Gutted the Interior of my gt4 | FerrariChat

Gutted the Interior of my gt4

Discussion in '308/328' started by keysmatt, Feb 28, 2017.

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  1. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    #1 keysmatt, Feb 28, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Well, it's been a while since I've been on this site. After more than a year, I finally got serious about rebuilding the interior of my 1975 gt4. When I bought the car a couple years ago, it ran well, looked ok on the outside, and had no rust. But the inside was shot to hell- leather seats torn and dry, dashboard and instrument panel pieces cracked and faded, carpets stained, leather trim pieces faded, center console cracked and torn, door seals falling apart. It was a hot mess. You can see from the picture that I have removed almost everything. I sent the seats, center console and dash pieces to be reupholstered. I will leather dye the remaining trim pieces. I got a new carpet set and replaced some of the instruments panel lights and switches. In the middle of it all this, I sprung a major leak in the hot water heat exchanger/valve up front. That was no fun to replace. So now all the interior pieces are ready and the big trick will be putting everything back together again. You can see the new dashboard already in position. I kept a photo log of most of the major disassembly processes and will post more pics as it goes back together. Let me know if there is anything that I can offer in the way of suggestions for how this stuff came out/goes back in.
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  2. guygowrie

    guygowrie Formula 3

    Sep 19, 2011
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    guy s
    good luck!

    a great time to upgrade the fuse box (eg birdman fuse box). It is a pita to do once the glove box is all back in. A piece of cake when you have it like you do now.

    guy
     
  3. sltillim

    sltillim Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 22, 2009
    1,497
    San Diego
    As somebody who did it with everything all together, I have to agree! Good luck on your project.

    Another good to do would be to change the shift shaft bushing behind the gear lever box. Verrell sells the good delrin bushings.

    I have to re dye and repair the leather of which I am not looking forward to. I've heard that center console is difficult.
     
  4. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    Great suggestion. I installed the fusebox on a GTSi that I owned. It's a necessity and I just ordered one.
     
  5. Jdubbya

    Jdubbya The $10 Trillion Man
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    Dec 28, 2003
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    John
    Looks vaguely familiar!! Hope it goes back together easily for ya!!
     
  6. ItalianOne

    ItalianOne Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 21, 2008
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    Kevin R
    Can't wait to watch the progress
     
  7. ZOOOOMZ

    ZOOOOMZ Karting

    Aug 14, 2013
    248
    Austin, Texas, USA
    Full Name:
    Tim Cronin
    Just adding my $0.02 worth to the conversation:
    I had the chance to help a friend (NoGoSlow, quoted above) install a modern fuse box on his 1975 Series 1 GT4, and have to highly recommend the fuse panel upgrade.
    However, I would personally recommend Sam Saprunoff's fuse panel, even over Birdman's (which is excellent in its own right). Sam's panel leverages the advantages of ATC fuses, and the build quality is excellent. If I had to choose something for my own car, I'd definitely go with the ATC fuse panel.
     
  8. skipgt4

    skipgt4 Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    441
    GR Michigan
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    Charles VDB
    Matt, wish I had been able to stop by in January. My gt4 is in about the same shape but I didn’t need to pull the dash. Good luck and keep the photos coming.
     
  9. PDB

    PDB Formula Junior

    Feb 1, 2011
    574
    Leicestershire, UK
    Full Name:
    Paul
    I second Zooomz vote for Sam's fuse panels. I've fitted them to my '74 GT4 to replace the Birdman units that the previous owner fitted.

    [​IMG]

    Paul
     
  10. docdozer

    docdozer Karting

    Jun 17, 2009
    150
    Central Maine,
    Full Name:
    Charley
    Since it has come up, are there links to purchase either of the fuse blocks?
     
  11. absostone

    absostone F1 Veteran
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    Jul 28, 2008
    9,182
    Keysmatt which dye are u going with?
     
  12. ZOOOOMZ

    ZOOOOMZ Karting

    Aug 14, 2013
    248
    Austin, Texas, USA
    Full Name:
    Tim Cronin
    #12 ZOOOOMZ, Mar 2, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Just reach out to Sam Saprunoff by direct email, as requested in his threads on fuse blocks:
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/144526048-post10.html
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  13. robo330

    robo330 Formula Junior

    Apr 15, 2014
    608
    Michigan USA
    Full Name:
    Karl Robertson
    I would recommend Leatherique for the Leather Dye. It's tracked somewhere else on this site, but I re-dyed my Seats, Center Console and Door Trims. I took them all out of the car first, but following the instructions and also refer to Mike Charness for what to do. Stick with the instructions and take your time. You will be very pleased you did and the satisfaction of doing it yourself - Priceless!!!
     
