400i Daily Driver in the Snow

Well - it gets crazier. Since I have to wait for my Boxer motor to be rebuilt before my mechanic (the world renound and incomparable Bill Pollard ) can rebuild my 400 motor to resolve an oil buring issue, I have just been driving it that way and adding oil (it is my daily driver after all). Yesterday, I got my first chance at drivng it in the snow (and salt). On bald TRXs it was quite a challange getting moving and going up hill (even with just an inch or two on the ground) but I have ordered a set of 328 wheels from the UK and a set of Blizzaks from the tire rack, so it should do much better as soon as they arrive - with four snows I think it should actually be pretty good. Anyway, here are some pics - hope you all find them amusing.

Alex Leventhal
Dino #10704
365BB #18265
400i #049773
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Well, it probably will melt - and I am prepared to accept that. Actually, I believe they were using zincrox in 84 (although I don't know how much protection that provides) and the floors are fiberglass, so it may live longer than we might imagine. Either way, my plan is to drive it until it is no longer road worthy, which should be a relatively long time since the frame is unlikely to rust and the body is not structural. I will keep the list informed! If I only have 4 tires and some leather left by spring, so be it.

Alex

 

Yes, it is Marrone, and it is my absolute first choice color for a 400. Thanks for the kind words - I love it to.

Alex

 

John:

I am going with the non-abs 328 wheels. Here is what I know for certain:

-308qv wheels (orig or repop) bolt on a 400i with a 15mm spacer using the original wheel bolts
-non-abs 328 wheels should be a direct swap for qv wheels in any application, except that on 308s the center caps do not fit unless the spindle dust cap is modified

So, my hope is that the 328 wheels will bolt right on, and the 15mm spacer should prevent any dust cap issues a la 308. That being said, it is a risk - i will let the list know for certain when i do - one way or the other. By the way, I went with the 328 wheels not for style but because REAL 328 wheels are available from F of the UK for LESS than repop qv wheels. Seemed a no brainer to buy real over fake.

Thanks,

Alex

 

John:

You can not use the 328 sized tires for a 400 (205/55-16 front and 225/50-16 rear) - the diameter will be off. However, it is perfectly possible to buy high quality summer tires that will fit the 328 wheels (or winter tires), keep the same width as the trxs and also come very close on the rolling diamter. The stock 400 trx is 240/55-415. You can run either a 245/50-16 (about 6% smaller rolling diameter) or 235/60-16 (about 1% larger rolling diameter) on the 328 wheels for summer tires without a problem, as anything within 10% is considered acceptable as this is within the manufacturing tolerance anyway. As said before, 308qv wheels would also work just fine in this scenario. For winter go a little narrower - I am going to go for 225s for winter. As an additional data point, as the 400 does not use staggered front/rear tire sizes, I have bought 4 328 FRONT wheels (7") so that I will be able to rotate the wheels/tires. Best bet is to check your speedo accuracy before you choose tires - if your speedo is a little fast (as most f cars speedos are) go with the slightly taller 235/60s as this will slighly improve as opposed to exacerbate the problem.

Thanks,

Alex

 

Jonathon:

Thank you truly for the kind words. I have owned Ferraris for about ten years before I got this crazy idea (I have two others that are not put into this type of service) but I just though that life was too short no to drive one of these things every day. Go get yourself one and use it! Tell the truth, the car seems happier the more use it gets, and this entire car cost less than my former daily driver audi a8l depreciated in a year, so the downside is greatly limitied. Good luck on your search and thanks again,

Alex