5/2/11
2259: More Rebuild Parts

I pulled the Master Cylinder out of the 250 GTE last week. There are two choices in this department. I could resleeve this one with stainless steel or buy a new reproduction M/C. The cost will be about the same, and the new piece may even be cheaper, but either way will be a good repair.

The rear seats and carpets on 2259 were taken out to reveal the rust damage of the rear floor pan. I had my friend Jay come over to assess the floors and make a plan to fabricate new floor sections. Looking closely at the rust, we can see the same kind of rust is forming on the passenger side compartment, so we might as well beat the rust by replacing both rear floor pan sections.

The first shipment of rebuild parts came from Partsource so I could get to work on putting some of the sub assemblies together. Fuel pump rebuild kits, distributor parts, and water pump seals will keep me pretty busy with work.

Francois taught me the little tricks he’s learned over the years rebuilding the electric fuel pump. There are not a lot of complicated parts to it, but the ones that are there are crucial to it’s proper operation. One day, I’d love to get together with someone to replace the contact points in this fuel pump with a solid state switch eliminating one weak point to this pump. Any takers?

Interesting parts are constantly found on this car. This is the brake reservoir cap. There is was a discussion among Ferrari Judges about whether these caps were originally painted black, wrinkle black, or left unpainted revealing the “FIAT” logo. This cap was obviously painted black, and may have even been wrinkle paint with the texture rubbed off over the years. The theory was Ferrari did not want a “FIAT” logo on parts seen in the engine compartment, so these caps were painted black. The 250 owners manual shows in a photo in the engine compartment with a black cap. The argument is some cars may have left the factory without painted caps and this is also believable. I’m not touching the paint on this cap, but it looks like it was painted from the factory!

Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you’d like to explore, I’d love to talk to you. I can also help if you’re thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, share, and how I make a living, so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

The Fourth Annual Radcliffe/Tomyang.net Spring Car Show on Saturday May 7th 2011 is less than a week away! Richard Garre and I are looking forward to seeing you at this show and more details can be found on the  Radcliffe Motorcar Company Website. There are going to be tech demonstrations, food, and lots of cars to see. Space is limited, and we’re usually booked by now, but if you waited until the last minute, call Richard to see if he can squeeze you in. See you there!

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