Satan's barge - 1983 Ferrari 400i

[Rumdoodle]

Bonefish Blues said:

Does everyone run TRXs?

Well spotted. That blue 400 was the only other car I checked. I think the earlier 365 had the XWX. The TRX is still available and isn't outrageously expensive compared to tyres for modern Ferraris. So, we need to keep buying them and make sure Michelin keep making them. I think, particularly in the States, the temptation is to fit different wheels and buy cheaper tyres. But, given the typical running costs for these cars, why you would try and save a few hundred on a set of tyres is beyond me.

[Rumdoodle]

Doofus said:

Rumdoodle said:

Doofus said:

Does one sphere (or both) have a small leak which releases pressure at rest, but is small enough to be overcome when running?

I think you're right. That's probably where the problem lies. I took this photo next to a first generation car, which may not have exactly the same system, but it's noticeably higher. This was just after switching off the engines.

It may be the photo, but yours already looks a little lop-sided. Down on the left a bit?

It's not the photo. It does "dress" to one side. A suspension overhaul is a matter of when, rather than if.

[Rumdoodle]

bolidemichael said:

A good opportunity to compare and contrast.

Really good! I had to restrain my impulse to photograph everything. There is a lot of info out there, but the chance to actually have a look properly is very rare. And, I suppose, because a lot of these aren't used as much as mine is, one isn't always comparing apples with apples.

[Rumdoodle]

Nothing to report on my car, but here is the latest update on a US shop's restomod, where swapping in an 812 engine is somehow turning out to be one of the less remarkable aspects of the job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZc1PskpduE&t=...

[Rumdoodle]

Doors and bonnet now open and close as intended. Smarter ventilation switches have been installed, but I'm still searching for a replacement for one of them.

The saggy rear end is due to worn out accumulators which are no longer available, so the solution is to fit Mercedes equivalents. That will be the next job in the near future.

I picked the car up yesterday for the first time in about ten weeks, and was just bowled over by how fabulous it is. The smell and the comfort of the interior, and the epic sound. I think it's running better than ever. Idling nicely, revving cleanly and shifting approximately when it should.

Had a few hours of dry running yesterday and today, and dropped in to the workshop to have a chat with the people who make this all happen.

It's now sitting outside getting a good soaking. I'm going to check out Rustival at the National Motor Museum on Saturday, and will be at the Bicester Scramble in October. And getting as much driving in as possible the rest of the time.

[Rumdoodle]

Beautiful weather today for a nice run to Gaydon for Rustival. Great venue and well organised, and a bit different from the Bicester Scramble. There was, as far as I could see, only one other Ferrari in attendance - a red 550 Maranello belonging to the Youtube Jayemm. But, that has probably had enough exposure, so here's mine.

For some almost extinct cars, pretty much the whole UK contingent must have turned out. There were lots of VW Sciroccos and plenty of old Saabs


That Amazon was gorgeous. More Austin Maxis than I've ever seen in one place. This was mint, and looked original

All manner of brown BL-related beauties




plus this prime specimen of wedge in the museum

Hillman Imp Californian

[Rumdoodle]

French exotica




More wedge


The Germans

[Rumdoodle]

matrignano said:

Does this car ever spend time in SW London?

If not you might have a doppelgänger

It doesn't. There are a few other silver ones on the road in the UK.

[Rumdoodle]

Stand by a for a completely mindblowing......2 door Cavalier with a boot!

Very cool SD1

Nice and niche Italian

This one just had a yellow badge

So, a good little event. I can recommend!

[Rumdoodle]

trevalvole said:

Mr Tidy said:

Just curious, but what qualifies a car for the event?

Even without checking I thought it unlikely that HubNut and co. would be into excluding vehicles and this confirms it: https://www.rustival.co.uk/exhibit/

It was a great mix. If you're looking for rows of 911 GT3s, you would have been disappointed. A highlight of this was the condition of some of the stuff that was everyday forty years ago but now almost extinct. Real museum pieces.

[Rumdoodle]

BFGTA said:

Greatly enjoy reading your journey with the 400i. Would you mind sharing which garage you use to help you maintain it? Obviously they need specialist knowledge but also the ability to be realistic in their scope of work. These are 40 year old cars and the costs can escalate to unrealistic levels very quickly!

