Friday, December 31, 2010

Snow can't stop the last drive of the year

Earlier this week, we got hit with about 5 inches of snow. Much of it melted right away, but the temperature in the last few days has been pretty low so the snow has been hanging around the yard even though most of the roads are clear. Even though it was very cold, the skies were clear today and the sun was shining so TK and I decided to take one last drive of the year. As you can imagine, I was a little tentative as I pulled the 308 out of the garage onto the crunchy snow in our driveway.



Once we got out on to the main road, everything was fine. Some of the shaded side roads were still a little dicey as there were still clumps of compact snow and ice here and there. TK had to remind me to "cool my jets" along some of the shaded twisty roads. We ran a few errands, then headed East to Duvall for lunch.



On our way back, we stopped off at a friend's barn to catch part of her riding lesson. She made a comment about how they knew we were coming because they heard a rumble coming up the drive. Hmmm...maybe that Stebro exhaust is just a little too loud?



Happy new year!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Filters by Baldwin

Even if I can't drive, I can still get parts. I'm coming up on an oil change soon so I got a couple of oil filters and an air filter.



These filters are made by Baldwin (B253 oil and PA2094 air), which is a different brand than the UFI oil filter I am currently using. The 308 engine has the oil filter on top, which means that it uses a special filter design. Any filter used on this engine must have an internal stand pipe, which keeps oil from draining out of the filter when the engine isn't running. Most 308 folks use either UFI or Baldwin filters, even though Fram, Mobile and others make them. I have heard horror stories and seen pictures of Fram filters collapsing. Also, I heard that a number of UFI filters exploded after a design flaw many years back.

Baldwin has an interesting story. They've been around since 1936 and they mainly make filters for commercial applications so they're not really well known in the public automotive industry. Most people have never heard of them because you don't see their name on the filter shelf at your local auto parts store. Rumor has it that J.A. Baldwin and Enzo Ferrari were friends back in the old days. Baldwin owned a Ferrari (rumored 275GTB4 or a Daytona) which he kept at the plant. They continue to make great filters for many Ferrari models. The funny thing is that Baldwin filters are available at most truck stops, and even though most don't stock it, you can have them order up a Ferrari filter for you! I got mine from Associated Diesel and while I was ordering, I got a Baldwin T-shirt as well.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Counting down to 2011

It's been quiet in my hometown...not much going on on the car front. I think my chances of taking the 308 out again this year are almost nil. It's supposed to snow again later this week so the car will just have to wait some more.

TK and I had a pretty good holiday. We weren't hosting this year and as a result, we had to log quite a few miles to get to all the family functions. Christmas Eve was at my uncle's place this year. We had a gift exchange and look at this cool carbon fibre money clip I got!



Since hoodies seem to be all the rage, my mom decided to knit hoodies for all her "grand-dogs". My dog doesn't quite know what to do with hers.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The last drive of 2010?

It was supposed to rain all weekend, but somehow it managed to stay dry today and the sun even came out for a while. We had a windstorm earlier in the week and a tree came down in one of our front pastures. No damage, but I wanted to work on cleanup while it was dry and daylight. I worked on it for a few hours before giving up. It was far too nice a day to spend on yard chores. TK even sneaked out to ride her horse and I was feeling the need to exercise mine. There were a few hours of daylight left so I took the opportunity for a little drive. First stop was to get some peppermint extract and Hershey's Kisses from the grocery store (big Xmas cookie baking session). After getting the supplies, I took the long way home dropping down into the valley along some rural county roads. I could have stayed out a lot longer, but the sun was getting low in the sky and I needed to get back. The car ran great as usual and the drive definitely improved my mood.

Will I get another chance to drive before the end of the year?

Saturday, December 4, 2010

NW Toy Run 2010

Finally, a nice sunny day when the roads are dry! Today was also the 7th annual NW Toy Run. It's a yearly event to raise money and collect toys for Toys for Tots. TK and I rounded up a bag of toys and drove down in the 308. There was a pretty good layer of frost on the ground this morning but the sun came out and it was a beautiful day.



The collection site was a local raceway, which has a big parking lot. Some people came in, dropped their toys and left while others parked and just hung out. We stayed for a few minutes and walked around the lot to see some of the other cars. Most of the people there were the "fast and furious" crowd with their outrageously lowered, stretched tires and obscene camber angles. I got a good laugh at a few of the cars. Still, it was a good event for a good cause. Over 1200 cars showed up and the event raised $3500 for Toys for Tots and collected a 27' trailer full of toys.

