Work project 250GTE

I'm in awe.

Amazing!

I'm loving this, thanks so much for sharing.

Out of curiosity, how much time did it take you do duplicate that isolator for the fuel pump, for example?

And you know you've ruined the car for the purists with that voltage regulator. The charm of imminent failure carried in the old one is gone

I probably had an hour in it to replicate that part. Probably 3 hours total in the total fuel pump recondition.

Of course a week after I did it I found a company that has those blocks CNC'ed out and can get them to me for $55 within a week. shrug.

wonderful work... continued great attention to detail.

In reply to Ditchdigger:

These little details are cool beyond words. This thread is GOLD.

BoxheadTim wrote: I'm in awe.

Me too.

This thread rules. Love the car, and am incredibly impressed with the work going on here. Subscribed!

Any progress? I really want to know how it ended up

Curious what you learned the hard way about the soda blasting?

I am aware of the risk of not getting all of it out of the nooks and crannies before paint, but are there other issues?

As to the previous bodywork on that car, I tinker with metal-shaping and bodywork, and honestly think I could do a better job than what has been done to that car.

Loved this thread 18 months ago, loved it again today.

Man! I neglected this thread.

You know how the last 10% takes 90% of the time? That was definitely the case with this one. We finished the car last summer in time for it to be shown at the Quail in Monterey. There have to be some glamour shots of the car somewhere that I can't seem to locate right now.

The judges in Monterey told us that it was the nicest prepared GTE they had ever seen, but next to other more exciting vintage Ferrari models it seemed to go unnoticed by the bulk of the crowd.

The silver on red color combo was gorgeous. The exhaust note was spectacular. It was a good driving car too. It felt much more modern than its year would have you believe. An early 60's E type feels heavy and relatively truck like by modern standards, this felt like a real sports car.

The owner drives it regularly and I have had to make a few adjustments here and there for her. Last time I saw it the front end was filthy with bugs. That put a huge smile on my face.

NOHOME wrote: Curious what you learned the hard way about the soda blasting?

I honestly don't think there is any way to every be fully rid of it. When the car came back from the blasters I steam pressure washed it for over an hour. The whole time I was performing the metal work it was still raining down on me. Even after seam sealing and paint it was still coming out of places I wouldn't expect.

Wow

Jumper K. Balls wrote:

NOHOME wrote: Curious what you learned the hard way about the soda blasting?

I honestly don't think there is any way to every be fully rid of it. When the car came back from the blasters I steam pressure washed it for over an hour. The whole time I was performing the metal work it was still raining down on me. Even after seam sealing and paint it was still coming out of places I wouldn't expect.

Sand is no better I swear some days as I spin the Molvo on the rotisserie that I am building an hourglass.

Have dipped the tub in the past and that has its drawbacks also.

If I guessed the resto work cost $120k, would I be in the ballpark?

AngryCorvair wrote: If I guessed the resto work cost $120k, would I be in the ballpark?

Quite a bit more than that. perhaps double.

Engine was very expensive. The Connolly hides were absurdly expensive. Paint was over 30 IIRC. Lots and lots of labor. Ferrari parts are EXPENSIVE! The chrome plating bill was heart attack level shocking. Just the restoration of the marchal headlights was probably over a grand.

Perfect example of how to estimate expense and how long it will take when it comes to resto work. Give it your best guess - then double the $ and triple the time. Works every time.

Just got caught up in this thread...man it turned out looking factory-fresh! And I mean that in a good way

I hope the owner is going to take it to concours after all the work you put into making it look original, even where nobody will ever see it. I would've wanted to replace that fuel pump with a modern one and chuck that whole archaic fuse panel