Sure. It's Keys Motorsport at Silverstone. Several reasons:
- the car is stored a few miles from Silverstone, so it's easy for them to pick it up and drop it off anytime
- it's a family business that has been going for decades and the guys I deal with are younger than me (I remember the business from when their father ran it), so I'm hoping they'll be able to maintain the car for as long as I need them to
- they have provided excellent advice about how to manage the car's various (minor) issues, and they have been spot on about things that can be lived without compromising my use of the car, while also avoiding labour intensive jobs that are not critical
- they understand how I want to use the car (i.e. a lot, and it's not a trailer queen) and are helping me to do that
- they're really nice people to deal with

I'm fortunate in that I bought a very sound car that hasn't needed much beyond routine servicing and a few tweaks here and there. Even so, I thought it would be a lot more hassle than it has been to get a good workshop to look after it at reasonable cost and as promptly as they do. In the two and a bit years that I've owned it, it's been with them probably half a dozen times. I'm away for a few months at a time, and when I park it up I usually send a little to-do list. They have been brilliant at tackling everything before I return. When I am in the UK, I usually drop in to see them for a quick chat. There'll come a time for an engine-out overhaul and some fairly extensive bodywork, if I keep using it as much as I do. It'll help that they and I know the car well, hopefully minimising the potential for unknown unknowns.

[Rumdoodle]

Doofus said:

Why did I have the impression it was your daily?

It sort of was, in that it was my only car. But, the car is in the UK and I spend most of my time in foreign cities where I don't need a car. But, after a couple of winters where it just wasn't fun using it in grubby weather, I bought a smoker barge as a back up. I still use the 400 for most of my driving in the UK, which means probably around 3-4k miles a year with a Colombo V12. It's bloody brilliant.

[Rumdoodle]

Did over 100 miles in it today in perfect weather, and off to Bicester tomorrow for the Scramble. Was going to take it to Scotland next week, but a change of plan means it'll be Salisbury on Monday and Ludlow on Tuesday, then various other things culminating in the HSCC meeting at Silverstone on Saturday. That'll be playtime over for a couple of months. I may take it out for a few days in December if conditions are suitable. The main issues in winter are the poor ventilation and weak headlights, which just make it a bit tedious. Harry Metcalf's recent video of driving his Lamborghini to Modena highlighted both these issues as he ended up negotiating heavy traffic in the rain in fading light. It's not fun.

[Rumdoodle]

Doofus said:

Do you work abroad, or just do lots of holidays?

Busy, busy. Being a joyless bore, I dread holidays

[Rumdoodle]

Doofus said:

Rumdoodle said:

Doofus said:

Do you work abroad, or just do lots of holidays?

Busy, busy. Being a joyless bore, I dread holidays

When you first bought the car I knew you weren't boring. But I did expect a lack of joy imminently.

It just hasn't transpired that way! Although I shopped quite carefully, these cars are obviously a huge potential liability. I must say that regular use is the best way to keep on top of things. If it's only driven for a couple of hundred miles a year, you never find out what it's like in different conditions or how it handles or what needs doing to it to make it work properly. When something like this does work properly, it's sublime.

[Rumdoodle]

Dropped in briefly to Bicester this morning. Sorry not to be able to meet up with the convivial barge section while I was there. A good mix as usual and the weather was kind. Well done to the organisers for having some golden tickets on the day which allowed me into the main display area - nice touch.

A few Morgan owners proving that masochism isn't dead

Big coupes





And the usual eclectica

[Rumdoodle]

Mezzanine said:

Had a good look around, was great to see it in the flesh

It'll be good to get that rear end sorted and put an end to the saggy photos.

Drove to Ludlow and back today, and the car was faultless. I'd been this way once before in my old Mercedes probably seven years ago, and took a picture on a clear morning from Clee Hill. It was all a bit moodier today

Great roads and not too much traffic heading out. Coming back, it was heavy rain pretty much all the way to Moreton-in-Marsh before a bit of a let up. Torrential at times and a lot of standing water. This is the first classic I've ever owned that doesn't leak in the rain at all. I've searched thoroughly, convinced that it must be letting in water somewhere, but it isn't. It's absolutely filthy now. Not sure if it's worth cleaning it again before I put it away next week.

[Rumdoodle]

bolidemichael said:

I do love Ludlow.

Well done Ferrari on the water-tightedness! It must be a result of the long production cycle and their making gradual improvements.

I'm following your V12 thread with interest. Not for the fainthearted.

[Rumdoodle]

daqinggregg said:

What a special motor vehicle, like nothing else; two door, four seat, V12 mile muncher, that just happens to also pull off, being gorgeous.

Now if the aforementioned is not enough, the fact its not cosseted away and is in regular use makes it all the more special.

Enjoy using it the way it was intended.

I'm trying. It's a real drag, but I'm trying. In the last couple of weeks, I added another 800 or so miles of regret of owning an automatic 400

It went for its temperature controlled snooze a few days early with a decent valet scheduled. The to do list before a brief Christmas outing is:
- self-levelling suspension fix as mentioned earlier
- slight adjustment to driver's door, which has dropped a little and needs a slight upwards shove to close
- investigation of minor vibration from diff when pulling away, which is not unusual when cold but seems to be happening more frequently

Bodywise, the only really noticeable deterioration is on the offside lower rear wing, where a crack in the paint is starting to show signs of minor surface corrosion.

