked on the interior.  I have applied 
a coat of Rejuvenator Oil to all of the leather but have been concentrating on 
the dash, so far.  The dash
leather has had three coats of R-Oil with brisk toweling in between.  Lots of 
dirt has come out and the leather is beautiful, if I do say so myself.  I also 
repaired the hinge on the left side of the radio door.  It was broken.  The 
whole assembly was just fiberglass so its no wonder that it broke.  I put 
everything back together with J-BWeld and layered a build-up outside of the 
repair.  I also drilled a tiny hole through the repair and inserted a little 
carter pin - all cemented in place.  After it cured I filed away the epoxy 
where the door impeded upon the repair, or perhaps I should have said that 
visa-versa.  Anyway, the door works smoothly and the hinge is not noticeably 
ugly.  The whole area under the radio door was scuffed up a little bit so I 
have cleaned it and have given it a
little respray.

The radio I bought is not expensive but is nice.  It is radio and CD with 
inputs for iPOD and USB drives.  I own no Apple products, but I do have a few 
thumb drives - not that any contain music. :-P   The radio is also a bluetooth 
radio with a microphone which I mounted out of sight under the instrument 
binnacle lip.  The radio display also has a variable color illumination with 
profiles for day and night, keyed to a sense lead connected to the dash lights. 
 I can match the color of the TR's dash lighting for a 'original' impression, 
but haven't done so yet.

I've also put the brake and clutch rubber pads back on and have vacuumed out 
the whole driver's side floor area.  I've also removed
the dead-pedal and have refinished the rubber pad which covers it.  That's all 
went back in after the speaker forms got
reinstalled.

And other than that, I have just cleaned.  Oh, I have verified that now after a 
little exercise, all of the lighting works, including all
the dash illumination.  The turn signals and hazard lights all lit up but they 
did not flash.  I suspected a very lazy or paralyzed flasher.  Given a few 
tries, it now works just fine.

Last Thursday I drove the car to work (13 miles, one way) and it performed 
beautifully.  99% of the problems were caused by ages-old fuel!!!  With a fresh 
tank of fuel, well, a half tank of fresh fuel added to the old stuff, the car 
now runs great.  Its down to a half tank again now and when it gets below one 
quarter, I'll fill it again, further diluting the old junk.

On the way home from work Thursday, I felt a vibration and smelled burning 
phenolic (e.g. clutch or brakes).  I was very near my independent shop so I 
rolled in and parked.  A quick examination (feel) I verified that the left rear 
brake was dragging.  I left the car with the shop for repairs.  The next day, 
the guys replaced a perished brake flex hose.  It had failed internally (as 
they almost always do) and was functioning as a one-way valve, keeping the pads 
against the disk.  Fortunately, the rotor had not warped.  The dragging began 
just as I came to a stop before the shop!!!  The car now has a fresh new hose, 
sourced from O'Reilly Auto parts, of all places.  We all agreed that we're 
going to replace all four hoses with steel jacketed flex lines next time the 
car has to go on the lift.

Well, it will have to be time-after-next because the next time will be to 
install the A/C belt and charge the system.  In the mean time, I'll order new 
hoses.

Its now Monday and tomorrow promises to be a pretty day with a high of 79F.  I 
think I'll drive my pretty little redhead to work again tomorrow.  Woohoo.

-rick