9/4/14
275GTB/4 and GTS
A couple of weeks ago I had a 275GTB/4 that came in for a fluid change,
and we started to see a charging issue. Something was causing the
alternator to over charge, so the best way to checking things out was
to bench test the voltage regulator and alternator with my electrical
guy. Since the car was back at Collector Car Garage, I decided it might
be easier to go over and pull the parts off the car, and leave the car
there instead of bringing the car back to our shop. As easy as pulling
an alternator and voltage regulator can be, there was still risk that
it wasn't going to be easy when working with a Ferrari!
The voltage regulator came out without a problem, so I started with the
alternator removal. With everything unbolted, I couldn't find a way to
get the unit our from the engine compartment. On two cam cars, I
managed to get an alternator out from the wheel well with the steering
cranked to one side, but access was different with this 4 cam car. The
clearance from the top of the car car was tight with the radiator and
the various hoses and brackets. At the very least, I was going to have
to partially drain the coolant to move a coolant hose or two.
Unfortunately, because I wasn't at my shop, there wasn't a flat
container at the warehouse to drain the coolant. After a trip to the
auto parts store for new drain pan, was managed to drain off some of
the coolant, move a pipe, and get the alternator out.
I lost about 30 minutes getting a drain pan, but at least we didn't
have to move a car to our shop and have it sit disabled and taking up
space while we waited for a possible rebuild of the charging system.
A car that has not gotten a lot of time on this website is a 275GTS
that we're restoring, but here it is at the paint shop! The painters
have sprayed a guide coat of primer on the car to inspect the bodywork.
Small imperfections will be repaired during the paint preparation and
block sanding, but any major metal work will have to done before they
begin block sanding.
Items like door gaps and panel fit are easier to see with an even layer
of primer applied.
It's crucial at this point to make sure bumpers, trim, and gaps fit
perfectly because once the paint is applied, it's very hard to correct
problems.
The left door did not pass the inspection, and was sent to our panel
guys to rework the leading edge of the door. There was a lot of lead
work in this area, and may have come from the factory with it, but we'd
like to get the Panel Shop to rework this edge a little better for a
nicer fit to the body.
Set the Date! Tomyang.net Fall
Party
October 25th, 2014 1pm-5ish
Westbrook, CT.
Vintage Ferrari gathering in New England. Come join Tomyang.netters for
an afternoon of fun, food, and Ferrari talk!
Please
contact me to RSVP and for directions to the party!
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