11/12/07
400 Fuel, 250 Brakes

Another 2+2 Ferrari was brought into the shop to work on.  It was a 400i Automatic, a little out of my comfort zone on many fronts, but hey, it’s a living! This car is another one Pete Sweeny is selling, and he’s having Sport Auto by Bill Pollard fix some fuel leaks and electrical issues. Although I think this car came from Ohio, I could imagine it cruising the causeways in West Palm Beach, especially with its white leather interior.

I replaced two fuel pressure accumulators and two fuel filters without using any harsh language! Let’s hope this trend continues with this 400i!

At François’ shop, I was ready to assemble one of the front brake drums. Having everything clean, fitting nicely, and ready to go back together is my favorite part.

Cleaning dirty parts, like this rear drum assembly is my least favorite!

Although some of the brake system showed signs of some refurbishing, a lot of the brake system was probably never taken apart. Seized parts were all coaxed apart with a “hot wrench,” otherwise known as a gas torch. Some parts had to be heated to almost cherry red before the rust would release a bolt or pin, but we managed to pull everything apart without breaking anything.

I reinstalled the rear brakes but left out the wheel cylinders. They will have to be resleeved and will be installed when they come back from the rebuilders.

One of the drums was a little rusty from a leaking wheel cylinder. The moisture from the old brake fluid corroded the steel liner of the drum. Looking inside the drum, I wondered why there was this web design cast into the aluminum of the brake drum? Maybe it was something in the mold to help release the drum after it was cast?

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