  14. robo330

    robo330 Formula Junior

    Apr 15, 2014
    608
    Michigan USA
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    Karl Robertson
    BTW, while you are putting in a new Fuse Block (I got Birdman's) his website has a link to Rodney Dickman's Window Accelerators. About $120 for the pair and what a difference! They are very easy to install as well. Good Luck!
     
  15. absostone

    absostone F1 Veteran
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    Jul 28, 2008
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    Thx that's what I am gonna use one of these yrs. wasn't sure if there was anything else out there
     
  16. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    #16 keysmatt, Mar 2, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Well, too late guys. I have my order in with Birdman and I'm ok with that. As for the dye, I am using a water based dye supplied by Fred at All in Leather here in Miami. He hooked me up with the product that he uses professionally at his business and he spent the time to talk me through how to do it correctly. He's bee a big help with sourcing the correct leather and reupholstering the seats and center console. He also re-covered of the dash pieces. I had him do it in original looking vinyl. Here here are some of the other businesses I have used along the way: Verell at Unobtainium supply to rebuild the steering column/switches, Automobilia for the carpet set, Palo Alto Speedometer to rebuild the clock. Mr. Fiat and T Rutlands have been very helpful with finding all kinds of little bits and pieces too. I took the liberty of applying a heat shield material to the underside of the rear seat pan, just for added comfort. Removing the center console was next to impossible. There's a bolt that holds the handbrake lever that needs to be removed and would have been inaccessible had it not been for a tear in the boot that was there when I got the car. I had Fred rig up a velcro access hole on the underside of the boot so I can reinstall the bolt. The new carpet was very frustrating as the material is difficult to glue down smoothly without wrinkles. Here are some pics.
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  17. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    Hate to brag, but my windows go up and down fine (unlike the GTSi that I had). I am replacing many of the gaskets, seals and channels around the windows, which should help even more.
     
  18. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    Yeah, me too. This project has been such a challenge and it would be great to share my misery with someone who gets it. It's kinda hard to whine about my vintage Ferrari to my friends...
     
  19. absostone

    absostone F1 Veteran
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    Jul 28, 2008
    9,182
    Automobliahad the carpet?and it looks like the original ?my carpet is good except for the drivers side where yor left foot rests.
     
  20. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    #20 keysmatt, Mar 2, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2017
    The carpet was made in a shop in Italy and sold by Ricambi-Automobilia in the Netherlands. I ordered though ebay. The set is cut using correct templates, so each piece is pretty close to the right shape...kinda. The carpet material looks synthetic (they call it velour), however I believe the original is wilton wool. The material in this set is pretty thin, so it is easily wrinkled while being applied, especially on compound curved surfaces. So it took a lot of tugging and pressing and waiting using 3M spray adhesive to get each piece to lay as smooth as possible. The new carpets didn't have the snaps on the non-glued pieces, so I'll need to do that.
     
  21. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    #21 keysmatt, Mar 17, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    After a couple weeks off, I got back at it again. I replaced the fuse blocks and started installing the new dash board pieces and the insrument panel.
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  22. absostone

    absostone F1 Veteran
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    Jul 28, 2008
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  23. s3swiss

    s3swiss Rookie

    Nov 20, 2015
    27
    good work - interesting where the fuse panels are. My UK 77 GT4 has them below the glove box behind another clip-on cover. All the fuses and relays are on a panel there - rather like a race/rally car installation (easily accessible).
     
  24. absostone

    absostone F1 Veteran
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    Jul 28, 2008
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    the carpet looks thick and plush compared to the original
     
  25. keysmatt

    keysmatt Karting

    Oct 31, 2014
    80
    Key Largo, FL
    Full Name:
    Matt Anderson
    #25 keysmatt, May 22, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    So the good news: I finally was able to figure out how to leather dye all the trim pieces (the seats and center console were recovered with new leather). Then I wrestled with the center console for almost two days before I finally got it in. (I had the leather guy put a velcro access flap under the handbrake shroud so that I could get a socket on that impossible-to-reach handbrake mounting bolt). Next, I finished installing the rest of the carpet set. I was able to scavenge and re-use the snap fasteners from the old carpet set. Finally, the seats went back in and violá! The interior is complete!! (except for the door cards- but those will be easy). I am proud to say that I did most of the work myself. Here are some pics and a video of the final product. Sorry, I can't seem to get them to upload and stay in the proper orientation.

    Now the bad news: Throughout this restoration project I would periodically put the driver's seat and steering wheel back on just so I could run the car up and down the street. I never had a problem with the brakes when I did this. Of course today, when I am ready to drive the car with the new interior, I notice that the brakes are not working properly-- very hard pedal and almost no braking action unless I really push. Even then, there is very little braking power. Murphy's Law has really thrown a wrench in the works today. Fluid level is good. Any ideas what's going on?
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