7/20/13
365GTC/4 Engine Installation

We spent the day yesterday installing the engine to the 365GTC/4. It’s a large engine with a very tight squeeze, but we manged to get it in place. I’ve never been a fan of the access to a 365GTC/4 engine compartment. There are signs all over the place this engine was designed for easy installation on the assembly line with hardly any regard to the ease of servicing the engine later. When this car was built in the early 70s, Fiat had established ownership of the Ferrari street car business. The parts that were used and the way they were designed hinted at how the larger automaker was changing Ferrari from a small volume manufacturer to a modern factory with a fast moving assembly line. Anyone who worked on these engines knows about how it’s impossible to remove and install a simple air cleaner element without removing nearly all the velocity stacks. Ferrari installed the air cleaners and many of the other accessories on the C/4 before the engine was installed to save time on the assembly line. Taking any of these accessories must not have been a concern.

Another example is the way the exhaust headers were installed. Access is so limited to some of the manifold nuts, I’m convinced they installed the engine with the headers installed. We couldn’t do this maneuver without removing the steering box and steering column since these were probably out of the car when the engine went in at the factory. Trying to save time, we kept the carburetors installed, but that only made it harder to reach some of the header nuts. The cuts and scrapes on my hands were proof of the tight access.

With the engine in place, we replaced the distributors that had to be removed to clear the bottom of the windshield. The C/4 engine is tucked pretty far back in the engine compartment and simply installing the coils, distributors, throttle linkages, heater hoses, and vacuum lines can be challenge. I often lay a packing blanket over the engine and lay across it to save my aching back!

The brake booster and master cylinder went in as well, but it wasn’t much easier. One nut securing the booster to the pedal assembly was nearly impossible to tighten under the dash. I’m sure the booster was bolted to the pedal box first before the whole assembly was installed in the car. Luckily, I managed to install the booster despite Ferrari/Fiat’s best efforts to make this job difficult. By the end of the day, I had a real sense of accomplishment getting the C/4 engine installed and I have to admit, despite all the hard work, that huge engine sure looks impressive shoe-horned into that engine bay!

If you’re going to be in Monterey for the Concorso/Quail/Pebble Beach Weekend, feel free to stop by the Third Annual Tomyang.net Cocktail Party at Quail Lodge on Thursday August 15th from 5:30pm-8pm. There will be food and a cash bar to kick off the weekend. It’s a great time to meet some of the people from website, and make plans for the rest of the weekend. 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 I would be happy to help guide you through the Vintage Ferrari world so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

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