Last weekend, I took the Merc to Silverstone for the HSCC finals meeting. The classic Formula Ford races reminded me of back when I could have been a contender, but also the memories of racing in freezing conditions around sodden bleak English circuits in front of nobody reminded me of one of the reasons I packed it in. A complete lack of talent was another, and there is a time in every racing driver's life when he realises he's not Lance Stroll!

HSCC was on the National circuit. I chauffered a lucky guest in my many-seated wagon around the perimeter road. One for the "Moderns dwarfed by classics thread"

That photo was taken by the new, and extortionately priced, apartments between Copse and Maggotts. Then we pootled round to Hangar to find a Mini race taking place on what use to be called the South circuit. On a drying track, there were an entertaining few laps seeing these angry little things properly sideways though Stowe.

The old place has changed a lot, but somehow staggers on. Wandered over to the new industrial estates/technology parks/thought centres across the road and saw some '60s Rollers waiting to be hacked up and electrified outside the sprawling Lunaz units, themselves probably ten times the size of the little workshop from where Eddie Jordan ran his Formula 3000 team and the first draft of his first Grand Prix car was produced. Before I could get to the site of the current manifestation of Jordan's old enterprise, the Aston Martin F1 factory, I was politely shooed away by a security chap who said it was all private land and fines may be imposed, none of which was glaringly obvious on entry. As I taxied back onto the A43, now with twice the number of lanes it had when I first knew it, the words of Uncle Monty floated back to me: "We live in a land of weather forecasts and breakfasts that set in...."

[Rumdoodle]

365tony said:

I have just discovered this brilliant thread on Ferrari 365/400/412 and thoroughly admire and support rumdoodle. You are not alone and I would like to join the ranks of admirers of these cars. You might like a summary of my story.
About 25 years ago my brother and I acquired two 365 GT4 2+2s, on in blue Ribot and one in a very dodgy black respray (originally maronne colorado).
We drove the blue car regularly including all over Europe. I did a charity run from JOG to Lands end in wintertime and appalling weather starting and finishing in Surrey where I still live. Nothing failed except the horn. Along the way the black monster became quite neglected and my brother decided it would be a good idea to strip the engine. So it stayed in a garage and we nicked bits to keep bluecar on the road.
In 2004 we were driving back from a Ferrari charity event in western France and were involved in a big shunt, (Not our fault and no-one hurt). Blue car was recovered to UK and written off by insurance. I bought the wreck for £1000.
My brother lost interest and so I was left with a badly damaged blue 365 and a tatty but straight black 365 in many bits. My brother lost interest and I got the lot! That was 20 years ago.
So what to do. I had a tatty black 365 with quite a bit of rust. I had a written off blue 365. The plan was to make one, very good car from 2. So I stripped everything and I mean everything from bluecar and scrapped the body/frame. Then I started to rebuild.
20 years later, after much swearing, blood sweat and tears and an insane amount of money 18669 took to the road again in summer 2024. I could write a book about the experience. I dream about on-line parts diagrams, I know about every non-ferrari bit that fits. I have a superb grand tourer that now drives and sounds brilliant, and I have more spare parts than the Ferrari Factory!
I would like to talk and meet up with like minded loonies maybe on here or a Whats app group. Some kind of register might work, I think there is one in Europe. Lets see what happens.

Edited by 365tony on Thursday 24th October 09:58

Hi Tony. Thanks for getting in touch. Quite a feat - congratulations! Delighted to hear it's driving as it should and starting to repay all your efforts. I'd love to see it and hear your experiences at some point. I'm based in the Cotswolds but abroad a lot, so the next time I'm home will be mid-December. I expect I'll get the car out for a couple of dry days then, if we have any, and was thinking of going to the New Year's Day event at Stony Stratford, although I might venture as far as Brooklands if the weather's nice. And then I'll be at the Bicester Scramble a few days later.

As for clubs, I joined the European Ferrari Club 400, which has a website but their Instagram account may be better for getting a quicker response. I can also message you the contact details of the person you need to contact for membership. It is run from France. There is a British club member who keeps a register of RHD cars, and I think he's on FChat if you want to get in touch with him there. My trip to Deauville in June was a club event (I was the only British attendee). The next big one is the Le Mans Classic next year. If you want to be part of that, the club can help with bookings but it needs to be done early so you should let them know in the next couple of months. I will be going to Le Mans, and I'm sure other British club members, none of whom I've met yet, will be too.

Enjoy your glorious machine - finally!