When we got back to the car, I noticed something strange about one of the headlight louvers. I had known that the paint on the aluminum louver was starting to flake off and apparently the drive down had caused a large section to take flight. What I saw was a big patch of bare aluminum on one of the slats.



When I got home, I realized a large section of paint from the other headlight louver also took flight. At least I have bare aluminum now on both sides to match! I knew I'd have to get these things repainted so I guess this is the time. I'll wait until it warms up a little in the Spring and repaint both louvers. On the later US cars, the louvers are anodized black and many early car louvers have been painted or power coated back. I think I'll stick with the original and paint it body-color rather than switching to black.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

20% is still too risky for me

When it comes to the 308, I'm a weather weenie. I freely admit it. I haven't taken her out in the rain and I don't really intend to. Here's why:

1) In 1978, no one gave any thought to rust-proofing. Ferrari didn't start using rust-proofing until about 1985. A lot of the older cars like mine had a bare minimum of sprayed-on undercoating which didn't offer much protection.

2) When I put the rear quarter windows back in, I didn't seal them like I had planned. I have a tube of 3M window sealant, but it's sitting on a shelf. I know that I'll get a heck of a leak in the rain.

3) Rain make a car dirty. Yes, I know. It seems trivial but this is a big deal. As much as I'd love to have all the time in the world to clean my car, this is not the case.

4) Surprisingly, the car has very little rust and I'd like to keep it that way. Water has a way of working it's way down to the lowest crevices in doors and panels where cancel begins.



This is what the weekend forecast looks like. It looks an awful lot like last weekend's forecast and probably the next one too. Doesn't look like I'll get much driving done.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Interior switches all match now

I feel better now. I spent a little time in the shop this weekend installing that antenna switch so it would match the others. Good riddance to that stupid knob switch.

The original switches are held on by a lock ring. The lock ring is completely round and has two small notches in the face. I assume that there is a special tool somewhere that mates with this ring, but I certainly don't have it. I decided to make a tool out of some scrap aluminum so I could tighten the ring.



I used aluminum because it's easy to work with and it's soft enough to not harm the chrome plating on the ring. A bit of cutting and filing and it was ready to go. My homemade tool worked perfectly and I was able to get the new antenna switch installed.



While I was at it, I removed the lock rings from the other three switches so I could replace the aluminum plate underneath. Several months ago, I bought a used plate that still had the switch markings on them. The markings on my plate were gone and it was nice to put the new plate on. My antenna switch plate is blank and I'll be good to replace that one too someday.

Just look at that bank of switches. A row of matching, Mickey Mouse ear goodness!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Finally, a chance to hit the road

We've had a break in the weather and I took the opportunity to drive the 308 in to work today. I actually took a short drive last night to bring the fluids up to temperature and bleed the cooling system. Generally after the system is opened, you need to spend some time bleeding all the air out. When I got back last night, I opened the radiator bleed screw and got a little air out. Checking the coolant expansion tank this morning, the coolant level looked good and the temperature was good at 190 degrees F. When I get home tonight, I'll crack the bleed screw again to check for air. The engine seems to be running well and I'm enjoying driving every chance I get.



Sitting side by side with other cars, you can really tell just how small a 308 is.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Obsessing about a switch

Yes, I've been obsessing. I could care less about some things, but I'm absolutely crazy about others. One thing that I really like about the 308 interior is the old school toggle switches. These switches with the black plastic "Mickey Mouse" ear toggles are incredibly cool and it really bothers me that someone replaced the antenna switch with a stupid push-pull knob.



I've searched high and low for an original switch. I got a replacement from Superformance in the UK, but it wasn't right. Functionally, it was just like the original, but it didn't look right. I got another 3-position switch which was made by Lucas (same as the original) for a Triumph motorcycle, but it didn't look right either. Finally, I decided to live with a standard 2-position switch which was more readily available. I've given up on the originality of the 3-position antenna switch controlling a semi-automatic antenna and I'm going to use this 2-position switch controlling a full-automatic antenna. It may not be 100% correct, but it will look right on the console.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Waiting for a nice day

The 308 is back on four wheels. Below is a good shot from the wheelwell opening where you can barely see the front of the alternator. After the alternator, I needed to hook up the coolant line again and refill the cooling system. While the sounds like a pretty simple task, it's actually a bit involved. Because the 308 radiator is in the front and the engine in the back, there is a lot of plumbing. When I filled the system before, I used over 5 gallons of coolant. I only partially drained the system but it still took almost three gallons. Also, because there is so much plumbing, all the air needs to be bled. There is a bleed screw in the thermostat housing and one at the radiator. Both of these need to be opened to make sure all the air is out. It generally takes a few bleed cycles to get all the air out so I'll need to check for air the next few times I run the engine.



