The rebuild of #40557 | Page 5 | FerrariChat

The rebuild of #40557

Discussion in '365 GT4 2+2/400/412' started by SlickMurphy, Nov 4, 2008.

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  1. koisokok

    koisokok F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 8, 2006
    10,805
    nine 0 two one 0
    used to live in norwich for a couple years, sure dont miss those snowy salty roads!!
     
  2. eldorado

    eldorado Karting

    Dec 28, 2005
    110
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Andy Cox
    That 400 sounds amazing! I can only imagine up close.
     
  3. brettski

    brettski Formula 3

    Feb 29, 2004
    1,754
    north of toronto
    Full Name:
    brett swaykoski
    no, you are not mistaken John...still sticking to 4500rpm give or take 500 or so...
    the new motor has under 1500km's so i'm still treating her gently.

    and honestly, even though it sounds nice the footage really doesn't do the 12 justice at all.

    a big thanks to my good buddy Beev...
    we're going to take what we've learned and do some more of these in the spring.
     
  4. SlickMurphy

    SlickMurphy Formula Junior

    Aug 18, 2004
    271
    Essex
    Full Name:
    David
    Brett,

    Did you ever sell the car?

    David
     
  5. brettski

    brettski Formula 3

    Feb 29, 2004
    1,754
    north of toronto
    Full Name:
    brett swaykoski
    David...how the hell are you ?

    nope on the sale...lots of e-mails, many from this board and many from overseas, but i just can't give it away...it was too much work.

    it really is a marvellous ride and it completely changed my opinion of the injected cars...especially when there's a little more volume out of the Ansa's.

    honestly, with the fresh engine, it feels like it weighs 1000 lbs less than any other 365/400/400i/412 i've ever driven...it's just remarkable for a 30 year old 2+2 !

    gimme a call sometime, we'll catch up.

    ciao
     
  6. bundas

    bundas F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Dec 31, 2005
    7,090
    lexington ky usa
    Full Name:
    mitchell barnes
    and boot and frame. might as well do it all. Hi! Brett. nice looking product. still plugging away at what is left of business. i am down to one full time delivery person with a part time brain. i am not sure just who is smarter.
     
  7. brettski

    brettski Formula 3

    Feb 29, 2004
    1,754
    north of toronto
    Full Name:
    brett swaykoski
    under the hood...and boot and frame ? Mitch, my man, that's exactly what the rest of the thread shows !!!

    glad to hear you're still fighting the good fight, talk soon,

    brett
     
  8. SlickMurphy

    SlickMurphy Formula Junior

    Aug 18, 2004
    271
    Essex
    Full Name:
    David
    A fully rebuilt Colombo based engine mated to a 5 speed for less than $60k? I was fortunate enough to have a good year of business and Brett and I are completing this transaction under the original terms.

    Merry Christmas to me. #40557 is SOLD.


    David
     
  9. Fritz Ficke

    Fritz Ficke Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jan 3, 2006
    2,168
    Tucson, AZ.
    Full Name:
    Fritz Ficke
    Well said, congratulations and enjoy.
     
  10. brettski

    brettski Formula 3

    Feb 29, 2004
    1,754
    north of toronto
    Full Name:
    brett swaykoski
    #111 brettski, Mar 10, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. Ashman

    Ashman Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2002
    31,629
    MA
    Full Name:
    John
    Woo Hoo! Another 400i (and a 5 speed no less) is coming to CT! :)
     
  12. SlickMurphy

    SlickMurphy Formula Junior

    Aug 18, 2004
    271
    Essex
    Full Name:
    David
    Thanks for all of your hard work, Brett. The car looks fantastic.

    David
     
  13. full_garage

    full_garage Formula 3
    Owner

    Feb 15, 2010
    2,241
    Sarasota Florida
    Full Name:
    Jay
    David-

    Let's get the girls together for a playdate!

    Jay
     
  14. Glaverbel911

    Glaverbel911 Karting

    Feb 20, 2010
    79
    Neustadt ADW/Toronto
    Full Name:
    R. Groß
    What !!! Noo Tim Horton's coffee cup in the drivers hands .. Hopefully there's a few empties behind that back seat ..
    Very Nice Brett. Looks like a nasty Mafia machine, Black on Black )) Someone is getting a nice'a car !!!


