Care and Feeding of vintage autos

sam231 · Post by **sam231** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:17 pm

I was hoping to have my car back this weekend to inaugurate Spring, but now I am learning first hand the vicisstudes of owning a vintage car. I had mentioned to John that my windows should be looked at over the winter as they went up/down very slowly. I was suspicious that new felt channels or perhaps motors might be necessary, when low and behold John called today to say that a previous repair had replaced the two windows with glass that was way to THICK! No wonder the mechanisms were slow and a motor ultimately fried. Good old american know-how....it's just a piece of glass, any parts store can help. The car has had several owners, and it is readily evident proper maintenance did not matter to some. The windows top the discovery, when trying to put in seat extensions, that the drivers seat was not bolted but WELDED to the floor. Both these issues have made me appreciate that proper maintenance is the key to longevity, and that I have a responsibility to see that the work done to this car while under my stewardship is right in all respects. If for no other reason than it will make the next owners experience more enjoyable.

David Booth · Post by **David Booth** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 7:01 pm

Amen, hallelujah and welcome to the club. The problem is that at some point in their lives, and not all that long ago, these were nothing more than just another old, clapped-out sports car. So doing a repair the right way most often took a back seat to doing it cheap and fast.

And finding all these old horror shows can either be part of the agonizing, wallet-draining nightmare of Vintage Ferrari ownership, or part of the fun. Depends on your point of view, I guess.

sam231 · Post by **sam231** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:37 am

David, I had a proper PPI done before buying the car, in fact my mechanic, who is very well respected did it. We agreed it was a "driver", not a showpiece, but we did not forsee the extent to which others had neglected the "litte things." Fortunately, the engine and drive train are in great condition and the body and interior will do for now. I suppose there is a point in a sympathetic restoration of a "driver" where one crosses from sanity into lunacy but I do not think I have reached that juncture yet, although it is always under discussion!

David Smith · Post by **David Smith** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 3:22 pm

The movement from sanity to lunacy will occur before you realize it and once that has happened there is no turning back. It is like a magnetic attraction. You are being drawn closer and closer all the time.

Jimmyr · Post by **Jimmyr** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:52 pm

One of the rewarding and fun parts of owning these vintage cars is the continued "fine tuning" of the details on them. As each little problem or repair is completed a feeling of satisfaction is experienced. If you owned a perfect or possibly new car and just parked it each night and never had the fun of fixing some small item, then some of the pride of ownership is lost. We become closer to these cars as we become more involved with them. After each road trip or each concours we can come up with a list of thing to do. Each item completed on the list brings our Ferrari to a higher and more desireable level of satisfaction. Sometimes things may be frustrating, but with help from your fellow owners most problems usually can be overcome. Getting your hands dirty and your hands bleeding brings us closer to appreciating what we have, and the pride of doing it. We all know Porsche owners who think they are real car restores because they use Zymol wax and can state the 0 - 60 times of their cars. Ask them how to set the valve lash and they say they take it to the dealer. Jim Riff

jsa330 · Post by **jsa330** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:21 am

Jimmyr, you are right on there. I've had a busy life, and this is the first time I've been able to relax a little, have the space to set up a shop, and get into an automobile as an extended project. I feel very fortunate to have a solid vintage Ferrari as that project!

Now that I've got my 330 in good basic all round order, I can work the details one by one while having the car fully useable as long as I haven't taken something apart. I see it as an ongoing process - I don't know if my car will ever really be "restored" to the point where there's nothing to do but polish it up.