The other thing I wanted to work on was the antenna. This car originally had a semi-automatic antenna. This was operated by a separate three-position switch on the console. Not all power antennas are the same. An automatic antenna has two wires. One requires a constant 12 volts and the other is the control; when the control wire gets power, the antenna goes up. When power is switched off, the antenna goes down. A semi-automatic antenna also has two wires, but each wire controls direction. When one wire is powered and the other grounded, the antenna goes up. When the wire is grounded and the other powered, the antenna goes down. The original switch reversed the polarity to make the antenna go up and down. Somewhere in the past, both the original antenna and the original switch were swapped out. However, it was never hooked up correctly and the antenna didn't work.



Apparently, semi-automatic antennas are really hard to find these days. Because of the somewhat complex wiring, nearly everyone uses fully automatic antennas. I bought a pair on eBay a while back, but I found out today that they're trashed and unusable. The original antenna switch is also impossible to find so I decided to just make do with what I've got. I opened up the console to get to the back of the replacement switch. Modifying the wiring ended up being pretty simple. I just split the power lead to feed the antenna as well as the switch. Now the antenna goes up and down so I'll actually get some radio reception.

It's been raining cats and dogs so I'm still grounded for now. I hope it stops soon!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Alternator's back

I got my alternator back, just in time for the rain. A local shop replaced the bearings, brushes and regulator and checked the windings. Supposedly, it tests out ok so I should be good to go. However, even if I get the car back together, the weather forecast is for rain all weekend so I won't be doing any driving this weekend. Bummer.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Alternator being rebuilt

I found a local place last week that rebuild alternators and starters. It's a one-man show and the shop was absolutely chock full of starters and alternators. Even the floor was covered with them. He put mine on the test machine and while output seemed OK, I figured it prudent to get it completely rebuilt anyway. Since access is such a PITA, there's no way I'm putting a possibly flaky alternator back in. The guy told me my alternator had been rebuilt in the past, probably by a now-defunct local company called Start-Mart. They were notorious for only replacing the bare minimum of parts, then repainting the entire unit so it "looked new." My entire alternator had been painted silver and even though it's a Bosch, the voltage regulator was some cheapy replacement. I feel confident it's in good hands and I'm looking forward to getting up and running again.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Hurrah, alternator is out!

After consulting with the experts on F-chat, I found a way to solve my problem. The alternator is actually mounted on a bracket that is bolted to the engine block and is held on with two nuts. I was able to get a stubby wrench in there, but I wasn't able to get enough leverage to get the nuts loose. My inner McGuyver kicked in and I rigged up an old auto-body slide hammer to bump the wrench and loosen the nut.



With the alternator free, I needed to disconnect the wiring. Fortunately, the wires are just long enough to turn the alternator around to get to the back. I removed a heat shield, disconnected the wires and wiggled the alternator out. Now to find a local shop to rebuild this thing!

Monday, October 11, 2010

The Italians are laughing at me now

I had said before that the 308 clutch was the easiest to replace of all the cars I've worked on. Well, the 308 also makes up for that ease by having EVERYTHING ELSE impossibly difficult.

Take the alternator, for instance. My charge warning light was coming on and I figured I should probably get my alternator looked at before it completely crapped out and left me stranded somewhere. I've been dreading getting back down to the alternator. The last time I only had to loosen the belt to get to the timing belts. This time, I would have to completely remove it. I put the car on jackstands again and pulled off the right rear wheel and wheelwell liner. Deep down in the bowels, nestled next to the fuel tank was my nemesis. The darned alternator.



Working on this car is like the "knee bone's connected to the leg bone" song. To get access to the alternator, the aluminum coolant pipe needs to be partially disconnected and swung out of the way. Well, in order to do that, the coolant has to be partially drained through a petcock in the rear cylinder bank. After that, the pipe needed to be unhooked from the thermostat housing. And where is that, do you ask? Why, it's under the air cleaner snorkel! Which means loosening up the engine cover to get to the air cleaner, then removing the carb trumpets, then...then...then...urgh!

