9/16/01
Brakes, Windows, and an Alternator
We'll if you haven't figured out by now, because of the horrible circumstances
in NYC, I canceled my trip to China. I guess the good news out of this
disappointment is I can spend a few extra days working on the Ferrari.
It's also been good to get out of the City to clear my mind of the recent
events, and recharge my psyche.
These two wires plug into the brake pedal switch that operates the
brake lights. They needed to be changed to female ends so they would plug
into the new brake switch I'm installing on my car. I pondered the idea
of keeping the original wiring and making adapters, but I decided since
the original switch is no longer available, these wires would never be
used as male ends again, so I changed them out.
The new connectors were soldered in place, and everything was made
water tight with shrink tubing. The original rubber boot was still in good
shape, so I was able to reuse it. With everything plugged in, you'll never
know about the modified wiring.
I got some rear window gaskets, so I began installing them. I need
to find out what goes in the vertical channel before I cut this weather-stripping
to size.
I unwrapped the rear windows for the first time since I first bought
my car. Some of the chrome is thin, but it will have to do for now. After
some good polishing, they'll look fine. Now was as good of a time as any
to break out my gasket punch set and make some gaskets to fit between the
window and the hardware.
I encountered more minor issues when I mounted the alternator. Using
the current set up, the alternator pulley does not line up with the water
pump pulley. Obviously, this alternator was never mounted in this configuration
before. Who knows where the original set up went with my car, but this
alternator works, and is the right amperage for my car, so I'm going to
try and get it to fit. Sometimes putting this car back together seems more
like assembling a car from scratch!
My final project for today was to fit a redundant heater valve assembly.
The Ferrari heater valve operated by the heater controls is not the most
reliable valve there is, and many Ferrari owners have fitted separate shut-off
valves to control the heat going to the heater core during the summer months.
Ferrari even provided a separate valve with a knob on later models. This
valve is now reproduced, but the price of $200 bucks is a little too steep
for my tastes! I went to "The Home Depot" and found this ball valve that
I felt I could modify to serve my purposes. Since it will not be a stock
item, I'll simply splice it into the heater hose, hidden from view.
I disassembled the valve so I could machine the threads off the tee.
There was plenty of meat on the ends to make the 1/2 inch diameter to fit
inside the heater hose. I added a slight bulge at the end of the fittings
for a snug fit to avoid leaks. Add some black paint, and no one will know
it's there except you and me!
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