    Best,, Robert
     
  15. alastairhouston

    alastairhouston Formula Junior

    Apr 19, 2009
    575
    Largs Scotland UK
    Full Name:
    Alastair Houston
    David, Brett
    Said it before but worth saying again WELL DONE what a job
    Regards from Scotland
    Alastair
     
  16. aidanparte

    aidanparte Formula 3

    Jul 18, 2004
    1,222
    David

    Great that you are finally getting the car. We should get our black on black beauties together in CT.

    Aidan
     
  17. Ashman

    Ashman Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2002
    31,629
    MA
    Full Name:
    John
    It would be a hoot to see how many 400is we could get to descend on the Sunday morning cars and coffee in Glastonbury, pretty centrally located for everyone!
     
  18. Allard54

    Allard54 Karting

    Dec 11, 2009
    123
    CT.
    Full Name:
    Marcel Perlman Ph.D.
    I would love to see a bunch of our "unwanted" cars together in one place...just lets pick a time when we don't need a bilge pump to get there...Glastonbury works for me...Marc
     
  19. SlickMurphy

    SlickMurphy Formula Junior

    Aug 18, 2004
    271
    Essex
    Full Name:
    David
    Well, the car has arrived and I finally have got some time to put some light miles on her. The importation and taxation of the car from Canada was a bit of hurdle and expense, but it arrived and now wears a CT Antique plate.

    First off, I must say how impressed I am with the build quality. The doors close with a thump and all seams and gaps on the car look very tight for an early 80's vehicle. It is amazing.

    The dash is almost a spot on replica of the car it replaced (365 GTC4 2+2) except for the wood center console. Brett was doing an interior replacement and happened to have the most perfect Series 1 black interior that was removed from another car. I bought it and leatheriqued it, in and out of the sun for 2 weeks until it was absolutely positively glove soft. The interior is like new and smells it.

    The exterior is ridiculously shiny and almost flawless. I am tickled pink by the cosmetic condition of the car, it is spectacular.

    The engine has a great sounding gear reduction starter that fires the car to life in seconds. It sounds as powerful as the engine itself.

    Gran Turismo truly did such an incredible job on the suspension components (bushings, shocks and all new rubber) that the car is virtually silent and squeak free. It tracks and brakes straight and true, all the time, everytime.

    The engine revs like it is electric and produces what feels to be almost endless torque. The transmission snicks in and out of all of its respective gears with confidence. The 5 speed is so damn perfect for the 400's hp and torque band...just perfect.

    At speed the cabin is shockingly quiet. Little to no engine noise, just a hint of gearbox noise, no tire or suspension noise and very little wind noise (all new door seals). I need to really put my foot into her to bring some of that exhaust note (from waaay behind me) back into the cabin.

    The car is just so damn perfect and I can't thank Brett and his guys enough for taking the time to make it so. Smooth, quiet and seamless.

    Sadly, this is why I am so disappointed.

    I miss those damn carbs and their glorious induction roar! That is the sound missing and the exhaust note, albeit beautiful, is just to darn far away to enhance the in cabin experience. Yes, if I want to keep her above 4.5k all the time, and I crack a window, I can enjoy all that Colombo 12 has to offer.

    I was hoping that a Series 1 400i was going to give me a vintage car feel with modern amenities. What I got was a modern feeling car with modern amenities. The engine seems to be so big and so well balanced that most of the time it just about its job without the "mechanically evident" feel that I was searching for.

    Please, don't get me wrong. The car does everything it was built to do. It effortlessly propels me and my kids down the road in a comfortable, solid and serene environment. This car is so damn good. But, it doesn't feel "Ferrari" to me.

    I am finally beginning to realize that I like my cart to be pushed, not pulled. I prefer the mechanicals whirring inches from my ears, not meters. I think I prefer to be low, loud and sleek. I actually like to wear my car like a tight jacket and shoehorn my 6' 4" frame into a seat that is too small for my ass.

    These injected 2+2 Ferrari's are neat and functional machines. But I think they were more geared towards transcontinental hauling and not soul stirring street machines. I must admit, I did expect a better balance between family hauler and the raw Ferrari edge. A soul stirring experience is why I buy these crazy cars and I take full blame for asking to date a 400.

    Some cars I bond with instantly and some I don't. This gorgeous car is sadly the latter.

    I am going to save the family hauling for one of my other cars and keep the rear mid engined horses for myself.

    Best,

    David
     
  20. ArtS

    ArtS F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 11, 2003
    8,880
    Central NJ
    David,

    Sorry to hear. Does this mean that it is up for sale or does it mean that it is being returned to Brett?

    Regards,

    Art S.
     