Finally, after draining over a gallon of coolant and making a ruddy mess, I get to the point of loosening the alternator mounting bolts. I thought I was so smart last time in reversing the top mounting bolt so I could get to it easier the next time. Well, all the bolts loosened easily. I started to drive the lower pivot bolt through when...it would move no more. Huh? I stuck my hand back there to see what was going on and I could not believe it. It seems that the dipstick tube is keeping the bolt from sliding all the way out of the alternator mounting hole. What the heck?



That's when I called it a night. I can just see it now -- two old Italians hanging out in a cafe in Italy. "Hey, Giuseppe what fun we had putting those Ferrari engines together! Just wait til some stupid American tries to work on it! Hah!"

Thursday, October 7, 2010

My car is trying to tell me something again

The weather has been nice again so I've been taking advantage where possible. I drove the 308 to work one day last week and again yesterday. On the freeway on the way home, the alternator warning light came on at about 3500rpm. I increased the revs but the light stayed on. Hmmm...not good. After a few minutes of changing engine speed, the light went off. Then it flicker on a little, then eventually turned off for good and it didn't come on again the rest of the way home.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to do. I suspect that the alternator is on it's last legs, but I don't know that for sure. The battery is less than a year old so I don't think that's the problem. Since the alternator is a PITA to get to, I don't really want to pull it to get tested. If I pull it, it'll be to replace it with a new one. Now comes the research to figure out what alternator will work. The "proper" one from a Ferrari parts place is almost $500!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

A new place to go on a Saturday morning?

I found out last night that Griot's Garage has started hosting a "caffine and gasoline" event on the first Saturday of each month. It's a bit of a drive for me, but I figured I'd try a new venue other than RTC.



The difference between this event and E@RTC is that there was a much more diverse crowd at Griot's. In addition to the handful of Ferraris and Porsches, there were Corvettes, a few hopped up Audis and a 280Z that was so clean, you could eat off the engine. I got there later in the morning and I think a lot of people had already left.



I've visited Griot's new facility before and one of the really cool things is to see what cars Richard Griot has on display. The man owns LOTS of really cool cars and his newest toy is this 1966 Ford GT40. They fired this thing up and the sound was absolutely amazing. Have a listen here.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Highs in the mid-70s!

Today was forecast to be a nice day and indeed it was. I decided last night that I was going to head down to E@RTC in the morning. There won't be very many warm dry weekends left this year and I definitely wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Before I left the house, I took a little time to clean some of the dust off the paint, clean the wheels and dress the tires.



As expected, there was the throng of Lambos and the other regulars, but it seems like something out of the ordinary always shows up. I parked next to a Giallo Fly '78 308 GTS and behind me were four Tesla Roadsters. I had never actually seen a Tesla in person so I talked to one of the owners for quite a bit. I learned lots of new things about how the Tesla works. It'd be really cool to own one, but the price would need to come down dramatically before I could possibly afford one.



Next up was a Harley Davidson motorcycle with a dual front tire conversion. A local guy is developing this as a retrofit kit for all modern Harleys. The unique thing about this setup vs. other 3 wheeled bikes is that the bike can still lean into turns like a normal motorcycle. Hopefully, he can get the funding he needs to get the product from prototype to market. Check it out at his website. He's got some cool videos of the mechanism in action.



Also something else I'd never seen before in person was an Ariel Atom. It's hard to describe what this thing is. You could call it a go-cart on steroids. It's basically a tube chassis with a big engine. The owner was talking to some onlookers when he started digging around on the floorboards. He pulled out a strip of rubber that had been flung into the cockpit. Apparently this is something that happens quite often with an Atom. During hard cornering, rubber is scrubbed off the tires and since the Atom is completely open, some of this rubber winds up with the driver. Also, there's no windshield so you need to wear a helmet with a faceshield. Crazy stuff.



On my way home, I had to make a stop to get some new lighting fixtures for the house. A Home Depot run in the 308? Why not?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Fakes and the real thing

When I was 308 shopping, I had multiple RSS feeds set up in my reader and I looked at a LOT of ads. Even though I now own a 308, I still have these feeds going and still look at ads to see what the market is like. In short, the market sucks (for a seller) and it's definitely a buyer's market. Every now and again, I see an ad for fake 308s -- the most famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) is the Pontiac Mera.

