I installed the rear suspension and axle in the 330GT that I’m restoring. I had Francois set up the rear axle with new bearings so it was ready to put back in the car. Without the rear axle, it made this car very difficult to move around the shop. I resorted to putting it back on the chassis dolly so I could put other cars on the lift when this one was waiting for parts.

The rear springs on a Vintage Ferrari are a little tricky, and have to be pre-tensioned so the shackles will line up with the chassis mounts. This tension and orientation is held in place with limiting cables that have to be installed before releasing the tensioning bar I have installed here.

This orientation is crucial to get the proper ride height and movement of the rear suspension and I’ve seen these installed incorrectly by shops that are not familiar with this set up. Using this beefy bar to tension the rear spring has taken most of the fear out of this procedure, but it still took some prying and manhandling to get things to line up properly. I’m happy to report I have all my finders intact!

With the limiting cable installed and adjusted, I was able to remove the spring tension bar and install the lower locating arm for the suspension. I’ll cut the excess length of cable when I am certain everything is working properly and there is enough suspension travel when I put the car on the ground.

With the rear axle installed, I moved onto getting the hubs and rear brakes installed.

As usual, not all the parts I ordered were exactly what I needed. The flex hose that went from the rear chassis to the axle had the wrong end, but the correct threads for the junction block. The junction block sealed with a copper washer, while the new flex hose came with a double flare fitting. It was easier to trim the nose off this fitting on my lathe than to order another one and hope my supplier could find one.