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.

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!

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.

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.