Based on the Pontiac Fiero, the Mera rebody was actually a dealer option in 1987. I remember seeing pictures of these back in the day and thinking that maybe this was the only way I could get something close to a real 308.



Have a close look at the picture above. Can you tell which one is the fake? From the back at this angle, it's actually pretty tough to tell the difference. It's obvious from the front and sides but from the back, these cars would fool a lot of people. The real 308 is on the right and the Mera is on the left.

The kicker is that 308 prices are so ridiculously low now that it makes no sense to have a fake. I'm shocked at the lengths some Mera owners go to to make their darned Fiero look like a Ferrari. Have a look at this joker. How much did he spend on that fake Ferrari interior?

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Here comes the rain again

Well, it's that time of year again. The brief clear days of summer are becoming few and far between and drive time has been severely limited. It's been either raining or threatening rain so now I'm planning my winter projects. I should have the time to put on the rest of the parts that are stacking up. I need to fix my parking brake handle, do some work on the rear brake calipers and I still need to find the source of that annoying rattle in the back. If I can afford it, I may even try to attack the 2nd gear syncro. I found a used transaxle locally that's supposedly in good shape. The price is reasonable for a used 308 tranny so I may go that route. Strange that a "reasonable price" for a used transaxle will get you a used Honda Civic.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The infamous 308 Trouble Light

Years ago, I bought battery charger for my motorcycle battery called the Xtreme Battery Doc. I've found that in addition to keeping my moto battery topped off, it does a good job on the 308 battery. The problem is that getting to the battery to hook up to the battery leads was a pain (open bonnet, remove spare, remove batt cover) so I wanted to install a "normal" cigarette lighter socket. There is a cigarette lighter socket in the 308 console, but it's not the "normal" lighter socket you see today. Rather, it has a small hole where you put the cigarette and I think you pull the black plastic outside ring to heat it up. Honestly, I have no idea how this thing is supposed to work because I've never tried it.



I kind of like the look of the console lighter, so I decided to leave that one alone and try to replace the trouble light socket with a normal socket. On all 308s, there is a 12v socket under the dash to the left of the steering wheel. As part of the 308 tool kit (which I am missing), there is a small 12v trouble light that plugs into this socket. I don't know anyone who has actually used their light or the socket. Having a light has become more of a concours bragging rights thing, as in, "I have the original tool kit roll complete with carb tool, spare bulb holder and trouble light." I've seen pictures of the light, but never one in person. Anyhow, I was willing to sacrifice the trouble light socket for a place to plug in my battery charger.

I went to Napa and bought one of those generic sockets and proceeded to unscrew the underdash piece holding the clock, oil temp gauge and trouble light socket ('78 GTS, before they relocated the gauges to the console). When I set out all the pieces on the workbench, I noticed something interesting.



The battery charger came with three different attachments -- alligator clips, ring connectors and a cigarette lighter plug. I never noticed before but the cig plug had a plastic piece snapped on the business end. When I removed this piece, the plug end was exactly the right size and shape to fit perfectly into the trouble light socket!





You can see that it's a perfect fit -- even down to the ridge on the center shaft to lock into the socket. I put everything back together and sure enough, it works as I would expect. The socket is not keyed so I can just plug in the charger at any point to maintain the battery. Best part is I didn't have to make any modifications at all.

I tried searching online, but it doesn't look like this charger is made anymore. What I'm really interested to know is, what kind of plug is this that fits into the 308 trouble light socket?

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The joys of an old car

Yesterday, I had my first opportunity to drive the 308 to work. I'm constantly reminded that this is indeed a 32 year old car and often times acts like it. On the drive in, we had the targa top on because it was a little cold. The top has an annoying squeak at the front seal, but luckily the exhaust and road noise at highway speed masks it. Unfortunately, the exhaust and road noise also masks the new stereo I just put in. Part of the problem is that my radio reception sucks so the stations fade in and out. Why? Because my power antenna doesn't go up of course!

