7/12/14
 365GTC/4 Electrics, and 250GTE

We have a 365GTC/4 that just doesn’t seem to want to leave. It’s so close to finishing, and yet little issues keep popping up. Francois took this car out for an extended test drive, and on one stop, he noticed the fuel gauge stopped working. Further investigation found the turn signals stopped working as well. He left me to figure it out, with the hopes that it was just a blown fuse.

I checked the fuses and found they were all in working order, but the dead electrical items were circuits that were not powering up when the ignition was turned on. Looking at a blown up wiring diagram supplied a fellow C/4 owners Ian Levy and Mike Meehan, I traced the bad circuits to an output on the main power relay. Guess where the main power relay was? Behind the carburetors and air cleaner I installed last week!  I really hoped I could access this area without pulling the $%^& air cleaner off again!

I managed to get the relay cover off, unbolt the realy panel, and slide it out far enough to see the main relay that was mounted to the fire wall behind the relay panel without pulling the air cleaner, but what a pain in the butt, or should I say, pain in my hands. Access is very limited in this space, so cuts to the hands on brackets, wires, and sharp edges are what to be expected.

Through all this process, I was on the phone with our electrican to get advice on what the problem could be. After we determined it was probably the main power relay, we had to decifer the wiring diagram as to how it was wired. It was a “single pole, dual throw” relay so one of the throws was not making contact. I really wanted to try and repair this relay because a correct replacement would be nearly impossible to find.  When I managed to get the cover off, I could clearly see one of the contacts was not connecting. Some of the connectors on that second leg were showing signs of heat and corrosion, so I cleaned all the contacts and replaced one of the spade connectors. I carefully bent the tab back into position and got the circuit working again.

I woke up very early the next day contemplating what happened to this circut and how it heated the relay so much that it deformed the contact plate and it all became clear. The second throw to the relay powered the electric fans! A number of factors will cause the fans to draw more current and overheat a circuit, from worn motors to corroded contacts. Even though Ferrari wired separate relays for the fans, they still wired everything through the main relay, so as the current draw increased, the main relay overheated and deformed the contact point. I hope my cleaning and installation of new connectors will help lower the resisitance and get this car back to the owner soon!

An old friend arrived at the shop this week. It’s been several years and this GTE been sitting idle for the last few, but the family has decided to get this old family member back on the road. The brake pedal sinks to the floor, and the carbs are a little gummed up, so I’ve got some sorting to do. Stay tuned.

California Trips

I’m heading to Los Angeles for a week starting on the 26th of July, and was wondering if anyone wants to get together? I may try to plan an dinner one night so I can meet up with some Southern California Vintage Ferrari owners. I’m open to suggestions and look forward to hearing from you!

It’s also time to start thinking about Monterey! For those lucky enough to score tickets to Quail, they will be going on Friday the 15th, but his year the schedule has changed a little bit where Concorso Italiano will be held on Saturday the 16th of August and Pebble Beach for the usual Sunday the 17th. I plan to host my cocktail party on Thursday night, the 14th at the back deck of Quail Lodge from 5:30pm until 8pm, and I hope you can join us.

There will be appetizers and an open bar, and the location allows us to watch the cars load onto the greens at Quail Lodge the night before the show.

My plans this year is to be at the Bonhams Auction for the preview days and Auction on Friday the 15th. Mark Dempsey is selling his Platinum winning 365GT 2+2 at Bonhams, and will be be there to root him on. Saturday will be spent at Concorso as this will be the first year I will be able to enjoy this show without the distraction of the Quail Show. Sunday will be Pebble Beach, but sometime during the weekend, I’ll have to find time to go to the track. As my schedule changes, I’ll let you know, but please let me know if you want to meet up and we’ll figure it out!

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!

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