Ferrari topic con't

[romad]

Why do people think older Ferrari's or any exotic can not be a DIY repair car? I don't see any systems on these cars that are any more complicated then any other car. More expensive, difficult access yes...... more complicated no.

[nynor]

well, when you look at the cost/mile for ownership, it seem fairly daunting. my opinion.

[GH85Carrera]

I would guess one thing is the special tools needed to work on a Ferrari. Every FLAPS has tools I can borrow for my Chevy, but they don't have a puller for a power steering pump on a Ferrari. At least I am guessing they don't.

[Zeke]

There are a lot of guys here that have or would not hesitate to rebuild a flat 6 Porsche engine. And there are some that will get it perfect. But, not all even with the best instruction. That is unless you have the likes of a Henry Schmidt constantly looking on. If you're the type of mechanic that sees beyond the book, I see it happening.

Ferraris are a special animal and like real animals don't always speak back to you about what's wrong. Changing out shocks should not require a factory trained Ferrari mechanic, but I dare say opening up an engine or trans does.

Now, I've never owned or worked on a Ferrari. What I have done is lurked around the marque and the Net enough to know this. And I sometimes visit a local shop that has nothing but F-cars inside. Just what I've observed there reinforces my opinion here.

[masraum]

When I had my Porsche, I went to a tech day. The guy also had an older Ferrari that he had restored and rebuilt. When he rebuilt the engine, he had to have the pistons custom made because they were not available.

They can be DIY, but availability of parts, cost, and I would think, the necessary specs might make it more difficult.

[BeyGon]

How about one like this?

Blue Plate Rarity: 1967 Fiat Dino Coupe « BaT – The best vintage and classic cars for sale online

[Embraer]

love the fiat dinos. The spiders are gorgeous. have you looked at recent prices on them? i remember when they were reasonable, as a few years ago i was considering buying one. that ad is over 2 years old, and the values have just exploded on these cars. as the Dino 246GT/GTS has exploded, so have the values on the coupe/spyder.

heck, look at the prices of the ferrari 308GT4's over the last couple of years. what were 14K cars are now 25-30K cars, just over the last couple of years.

as for DYI'ing the older ferrari's, i'd say that engine-out MX would be a big deal for most people who don't have the facilities to do so.

[VaSteve]

I was surprised how DIYable my Porsche is. I didn't buy it for that purpose but once I got into it, its all 13mm bolts like many other cars. It burns gas and air and uses oil. I thought it was supposed to be an exotic. When I have seen Ferarris dissected up close...same thing.

I'm sure special tools/expensive parts are involved but millionaire playboys that bought them new weren't likely to get grease under the nails or on their pastel blazers....

[BeyGon]

[QUOTE=Embraer;6013558]love the fiat dinos. The spiders are gorgeous. have you looked at recent prices on them? i remember when they were reasonable, as a few years ago i was considering buying one. that ad is over 2 years old, and the values have just exploded on these cars. as the Dino 246GT/GTS has exploded, so have the values on the coupe/spyder.

QUOTE]

This one sold but they were asking 66k euros for it

1971 Fiat Dino 2.4 Spider for sale: Anamera

[Embraer]

yep...just not too long ago, fiat spyders were selling for 15-20K. now they're six figure cars.

[McLovin]

Speaking for just the 80s V8, I've done all the work on mine over the years.

They are no more difficult to work on than a Porsche.

The biggest difference is there isn't as much information available. There's no Bentley manual or 101 Projects for your Ferrari. Also, there isn't as much info on the web (although that's been getting a little better over the past few years).

But through '89, they are all carbed/CIS injected cars, just like a 911, so the fuel system is the same. Suspension, steering, brakes are simple (brakes are exactly like a 911). Changing the clutch is easier than on a 911. Regular maintenance (oil, fluids, filters) are easy. Valves are adjusted by shims, like on a watercooled VW, and lots of other pedestrian cars.

The only maintenance hassle is the cam belt system, you don't have that on a 911, but the difficulty of changing the belts is highly, highly exaggerated. Changing belts is easier on an 80s V8 than on a Honda, b/c access is easier.

There is just a different culture in the Ferrari enthusiast world. Way more checkbook mechanics, overall a lot less DIY and mechanical interest or knowledge. The lack of knowledge leads to fear, paranoia and a lot of irrationality as far as maintenance and repair.

[sca037]

A good friend has a '83 308 GTSi QV, and while it's a fun car that makes excellent noises it sure drives like something from the 1970's.
Little things like delicate switchgear, the fussy gated shifter, panel fit and finish, weather sealing, and the arm and leg position ergonomics are easy to overlook in a weekend car, but for a DD would probably wear me down.
We swapped cars and he drove our NSX, when he came out he said it was too easy to drive and felt more like a luxury car (sheesh- it has manual steering, 35 series tires and is lowered on Bilsteins)........that was an indication of how far off our perspectives were

There are MANY folks that DD a NSX, so maybe that's something that you should consider.

Brian

[sailchef]

Not everyone is mechanically inclined. They may have never worked on another car.

Working on a car that was at the top of the high performance food chain can be intimidating for those that have never turned a wrench. I know I approached the challenge with "reverence" and I have been wrenching as a hobby since I was 12. With all the marketing and hype that you hear when you were a kid I was conditioned to think that working on a Porsche would be next to impossible.

DIYing is like drugs. The cost can be staggering, and it can take over your life. You start out changing light bulbs, air filters and oil. Then you join the "engine drop" league. After a few years you acquire more tools, compressors, welders, and equipment then you need, a bigger space to install a lift and extra parts that you "may" need down the road. I could purchase a second car with all the "support" I have to keep one 911 running.

At times it can be over whelming, especially when it seems to take over all of your free time.
Who here, that does their own work, doesn't have a "to do list" scheduled over the next couple of years?

[911FASCINATION]

McLovin-Really great point about more checkbook mechanics and fewer DIYers in the Ferrari world, even in many Porsche circles, sometimes people look at me like I must be crazy to have interest in working on my own cars.

sailchef-You're absolutely right, it's like a gateway drug of sorts...And I'd venture to say for most of us here, that to-do list goes way beyond two years...

[tcar]

One of the issues with SOME F-cars is that there was very little provision for routine maintenance.

i.e. you have to drop the engine just to change the belts... can be in the $4-8k range depending (water pump, tune, etc.)

[scottmandue]

I thought a Dino was a mid engine V6?

Disclaimer, I'm no expert.

[scottmandue]

Such as:




and may I add:

[Embraer]

the 206 dino was mid engined. the fiat coupe and spider were front engined, same engine

[Embraer]

same with the 246 and the 2.4 Dino spyder and coupe

[CMDR Perry]

Sailchief I think we may have been living in parallel universes for the last 40 years.

I have duplicated your reply about Ferrari's and DIY with my cars since the age of 14. I have everything except the lift in the garage. Kinda creepy, like twins separated at birth.

LOL,