After work, I go to unlock the car with my keyless entry remote. I open the passenger door to unlatch the top, then close the door. I walk around to the other side and the driver's door won't open. What? I try the remote to lock and unlock, but it doesn't work. I notice that the driver's lock button has popped up, but not all the way. The passenger's side is now locked and I can't get in to the car! Fine, I try the key but it doesn't work either. I can get the lock to go up and down with the key, but it won't completely unlock. Luckily, I'm at work so I go into our shop and find some wire. I'm able to fish a loop through the driver's side to lift the lock button about 1/16" and pop! The door opens.

Did I mention the loose heat shield on the exhaust which causes an intermittent annoying rattle? How about the annoying (new) squeak when I turn the steering wheel?

Friday, August 20, 2010

So many parts, so little time

I seem to have a small pile growing of parts that need to go on the car. At some point, I'll have the time to actually install them.

I said a while back that I didn't need a stereo in the 308. After a few long drives, I've changed my mind. The car certainly doesn't need some crazy in car entertainment system, but it does need at least a basic stereo. I decided on a simple Alpine deck and a pair of Kenwood speakers for the doors. It won't win any audiophile awards, but will give me something else to listen to on longer trips.



Somewhere along the way in the car's past, someone must have been too vigorous in cleaning the interior. There is an aluminum plate under the console toggle switches with words describing what each switch does. On my plate, the words had gotten completely rubbed off. Verell makes a repro set that are "unscratchable," but they were a little more money than I wanted to spend. I eventually found a used plate on eBay and managed to get it pretty cheaply.



The seat belts on the car are pretty beat. The belts themselves are kind of fuzzy (and probably unsafe) and the spools don't retract very well. The same belts were used on (of all things) a Delorean and still available new from DMC. The units are made by a company called Klippan Safety Products. Here's where I splurged a little and I bought both the left and right sides. They aren't cheap, but are an exact match for OEM that came with the car.



Now that I had a replacement targa cover, the only remaining piece of vinyl I needed was the boot cover. There's a guy selling replacements who advertises in Hemming's Motor News as well as someone who sells them on eBay. The one on eBay was a little cheaper, but also seemed a little cheesy so I decided to get the cover from the Hemming's guy. The cover is well made and it will make the under-hood area look really good.



Lastly, I was able to score another set of carburetor rebuild kits from a guy selling on eBay. I know that at some point, I'll probably need to open the carbs again so it never hurts to have some spare gaskets. The seller had these left over from a 308 he owned and he was purging. He threw in a set of new spark plugs (which I'll probably never use) and a handful of valve cover acorn nuts (which I may use). Such a deal!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Hey Magnum!

Well, it had to happen at some point. After a little over a year of 308 ownership, I got my first Magnum PI comment tonight. TK had to work late and I needed to pick her up from the bus stop. Since the 308 is now a "grab and go" car, I decided to do just that and took a little drive. As I was waiting in the parking lot of a seedy little "beer and cigarettes" corner store, a guy got off a bus and yelled, "hey, Magnum PI!" while pointing at me. I smiled and waved as he walked by. Good to know, I guess, that the 308 is still a recognizable car!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Note: parts that fall off this car were hand crafted by Italian artisans

We're having another unusual heat wave and I was able to get the 308 out this weekend. TK had to work and it driving her to work was a good way to get a drive in. I also had to run down to my folks' place and it turned out to be a 100+ mile day. The car ran well with no signs of the ignition trouble I had before. I've got my new CV on the back so I was able to ditch the front plate. The front end looks so much cleaner without that plate.



On my way home, I heard a small flapping noise behind my left ear. It gradually got louder and was a little disturbing. I looked back and found out what it was. One of the trim clips holding the B-pillar interior trim piece had broken. The piece was dangling from a single clip. Worse, the vinyl had pulled away and was flapping in the wind. I had to quickly find a place to pull off the freeway to grab this piece before it took flight.



Luckly, I didn't lose the piece. Had I not pulled over, I would have the trim piece. As it was, the vinyl was barely hanging on so I just pulled everything off and put it somewhere safe. Next stop -- an appointment with some contact cement!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

That sir, is the Ultimate

We had something special at E@RTC this week. An SCC Ultimate Aero was going to be there -- the very car that in 2007 set the record for the world's fastest production car. At 256.18 mph, the UA beat the previous record set by the Bugatti Veyron. Not to be outdone, Bugatti released a Super Sport version of the Veyron to take back the title earlier this year.



SSC is based out of Richland, Washington and the record speed run was done on a stretch of highway in Eastern Washington. Bugatti, on the other hand, did their run at the plush, controlled environment of the VW Proving Grounds. There's more info on SSC at their website.



