7/13/12
9211: Painting, Adjusting, Repairing

With the various engine pieces off the car, now was a good time to strip and paint the parts. The air cleaner assembly is supposed to be semi gloss black, but the finish was pretty rough. After stripping the old paint off, we found out why. There was a layer of surface rust on the bare steel that wasn’t removed before painting. We’ll thoroughly remove this rust before painting. 

The valve covers were chemically stripped of all its wrinkle finish and cleaned.

Looking at the exhaust shields, I decided to go ahead and repaint them as well. The wrinkle paint on these parts was also flaking off, and wouldn’t match the fresh paint on the valve covers. After stripping the paint off, a little of media blasting will get the few stubborn bits of paint off.

An oil change, valve adjustment, carb cleaning, and ignition tune will set this car up for a base line. Not knowing what was done before this car was sold to the new owner, we feel it is best to start with everything set and adjusted as best as it can be so the new owner has the best tuned car he can have. The engine was rebuilt in the recent past, but the lash adjusters showed minor wear. New adjusters were installed and proper lash was set. The carburetors were running O.K., but were a little crusty. A thorough disassembly and cleaning will help make sure when we tune the carbs, they are not sticking or clogged. As I disassembled the carbs, I found debris in the bowls, so cleaning them out was definitely warranted. You can see where the first carb is done and cleaner than the next two.

When I performed the pre purchase inspection on this car, I noticed the remote fuel release lever was stuck. At first I thought it was locked, but without a key for the lock, I had to investigate further.

Luckily, the fuel door could be opened from inside the trunk, but it would be nice to get the fuel lever working again. After pulling out the mechanism, I found the inner cable had seized with rust inside the sheathing. I tried my best to free up the cable so I could simply replace the inner cable, but the cable broke inside the sheathing. I’ll have to find a suitable replacement next week.

I did a informal survey on Facebook about people’s opinion on the chromed extractor vents on this Series II 330. They’re supposed to be painted body color, but a previous owner may have had these pieces chromed. I’m usually one to return finishes and details back to stock, but I actually like the way the chrome vents visually break up the side of this black car. What do you think?

Quail Cocktail Party


I’ll be out in Monterey again this year, and I’d like to invite you to an informal gathering of Tomyang.netters at the Quail Lodge on Thursday August 16th, 5:30-8:00pm. The cocktail party will be held behind the Lodge by the pool overlooking the greens where the big Quail show will be setting up the next day. It’s a great chance to put faces to names that we hear on the Internet, and meet some of the restorers, parts suppliers, and owners of Vintage Ferraris. I hope to see you there!

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, and now it’s how I make a living, so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

Previous Restoration Day
Next Restoration Day
Home page