10/23/01
Brakes, Gas cap, and Exhaust

It took three auto parts stores to find Castrol LMA brake fluid. Although François feels any DOT 3 or 4  fluid will work, I remember when working on my Sunbeam, Castrol is highly recommended for use with British brake seals. The Dunlop brakes in the Ferrari have Lucas seals, and there was a concern of the seals swelling with other fluids. I don’t think François has ever experienced this problem with other fluids, but I noticed empty bottles of LMA at his shop, so I’m using LMA to play it safe!

I haven’t completely bled the brake system. My memory betrayed me again, and I forgot the steps François told me in bleeding the brakes, so I made up my own procedure! I used a combination of a Myti-Vac (sp?) suction type bleeder to get fluid into the calipers, but the pedal was still soft. Nothing beats a two man brake bleeding, so I will wait until I have some time with François, and do it the old fashioned way. I did however manage to get enough pressure in the system to spot leaks in the brake line fittings. Some of them were missed when I tightened the whole system, but some of them needed a bit more tightening. I didn’t want to initially over tighten the lines, and break something, so giving an extra turn to a couple of fittings was necessary. Unfortunately, I’ll have to touch up some painted areas that got splashed with brake fluid, but most places were saved by spotting the drips quickly! 

I got the right hardware to install the gas filler door, but discovered the gas cap was protruding too high out of the body of the car, Doh!

This required me to open up the panel that reveals the soft filler hose between the filler neck and the gas tank. I needed to loosen the hose clamps, and pull the filler neck down a little bit. I was surprised how tight everything had gotten even with all the clamps loosened. At least I’m assured there will be a leak proof fit!

There is a rubber flap that fits on either side of the filler neck that keeps the weather out of the trunk. I could see that there were still gaps that could allow fumes into he trunk of the car, so I took some spray foam and sealed the area behind the flap. With everything installed, you’ll never see the foam. I often smell gas and exhaust fumes in these old Ferraris, and this may be a place that’s letting the fumes into the car.

Now the gas filler door fits nice and flush with the trunk lid and body. Eventually, I’ll have to buff the door to match the rest of the car. It was one of those pieces that was painted off the car by the previous owner, but was never finished. I wet sanded the clear coat layer, but it will be easier to buff now that it’s mounted on the car.

I still haven’t found the right keys to fit the trunk lock, and it’s presently in the locked position. Yale found a locksmith in NYC that’s been around for a while, so I may take my lock to them to see if they can help. Stay tuned.

I managed to paint half of the exhaust system before I ran out of paint the other day. It wasn’t until I got home before I realized I forgot to take a picture of it! I may wait to paint the other half until I get the mounting tab rewelded.

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