The forecast for this morning was pretty sketchy. There was a 40% chance of rain, but the event was still on. There was an event down in Monterey and a number of people at E@RTC (including the SSC UA) were going to be loaded onto a car carrier. Since it wasn't raining in the morning, I decided to take the 308. It ran great, although I had to put the top up due to a light rain on the way home. While I was there, I realized that I still had my old plates on. Somehow, I completely forgot to put my new CV plate on. I'll have to get that done before I drive next.

If last week was Ferrari day, today seemed like it was Lamborghini day. There were a fair number of Porshe and Ferrari, but more Lambos than I would have expected to see.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

When big is too big and small is too small

Earlier in the week I had ordered a set of 0.57 size idle jets for my Weber 40 DCNF carbs. The original 0.55 jets made the mixture too lean and the 0.60 jets seemed a little too rich. Pierce Manifolds, the place I normally get Weber parts from, didn't list an intermediate size, but Vee Dub Parts in California did. The 0.57 jets should be just right so I figured I'd try them out.



Once you look at all three jet sizes side by size, you can tell the difference. It's not a huge difference, but noticeable. It's amazing how such a small size change can make a difference. Just like the door panel removal, I'm getting pretty good at getting to the carbs and changing the jets and I was able to do it in about an hour. I didn't have a chance to drive it, but it seemed to idle and rev a lot better. With the 0.57 jets, the idle mixture screws are out about 4 turns, which most carb car owners report as being about the "right" position.

After the carbs, I moved on to the front of the car. Under the front bonnet, there are supposed to be two pieces of foam to seal the top of the radiator and the spare tire well to the underside of the bonnet. This directs the airflow through the radiator rather than around it. This apparently greatly affects the coolant temperature. My foam was missing and I had been looking to replace it for a while. Rutlands has a set for $60, but I did not want to spend that much for 2 pieces of foam. Instead, I found a place that sold Armaflex, which is a foam sheet used in HVAC applications. The best part is I got a big sheet for half the cost of the "official" replacement foam.



Another thing missing on my car was the targa top cover. When the top is not in use, it fits in the space behind the seats. A vinyl cover holds to top and keeps it from shifting around. A fellow F-chatter had one made locally for his car, and he offered to have another one made for me. It looks and fits great and cost much less than from other sources.



I haven't had a chance to mount them yet, but I got my new license plates this week. It's been a year and my tabs were about to expire so I decided to get a set of "Collector Vehicle" plates. These plates are available for vehicles over 25 years old that aren't regularly driven. The best parts are that I'll never have to renew my tabs again because these plates never expire, and I can get rid of my front plate because the CV plate is only for the rear.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

One year

Today was a relatively quiet day on the homestead. There was no sound of Italian aluminum rumbling. Still, today was an important one of note as it was exactly one year ago today that the 308 came to our home. Here's to many more years of happy driving!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Quick Saturday morning outing

I wanted to take a few hours this morning to head down to the E@RTC gathering. It's something that happens every Saturday morning (weather permitting of course) and I'd been meaning to check it out for a while. It was Ferrari Day and there were LOTS of Ferraris. In fact, lots of many kinds of cool cars. Most of your more popular exotics where there -- Lambo, Porsche, Lotus (only one). There were also a few Acura NSXs, some BMWs and even a few muscle cars. By far, the best showing was Ferrari and probably the most Scuderias that I've ever seen in the same place.



Everyone really came though to see the new Ferrari 458 Italia. It was rumored that one would be showing up, along with a new Ferrari California. I had seen a Cali up close, but I had never seen a 458 before. It was AWESOME. I daresay it's the best looking modern Ferrari. When it showed up, everyone swarmed around it to get a closer look. Now only if I had an extra $350K laying around...



I was parked next to a beautiful Argento 512TR and had a great conversation about the 512TR and the Testarossa. I had no idea that the 512TR, which is the Testarossa's sucessor, is almost a completely different car. To the untrained eye, the Testarossa and 512TR look identical, but there are some pretty major differences. You learn something new every day!

Here's a shot of me as I was getting ready to leave. The event started at about 8am or so and the crowd started to thin out at around 10am. I had other commitments so I needed to get going. Fortunately for me, the 308 started right up and I was able to leave the parking lot without any embarrassing noises.