  21. SlickMurphy

    SlickMurphy Formula Junior

    Aug 18, 2004
    271
    Essex
    Full Name:
    David
    Hi Art,

    I don't think I have the heart to let this fresh rebuild age itself to death in my garage. More than likely, I will sell her off and make room for something more exotic.

    David
     
  22. Ashman

    Ashman Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2002
    31,629
    MA
    Full Name:
    John
    Dave

    Wow, I've got to say that I'm speechless. After all that you have gone through over the past year (?) or more to get this car and to hear that it disappointed you so quickly is a bit tragic.

    The car sounds as though it is doing everything that it was designed to do: be a fast and elegant high speed GT. Had you driven one before buying?

    It is definitely not a mid-engined sports car with razor sharp handling to match, but it is to my mind still plenty sporty and certainly fast enough to either scare me or get me in trouble with the polizei very quickly if I want to put the hammer down. I love how it can turn from a civilized and docile touring car into a fire breathing demon with just a little bit of added Wellie. I had no trouble keeping up with some mid-engined Ferraris while rat racing (that is spirited driving, not actual racing on public roads) through upper Westchester County at one of the local caffeine and carburetors and it left some other sports cars in the dust.

    I still remember running it up hard through the gears one Saturday afternoon coming off of the Merritt onto Route 7 North and seeing a state police car headed south slam on his brakes and pull over to the side, only to realize that he would have to go another quarter mile south to turn around because of the guardrail divider. I don't know whether it was because of the visual or the sound or possibly radar but I could tell right away that I needed to get lost and inconspicuous as quickly as possible.

    I'm surprised that the engine exhaust noise is as quiet as you say, maybe you can have a section or two removed to restore a little more of the raw V12 roar that this car is capable of. I know that Brett fabricated a whole new exhaust for the car but IIRC it still has something like three sections a side. Take out a section and see how the sound is with it gone and save some weight at the same time!

    When I brought my car home from California, I had Amerispec install new cats for the CT emissions (this was in 1998 when it still needed to pass emissions tests) but Dick Fritz also fabricated two test pipes so that I could remove the cats for a sportier sound and less heat buildup. The cats have been sitting peacefully in a cabinet in my garage ever since the car became exempt from testing.

    We'll have to get the New England 400 crowd together down in Glastonbury or somewhere else quickly before your car heads off to another owner!
     
  23. SlickMurphy

    SlickMurphy Formula Junior

    Aug 18, 2004
    271
    Essex
    Full Name:
    David
    Hello Jon,

    To be honest, I seldom test drive or see cars I purchase long distance. It is truly part of the excitement for me, like a blind date. Over the past 20 years and maybe 18 cars, I have only been let down twice by this method. One was a Lotus S4s and now the 400. Of course, all due diligence is done when buying in this fashion. But sometimes there just isn't a fit, that's all.

    I mean, this is a Ferrari V-12 coming from a very professional and reputable shop. How can this not work for me. It is difficult for me to renew this topic on this forum and this sub-forum without offending current owners.

    This is just one man's opinion. And MY personal opinion is that my 400 lacks soul somehow. There is little to no tactile feeling through the steering wheel, brake pedal or seat of the pants. Then, pull off the carbs and add a "softish" suspension to that mix and we have a luxury car not a sports car.

    I think the original Colombo V-12 was rigidly designed around a multi-carb set up to reach its potential, not Bosch injection.

    There is no doubt that the car is a quiet high speed cruiser. If I wanted just that, I would just drive my Lexus and save on gas and repairs.

    Again guys, this is just my opinion and the last thing I want to do is enrage the entire 400 forum. Thanks for the podium and long live Ferrari!

    Best,

    David
     
  24. Ashman

    Ashman Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 5, 2002
    31,629
    MA
    Full Name:
    John
    David

    No worries about offending me, every person has unique preferences and tastes and that is what makes the world interesting and varied.

    So what are you going to replace it with? Another Ferrari, such as a more modern mid-engine 355 or 360 or will you go the carbed route with something like a 308 GT4 or say a carbed fiberglass 308?

    If you are in the more vintage end of the spectrum, I have always had a soft spot for old Alfas, having had a 1972 1750 GTV and a couple of Berlinas in my youth. While the GTV is pure sports car, it has the not always loved Spica fuel injection and you would have to go back to a GTA to get some nice Webers mixing the fuel and air.

    I also am a fan of the pre-Duetto Alfa spiders as well and hope to have one of those someday for a while.

    Whatever you choose, good luck with the hunt and let us know when you put your 400i on the market. As rare as the 5 speeds are, you should find some good interest in yours.
     

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